About

India Bike Wallahs

February 2024

“In India, a Wallah is a term used to describe a person who performs a particular service or job to a high standard. This can refer to people from all walks of life—from shopkeepers to street vendors to artisans to train attendants. Even motorcyclists.

Wallah derives from the word, Wallon, meaning “one who does something well”.

A Wallah can provide an expert range of services and jobs. For example, chai Wallah is an Indian term for a tea seller, and taxi Wallah refers to a taxi driver. One who works as a street peddler might be referred to as a bazaar Wallah, while someone who rides professionally is a ‘Bike Wallah’.

Its use also infers respect—it being a form of address rather than a name or job title.”

KTM weren’t interested, nor were Triumph or Royal Enfield. I don’t think we’re sexy or dramatic enough! So we decided to do this ourselves. We have bought all brand new motorcycles and decided that we’d do our own Adventure Bike road test.

And a tough one at that.

South India, 14 days, 3 very experienced riders, long days in the saddle and very hot. We’ll ride through Goa, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu & Andhra Pradesh. We set off at first light from Colva Beach in Goa on the 25th of February and return on the 08th of March. We’ll cover just over 3,000kms.

Alex Pirie
Founder and Lead Rider
Nomadic Knights