
“Are you sure you want to do this?” grumbled my wife for the umpteenth time ever since I had asked her to join me as a pillion on a 650km ride from Goa to Mumbai.
“Don’t worry, we’ll manage”, I tried assuring her while tightening the straps of the Rynox Drystack saddle bags hurriedly under the Classic 350’s grab rail. It was 9 am and we were running about two hours late from our planned schedule, thanks to her resolute demand to do a quick photo session on the beach before we left for Mumbai. The pristine Agonda beach in South Goa, where we sojourned, made for a dreamy backdrop for pictures in the morning.

“You look way too excited”, she muttered, observing my enthusiasm and haste to start the ride.
My spouse’s apathy and lack of experience with motorcycles and rides made her apprehension about spending a whole day on the saddle quite valid. But then I was hell-bent to test my long-termer, the new Classic 350’s suitability to go long distances with two people and some luggage on board. After comprehensively riding the bike in the city and on solo long rides — areas it truly shone in, this was one important side of the bike I wanted to examine, and my hopes were high.
After a short tussle about her intermittent photography urges and my reluctance to join in, we left our resort, on the winding and narrow roads, lined by tall palm trees and quaint Portuguese-style houses.