Sushantha Shetty travelled 12,000 km in just over 30 days

If speed aficionado Sushantha Shetty was able to zip from the U.K. to India, a distance of 12,000 km, through 17 countries and seven time zones, on a Suzuki Hayabusa in a little over a month, one good reason was because friends, across countries, helped him chase his dream.

Mr. Shetty, a Mangalore-origin Indian living in the U.K., set out from London on October 25 and rode the motorbike for 15 days through the U.K., France, Belgium, Germany, Austria, Slovenia, Croatia, Serbia, Bulgaria, Turkey, Iran and the U.A.E.

From Dubai, the bike was in transit till he received it in Mumbai on November 28. From Mumbai, he rode the motorbike to arrive in Bengaluru on November 29. Mr. Shetty left the same day for the U.K.

He said he had to fly from Dubai to Mumbai as the motorbike was sent by dhow (sailing vessel) but he was unable to accompany it as he required a seaman’s passport, which he did not have.

He recalled how crowds of people surrounded him in Iran where riding big bikes is illegal. He also ran into a spot of trouble as he needed money, but found that ATM cards would not work in banks because of sanctions against Iran. Getting help over the Internet was tough as it was difficult to access it. Hardly anyone spoke English but people offered shelter and helped him get money, he said.

It set him back by a day and 800 km, overcoming which was “most challenging”, he said.

The journey included battling the cold and wind at night on roads with no lights in Germany, Iran and Turkey. The longest stretch of time he continuously rode the Hayabusa was 16 hours, from Slovenia to Bulgaria.

At times when sleep overtook him, he would park the motorbike, lean against it and drop off to sleep.

The brake shoes had to be changed but other than that Mr. Shetty didn’t have any problems with the motorbike.

The vehicle will be showcased at the India Bike Week in Goa in March next year.