Experience: Transporting Motorcycles on Train as Luggage

We had talked to courier guys about the time it takes for motorcycles to be transported to Jammu. First they said 7 days would be enough. So we called them about 8-9 days before our departure date. Now it was going to take at least 15 days to transport the bikes. We gave up and decided to take the bikes on train along with us. And if, in any case it failed, we were prepared to ride the whole distance.

Note to people thinking of this option. Do NOT do it. For the love of your bikes! Refrain! Ride down to Jammu, it will be less frustrating. Each of the three bikes was damaged more on the supposedly safe journey of 2000km on train to Jammu than on the known dangerous terrain in Ladakh or all the way back to Pune - a good 4500km.

The careless parcel guys damage your motorcycles, refuse to compensate because the policy for compensation is only if the bike is lost. Damage is “usual” in their business. They seemed very casual and even grinning when we mentioned that the tank of one motorcycle had a huge dent in it.

“People are indebted to us for bringing their luggage all the way from Pune to Jammu, and you are complaining about this little dent?” was what one official at Jammu had to say.

Also, a note: if you have no other choice, make sure you lie when you tell the value of your motorcycle. Say 10k is the purchase price (standard practice) instead of being a hero and saying your bike costs a lakh. The reason being you have to pay 1% as insurance that is only useful if the bike is lost. We paid the full amount thinking damages were covered. Don’t.

Another note: make SURE the insurance amount written on the receipt matches 1% of the valuation of your bike. We paid the full amount, the bastard at Pune split the amount into various categories and the 1% insurance that he wrote was Rs. 300 less than the amount we paid. In hurry, we failed to notice. The guy in Jammu knew this trick and refused to hand over the bikes till we paid him the amount - without receipt. If we wanted receipt, we’d have to wait a few hours - basically till evening. If we wanted to verify the dispute, a few days.

And more: if you want to transport three bikes on one train. That is, if you want the bikes to reach the destination with you, you will be asked somewhere around 500 INR for “ensuring that the bikes are loaded on the same train” and another 20 INR for “ensuring that the shipping information/codes are written properly”. Packing takes Rs. 300 per bike, which is pathetic, but reasonable given that you don’t have the packing material right there on the station.

After all this, receiving a damaged bike can be mighty frustrating.

Anyway, when we got down at Jammu, the first thing we had to do after getting the bikes was walk a kilometer to the Petrol pump (walk out of the station, on the main road, take a right and keep walking till you see a pump on the right) as the tanks have to be emptied before transport. Fair enough - as the XCD had suffered a burned tail-lamp, a few square inches of the packaging was burnt and was soaked in what seemed like edible oil. My bike was covered with broken egg shells and the stuff that was supposed to be still inside them. After filling petrol and washing the bikes, we got out of the station and loaded our stuff on the bikes.

Note, if you get nauseous easily, don’t wash the egg off — I was fine, but realized water amplifies the smell a hundredfold ;-)
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P.S. Photographs of me courtesy of Shrenik Vikam. Thanks!
P.P.S. I wish I was in a better state of mind and with more resources or time. As I hate paying bribe and if it was me alone, I'd not even bother taking a train in the first place. I regret playing along with the corrupt people. Next time, I might be gathering evidence.