We are always on the move,” says 74-year-old Yogeshwar Bhalla, sitting in his Greater Noida flat, its walls covered with photographs and memorabilia from the many journeys he has been on; his dear wife Sushma Bhalla, who is 70, riding pillion. On the walls, bikes are everywhere—giant collages of photographs of the couple at various biking events fully clad in riding gear and with fellow riders; a large engraving of a cruiser bike, a birthday gift by Sushma for Yogeshwar; a clock in the shape of a bike, various awards and recognitions by biking communities from across the country and so on.
‘The Bullet Couple’, or Yogi and Sushi, as they are known in biking circles, have ridden their Royal Enfield motorcycle on roads across the country, from Kashmir to Kerala. And they are just back from attending G2G, a bikers’ meet in Nagpur.
Though bikes and biking are a passion, for the couple, it all comes down to a desire to travel, to be on the road. So far they have travelled through 29 countries, including several in Europe, and the US, China and Australia to name a few, all after retirement. The Bhallas opted for an early retirement so they could travel—Yogeshwar from a private pharmaceutical company, and Sushma, from the government school where she was a librarian. Now, there is no stopping them.
“The target is 195,” says Yogeshwar laughing, referring to the total number of countries on the planet.
Growing up in Delhi, Yogeshwar was bitten by the proverbial travel bug early on in life. “I used to ride my cycle to school. My friends and I would slip out even during recess to go to nearby locations on our cycles,” he says. The switch from the bicycle to the bike was inevitable.
“My elder brother had a Royal Enfield Bullet. I was smitten by the vehicle. I always knew that once I grew up, I would get one of those.” With his first salary at 21, he got his first bike. With Sushma, whom Yogeshwar calls his “motivator and navigator”, the case was different. “I was a studious girl growing up,” she says.
Riding partners
The couple’s relationship began with an arranged marriage but things changed after marriage, almost instantly. The day after the wedding, the couple took off to Srinagar in Kashmir on the bike. The trip helped break the ice. “After that, we had an understanding between us that wherever we go, we’ll go together. From that day, I’ve never gone anywhere alone,” says Yogeshwar. He constantly encourages other bikers to take their spouses along on their journeys and many have followed suit. Even after their son and daughter were born, the trips never ceased. “With our son seated on the petrol tank and our daughter in Sushma’s lap, we would take off,” says Yogeshwar.
Like all travellers, the couple has no dearth of stories from the road -- from anticipating avalanches in Ladakh to high-adrenaline horse riding in Amarnath. Sushma recounts how they lost their way in the forests in Shirdi on returning from a recent Goa trip. “There was a GPS connectivity issue and we took a wrong turn. It was late at night and the jungle didn’t seem to have an end,” she says. They managed to get back on track in a few hours.
On another trip, in Serbia, they were robbed of all their money and even the registration book of the car they had hired. “They even took the Indian currency we had in the bags,” laughs Sushma. For the couple though, everything is part of the adventure. “We travel on a budget,” says Yogeshwar about how they use their savings for the trips they go on. “We always carry essentials such as medicines and clothes. We cook food in a kettle when hotels are too expensive.” Things are planned in advance, for example, on available accommodation, online, so that surprises on the road don’t mean shelling out more money.
Surgery and after
The going hasn’t been all too easy though. Yogeshwar had a knee replacement surgery in 2021, at 72, which he initially feared would end his life as a biker. But he managed to pull through, thanks to sheer determination and, also, physical exercise. He never used a walker or a walking stick during the recuperative period, despite his doctor’s advice.
“If I had used a walking stick, I would’ve made it a habit. I don’t want to make a habit of being old. I want to stay young and on my feet,” he says. At 69, he also did paragliding at Pokhara, Nepal, after giving a written undertaking, as it was not permitted for people over 60.
The couple are all set to embark on upcoming journeys. Two biking events are scheduled this month, in Himachal Pradesh and in Kanyakumari. A ride to Tawang in Arunachal Pradesh and visits to Sri Lanka, Canada and Japan are also on the bucket list this year. Yogeshwar has an advice for the old: “Come out of your four walls. Explore new places. Meet new people. You’ll stay happy and healthy.”
Twenty-nine countries and counting. From bike rides across India to adventures abroad, from getting robbed in Serbia to wrong turns on Goa roads late at night, there is no stopping Yogi and Sushi from Greater Noida once they get on their bike.