Chennai: You may have come across the stories of bikers who have travelled by the length and breadth of a country, but Stefan Rheiner, a civil engineer from Deutschland, has covered over 16,000 kms all the way from Germany to Chennai, on his Yamaha XTZ 660 Ténéré motorcycle.
A much-dreamt motorcycle expedition, Rheiner began his solo ride from his home in Freiburg on October 3, 2014, bound for Austria.
“It was me, my motorcycle and the long roads ahead. I rode through Slovenia, Croatia, Bosnia, Montenegro, Serbia, Bulgaria and entered Turkey after passing through cities, scenic villages and misty mountains,” said the enthusiastic biker.
Rheiner also rode around Iran for 30 days, he said “My days in Iran were well spent in the homes of welcoming friends who hosted me.”
When he entered Pakistan through the Balochistan province, he also befriended some fellow bikers on the road.
“We rode through Pakistan a total of 12 days, with police escort, and were not permitted to interact with the locals. We had to spend the night at police stations en route,” he added.
In a journey spanning over 90 days, Rheiner entered India via the Wagah border on December 3. Then he extensively rode through, Agra, Dharamshala, Ranthambore, Aurangabad, Mumbai, Bengaluru, Ooty, Munnar, Alappuzha and Rameswaram, and ended his expedition in Chennai on last Sunday.
Rheiner said, “I am here to obtain a no-objection certificate to ship my motor motorcycle back home.”
Reiner is heading back to Germany on Tuesday but this time he has booked his flight. Rheiner is trying to ship his motorcycle back home. “The paper work is so laborious and complex,” he concluded.
