Climate

India

Owing to the size of the country and its climatic variety it is obviously not possible to speak out for all parts of India. Generally speaking the months from October to March are best to bike in most parts of the country. We had no rain on our Motorcycle tours in Rajasthan between October and March so far.

New DelhiJanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
Days max. temperature (C°) 21 24 31 36 40 39 36 34 34 34 29 23
Days min. temperature (C°) 7 9 14 20 26 28 27 26 24 18 11 8
Days w/o precipitation 29 26 30 29 29 26 23 23 26 30 30 30

India - Himalaya Region

One obvious exemption is the Himalayan Region. July and August are the best months to motorcycle the worlds highest roads into Ladakh. The back side of the coin is that it is absolutely necessary to carry rain gear for bike rides in the southern parts of the Himalayas. Ladakh on the other side (of the mountains) sees annual rainfall similar to the Sahara desert. Although it´s sometimes nice to see some rain since it brings down temperatures it is nice to enjoy a "dry ride" as well.

Himalaya RegionJanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
Days max. temperature (C°) -1 1 7 13 16 20 25 24 21 15 8 2
Days min. temperature (C°) -13 -12 -6 -1 2 6 10 10 5 3 -6 -10
Days w/o precipitation 30 28 31 30 30 30 31 30 29 30 29 30

Nepal

Without doubt the best time to motorcycle in Nepal is October/November. The end of the Monsoon leaves the country in bluish green, the climate is nice and the visibility of the mountains is good. The second-best time is the end of the dry period, from February to April. Weather is warm again and the wildflowers blossom. Winter nights are cold, but it warms up during the days and the mountain views are great. There is a likelihood of rain showers in October but these are usually short showers. 

KathmanduJanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
Days max. temperature (C°) 22 24 26 29 32 35 31 30 31 28 26 23
Days min. temperature (C°) -5 -1 -2 6 11 16 10 18 19 14 5 -3
Days w/o precipitation 30 23 29 24 21 15 10 11 18 27 29 31

Tibet

The best months to travel Tibet on a motorcycle are April/Mai and September/October which offer mild temperatures, clear skies and good mountain views.

Lhasa (Tibet)JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
Days max. temperature (C°) 7 8 12 16 19 24 23 22 21 17 13 9
Days min. temperature (C°) 2 1 5 8 12 15 15 14 12 8 2 3
Days w/o precipitation 29 24 29 29 26 23 20 23 22 29 29 29