We start our India Motorcycle One-Week tour in the 'city of dreams' Mumbai. Mumbai is the largest city in India and also the entertainment and financial capital. Before Mumbai became the city that it is now, it was a collection of seven islands. It was given to the British by the Portuguese as dowry when Charles II married Catherine of Braganza, daughter of King John IV of Portugal. The British made Mumbai an important port since it already had a natural harbour but it rose to its richness during the American Civil War when cotton supplies were completely stopped from America to Britain. Mumbai, formerly known as Bombay, is full of dreamers and hard-labourers, starlets and gangsters, stray dogs and exotic birds, artists and servants, fisherfolk and crorepatis (millionaires), and lots and lots of people. It has India’s most prolific film industry, some of Asia’s biggest slums (as well as the world’s most expensive home) and the largest tropical forest in an urban zone. The heart of the city contains some of the grandest colonial-era architecture on the planet but explore a little more and you’ll uncover unique bazaars, hidden temples, hipster enclaves and India’s premier restaurants and nightlife. On Day 2 of our road expedition, we ride 180 km north-east on our Royal Enfield motorcycles to reach Nashik. This large provincial city’s old quarter has some intriguing wooden architecture, interesting temples and some huge bathing ghats. The city is noticeably cleaner, better maintained and greener than many Indian cities of its size. As Indian wine continues its coming of age, Nashik's growth potential as a wine tourism destination is wide open. India's best wines are produced locally and an afternoon touring the gorgeous vineyards in the countryside surrounding the city is a great reason to point your nose in Nashik's direction. Every 12 years Nashik plays host to the grand Kumbh Mela, the largest religious gathering on Earth (the last one was in 2015, the next one in 2027). After a day’s rest at Nashik, Day 4 and a 220 km ride southwards takes us to Pune, which is known as the cultural capital of Maharashtra. Retaining its historic past and embracing modernity at the same time, the city has come a long way from being a pensioners' paradise. Often called the Oxford of the East thanks to the presence of several reputed educational institutions, Pune is home to the National Defence Academy, the elite training school for the armed forces as well as the Film and Television Institute of India. Pune is also home to the Osho International Meditation Ashram as well as the headquarters of the Iyengar Yoga Institute. Famous for adventure activities like camping, rappelling and paragliding, Pune sees many adventure junkies flocking the city at all times. Day 5 takes us to Mahabaleshwar. Once a summer capital under the British, today the best thing about the hill station of Mahabaleshwar (1327m) is the jaw-dropping mountain scenery on the road to get there. As the summer capital of the Bombay Presidency during the British Raj, its colonial past is reflected in its architecture. The British-built mansions, cottages and bungalows around the town only add to the overall charm of the city. Mahabaleshwar is also famous for its strawberry gardens and honey. Day 6 is a beautiful 180 km ride on the winding roads of the Western Ghats to another hill station, Lonavala. And a short ride of 90 km on Day 7 brings us to the completion of our journey through the vineyards and the ghats to where we started, Mumbai.