Delhi is a city of layers, and every dynasty that wanted to rule northern India seems to have built its own version here. The Qutub Minar, a 73-metre tower of red sandstone, was begun in the late twelfth century; the great Mughal emperor Shah Jahan built the Red Fort and the Jama Masjid in the seventeenth century; and in the twentieth century the British laid out New Delhi with its wide avenues, India Gate and the long processional road up to the Presidential Palace. Old Delhi, around Chandni Chowk, is a maze of lanes, spice markets and food stalls where paratha shops have been frying bread in ghee for generations.
It is huge and loud and a challenge, but a rewarding one if you take it slowly. The food is the best reason to stay: kebabs and biryani in the lanes near the mosque, chaat and lassi on every corner, and tandoori dishes and butter chicken in the restaurants. The Lodhi Gardens and Humayun's Tomb, built in the sixteenth century and a precursor of the Taj Mahal, are calm places to rest in the heat. The Yamuna river runs through the east side of the city, though it is far from clean.
For a rider, Delhi is mostly a place to start and finish. Traffic is dense and chaotic, with lanes ignored, horns constant, and buses, rickshaws and cows in the mix, so ride defensively and expect any vehicle to do anything. The Ring Road and the expressways are quicker, but avoid the rush hours, and leave before dawn if you can. Heading north to Rishikesh and the Himalaya or south-west toward Jaipur, you get onto good highways within an hour, and the real riding begins. Air pollution is severe from October to January, and visibility can be low, so a mask and a clear visor help. In May and June the heat can reach 45 degrees.
Fuel stations are everywhere, in a city of many millions, and food is available at all hours. Pick a hotel with secure parking, because bikes are targeted by thieves in some areas, and check the rules about older vehicles and permits if you bring a bike from outside the city. Take a day to see the Red Fort and the old city by rickshaw before you leave, and arrive at the start of the ride rested.