I rode some 5500kms from north to south (actually my second time riding in India) and sounded the horn as much as I could. But also flashed the lights anytime someone coming the other way was trying to "borrow" my side of the road... which means more or less all the time!!

I also played "chicken" with the bus & truck drivers, and stayed near the centre of the road as long as I dared, with lights flashing, hoping they would give me some more room. They didnt really do that, and maybe that was a bit aggressive, but it helped a bit, as I was not forced to the shoulder of the road so often. They do not think that you have side cases, and a bike can actually be over 1 metre wide, so you will not be given a lot of space.

But anyway that was nowhere near as aggressive driving as what most of the big buses drivers and SUV´s do all the time, they really do think they own the roads, and behave that way.

There was one good reason to have a powerful bike (otherwise all big bikes are way too powerful for India!) Because then you could pass where no-one else dared, so providing you can properly look ahead/around you, you could do it safely, and not when 15 other people are doing the same with you.

Normally I like to ride slowly and play safe, but in Indian traffic it was just not possible all the time, you ended up in bad situations all the time, if you´d try to do that. So I thought its best then to take your own space, which is possible with a bike. Well, for a while anyway... wont take long, when they will again start gathering around you. And you cannot go too fast, or you will get killed.

You really do need to watch out in India, its kind of like a videogame, where you will only have 1 life! Stay VERY alert, every second while your in traffic, that´ll help you survive. So easy to have a very bad accident there, and they do happen, a lot. Dont ride in the dark at all.

Edit: Some of these may not be good advice at all, if youre not totally familiar with the way they drive in Asia, so if your going there for the first time, its better to just step back and watch what they are doing. The whole traffic there is simply an incredible spectacle, so take time to get used to it. It is VERY dangerous, especially for a 1st-timer.