Its been a year since my ride to the himalayas, to Leh, to Ladakh and to Jammu & Kashmir. I had been itching to get back to those hills and mountains ever since the day I landed back in Bengaluru.
I grabbed the opportunity to ride to Lahaul, Spiti and Kinnaur valleys as soon as it was announced in our club, Royal Indians Enfield Owner's Club (R.I.E.O.C). The restriction put on this ride by the club was that only riders who have experienced terrains such as Leh are allowed to join the ride. The maximum number of riders were also restricted to 6-8 members considering the uncertainty of the terrain. There was also a general lack of information about the whole area, with information coming only from a few sources. BCM touring forums were really helpful in getting status updates on road closures and conditions.
There was a different type of excitement this time around. I knew how to pack and prepare myself. I knew the spares I needed to carry, and I can say with confidence that I was much much more well versed with repair of the vehicles. Along with me were 5 other club veterans, each holding achievements of their own. We were indeed an elite team of riders, and this experience allowed us to gel and respect each other instantly, which became of paramount importance during the trip.
My new bull, named "Fauji", along with 3 other bulls had been packed and sent via GATI to Chandigarh a week before we flew there. Two of our riders decided to ride from Bengaluru itself, and left on the same day.
Our initial plan was to reach Chandigarh, unpack our bikes and rest in a hotel for the remainder of the day/night. But being the insanely passionate group we are, and also knowing that road conditions change in seconds in these terrains, we decided to take off on the same day, and ride as much as we could. This would keep us a bit ahead of our plan giving even more buffer time incase things took a turn for the worse.
All the bikes had reached safely with no dents. Jerin's bike had some oil leaking from the front fork, nothing major, but all the same we took it to the doctor to get it looked at. The doctor had the knowledge to fix the problem, but not the spares. He told us that the wound could sustain a few more kms, and so we pushed ahead looking it to fix it on the way to Shimla.
Chandigarh was at a hot 42+ c, and the only way to survive the insane heat was to be on the bike and constantly moving. Luckily for us, within 30kms of riding, we reached the Himalayan Highway which set us on a climb up. Temperatures started dropping, and the ride got more comfortable. After a bit of riding, we st
Stopped to have lunch. Within seconds of getting out of the saddle and into the chair, it started to pour. Heavy rains lashed the bulls and the roads as we ate our lunch enjoying the instant change in weather and temperature.
The rains stopped, but the temperature remained the same. The roads were not as great as they were before, full of curves and small potholes. The traffic was even worse. Drivers are careless and borderline crazy. Slow and steady riding was the only remedy. We reached Solan and on the side of the road was just what we were looking for, a Royal Enfield Service Centre. After some cajoling and pleading, he agreed to do the work. An hour later, there was a wide smile on Jerin's face. As a bullet owner it always pricks when you know your bull is not in the best shape. The joy we get in seeing it in perfect running condition is inexplicable.
We had another 65 kms to go. We sat on the bike, and just didnt realise time passing by, 2 hours later we were at a tea shop on the Shimla bypass, deciding whether to go further or stop for the night. Narkanda was another 60kms, and knowing the nature of the roads we knew it would take atleast 3 hours. Keeping that in mind, we found a hotel and chilled out for the rest of the night. Some good conversations and dinner and we hit the bed.
When doing such rides, it is of great convenience if you know how to pack right. Following was my packing style, you might think of packing in a similar fashion for your own rides :
Left Side Saddle Bag - All Spares (They took up 75% of the saddle space), Extra Bungee Cords, Tow Cable, Thermals
Right Side Saddle Bag - 6 set of clothes, Jacket Thermals, Jeans
Duffle - 3 sets of clothes, Electronic air pump, Extension box
Via Terra Tool Bag - Clipped on to the rear seat railing - Contains all my tools
Tank Bag - Camera, Lenses, Chargers, Medicines
Here are a few videos of the day's ride. Enjoy. Do leave your comments.
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| Fauji Bull all set to leave |
There was a different type of excitement this time around. I knew how to pack and prepare myself. I knew the spares I needed to carry, and I can say with confidence that I was much much more well versed with repair of the vehicles. Along with me were 5 other club veterans, each holding achievements of their own. We were indeed an elite team of riders, and this experience allowed us to gel and respect each other instantly, which became of paramount importance during the trip.
My new bull, named "Fauji", along with 3 other bulls had been packed and sent via GATI to Chandigarh a week before we flew there. Two of our riders decided to ride from Bengaluru itself, and left on the same day.
Our initial plan was to reach Chandigarh, unpack our bikes and rest in a hotel for the remainder of the day/night. But being the insanely passionate group we are, and also knowing that road conditions change in seconds in these terrains, we decided to take off on the same day, and ride as much as we could. This would keep us a bit ahead of our plan giving even more buffer time incase things took a turn for the worse.
All the bikes had reached safely with no dents. Jerin's bike had some oil leaking from the front fork, nothing major, but all the same we took it to the doctor to get it looked at. The doctor had the knowledge to fix the problem, but not the spares. He told us that the wound could sustain a few more kms, and so we pushed ahead looking it to fix it on the way to Shimla.
Chandigarh was at a hot 42+ c, and the only way to survive the insane heat was to be on the bike and constantly moving. Luckily for us, within 30kms of riding, we reached the Himalayan Highway which set us on a climb up. Temperatures started dropping, and the ride got more comfortable. After a bit of riding, we st
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| Lunch & Heavy Rains | |
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| View from the Bike at Solan |
Stopped to have lunch. Within seconds of getting out of the saddle and into the chair, it started to pour. Heavy rains lashed the bulls and the roads as we ate our lunch enjoying the instant change in weather and temperature.
The rains stopped, but the temperature remained the same. The roads were not as great as they were before, full of curves and small potholes. The traffic was even worse. Drivers are careless and borderline crazy. Slow and steady riding was the only remedy. We reached Solan and on the side of the road was just what we were looking for, a Royal Enfield Service Centre. After some cajoling and pleading, he agreed to do the work. An hour later, there was a wide smile on Jerin's face. As a bullet owner it always pricks when you know your bull is not in the best shape. The joy we get in seeing it in perfect running condition is inexplicable.
We had another 65 kms to go. We sat on the bike, and just didnt realise time passing by, 2 hours later we were at a tea shop on the Shimla bypass, deciding whether to go further or stop for the night. Narkanda was another 60kms, and knowing the nature of the roads we knew it would take atleast 3 hours. Keeping that in mind, we found a hotel and chilled out for the rest of the night. Some good conversations and dinner and we hit the bed.
When doing such rides, it is of great convenience if you know how to pack right. Following was my packing style, you might think of packing in a similar fashion for your own rides :
Left Side Saddle Bag - All Spares (They took up 75% of the saddle space), Extra Bungee Cords, Tow Cable, Thermals
Right Side Saddle Bag - 6 set of clothes, Jacket Thermals, Jeans
Duffle - 3 sets of clothes, Electronic air pump, Extension box
Via Terra Tool Bag - Clipped on to the rear seat railing - Contains all my tools
Tank Bag - Camera, Lenses, Chargers, Medicines
Here are a few videos of the day's ride. Enjoy. Do leave your comments.
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| Part 2 |
Hey Gautam your blog would tempt any new bullet owner to go for such rides... Coz the experience you gained out of this trip is simply mind blowing... Very useful information on packing as well :-)
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