The Next Level of Riding - The SPITI Valley - Part 4 - Kaza onwards

After a full day's rest at Kaza, the body and the machine were ready to head out. Having filled fuel at the world's highest retail fuel outlet, the machines were ready to thump. Our planned target for the day was Manali, and having crossed through the varied types of road so far, we were confident of making it.

World's Highest Retail Fuel Outlet

Within meters of exiting Kaza, the all too familiar pot holed roads began. Losar was around 60kms away, and was the target of our first stop. A few kms out of Kaza, we went past a bridge on our left, assuming due to the lack of signboards that the right road is straight ahead. Luckily, at the town of Kii, a few helpful localites told us of the correct route. We had to take a left on that bridge, and as we returned we saw the signboards. They were facing the wrong direction.

Location of the 3rd puncture of the ride

Back on the right road, we zoomed ahead. The road was comparatively better than what we had seen so far. The skies were dark, and there was a slight chill in the air. In the distance, we could see a bit of rainfall. And just then, Jerin's bike got punctured yet again, right in between a patch of slush and water. We had no choice but to fix the puncture right there. Pushing the bike out of that area could possibly damage the rim. Changing the tube was a breeze. The punctures were happening because the tyre had worn out. We tried to do some R&D and place the cut up old tube as packing inside the tyre, but decided against it, as it would sit unevenly and cause wobbling. While trying to place the wheel back, we ran into some major trouble. The Disc was not willing to sit between the brake calipers. After quite a bit of struggling, I figured the best course of action would be to force the piston back and create more space between the calipers. This did the trick, and we got everything fit back.

The Next Level of Riding - The SPITI Valley - Part 3 - Kalpa to Kaza

After a beautiful evening at Kalpa and a good night's sleep, I woke up to the magnificent view of Mount Kinnaur Kailash. Fresh and energetic, I saddled up, and we were ready to leave by 6.30. Kaza is around 200km from Kalpa and going by the roads so far, we knew it was going to be a long day of riding.

Just as soon as we descended from Reckong Peo, we faced roads that look very similar to the railway tracks minus the steel rails (only stones). The road was extremely narrow, filled with stones. The road would suddenly narrow down further, and when I looked down, I could see the long fall below. Scary. Each time I looked down, my adrenaline shot up, I felt scared, but each time a smile would also instantly crop up on my face and I would start laughing. It was an awesome feeling, and I was loving each and every second of it.

The Next Level of Riding - The SPITI Valley - Part 2 - Shimla to Kalpa

A new day, an early start. In those early morning hours, Shimla had a magical charm to it. The streets were silent, there was a cool breeze blowing, the view was beautiful. Just what was needed to give the day an amazing start.

Kalpa our target for the day was around 230km away. 230km might seem a very small distance to target for a whole day, but given the absence of roads, poor condition of the small stretches of tarmac, it was a smart target. There was also a big landslide between Tapri and Chooling to worry about.

The winding road from Shimla led us through reasonably decent roads. Curve after curve we rode until we got our first glimpse of the Sutlej river and valley. The view was amazing. A wide deep valley full of greens. I rode back a couple of kms from where the group had stopped to capture this shot of the valley, totally worth it.

We reached the small town of Narkandha by 9.15 and took a break for some breakfast, Aloo parathas, Paneer Parathas and Omelettes. Shimla to Narkandha is exactly 60 kms, but yet it took us 3 hours.

The Next Level of Riding - The SPITI Valley - Part 1 - Chandigarh to Shimla

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.

Fauji Bull all set to leave

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.