The Motorcycle Touring Thread

[AgentDoubleS]

Thanks Atul!

Ashok,

Thats more plains in the last 2 pictures. I completely agree, Chang La was a lot more difficult, the weather a lot more harsh and cold. So was Baralacha la but I crossed that alone at 10pm! Its a long story but here is the pic of that climb:

[ckkalyan]

AgentDoubleS and AgentDouble9 - mind boggling images and crisp captions - I am lost for words!! What a wonderful experience; it must have been a fantabulous (remember the old Lambretta-like scooter, with upgraded features like self-starter, etc.,? ) experience!

At the risk of repeating myself, superb images - I particularly loved the gravel, fording, mixed terrain, challenging (and the non-photo shopped incredible shade of blue water ) stretches. Thank you for sharing!

I would love to join you on such a bu** bustin' trip - one day, some day....great going AgentDoubleS!

Do share details of your breaks, camping, schedules etc, en-route.

[Kittu]

There is no road ony kaccha road.did you went after land slide thatoften accurs at
tbarcha la

[AgentDoubleS]

Thanks CK, this was undoubtedly the best road trip we've done. I'd whole heartedly recommend this trip to anyone is 2 minds. When we came back and looked at some of the pictures on a laptop they apperared unreal to us! Just mesmerising untouched landscapes.

It will be a pleasure to ride with you, and i hope that happens sooner than later.

Ashok, this was a very difficult ride and at a plce called Zing Zing Bar at night I met a few guys in a dhabha who recommended i not ride further. thankfully, met another rider who wanted to ride till Jispa (2 hours away) and we rode together. I did not cross a single vehicle or human in those 2 hours - just mountains, river crossings and pitch darkness. Will post a video of a river crossing there. The fellow riders Bullet is what you see in one of those pics.

Cheers,
SS

[aadhaulya]

ADS,

What do carry for bike maintenance en route, ever had a tyre puncture?? And what about availability of fuel in these out of the way routes??
I would love to try this trip but there is no way I am getting on a bike to do it (I don't think I have the stamina also to do it on a bike). Can a car do this trip??
I have a 4WD and a 2WD safari and if 4WD is not required I prefer driving the 2WD as it is lighter and gives a better fuel average.

Atul

[ckkalyan]

AgentDoubleS - I absolutely love that photo of the "track/road in the headlights" - brilliant image!

Thank you for the invite - appreciate it!

[sa_ali]

WOOOOOWWWWW, a long cherished dream of mine to do ladak on bike, but firstly mom is dead against, secondly work has being lil too busy, but its a excuse, once we put our head to it, its doable. I have kept that flame simmering deep down inside

[AgentDoubleS]

Atul,

I do carry a puncture repair kit, tool set, electronic air pump etc. While God has been kind I have never had to use it for the Triumph, there are others who have needed it!


With a tank range of 400 odd kms one can manage most routes. However, to visit some of the inner areas you might have to carry a 20 litre jerry can. It depends totally on places you want to visit. In most places, Sonmarg, Karu, Tandi etc there is only one petrol pump so its advisable to carry spare just in case oil trucks havent been able to reach due to landslides. My bike has a tank range of 200 kms so in some of the places I am carrying fuel- you'll see that in the pictures. In Pangong Tso too I had to carry 5 litres but in a Safari that won't be an issue.

Thanks Ali. I had planned this trip for a very long time. You should keep at it and someday the dream will materialise.

Thank you CK! Here is a video of those roads as well. Very short since I made it from my cell phone but gives a good idea of the conditions:

Things that stand out:

1. The sweet sounding 1978 Royal Enfield Standard Bullet ( I named her Victoria ). I met this guy and had spoken to him for hardly 20 mins. We rode together at night quite literally trusting each others with our lives!
2. The valiant attempt to keep the feet dry no matter what the terrain.
3. The poor visibility. We could not see anything beyond our headlight.




Ashok, here's a video of More Plains. This is the video I was making when I met Victoria's rider.

[aadhaulya]

Atul,
I do carry a puncture repair kit, tool set, electronic air pump etc. While God has been kind I have never had to use it for the Triumph, there are others who have needed it!
With a tank range of 400 odd kms one can manage most routes. However, to visit some of the inner areas you might have to carry a 20 litre jerry can. It depends totally on places you want to visit. In most places, Sonmarg, Karu, Tandi etc there is only one petrol pump so its advisable to carry spare just in case oil trucks havent been able to reach due to landslides. My bike has a tank range of 200 kms so in some of the places I am carrying fuel- you'll see that in the pictures. In Pangong Tso too I had to carry 5 litres but in a Safari that won't be an issue.
Thanks Ali. I had planned this trip for a very long time. You should keep at it and someday the dream will materialise.
Thank you CK! Here is a video of those roads as well. Very short since I made it from my cell phone but gives a good idea of the conditions:
Things that stand out:
1. The sweet sounding 1978 Royal Enfield Standard Bullet ( I named her Victoria ). I met this guy and had spoken to him for hardly 20 mins. We rode together at night quite literally trusting each others with our lives!
2. The valiant attempt to keep the feet dry no matter what the terrain.
3. The poor visibility. We could not see anything beyond our headlight.
Ashok, here's a video of More Plains. This is the video I was making when I met Victoria's rider.

ADS,
That was a good video.
The Victoria rider also seems to be a seasoned rider, with attachments for luggage and extra fuel. There are a few more questions that come to my mind.
1. Does your Triumph have a 12 volt electrical system?
2. Do you use it with Indian or imported tyres? And what make..
3. Are these tyres tubeless?
4. The last video seems like an open plain, no tracks or road visible. How do you navigate? Do you use a GPS navigation system?

Atul

[xl_target]

Double Ess and 99.
Congratulations on an incredible trip.
Your photos were excellent..... and those roads! Wow, what a nightmare!

[kanwar76]

Small Video on the way to Sach Pass, Awesome Views, Slippery Roads, Bike Trouble What an adventure.

[aadhaulya]

Very beautiful, but it seems that if two cars are coming from the opposite direction it would be ver difficult or impossible to pass. Or is this not a part of the regular road to Leh??

Atul

[ckkalyan]

Small Video on the way to Sach Pass, Awesome Views, Slippery Roads, Bike Trouble What an adventure.

Nice Helmet Cam video (very steady and clean capture) - I especially liked the shot of the overhang of rock; what an interesting track (mixed terrain, reading left to right)! The steep drop on the left is pure adrenaline, goosebumps and sheer exhilaration all mixed up!

Please share details of the cam equipment used and operation (mounts etc) if you can.

I admire the riders' gumption, takes a lot of ba**s and riding experience to navigate, with fully loaded equipment, yet; Wet, cold and miserable weather to make it more interesting - an adventure as you said rightly. Bravo kanwar76 and mates!

Did I count 4 x Bullets in the group?

[kanwar76]

Very beautiful, but it seems that if two cars are coming from the opposite direction it would be ver difficult or impossible to pass. Or is this not a part of the regular road to Leh??

Atul

Hi Atul,

No this is not the regular way to Leh, We wanted to do Sach Pass, Killar, Kishtwar and go towards Srinagar but one of the guys lost his costly DSLR with lots of lenses so we had to spend almost half a day in police station and trace our tyre prints back to Pathankot. We were planning to cover whole lot of Ladhak in short time so we had to abandon the plan to do Killar-Kishtwar road. Hopefully I will be doing it next year.

As far as traffic is concern there is not a lot on this route and even if somebody comes then the guy going uphill gets the first preference. Vehicle coming downhill has to reverse and find a place where they can cross. Not much problem on bikes as there is enough space for a bike and 4Wheeler to pass.


Added in 3 minutes 30 seconds:

Small Video on the way to Sach Pass, Awesome Views, Slippery Roads, Bike Trouble What an adventure.

Nice Helmet Cam video (very steady and clean capture) - I especially liked the shot of the overhang of rock; what an interesting track (mixed terrain, reading left to right)! The steep drop on the left is pure adrenaline, goosebumps and sheer exhilaration all mixed up!

Please share details of the cam equipment used and operation (mounts etc) if you can.

I admire the riders' gumption, takes a lot of ba**s and riding experience to navigate, with fully loaded equipment, yet; Wet, cold and miserable weather to make it more interesting - an adventure as you said rightly. Bravo kanwar76 and mates!

Did I count 4 x Bullets in the group?

Hi CK,

We were 5 guys all on Bullets. others were on newer bikes and i was on my 98Machismo. This video was shot on a SJCAM4000 which is a clone of Go pro. it comes with whole lot of mounts.

HTH

Inder,
That is some scary video.
I can almost feel my stomach clenching.
What in the world does one do if there is opposing truck traffic?

Hi Xl,

Actually it looks more scary in the video than i felt while doing it . not much of a traffic there, odd bolero campers or two. you find a place wide enough to cross otherwise stick to the wall and pray that your leg doesn't get scratched by other vehicle

More than vehicles or drop, slush was the bigger problem. One guy in the group was on stock tires and he was fishtailing like crazy and the steep ascent was not helpingmuch too

Here are few more vids of the same section.







Hope you guys like it

-Inder

[AgentDoubleS]

Kanwar, absolutely brilliant videos. Loved them. I've heard so much about Sach pass, would love to do it, albeit not on a Bonneville. Just booked an RE thunderbird so maybe that...or god willing a dual sport someday. Thanks for sharing. Re inspired me for another trip.

Atul, the bike has a 12v electrical system. Most newer bikes don't even come with a kick start so the Electricals are important. I run it with the stock tubeless Metzeler tyres, made in Germany. Excellent on road, terrible off road in mud or slush.

Thanks XL. Those roads were either brilliant or a nightmare. But one great adventure nonetheless for agent 99 and me.

Cheers,
SS