In the end of May , as soon as the high passes of Ladakh are officially open, bikers from around the country start on the long journey to the enchanting land of Lamas.
Bikers from far corners of the country, braving the heat of Indian plains, reach the cool climes of the high Himalayas where mixed road conditions await them. Some riders take the easy Jammu - Srinagar - Kargil route to Leh, where the road conditions are good for the most part, while the more adventurous ones take the Manali, Sarchu route to Leh.
In the year 2012 I took a bus to Leh from Manali, and personally experienced the road conditions - black ice, snow, landslides and water crossings, it is one adventure which i will never forget.
Believe me Manali-Leh road will give a off road track a run for its money, in most parts it is just a mud track, which has many water crossings, ice patches and more.
In Leh I hired a Bajaj Pulsar 150 and rode to the highest motor-able road to Khardungla pass, and to Pangong Tso lake over the snow covered Changla pass. Pulsar was a excellent ride on the tarmac, but i craved for a bike with better suspension and handling while going across the pot holed roads, covered with mud and ice. It was always a bone jarring and tiring journey to say the least.
In Leh I hired a Bajaj Pulsar 150 and rode to the highest motor-able road to Khardungla pass, and to Pangong Tso lake over the snow covered Changla pass. Pulsar was a excellent ride on the tarmac, but i craved for a bike with better suspension and handling while going across the pot holed roads, covered with mud and ice. It was always a bone jarring and tiring journey to say the least.
Enthusiast bikers mostly take their city bikes on this adventures, and a large number of domestic and foreign bikers choose the tough RE bikes for this adventure.
Since the Launch of RE Himalayan,I have read about many bikers who have bought RE Himalayan for their Ladakh rides this year. As we all know RE has purposely built Himalayan with keeping adventure tourers in mind, and tested it extensively in various terrains, particularly the rock... mud strewn roads of Ladakh.
Himalayan has a very good suspension, a powerful engine with good low end torque, with loads of luggage space, which make it ideal for this adventure.
In the coming months as the riders start returning from their long Ladakh rides and start to pen down their adventures, we will come to know the on road performance of Himalayan in this inhospitable terrain. If Himalayan receives good owners reviews about the high altitude performance, we would surely see an explosion in the number of Himalayan riders to Ladakh next season.
....Alok
A lot of honeymooners come to the Manali every year. Few of them from Rajkot to Manali visit the Leh also by the bike.
ReplyDeleteTraveling to Leh Ladakh on a bike tops everybody's bucket list. However, one needs to be careful to choose the right bike. Some adventure enthusiasts prefer Pulsar 150 while the best bike is RE Himalayan
ReplyDeleteRE Himalayan is indeed an ideal car-rental to ride when you are en route to Leh. The bike has a great suspension, powerful engine with low-end torque, with amazing luggage space, making it an ideal adventure ride.
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