[sreeJiva]

A wonderful write up on Leh. The photos are really vibrant and felt very personal, and just like many have mentioned, we really felt the cold!

The joy of riding solo really came out big and could relate to it, just like reading a good book. Congratulations on completing your biggest adventure ride yet. BIG THANKS on sharing the experience. I'm really inspired now to visit Leh. JEALOUS!!!

[Viper21]

Originally Posted by salunkhe.vizz

The tire grip also changed a lot, the bike was now not gripping on any surface after having ridden on snow (For a bike called Himalayan, this sure was a surprise. I know someone at CEAT, to whom I wrote immediately after reaching back. She took it up with the Product team and it seems RE had briefed them with specs asking only for offroad tires, there was no mention of the bike model name; nor the fact that it might have some application in or around snow and cold weather. They promised me to take this up further).

.

Great trip and writeup, Hats off to you. I own a himalayan as well and during my recent ride i noticed the back tyre skids pretty easily on tarmac. Do let us know what they find out.

[aghate]

@salunkhe.vizz
awesome.. just awesome! you just made me feel that this can be done unplanned or by planning on the go. I usually ride alone and want to do the Leh trip the same way.

Will probably do it next year. Any idea if the KTMs would fare well in terms of power on higher altitude in comparison to the Himalayan?

[saurabh89]

@salunkhe.vizz

Wonderful travelogue there man! Reading it makes me feel like packing my bag and catching the next flight to Leh...

I am curious about your ride towards Chang la. Is this on the same way towards China border? I read that you can travel towards China border from Leh and the way is much more picturesque than PangongTso.

[salunkhe.vizz]

Originally Posted by aghate

Any idea if the KTMs would fare well in terms of power on higher altitude in comparison to the Himalayan?

Thanks !
Himalayan has no power, but it fares well on stance and grip with the off-roading tyres. KTM's would be flickable and easy to maneuver too, but the stock tires will be a downside. If it's your own KTM, be ready for a rattling ride after your trip as the tour can take a toll on your bike. Don't consider the KTM RC models though, the posture might not be suitable for touring and bad roads.

Originally Posted by saurabh89

I am curious about your ride towards Chang la. Is this on the same way towards China border? I read that you can travel towards China border from Leh and the way is much more picturesque than PangongTso.

Yes, you can ride parallel to the lake down from the starting point of the lake on your left and pass Spangmik and Man to reach Chushul where the road turns right and moves towards Tso Moriri lake. Chushul is the last point on the road closest to the China border and also has a war memorial from the last Indo China war. If you have good spare fuel storing capacity, make sure you take this path from Pangong lake to Tso Moriri lake, it is supposedly the most scenic route in all of Ladakh.

[Nilesh5417]

@Salunkhe.vizz - We need to know your name man!

I started reading the write up on my S6 and it was so much fun to read it that i spent a full hour yesterday afternoon reading through it on that tiny screen.

In one write up, you have effectively reviewed the iPhone, the Himalyan and Ladakh as a place in words that are so personal and make it sound like a story and not a review. So big thumbs up!

And am glad that someone just wrote about what the Himalayan can and can not do without being biased and getting into technical nitty-gritties. People need to seriously needs to stop thinking about RE as if the mountains are where these bikes belong. Anything other than the 500 gasps & sputters up there and they are simply way to heavy to push / lift. High time someone at RE thinks of EFI at least for the Himalyan asap. If they think it drives the price up, they really need to stop being greedy and take a small dip in the margins then.

And the iPhone camera is right up there with the best. I stopped taking the DSLR 4yrs ago when i got the HTC One X. Have never carried even a pocket camera ever again. Great pics!

[salunkhe.vizz]

Originally Posted by Queryanalyzer

Himalayan sputtering at high altitude doesnt surprise me. The bike rental place should have given you a heads up. And there should be a screw to adjust the fuel-air mixture.

Thanks, do you have any links or photos of how this is done on other bikes ? It would really help me as well as others who are planning similar trips.

Originally Posted by Nilesh5417

@Salunkhe.vizz - We need to know your name man!

Thanks, its Vishal

[tharian]

Nothing like doing a solo trip, and even better was doing it in the Himalaya's.
A good travelogue which will help people like me in future trips to Leh and around.

The problem with rented bikes are just like renting go-karts at tracks. They are minimally maintained and used by multiple people who ride them differently , mostly rough. But, there will be one or more bikes which will be good with which you can connect and can change the trip experience completely .

I also feel the reason for reduced grip on the bike you rented can be due to worn thread. From one of the pictures, it looks as though the rear tyre has worn out in the centre.

[motomaverick]

Great Travelogue, you seem to be an avid reader. Not seen anyone sitting near pangong lake for 2 hours to read a book. Hats off!

I was also interested in this travelogue for the Himalayan and somehow came out disappointed. I guess the bike's condition was not up to the mark even with less mileage. We had rented bikes on Changspa Road near the Omasila Hotel, they had some good condition bikes but this was way back on 2013.