[bblost]

Some Thoughts

There is a lot of prep work that goes into this kind of an extended ride with very adverse weather conditions.

We needed to prepare not just our bikes but also our bodies for this kind of abuse.
My bike was all ready but just a week before the trip, I found a small oil stain on my fork. This meant a lot of shuffling up of my work as I had to get the entire thing fixed. Riders need to take care of every small detail and get them fixed before the trip starts. Small issues can easily become critical if not addressed in time.

I was also carrying a spare RR Unit because this is an extremely critical component.

I was spending a decent amount of time at my gym and concentrating on both pull-ups and some back exercises. Pay special attention to squats etc. Not every place will have a "western" commode.

This kind of a trip is not possible unless your core is extremely strong. Not only do you need to sit on the bike for hours together but the extreme cold can easily break anyone who is not ready for it.

The toughest day for me was day 2 of the ride where my base temperature dropped really low due to the heavy fog. Do not ignore the warning signs of fatigue, sometimes you dont get second chances.

Avoid eating very spicy food and only drink treated or bottled water.

Pack light and have a bag with partitions so that you can keep clean clothes and dirty clothes in separate sections.

Carry lots of underwears and socks.

Invest in good riding gear.
Do not forget simple things like a pinlock visor, I forgot it and suffered.
Speed is very important but life is more important.
Share your location with close family and your trip partners.
Ride only with people who love and respect you.

You have one life, find something that makes your heart tingle and nurture it.

Be open to new experiences.
"We are all stories in the end" (Doctor Who).

[Aditya]

Thread moved out from the Assembly Line. Thanks for sharing!

[themotohead_doc]

An amazingly detailed and fun travelogue that not only covered the beautiful places but also gave an insight on the conditions that one needs to be ready to face on such long journeys!
Kudos to you and the team👍🏻
Also how did the himmy behave throughout the journey?

[bblost]

Originally Posted by themotohead_doc

Also how did the himmy behave throughout the journey?

The bike is brilliant but lacks the power to keep up with the much faster RE Twin.

The touring seat is the only ergonomics change and I highly recommend this.

[sukhbirST]

Great ride in the winter which has its own risks and charm. Thanks for bringing out the details with nice photgraphs. Can you please add km (day wise/legs) and small route map for future planning.

[bblost]

Originally Posted by sukhbirST

Can you please add km (day wise/legs) and small route map for future planning.

This is a very good idea.

I will have this created and added here.

[Shobhitsaxena]

Originally Posted by bblost

Some Thoughts

Overall Gold level travelogue! I am saving this specific part in notes, precious and concise points to be followed. In my limited experience, I agree with the importance of excercise and pinlock visor (don't have one but buying soon after suffering entire winter)

[themotohead_doc]

Originally Posted by bblost

The bike is brilliant but lacks the power to keep up with the much faster RE Twin.

The touring seat is the only ergonomics change and I highly recommend this.

I did spec my Classic 350 Reborn with the touring seat as well back in 2021. It does make long hours in the saddle much easier to achieve.
Also the 650cc parallel twin is one gem of an engine and very aptly fitted for our highways, relaxed when we want it to and delivering a strong wave of torque on one twist of your wrist.

[Secretariat]

Some ride, that one. Nathu La in January on a bike is a brave expedition. Any long bike ride is a test of physical fitness and if you add in biting cold and fog, then it is a salute worthy achievement.

Interesting that you chose to go through Malda on the way up to Siliguri, rather than the Kharagpur - Durgapur - Bhagalpur route.

The prelude post shows the heart of a poet, to rival the one you have quoted. Bravo !

By the way, no rhino sightings in Kaziranga ? And there should have been a photo of the road warrior who has braved cold, fog and distance, sitting white knuckled on an elephant

[bblost]

Originally Posted by sukhbirST

Great ride in the winter which has its own risks and charm. Thanks for bringing out the details with nice photgraphs. Can you please add km (day wise/legs) and small route map for future planning.

Hyderabad to Srikakulam : 720 kms
https://goo.gl/maps/P1LTxpRAKjF5fQGm8

Srikakulam to Kharagpur : 625 kms
https://goo.gl/maps/pNS6VWXqDRcLURDN6

Kharagpur to Malda : 460 kms
https://goo.gl/maps/TRi123YQWnVxzpLH6

Malda to Gangtok : 340 kms
https://goo.gl/maps/op3Pr6WwkNdyVNUm6

Gangtok to Kalimpong : 66 kms
https://goo.gl/maps/o1ByM6pHRdREjAEo6

Kalimpong to Barpeta Road : 360 kms
https://goo.gl/maps/tm5FwEZsZEJnqyc56

Barpeta to Riverside Resort : 226 kms
https://goo.gl/maps/D716FdHQE2BqwSi46

Shillong to Eco Camp at Kaziranga : 280 kms
https://goo.gl/maps/1XdcuZWzX8bJVYmi8

Kaziranga to Guwahati Railway Station : 218 kms
https://goo.gl/maps/ShNAcMtLBenqgsGi9

Originally Posted by Secretariat

By the way, no rhino sightings in Kaziranga ? And there should have been a photo of the road warrior who has braved cold, fog and distance, sitting white knuckled on an elephant

I did take a few pics but the Rhino's were some distance away and all I had was my mobile phone with me.

The lack of control on movement and the sideways jostling...am not used to this. But I will definitely repeat it again sometime in future and hopefully that time I will be more comfortable.

[Chetan_Rao]

Fantastic travelogue and pics

Originally Posted by bblost

...
A word of advice, don't use the heater for the whole night. It dries up the room and you wake up with a very scratchy throat...

Quick fix for the relative humidity issue with room heaters, if it's really cold and turning the heater off is not an option. Put a shallow utensil (like a tray) filled with a thin layer of water near the heater. If nothing else is available, soak a towel, wring it just enough that it doesn't drip, and hang it on a chair near the heater.

In either case, the water evaporates overnight from the heater's warmth, keeping the room warm but suitably humid to not make it uncomfortably dry.

[bblost]

Thanks Chetan, I will try these tips the next time in such a situation. It was quite uncomfortable with the heater on for the full night.

[Sran]

Fantastic read. A journey worth reminiscing. How was the journey back on train, must have slept peacefully on train? How many hours before train departure one needs to go to parcel office in this case, usually it's like 12 hours?

When cold sets in, its just too hard to regain the core temperature back. Did you try the newspaper method( i.e putting newspaper between shirt/tshirt and vest/baniyan)? Its a fantastic way to beat cold air. Other than that, on cold airy nights or dawn, driving behind a truck for few kilometres gives some relief.

Speed is very important but life is more important.
Share your location with close family and your trip partners.
Ride only with people who love and respect you.

Words of a wise man.

My only worry, there wasn't enough food to fuel the body. You rode basically on snacks or you are hiding the good food pics.

[bblost]

On Thursday, We directly went to the station on reaching Guwahati. The time was around noon.
The packers told us thatif we wanted to have our bike loaded in the same train then we must finish all formalities immediately.

So we did just that.

The train departed at 730 PM on Friday.

Contrary to my expectations the trainwas quite dirty. It was Second AC and looked like the dusting had not been done in many months.

There was no linen and no pantry car.

I used my towel as a blanket.

We ordered food using the ecatering website and it was very decent.

The train toilets were cleaned at every station and that was the only good thing about the train.

My food during the ride was mostly limited to vegetarian fare. So it was the fuel made up of lentils, egg burji and roti.

My friends gorged on a lot of red meat.

[raptor_diwan]

Originally Posted by bblost

Some Thoughts

You have one life, find something that makes your heart tingle and nurture it.

The line really struck me in a unique way and can be compared to many aspects of life. The write-up is amazing, and the images are truly captivating to the eyes.

Thank you for this wonderful travelogue.