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18-day Spiti Trip from Tezpur on my Royal Enfield Himalayan 450

1st November 2024, 13:14 by Kanad Kalasur

Though the main journey was to be undertaken alongwith few friends from our riding group, the journey from Tezpur to Delhi and back was solo.

BHPian aviator1101 recently shared this with other enthusiasts:

Spitified with Bagheera

Part 1

Introduction

This trip was conceived way back in February 2024, albeit with my daughter Priyanka as a sequel to the Father-Daughter duo saga.
Read about the previous ride here.
https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/trave...himalayan.html

However, daughter's semester exams taking priority and September being the ideal (read only available) month for the trip before the onset of winters at Spiti, I finally had to set course alone.

Though the main journey was to be undertaken alongwith few friends from our riding group, the journey from Tezpur to Delhi and back was solo.

The Itinerary

Day1 (15 September) : Tezpur - Siliguri
Day 2 (16 September) : Siliguri - Gorakhpur
Day 3 (17 September) : Gorakhpur - Delhi
Day 4 (18 September) : Rest and maintenance
Day 5 (19 September) : Delhi - Shimla
Day 6 (20 September) : Shimla - Narkanda
Day 7 (21 September) : Narkanda - Karcham
Day 8 (22 September) : Karcham - Kalpa
Day 9 (23 September) : Kalpa - Pooh
Day 10 (24 September) : Pooh - Sumdo
Day 11 (25 September) : Sumdo - Kaza
Day 12 (26 September) : Kaza - Pangmo Dar
Day 13 (27 September) : Pangmo Dar - Palchan
Day 14 (28 September) : Palchan - Delhi
Day 15 (29 September) : Rest and maintenance
Day 16 (30 September) : Delhi - Gorakhpur
Day 17 (01 October) : Gorakhpur - Binaguri
Day 18 (02 October) : Binnaguri - Tezpur

The Preparations

Preparations for the ride had begun as early as March/April with itineraries being fine tuned, to do/to see things finalized and most importantly Bagheera being equipped/geared up for the same.
One of the main ideas was to travel as light as possible.

A month prior to the ride, I took out my trusted Viaterra Claw and found that the stitches and pipings at some places were showing signs of fatigue.

So the search began for a new set of luggage system and after some research, I decided to go ahead with the rackless luggage system from RAHGEAR.

The total capacity of 15+15+25= 55 litres was sufficient for me. Plus the advantage of no saddlestays and thus cutting down on additional iron/weight worked for me.

Spares and tools carried

Allen Key Set
Multi Head Screw Driver
Set of Open Spanners
Cutting Pliers
Locking Wire
Zip Ties
Rear Brake Pad Set
Chain Cleaner & Lube Set
Clutch Cable

The journey

The journey, for better understanding, may be categorised into three chapters :

Chapter 1 : Tezpur to Delhi
Chapter 2 : Delhi - Spiti - Delhi
Chapter 3 : Delhi to Tezpur

However, to break the monotony and make the read more interesting, I will let the pics do more of the narration.

Chapter 1 : Tezpur to Delhi

Day1 (15 September) : Tezpur - Siliguri

The route taken was Tezpur - Baihata Chariali - Bongaigaon - Hashimara - Binaguri - Gajoldoba - Gangaram Tea Estate. Halted for the night at a friend's place next to the Tea Estate. It bore twin benefits of avoiding Siliguri traffic and inching forward by at least an hour for the next day's journey.

Packing was completed early the previous night and I got the wheels rolling by 5:30 am.

Bagheera loaded, all ready to hit the road

Spiti, here we come....

Somewhere before entering Bengal

Being a Sunday, the truck traffic at Barobisha (Assam-Bengal border) was lesser than usual

Seeking blessings at the Balaji Temple at Hashimara

Stopped to say Hello to the rhinos at Jaldapara

Short visit to a RE service centre at Birpara for some chain lubrication

The day's ride was uneventful. However, just before reaching destination, the weather packed up and we encountered torrential rains.
It was a real water proofing test for my new luggage system. Thankfully it passed with flying colours.
https://youtu.be/8JslK2gMr4o?si=fCmHh-bl_KUkkP14
Day 2 (16 September) : Siliguri - Gorakhpur

The route taken was Gangaram Tea Estate - Thakurganj - Bahadurganj - Jokihat - Araria - Forbesganj - Phulparas - Jhanjharpur - Muzaffarpur Bypass - Piprakothi - Muhammadpur - Gopalganj - Kushinagar - Gorakhpur.

Started early in the morning to beat the city traffic

Stopped enroute to say Hello to Kaleen Bhaiya

Nothing can be more peaceful for a biker than to have your bike parked under a shed for the night

Covered almost 600 kms on the second day, the longest yet to come

Day 3 (17 September) : Gorakhpur - Delhi

Route taken was Gorakhpur - Basti - Ayodhya - Haliyapur - Purvanchal Expressway till Lucknow - Agra Lucknow Expressway - Yamuna Expressway - Noida - New Delhi.

Started very early, at around 5 am, anticipating it to be a marathon ride

Entering the longest Expressway in the country

Being welcomed to the Agra Lucknow Expressway

Between the Agra Lucknow Expressway and the Yamuna Expressway, an interesting incident happened wherein I almost ran out of fuel. Read this post for details.
https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/motor...ml#post5844535

Covered 815 kms and rode for almost 14 hours, encountering the maddening Delhi office hours traffic to finally reach destination for the day.

Day 4 was earmarked for much needed rest and servicing. Bagheera had almost completed 10000 kms and was due for 3rd free service.
Read details of ownership update and servicing here
https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/motor...ml#post5854363

Chapter 2 : Delhi - Spiti - Delhi

Day 5 (19 September) : Delhi - Shimla

From Delhi, I was joined by another rider friend Mr Praveen who was riding his Tiger 800 XR. This much needed company plus the excitement of hitting the hill section soon made the ride even more interesting.

Route taken was Delhi - Panipat - Karnal - Ambala - Zirakpur - Dharampur - Barog - Solan - Shimla.

Breakfast halt ahead of Murthal

The main attraction : the parathas

Bagheera graduated to 5 digit ODO readings, and what better timing could it be, than on a Spiti ride.

The riders enjoying some pure non alcoholic beverage to beat the heat

Being welcomed to Himachal Pradesh

First pic in the hills of Himachal

Enjoying a newly opened bypass

Seeking blessings for a memorable ride

The duo parked safely for the night

Our residence at Shimla

Morning view from the bedroom window. Refreshing to say the least

Day 6 (20 September) : Shimla - Narkanda

Route taken was Shimla - Kufri - Theog - Matiana - Narkanda.

From Shimla we started early so as to reach destination early. We dumped luggage at the home stay and then set out for Hatu Peak and other local attractions.

Stopped enroute at a friend's place called Camp Nomad. View from the rooftop