The Lone Wolf

I prefer riding alone. I ride otherwise with friends and fraternity, but certainly not with any "group". I have written about this earlier in this blog. So my suggestion or advice to you is to be a "Wolf", & not a lion not a tiger or any other metaphorical animal.

There is an overwhelming sense of freedom when I travel alone. My family is nuclear and I grew up as a single child with no siblings, so it was very easy for me to adapt to being a "Wolf". The single child syndrome caught up with me very often when life happened. Earlier, when I gave a damn about things, people's comments like "Oh, that explains it"  "you don’t act like an only child" used to get on my nerves. In general, other assumptions are - We are spoilt, selfish brats, impatient by nature. Time went by, and I reached the age of reason & slowly stopped giving a damn about all these people with misconceptions of my upbringing. I really enjoy my "alone" time. I find "attention seeking" nonsensical and just dont get it. With all this said, It was easy for me to take off alone and thats exactly what I did on the 20th of March 2015 (inspite of the fact that more people were supposed to join me but dropped plans later). I was reunited with the horse in Delhi in crowded Paghat Ganj. The plan was to leave early the next day and munch some miles to get to Himachal on day 1. It would have been apt to call this post "Plains to mountains - III".

It was Saturday, and a great day to be on the road. One of my many quirks is "wearing" pants coz I hate wearing them. I am a shorts guy. But today 900d polyester fabric won against formal clothes and that would be my attire for the next 2 weeks on the road. I just loved it ! With lots of riding, I managed to reach Chail, HP on day one, Saw lots of monkeys, Ate some parathas and slept like a log. It was an eventful day and I was already in the mountains that I cherish most, The Mighty Himalayas!

And, Be a wolf...Coz -

Effective Marketing and Harley Davidson's have ruined my Country

The only harley I will ever ogle at will be this one. Period.

1975 — Evel Knievel on his Harley-Davidson XR-750 gearing-up for the Wembley stadium bus jump

I live in India and I love it. We are more of a continent than a country. There are so many languages spoken across India, that its not even funny. For example, I was born and grew up in Tamil Nadu (as shown below in "Orange", marked in the southern tip of peninsula) and I can only read write and speak English (taught in school) and my Native language (what we speak at home) Tamil. Yes, No Hindi people, true story.

We have rain forests, hillocks, mountains, The Himalayas, beaches, low altitude deserts, high altitude deserts, lakes, rivers, river beds, more beaches, islands, high altitude lakes, trails and a lot of unpaved roads. 

So, you get the idea. Now, back to marketing and harley davidson. Firstly, I'd like to acknowledge the fact that they have been commendable ever since they step foot and opened shop. In terms of selling junk and world war II technology to people of my country. It takes a lot of ingenuity to fool the general uninitiated population of the 2nd most populated country on the planet or, maybe not. 

Yesterday, there was a report published by consumerreports.org for "Who makes the most reliable motorcycle? " - Well, that would be some interesting statistic. But, here's what the Top 10 looks like

I am not surprised to see the "All Jap" or Big four right up in the top of the list, But it made me wonder what the success criteria was. After much reading, this is what they looked at - 

"With a larger sample size than in our previous motorcycle survey, now counting 12,300 motorcycles, we were able to add more brands and resolution this year. For this analysis, we adjusted for mileage driven over a 12-month period and estimated repair rates for 4-year-old models without a service contract."

First of all, the above list represents a pile of horseshit (At least to me). Because there is no KTM in the list. You can disagree with me, but just go and google "Marc Coma" and what he rode to win the Dakar. Not once, or twice..But 5 freaking times. He started riding a Suzuki in his maiden dakar, but was pinned with a DNF badge, and Once he went KTM, there was no looking back. 

After much more reading, taking a closer look at the component failure list, these were reported - 

Now is when the sensible reader pays attention. Equate the above to the motorcycle you ride. Especially if you do the long haul and not stupid "Chai & pakoda rides" or go to IBW (India Bike Week, it totally sucks BTW and is a cheap imitation of the sturgis)

I like machine shops, special tools, wrenches and iron in general, oh I forgot...Greasy hands too ! Things that you can do with your own hands are so underestimated in todays world. If you can relate to this, then you'll love this upcoming film called " The Greasy Hands Preachers " 

But I digress, So back to the component failure list. Pay attention NOW.

1. Electrical system - At a very primordial level, all you need to know is all motorcycles will have a stator / alternator, an Ignition system controlled by a ECU/CDI (basically a smallish computer that tells the ignition system when to send that much needed spark that magically turns into ponies). Complex electrical systems mean disaster on "long hauls" as parts and skills are hard to find where you are stranded. 

Harley's are notorious people ! - Here's why

2. Accessories - I dont even know why it made it to the list. I cant think of any accessory failure that can kill me. Accessories can sometimes be redundant. A GPS receiver in remote parts of the Himalayas is just a very very expensive compass.  But, Harley owners love this crap. Its literally a life saver for them. Especially if its leather. pun intended. 

3. Brakes - Yes, You ride long enough, those sintered pads are bound to need replacement, I get it. Read "Brakes" as cycle parts and all of them require your attention and inspection folks. But, some motorcycles are just designed in a crappy way. Like Harley's. 

4. Fuel system - Now this is an interesting topic. Throttle bodies/Fuel injectors Vs Old school carburetors. I personally prefer the carburetors and carrying a couple of main & pilot jets along, just in case. They are simple yet comprehensive, easy to fix when they fail & you cannot rebuild a "failed fuel injector"

5. Clutch - Yes, I get this one too. But, some motorcycles are just designed in a crappy way. Like Harley's, because here's why

6. Body panels - Seriously ?

7. Drive system -  My bikes, like most bikes run on chains and sprockets.They're Mechanical, easy to clean & lube, has a predictable life span and Wear is inevitable.  HD's takes the cake on this one. Harley's are belt drive and supposedly thats a USP. But, Doug Wothke called bluff a bluff and changed the belt drive system when he needed a real world motorcycle. 

The dirtster !

8. Valve train - You wouldn't believe me. But its true. Harley's use "Plastic" as cam chain slider material or "shoes". Guess what, they wear pretty darn fast. This can be catastrophic at many different levels. Even harley wanted to fix something this disastrous, so they came out with a "new hydraulic tensioning system". But this was a mere workaround and not a solution. Be aware that it can fail as soon 15,000 miles (in extreme cases). Even the newer hydraulic system can fail at 50,000 miles or less. The cam chain tensioners have a section in every service manual that covers the Twin Cam engines and is very enlightening. If your pipes are loud (which all Harley's are), you may not hear or get any warning. The oil pump passages can clog up without making any noise whatsoever except when the engine starts tearing itself to pieces. The scary thing is every Twin-Cam engine has the potential to have the cam chain follower issue, even the new models. Yes, be offended, but throw your tantrums at Harley, not me. Dont kill the messenger ! Read more here

9. Suspension - First thoughts are, They are non existant on Harley's. I cant elaborate on this enough, but suspensions make or brake a bike. Dont fall for marketing gimmicks folks. 

10. Cooling system, Piston & Transmission - These components have a below 5% repair and is more or less applicable like cycle parts on any motorcycle as wear is inevitable. And, I am not going easy on HD's on this one. 


Considering the above, and evaluating what your ride, If its a harley, you are bound to be very disappointed. But, there is no perfect motorcycle, and there are loads of things that are not in our control. Its a matter of choice at the end of the day. But, taking advantage of ignorance is something else altogether. Shame on you Harley ! Even though I am disappointed with the actual outcome of the survey, I must say that I am happy to see BMW in 9th place. Because, just like Harley's they have quirks and flaws too and deserve it. All hail the Japanese ! (and the Austrians, if they ever make a light weight 'do it all' motorcycle - I hope someone who can take 'real' decisions at KTM India reads this)

Whats next is the continuation to the Winter chronicles...and here's the teaser ...

"No Harley" Zone

Snow capped peaks or Bust !

The Road from Puh

Not for the faint hearted, and certainly not for Harley's

The Winter Chronicles

It was the 3rd week of March and I was shipping my motorcycle again. Its not riding season yet, But I was on my way.  I was going to ride to Kibber, Kaza. Some 100's of kilometeres into the trans himalaya in Spiti valley, A place I still could'nt get over from my last visit.

The Spiti valley looks very different during the month of march. The excruciating water crossings are frozen, The spiti river is not gushig thro' the valley, but gently flowing through instead. The entire valley is covered by a white blanket !

Little did I know, that 2015 was going to be greatest adventure ever yet. With minus temperatures at nights, it got gnarly cold even in the day time, especially on a motorcycle with wind chill playing a huge role. One of the nights I spent as the only tourist in Tabo, People were in sheer disbelief that I had come there on a holiday. The conditions were inhospitable. There was bad weather, slashing rains, slush fest on the roads, and No motorcycle's on the road but me. The only way out of the bad weather was through it. March 30th, the daily published this.

"SHIMLA: Heavy hailstorm lashed Shimla and other parts of Himachal Pradesh on Monday afternoon and the weather will remain the same across the next few days. The meteorological department has given warning of heavy rain, thunderstorm and hail storm in isolated places in Himachal Pradesh from April 1 to 3. More rain and snow is in store for the state as fresh western disturbance would become active from Tuesday night.There would be no respite from cold weather conditions as rain, thundershowers and snow have been predicted for many places till April 5. On Monday, high hills of the state received fresh spell of snowfall while lower areas received rainfall. Maximum temperatures decreased by 6 to 7 degrees Celsius while minimum temperatures decreased by 2 to 3 degrees Celsius in the last 24 hours.Keylong in Lahaul-Spiti recorded 14cm snowfall. Manali recorded 52mm rainfall, Gohar 41mm, Seobagh 38mm, Bhandal 36mm, Kalpa 35mm, Kumarsain 30mm, Kukumsheri 28mm, Reckong Peo 27mm, Joginder Nagar 26mm, Bhuntar 22mm, Sundernagar and Bijahi 21mm each, Hamirpur and Bangana 20mm each, Bajaura 19mm, Tissa and Mehre 18mm each"

I have read about phenomena like "Photokeratitis" or "ultraviolet keratitis" or known to the simpleton like me as "snowblind".. Everything is so white that so much white makes your eye burn. Or thats what It felt like. 

The nights were a different ball game. If you're out there with insufficient gear, you could literally die of the cold. It was so cold one night that I was quite confident that I was gonna die in my sleeping bag. Well, lets just say it was not fun.

"Ability is of little account without opportunity" and "It takes more courage to suffer than to die" are 2 of the greatest quotes that can describe the conditions here in Winter, and to think about it, I was not even winter ! It is indeed the land of the gods and its no place for man, or mere mortals.

Grit in psychology is a positive, non-cognitive trait based on an individual's passion for a particular long-term goal or endstate, coupled with a powerful motivation to achieve their respective objective. Thats would be the thesaurus meaning of the word 'Grit' and you need a lot of it to endure an unsupported lonesome journey.  I learnt so many new things, met locals and travellers and lots of tiny tiny moments that I will cherish for life and will not exchange for any other experience at whatever cost. The entire journey, the uncertainty, the danger zone,  the exciting and unusual experience is what makes it an adventure. Its nothing short of a psychological arousal which is a fine combination of fear and flow which brings the balance and yet keeps you on the edge. This is not some sort of recreation or anything equivalent.

You just overcome everything and As a person, who entered Spiti as a gnarly adventurer comes back a beastly adventurer, ready for anything uncertain or dangerous you can throw at him. In short, you gotta be nuts, to be missing out on something as awesome as this. The open roads, what can I say...The road to heaven is paved !

Paradigm shift

A little bit about my history with motorcycles is as follows. My beloved Mom (who was accused of 'spoiling' me back then) bought me my first motorcycle when I was 15. I've been riding 2 wheels from the time I can remember anything for that matter. I used to ride to school and upgraded to a motorcycle when I started high school. It was a faithful old 2stroke Suzuki. 2 Strokes, You gotta love them. Engineering, the perfect partnership between physics and design. A tangible record of mens greatest achievements, created out of necessity, perfected with technology and built to endure the test of time. The world is altered by these creations, and engineering is a complex, mysterious and ingenious idea brought to life by invention. In short, some are a mechanical masterpiece, and cannot be made redundant. The 2 stroke engine is one such masterpiece. There are no valves, there are no CAMs, no chain tensioners. The explosions inside the cylinder generate power and momentum like no other machine, in 2 stages vs 4, and the exhaust, well thats a musical instrument.

I grew up with NSR500 and RZ500 GP bikes as wall posters. 2 strokes are very close to my heart. My love for them continued till they were literally eradicated in India. My Basic assumption of motorcycles was shattered. I continued to own many and even raced a few. The motorcycles I owned were : Suzuki Samurai, Suzuki Shogun, Yamaha RXG, Yamaha RD350 - All of them 2t.

Post the 2 stroke era, Life happened. I started work after undergrad and things got a little wacky and I went and bought me a Royal Enfield Machismo 350. Later, I got myself Kawasaki ER-6F and then the mighty Hero Impulse which you keep seeing in this blog.

So to say, Its been a long journey on the roads and now dirt tracks of India, my basic assumption of motorcycles was shattered again. With a lot more bikes and people emerging to show their love for 2 wheels, people very clearly were getting blinded by Marketeers and Harley Davidsons. Now thats just terrible. More and more folk are starting to love "non real world" motorcycles. All them have Range Rover's for backup and some even have 'backup' riders when they are tired. Evan and Charley boorman are utter dicks to have imbibed this culture. In the middle of all this mayhem, There was this short guy trying to sell his XR650L, a simple, Air Cooled, 4v SOHC motor with a carb and plenty of suspension travel !  It just made sense to sell my road bike and make this my new project.

Welcome to the Asylum

I was just lucky to get my hands on this one. I'll be posting my experiences with her and she's called the B&WPiGG (black and white pig, even though she's red now). It doesn't get more real world than this, especially in India.

The Rest of the story

This year, Until now I have been preoccupied with all the preparations; planning and building the bike, testing and crashing, route plans and frequent updates on road conditions, logistics, spare parts, travel gear etc. Another project in the making, and that’s the way I went about it. But, Back to what happened last year from where we left off.

We had a few days to kill in Leh and rest much. It was entertaining with the Football World Cup on big screens. It got a little strange after a day or two of not riding. It was very impulsive and we just met with a bunch of friends who had ridden 10000+ kms all the way from the tip of the peninsula up to where we were. Little did I know, that the next 5 days will be spent in great places, bad weather coming our way and a lot more of adventure. We had no idea where we were heading. All that was spoken was, we were going to be in Nubra for a few days. So, we packed our tents, sleeping mats and bags and swiftly on our way, all 5 of us.

Camping did'nt go really well on Day 1 I must say. We were wandering a way bit too late and it was almost 9pm and it became dark in a flash. It lead to camp in an abandoned sand quarry with no food, no fire, no water. It was freezing cold in the night at some 16000+ ft and barely slept. 

Day 2 of camping did'nt go too well either. Just like how sand quarries are terrible places to camp, so are river beds, and river beds where it rains balls at night. Again, barely slept that night. Now we are at Turtuk, some 200+ kms away from Leh, where it doesnt rain as much as its in a rain shadow region. But guess what, Not so much in Turtuk.

With most of our riding gear wet, and all of us a litte tipsy, I lazed in my tent for another 45 minutes. The only option was to leave the comfort of my sleeping bag, put on my cold, wet riding gear and crawl out into the slight drizzle. Mornings like that really were what an adventure was all about. Enduring. Enduring fatigue, malnutrition, being cold and wet. Finding the mental strength to get up and out when the body resists. The reward is priceless. Only for the mind though, for the body it was more of the same and we decided that "camping" really was not our cup of tea given the weather and our present condition. 

There's a storm brewing !

Hunder

Thoise Airbase

We spent the next 3 days riding and exploring. Found a hot spring in Panamik and took a bath with a Japanese guy, stayed at local home stays in the valley, ate some great food and ran out of fuel. After a little bit of begging on the road, we got some fuel (thanks unknown german guy whose name I dont remember !) for my crazy friend who had ridden his old stroke all the way from home. Like some 10000+ kms away. 

Diskit Buddha

The historic silk route from Summur

It was time to part ways and it all happened a little too quick. We were back in Leh, and I left solo from there riding to Srinagar from where I'd ship my horse and fly back home. 

The road from Leh to Srinigar was all Tarmac. The infamous Zojila pass was joke after riding thro Spiti. It was all too easy and comfortable. The journey is extremely picturesque and Kargil, Sonmarg are indeed charming. Its a switch in terrain once you hit the low lands. There was paddy and lots of familiar sights ! The mountains in the rear view mirror, It did'nt feel all that good. 

I reached home the very next day and it was a gruelling wait for the horse to come home, which took a good 2 weeks. When I woke up in by room, in my bed, I felt like a stranger. True story. But, nevertheless, I gotta keep doing boring stuff when I am not doing awesome stuff and for me, life's such a fine balance, as I was already dreaming about a Winter Spiti and test my luck to spot some wildlife. 

Up Next - The Winter Chronicles ... 

Road to Leh

Apart from facts that its the next year and I am planning to head back to the mountains again (Very soon, indeed), Its rather been dull and I’ve been procrastinating and not writing much. But here it goes, continued from the day we left Keylong to Sarchu, and then to Leh. 

Spiti gave us a different perspective compared to the legendary Leh-Manali route. There was just 2 groups of people we met, A couple in an Innova and 2 guys on Royal Enfields. 

 It was about an hour after our departure from Keylong, we met flocks of people in cars, motorcycles, cycles (respect). It felt like we just joined the wagon.

Partly frozen Suraj Taal Lake a bit before Baralach La

We missed a heap of snow last year when we travelled the same road !

The terrain was less brutal, and what seemed like exhausting in 2013, was just fun in 2014, and not to mention all the Snow we had missed up top the pass.

Also, the roads were paved ! Going by the progress, I foresee the distance of 475 KMS, between Manali and Leh, will be possible in a single day with ease except for a few patches of broken roads/dirt roads. Some white guy told me that another white guy he knows has done it in 16 Hrs in 2012. Well, that must have not been fun, especially on an old beat-up RE.

 We decided to camp in Sarchu that night and spent less time on the saddle that day. We stayed at these beautiful steppe like plains in lovely cozy and clean tents. They even had a loo !

At 12000+ feet, Sarchu gets pretty darn Cold!

Define COZY

*Slow Clap*

We ate a tonne of food and slept like bears. We woke so late that the breakfast was over and everyone at camp had already left, Yes, All 18 of them...And we were still wrapped in boxer shorts and sleeping bags waiting for our turn to, well...you know. Hunger struck, and we left camp at Sarchu to grab whatever food we could, and By that I mean Maggi noodles and Tea.

Nothing had changed from the last year. Pang still looked like Mars,  More Plains was completely paved ! and I was glad that I did not lose my fuel this time.

We had to stop where I took a small trail in 2013 to this mystical place

Then I decided Ill go commando !

Except for some fire roads before Tangalang la, The tarmac was excellent all the way to Karu, Upshi and then to Leh.  I made a routine stop after Gya, at the place where I chilled the year before. We did all the nothing we wanted for an hour or so and were soon on our way.

Leh Palace in spot lights from the place where we decided to catch up on the Football WorldCup

The ever faithful Dawa had a bed ready for us on Fort rd (Hotel DRUK is a great place and has indoor motorcycle parking with 12 foot steel doors. So, If you're as paranoid as me and want to fall asleep with your motorcycle parked right outside your window, you will not regret staying here. A most importantly, Everyone at the DRUK are great folk !)

Went for a short stroll and met with friends who had made it to Leh from faraway places. It was indeed a great day to catch up on some mediterranean cuisine and never ending conversations of this place called "The Road". 

Its a pity that we had to leave Spiti ...

We stayed at Tabo as it became dark and cold in a whiff which was totally expected. On a motorcycle its going to be a little brutal riding with the windchill and lack of heating equipment. It was a fine homestay and no complaints at all. We slept that extra one hour as we had very little riding to reach Kaza, a quaint village in the Indo-Tibetian border. Lot more people, gasoline availability and ATMs made life a lot simpler. It made me feel very sad that we had to leave the Spiti valley. So I made up mind that I will be back here, may be in the winter ?

Whats more to come was gnarly roads, more amazing people and the road to keylong via Batal and Kunzum la. I am going to let the photos do the talking !

Home stay in Tabo

The Spiti river

Thats me trying to run to pose, but the camera beat me to it !

First glimpse of Kaza

No Caption required !

We stayed in Kaza that day, did some much needed laundry and more or less spent the remainder of the day gazing around without any real purpose. It was nothing short of awe.

The road from Kaza to Kunzum 

We found this massive plains in the middle of nowhere and we were hell bent on getting some throws!

And, Yes - 2 hands...that how you catch the disc :) 

The roads got gnarly, and the scenery became heavenly ..

At Kunzum La

First sight of snow and we had to park and explore !

and Yes, Gnarly roads anyone ?

If you're on the wrong motorcycle, its the difference between enduring and having fun

Single tracks and the Spiti river !

You can literally see for miles ! 

Terrible terrible roads and lots to learn ! Yeah, So what...we kept dropping our bikes..

The gruelling 176 kms from Kaza to Keylong is the epitome of adventure on a motorcycle. Even on Dual sport machines with ample OOumPH, it took us a good 10+ hours on the saddle (with lots of stoppage to enjoy the scenery, of course). With 70+ kms of amazing tarmac, the remaining 100 kms took most of the 10 hrs of riding.

I cant imagine being back there on the 'wrong motorcycle'. Even with light weight motorcycles, its nothing short of a battle. The terrain is absolutely unforgiving and there is no room for error. Its key to know your limits. Not to mention the altitude. Yes, we dropped our motorcycles. It was hard to pick them back up and continue 'unbroken'. The water crossing or what the locals affectionately call "Nalaas" are extremely excruciating to cross. The water crossings on the leh-manali highway after Jispa and ZingZing Bar are a 'joke' compared to the ones that you'll encounter in Spiti. The water is freezing cold and the later you are during the course of the day, the bigger the water crossings. The inhospitable conditions will make you feel like shit at the end of the day. A false dilemma, or false dichotomy sets in, I was even wondering why I like doing this.

If not for the great tarmac from Gramphu to Keylong, which brings some life back into you, the road or the lack of any will break anyone and everyone. True story.

It was 8pm !

We live to ride another day and reach keylong to enter the lahul valley

And, Its that time of the year... Here's wishing all you dual sport delinquents and other goofy quirky motorcycle enthusiasts an awesome year ahead ! Keep the shiny side up and the rubber side down, see you on the road in 2015 !