Some things are meant to stick with you. You may wander far away from them but you always end up around them, one way or another. Ever since I was a kid, I loved motorcycles. And like every kid like me, I loved big bikes. The way they looked, the way they were so imposing, the way they sound; everything drove me nuts. And it must not be too difficult to guess which one among the bikes I had seen, I wanted the most.
I consider myself fortunate; a big fan of superbikes ended up with a hyperbike. The mighty Falcon had been a fantasy for so long that I had started to feel like that was what it was going to be. But I think I wanted it badly enough. And the same thing can be said about this ride. This is not a travelogue where I tell you about my day-to-day happenings. For this ride, I cannot do that. So what I will do is try to explain what made me do it and a bit of how I did it.
Along with my obsession with motorcycles, another thing that I have possessed for a long, long time is the desire to tame seemingly untameable destinations. Ladakh on a big adventure bike? Sure. Zanskar of a light and agile middleweight adventure? Of course. Mustang Valley on a Suzuki Hayabusa? That is, I am not going to call it undoable but I certainly think it is fairly crazy. And that is why I wanted to do it.
I knew it was going to be tough, it is bound to be. Weighing over 250 kg and nearly 200 bhp of power, the Hayabusa can be a handful on mildly broken roads. Mustang Valley is another matter altogether. You never know what you are going to find there. So yes, while I wanted to do it, there were some inhibitions. But in this regard, I am quite fortunate, as in, whenever I am in doubt, I know who to go to.
My parents have supported every endeavour of mine. They have always supported all endeavours of mine. From wanting to own a big bike to using it to explore the world, they have always had my back. For this ride too, I had their blessings and best wishes. So, my parents were the biggest source of inspiration for me to take up this ride.
A little bit about the ride now, Muktinath is one of the places I always wanted to scale on a Hayabusa. I am not sure if anyone has ever done it before but it was a non-matter. I wanted to do it and so, I worked towards it. Muktinath is a place that has been bestowed graciously by nature in terms of natural beauty. But reaching that place takes a lot of skill and a lot of strength, both physical and mental. And riding a motorcycle like the Hayabusa to Muktinath just enhances the requisites further.
There were lots of challenges. Fuel was one, good quality fuel to be precise. The places I travelled during this ride are far out and being able to find decent quality fuel is difficult. Another problem is the spares and repairs, for the same reason. These problems would have been a bit easier to deal with if I was not riding a big bike.
Another predictable problem was the route. During this journey, I have encountered some of the worst roads I have ever ridden on. The scenery makes up for the effort but even then, in a few places it got really hard to deal with. Throttle control, clutch modulation, braking control, and everything else you can think of; to be able to ride safely through these roads requires your best self and every ounce of your concentration. More so because you know if something were to go awry, help would be difficult to find.
Along with the man, the machine is also put to a serious test in conditions like these. The mud and slush in places deposit gunk on the radiator and that makes it very difficult for the cooling system of the motorcycle to function properly. So overheating is one problem that persists. If it were a naked motorcycle, it would have been slightly better because some parts of the engine are still in contact with the ambient air. A naked motorcycle is also marginally easier to clean in case something like this happens.
The thinner air is also an issue high up in the mountains. Because of that, there were moments when I felt like the motorcycle had no power and then in some, it came back suddenly. It is slightly erratic and when you cannot predict what your motorcycle is going to do next, it makes it a tricky affair to deal with. The tyres can also become an issue, especially the fat ones that motorcycles like the Hayabusa use. You have to keep the pressure lower to be able to make the motorcycle feel more planted but that increases drag. In the case of inclines, it was very apparent.
My ride started from Howrah and the destination for the first day was Patna. A fairly straightforward ride. I made my way to Nepal the next day. The real ride began on the 4th day though. Riding from Pokhara to Jomsom was a heck of an experience. The next one was even better. On the fifth day, I rode from Jomsom to Muktinath and then to Pokhara. It was one of the most difficult days both, in terms of the distance covered and in what sort of terrain that distance was covered.
All in all, it was a very difficult ride but one I had wanted to take up for a long, long time. It had its difficulties, it had its problems, and there were a fair few ups and downs but finally, it makes me extremely happy that I was able to complete this dream ride of mine safely.
This article was published in the Apr-May’22 Issue of the xBhp Print Magazine.
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