Being a part of xBhp and all that it has done over the years, we understand the value of doing something different, something unique, and something that has never been done before. To that end, we have been touring on superbikes since 2006. Hardcore racetrack machines used to explore the length and breadth of our India and beyond; needless to say, it is rather extreme. But you know what is better? The fact that we aren’t alone in trying these crazy things. Crazy things like taking a thoroughbred like the BMW S1000RR for a ride in the snow-laden treachery of Lahaul!
It has been a long time since we took a Suzuki GSX-R1000R to terrains quite similar. Not quite as snowy, but fairly treacherous. This time around, it is Jasminder Singh of JS Films, popularly known as Jaysn Paji in the motorcycling circles. He is a man that needs no introduction. From a web designer to an ace YouTuber and on top of everything, an avid motorcyclist; there isn’t a lot that he has not done when it comes to motorcycling and touring in superbikes. He has explored every nook and cranny of our country on some of the most extreme motorcycles available to man.
No stranger to challenges, Jaysn is a well-versed traveller. He has been riding motorcycles for a while now and has covered most of the most notable bits of our great country. As expected, in his bid to keep adding to his catalogue, he has faced a fair bit of challenging riding conditions. This one… just adds another feather in his rather illustrious cap. From a desk job to some of the world’s best motorcycles in some of the best (and crazy) places to ride in… we’d say he has done well! Check out his adventures on his YouTube channel.
In 2017, he rode around India on a Suzuki Hayabusa. In 2018, he covered Nepal, Bhutan, Spiti, Ladakh and many more places on superbikes. He has been a part of all three editions of xBhp’s own #roadTripUnited. So it isn’t a long shot to say that he has a knack for veering off the beaten path. And the best thing about people like him is that they do not stop and they are always on the lookout for the next big adventure. That next big adventure of his is what this story is about.
Though taking a track-bred motorcycle like the S1000RR to the snow may sound outrageous to many, the idea came to him a while back. Not too long ago, Jaysn found himself riding an XPulse in the snow. After a brief adjustment period, he started to feel the spiked tyres better and gained a fair bit of confidence in the motorcycle and how it rode on the snow with those tyres. After this successful excursion, Jaysn thought to himself, “Why not try the same thing with a superbike?” That is how the idea of this ride came about.
Being someone who is always thinking about the next big thing that has not been done before, Jaysn had also ridden an S1000RR to Umling La, a massive feat in its own right. Just like always, there were a fair few detractors, people who told him that it was not possible. According to Jaysn, even some technicians from BMW advised him against this as the motorcycle was too low and its belly would scrape every bit of the broken roads he was going to encounter. But this is Jaysn we’re talking about, when something lights a fire under him, it is darn near impossible to stop him.
With the success of his brush with spiked tyres and riding a superbike in terrain like that of Umling La, he decided to combine both. Though this was still all theoretical, Jaysn was determined to see this interesting idea through. Upon scouring the internet, he found out that Marc Marquez had done something similar, along with a few other international creators. But no one had tried something like this in India. Following his urge, he decided to get custom spiked tyres made for his BMW S1000RR.
Getting to work with Daljeet from Anything Kustom, they started trying out various things to create the tyres that they needed. It was a tall task as they had to add spikes to the tyres while ensuring that the tube of the tyre would not get punctured as a result. If you’re thinking about why they didn’t go tubeless, take a look at the photos of the tyres and you’ll know. Despite a few failures in the beginning, they kept at it. Finally, they were able to fabricate the tyres they needed. With the tyre situation resolved, the only other modification they did to the motorcycle was removing the lower part of the fairing including the belly panel.
With the motorcycle now ready for this extreme adventure, it was time to put the wheels to the ground. Or maybe Jaysn’s Isuzu truck first. They got the motorcycle loaded in Jaysn’s truck and drove to Khangsar in the Lahaul district. Around 12 km away from Atal Tunnel, this was the place where Jaysn put his abomination of an S1000RR to the test. As expected, the roads were full of snow and traction seemed as mythical as fair dust. It was arduous, to say the least, but nothing that Jaysn didn’t expect.
Staring gingerly in the beginning, Jaysn could see the fruits of his labour not long after. He was able to ride his S1000RR successfully in the snow and had a fair bit of fun with it as well. The custom-fabricated tyres did their job very well. And with the success of this outrageous ride, Jaysn was again able to live up to what he does and what he is known for; adding a new and even more extreme touch to something that is already quite extreme.
Jaysn and his crew made a full documentary of this ride as well and it will be out there for all of us to see on his YouTube channel, linked here.
