waiting for the entire log and the experience with SBKs at 10000+ feet...

Beautiful pics, sunny. Absolutely gorgeous mountains. Reminds me of home.

BTW, Sunny, did anyone tell you, you look alot like Raghu from MTV Roadies, sans the baldness.!

@ Sunny ....waiting for the dates & website
looking forward to meet u after GIR-1

Hahahahahaaaaa I am still rolling on the floor with my hands on my abs.....

@Sunny: how can you be like this...


BTW....Now don't make all wait more and give them what they really want, a sweet treatment of those beautiful pics.

awesome pic's sunny bhaiya .......waiting for more

by the way what was the zma incident ?

All the best there.
Which are the other rides? Anyone from the GIR team? Ken, Bunny, Sunil etc? Would love to see on this grand ride as well

@sunny: Its nov 5th man. Its hightime we got updates regarding the TRIP.

Atleast put the date..when the details are going to be published....

@kriss: Would love to but the festive season has put quite a things on a little hold because of unavailability of labor etc to preparations. Will keep updating this thread.

Oh good... we have an update now...(things on hold... unavailability of labor).

Keep updating man...

BTW what happened to the anti clock direction of the trip...WRT to GIR 1

pics pics pics....

hmmm , surely nice pics bro

especially that early morning one, really good,

best of luck guys for the journey ahead

I am so much excited, happy & impressed by the way you guys deisgned your Tour ! Can someone please please let me know from which place R15 was colored ?

sunny : did u overlook my post?

Sunny,

Mate aren't we enough teased yet. Please have mercy on us poor souls.....

The Banshee’s Himalayan Odyssey
Text : Sandeep Goswami (Old Fox) and tips by Sundeep Gajjar
Pictures: Sundeep Gajjar (Sunny)

Superbikes are a heavy and tricky handful anywhere. And they become so all the more in heavy traffic, on bad roads and narrow mountain twisties. We got all this and more on the recent ride on two R1’s to Narkanda and Hatu Peak in Himachal Pradesh. We had been gunning for a ride on the ‘One’s to the mountains once the bikes had been run-in and Narkanda, some 70 odd kms beyond Simla, seemed a good destination to head to. An unusually severe and extended monsoon with the subsequent landslides had taken a heavy toll of the roads high up but we were game for it. Nothing like the proverbial ‘baptism by fire’ as a preamble to the long pan-India ride ahead.

Day 1: Saturday Nov 1st ‘08 (by Sundeep Gajjar [Sunny])

• Start off real early, always. Specially if you are in a metro city. Call center cabs have made us forget the meaning of really serene, quite and beautiful mornings.
  
• Carry two helmet visors along : One clear for early morning pre dawn and post dusk and one tinted for the day. Dont rely on shades, you could encounter dark long tunnels en route in the mountains which could leave you virtually blinded if you dont stop and take your shades off. With a visor you can simply pull it up while entering.
  
• Needless to say, dont overspeed, specially on relatively empty highways. If you go beyond 150kmph you yourself will be the one to blame if someone crossing the road causes a crash. In India, no one expects something to hurl at them at 200kmph!
  
• even on a green light be very cautious and keep a 360 degree watch. Similarly, early morning dont stop abruptly at a red light, specially in the middle of the width of the road, most of the drivers dont obey early morning signals due to sparse traffic and they might crash into you from behind.
  
• In general, on a highway it is safer to be faster than slower to the rest of the traffic.
  
• A 190 rear does not guarantee you more traction on loose gravel in the mountains because the contact patch is roughly the same as on Indian bikes having thinner rubber but the momentum is greater.
  
• Try taking corners at 2nd or 3rd gear in the mountains, specially if roads are not that good.
  
• Try to find a position in which you balance the load on your wrist and shoulders, don't stiffen your wrist, shocks from potholes could damage it in the long run.
  
• Try not to carry heavy stuff on your back, though this is one thing which I dont follow.
  
• On open and plain stretches loosen a bit by stretching a bit while riding the bike one leg and arm at a time. Do shoulder circles too. Blood circulation often falls to a minimum due to high pressure on the shoulders, wrists and thighs.
  
• Install a light on the visor. Under braking the lights (even when on high beam) angel down on the road failing to illuminate a substantial area ahead on the road despite of them being bright. This is a very dangerous thing.
  
• Choose your line well ahead of taking a blind turn, anything could be around the corner. Don't even think of changing lines in an emergency on a superbike on Indian mountain corners. Your luck might run out.
  

Shammi, Goldwing rider, getting a good massage at a dhabha in Murthal


Bikes lined up in Murthal


L-R: Manan C, Vrooom, Puneet (Roger), Old Fox, Rishi


Vrooom sharing a lighter moment


To Shimla


Coffee stop near Parwanoo at a Cafe Coffe Day Outlet


Trees en route Shimla


The Good Roads...




The not so good roads...





Then some more good roads...



The 1 followed by 15..


Evening, beyond Shimla...






Almost pitch dark...


At 7810ft in Narkanda