I guess anybody venturing into such a trip should have loads of driving experience, or it could be horrible

Yeah...true...why am i tellin u to take ur present bike,
-You dont need a good top end in trips.
-Pulsar is a perfectly good 4-stroke bike,and such things are well within its limits.
- you are already used to this bike and know its limits and capabilites.
- Aquila is a No-NO beacause of parts avability.
- thunderbud 500 is an unproven bike because not yet launched.
Ppl doing leh on p180,then kolkatta nepal and darjelling do-able too.

Arpan then what about cold starts? Pulsar sometimes gives trouble while warming up if its not used for a day or two and when its cold. As per ur advice I am considering taking the Pulsar and have not ruled it out of the trip

pulsar cold start prob.is due to lean mixture setting,it's easy to iron out.if ur comfy on it take it.

The comfyness can be taken care of by making a custom seat, but the baggage part is the prob. will stability and pulling power remain the same after the baggage is on the p180

i recommended the t'bird as it has good low end torque is reliable and has good seating too.

What do u guys think about the Electra and the new Bullet Machismo 500cc?

electra is fine but the avl 5 gear and 500 cool.

Depends on how u pack the luggage,i prefer to tie it on pillion seat.so stability is not affected. regarding pulling power,come on its a 180 cc bike,its not going to do power wheelies and burn outs but dude its 15BHP of power...rajnish whats your opinion on this,i think it will do the journey prefectly. yes bullet maybe a better option but your are comfy with the pulsar then i think best bet is to take it.

If I buy a new bike, which will probably be a Royal Enfield, I am looking forward to giving it a strict running in of at least 2000-2500kms. Till December this figure may increase to be a lot higher than I expect say 4000kms.
Do u guys think it is necessary to change spares like the throttle cable and clutch cable b4 the trip to prevent it from snapping off. I also wanted info if any extra small scale spares are required to be packed for the journey

For a looong ride like the one u are contemplating, IMHO, the best bike would be the Electra (Second choice Bullet 500). Why?
> Engine is the standard Cast Iron block variety with the original trappings. U should get mechanics very easily. Most important if u are going to be driving such enormous kilometres at high speeds.
> CDI over points is better reliability (even if the performance is diluted summat) due to unavoidable moisture.
> Enough torque to get u out of sticky situations and enough mileage so it wont pinch ur pocket. U would like to spend on stuff other than petrol i feel.
> An excellent headlamp(40W/50W). Heard its easy to uprate it even further.
> Upright position and comfy handlebars for looong rides as testified by thousands of Bullet fans. The thunderbird handlebars are not comfy for long rides unless u have a back rest for the rider.
> Firm and flat seat. Believe me it is the best once u get used to it. Contoured seats can give u a Royal pain in the butt. And the thunderbirds rear seat is miniscule.
> A good wind breaker aka fairing (No matter if it looks ugly) will help a lot, esp when it gets cold.

Anyways, whatever u use. Here's wishing u a GREAT ride.

well i agree with tyke,if you buying a bull buy it second hand..and go for a 500. will cost u 30-40K..in good condition...

How is Lightning 535 (25bhp) as a touring bike? What would be its rough mileage? Does it has a CV carb and CDI ignition?

well 535 isnt considered to be a good bike,500 is....mileage dunno...

535 production has been discontinued. Reliability and spares availability is heavily suspect. Otherwise a proven performer with good ergonomics, this fellow died only because REM could not back it properly.... very sad. There is also the problem of getting this monster to stop :-D. They only had drums those days.

Also Darius, any bike u buy, watch all moving(atleast) parts (I mean all - including the decompressor cable if there is one) for wear. A few weeks of close study should get u a good idea of things not in proper place and requiring intervention to improve reliability. In the bullets, the crankcase breather is known to be a bottle-neck at high speeds, causing oil to be pushed out of joints which arent tight enough to resist the high pressures built up. Some online article actually suggested providing an extra contraption (an extra breather tube soldered on the oil filler pointing at the chain for lubing or something like that) to improve matters. If that sounds drastic, u can just open the filler everytime u stop for a breather. And the REM arrticles section on their official website is a mine of information.