exactly.. everyone should have enough experience of max distance covered and offroading too.. that will help alot.. i think rachit and vishwas should share their experience so we can able to prepare for the ride

exactly.. everyone should have enough experience of max distance covered and offroading too.. that will help alot.. i think rachit and vishwas should share their experience so we can able to prepare for the ride


keep me updating guys .. i am already In for the ride...


My contact no is 09727738569

hi hoodwind that good u diside the date and email me i had done same trip like mumbai to pune many time mumbai to murud,mumbai to junner mumbai to goa,mumbai-lonavla-mumbai. i have little offroding experice. we should do running in moring it will help us to get fit.

i wont be available for this but i m seriously addicted to biking so practicing and offroading will not be any problem for me..

Yes one should have an experience of riding long & little offroading. Dont worry, you wont have to play motocross there.. But yes, little experience or knowledge on how to handle 'your' bike on gravel will be worthy.!
Here another thing you guys need to think about is, you have to ride significant distance everyday like a routine job . So just try to maintain a thumbrule, of riding early morning & halting when it turns dark. Dont take a risk of riding in dark to reach your destination..
This time, due to landslides at rohtang, we where stucked in mud for 10 hrs, for just 50kms. Which messed up out timetable further. This was the only time, we rode till 10.30-11pm in Himalayas, just to reach keylong. Freak.!..That was shit scary & dangerous. But didnt had any other option.
So in such scenarios, dont push yourself. You may cancel one or the other place or extend a day or two.. But dont try to meet deadlines that particular day, by pushing your limits. Be relaxed, Be free.. You guys are journey of your lifetime. Enjoy what is between Point A & Point B. Dont worry about just reaching from Point A to Point B.

Totally agree!!. It is fitness which will keep us away from AMS.
I have started working out and running to build up stamina.

I dont have offroading experience, and also dont know where we can do it, As you have some exp, you can decide the place and we can have our ride.

I do have one concern though, if we can do the trip somewhere in between March and May as i am waiting for my bike which i will be taking for the trip to be delivered. Expecting it in March !!!

Yes, Rachit. This was the first thing which i decided for the trip, not to drive in nights. Early morning start is i guess good enough time for doing 500 odd kms before sunset.

What was your average day kms in between mumbai and delhi/manali (flat terrains)
and also in himalayas??

Thankfully i have 3 day buffer for the trip so will definately not try to meet deadline

Great, you have decided to be in the ride. Will keep you updated from things which develop apart from this thread!!

Hi Siddhesh,

I am constantly getting suggestions about carrying the bike and honestly i am bit undecided on that.
I think it is a very subjective matter and different people will have different opinions.
Both have their pros and cons, but I am more inclined toward riding all the way. Thats what a Bike trip means!!
I love riding as everybody here and i want to make my first Bike trip to Leh special.

But as I said, different people, different opinions and i do respect all the suggestions which i am getting,
but carrying bike will have to wait for my next long trip anywhere!!!!

Do share what you think. If you want to carry your bike, not at all an issue, You can join from Jammu/Manali for the trip furthur

It depends, But I think you may have to do at times 600 kms too per day for initial or end days..!!
Though I know people who have done Delhi in two days flat.!
I think only for initial runs, till you reach delhi you may have to around 500+kms.
Later the kms may decrease, but the other factors will arise like mountains, gravel, water-crossings, landslides (if any), road blocks..
So cant say..!! Cause in himalayas, doing around 200-300kms a day is really big..!! But there are also guys who have done this terrain real fast, some have done real slow. Am speaking from average point of view..
Make your plan, finalize it..!! Be free not to force yourself to stick to it..!!

Good going guys, this thread (along with the other Leh-travelogues/discussion threads) are helping me a lot to prepare for my dream ride...

Will post our final plan details once it is finalized.. all the best. See you guys at the top...

Hi hoodwind,

I am following your thread like you are following mine

About ridin' all the way. Last year, I rode my new CBR250 from Pune to Rajkot (new posting) in May. You can read about my experience here



My only real enemy was the heat. I was continuously getting dehydrated and had had to stop much more than needed vs the distance travelled just due to the heat. It was really energy-sapping and I was quite tired for a day or two after the ride.

Now for you. For the first few days, you would be battling the heat of Mah, Guj, Raj, Punjab and then suddenly, would be confronted with the cold climes of J & K. This abrupt shift in climate is likely to cause problems for your body, leaving you drained for the major and more tiring ride ahead, just when you need to be at the peak of your strength. Just ponder it...

Also, Am I right in presuming that you would be taking your CBR? If so, do speak to KurtRules; he had done a marathon 33 hour ride from Delhi to Leh and should be in the best position to advise you about the bike's performance there. I too have a CBR but would be doing Leh on my Pulsar 150 Classic.

hey hoodwind, there are couple of points that im thinking about right now:

1) Fatigue: I think that we would be pretty exhausted and tired before we start the 'actual' trip; and agree or not, it can take a toll on us while we are touring ladakh and surrounding tough areas. I think that it is always good to start afresh while touring ladakh cause its a once in a lifetime experience for everyone.
2) Leaves: This is propbably the most obvious reason for me to give a second thought to the whole trip. I dont think that my manager will ever approve 25 odd days of leave at a stretch. Starting the tour from Chandigarh / Delhi will save 4-5 crucial days.
3) Cost: You can consult anyone out there, everyone will agree that transporting our bikes till delhi will still be cheaper than riding all the way till delhi. And yes, the difference between the 2 options is quite substantial to ignore.
4) Bike Maintainance: Well, it all depends on how you ride,but still this factor cant be neglected. The bike will undergo a lot of wear n tear before the actual ride; which can only be serviced one you are back home. If , god forbidden, the bike develops some serious snag before the actual ride, then we are in a soup.

Well, having said that , above mentioned points need a serious thought before reaching on to a conclusion. Like you, even i want to ride all the way and make it memorable; but there are these factors !! Still, lets see whats in store for us.

hi

hi everone i am agree with hoodwind for riding mumbai to leh its dream ride but i will be also happy if anyone join us at delhi or chandigarh coming by trian he can hire a bike at manali instate of carry by trian one of my friend is going to manali on 20-jan he will get the details i woory about the date of opening road to lehit may delay because of heavy showfall this year .
we iwill do same offroading bike trip for practice someone pls suggest any rout for that

hello, Guys. I am glad I found this thread. I am itching for this trip since I got my new bike. I have done 400 kms in a day max till now. I have a new RE Classic 500 desert storm. My bike is still new (1 and a half months old). It will be ready for a leh trip till June. I am very much interested in this trip. I have a CA exam coming up in May so I will be busy studying till 17th May. But after that I will be all in. I have read quite a few travelogues on xbhp and other forums on leh rip. Its good that the planning has begun so early. That way we can be meticulous in our plans.
I think we need to prepare an excel sheet like the other here and put everything on it so that anyone else who wants to join can directly refer to it. If its already been made then pls let me know. You can count me in as a probable. I am from Pune. If anyone from Pune wants to join then we can get acquainted before he trip and plan accordingly to team up with members from other areas.

Looking forward to it!