We took two Suzuki Bandits and a full blown superbike, the GSXR 1000 to 14,000 feet, only to discover that these bikes can go almost anywhere, they just need an able rider with a will to conquer.

Photos : Sundeep Gajjar / Praveer Kochhar / Ashok Kochhar / Sumaira Abidi / Sandeep Goswami
Text: Sandeep Goswami

For a machine as focused in its performance and intended use as the Suzuki GSX-R 1000, it did remarkably well when ridden in an environment that wouldn’t have been the last thought on its designer’s mind. The Gixxer rode off-road big-time on its ride to the extreme edge of Kinnaur Valley, high up in the Himachal Pradesh Himalayas. And it turned out to be that this track-specialist came out trumps against all that the Himalayas pitched to it. Nothing, just nothing stops this motorcycle from moving the way it does.

“The idea was pretty simple”as Praveer likes to say and it was to ride the 2010 Suzuki GSX-R 1000, accompanied by a couple of Suzuki Bandits 1250-S amongst other bikes, to as high up into the picturesque Kinnaur region as time, weather and roads allowed. As it turned out, the only thing we eventually fell short of was time. The weather remained perfect throughout and the roads…well …the roads were a spectrum of all that a traveler can experience in a life-time of journeys and then some more.

The motorcycle lineup was pretty impressive with one GSX-R 1000, 2 Bandits 1250 S (black and silver), one Ninja 250 (in CEAT colours) and a black ZMA. An unintentional but a pretty comprehensive representation of the best of domestic and CBU fare presently available in India. The riders were an intrepid group of experienced campaigners; one’s who have been on the high road with enough miles to make for interesting bar-room tales of two-wheeled travel. And of course we had our trusted Mitsubishi Pajero as a back-up vehicle. The route was the familiar ‘entry into Kinnaur via Shimla’ thing. The plan was to ride Delhi to Naldehra on day 1, get to Puh on day 2, ride to Nako and Malling Nullah on day 3 and returning to Puh again that evening and then retrace the same path back to Delhi. All in all a five-day trip out and back.

We left Delhi in the wee hours on the 8th of Nov. And like all pre-dawn departures, this one was fun and traffic-free too. The weather was great, cool and clear with the smooth NH1 underfoot, we made good time to Karnal where we stopped for breakfast. The Bandits are familiar animals but the Gixxer wasn’t and it turned out to be quite a revelation. An all out track-oriented bike is by no chance intended to be a comfortable tourer but despite its sporty crouch and relatively cramped dimensions for my 6ft frame, the Gixxer was quite a comfortable cruiser. Its engine response is feline in its quickness, silky smooth and the ‘punch’ is phenomenal especially above 6000 RPM. The mode selector switch does give one the option of opting for different power characteristics from the engine and the ‘C’mode makes the bike quite docile relatively speaking. But then of course with good dry tarmac and confidence in one’s skills, who wants anything else than mode A.



The first day saw us ride to Naldehra, 430 Kms from Delhi



The hills start immediately after Kalka and that’s what we eagerly looked forward to. And the twisties actually reveal the true personality of any and every motorcycle. The Gixxer was in its element now. Smooth and well-cambered curves are a dream on a bike like this and we thoroughly enjoyed ourselves. Of course the sporty crouch does preclude long stretches but the with 3 riders to rotate the bike between, fatigue wasn't a problem…yet. We reached Naldehra just as the sun was setting, the sky an orange bed-spread with pine-tree silhouettes for the in design.












Tomorrow would begin the real test for the bikes and the riders and we turned in early to make sure for an early start the following morning.









An early start the next morning saw us head towards Puh via Rampur and Powari. We opted for the Naldehra-Basantpur-Baghi-Kingel route knowing that the going would be smooth with sparse traffic. And so it was. This year’s heavy monsoon somehow appeared to have missed harming the road except for a bridge on a curve that toppled over on its side, lying intact guard-rails et al, resting on the river-bed below. A grisly reminder of criminally-bad workmanship and forces of nature. We enjoyed the forested curves of the road before hitting Kingel around noon and stopped for lunch. The Gixxer had been in its element and we all were thoroughly enjoying ourselves. Kingel to Rampur Bushair is level, smooth tarmac running parallel to the Sutlej River. A relatively fast stretch with wide sweeping curves that we had fun on.











Rampur onwards, the road condition gradually deteriorates and past Jeori, it’s more of mud, sand, gravel, rocks and slush rather than tarmac. It did take a while to get used to the Gixxer on such nightmarish surface and the engine mode selector did come in handy then. Mode C blunted the engine’s sharpness somewhat but still on-throttle wheel-spins were quite frequent and required very focused riding. The Gixxer’s brakes are phenomenal, both in power and feel and the latter characteristic was like a boon especially in respect of the rear brake.










Rugged and remote and yet with flourishing life, Puh is the gateway to the inner Himalayas


It was dusk by the time we crossed Wangtu. There’s a big hydel power project going on in the area and the highway is a dirt road these days. The project trucks keep spraying water on the road to keep the dust down and the resulting slush is nightmarish for bikers. 19 kms of slush, most of it after dark and with big earth-moving machinery moving all around in addition to trucks and buses didn't make for an inviting ride. But bound by schedule and distance, we carried on. The Gixxer and the Bandits performed commendably. I was especially enamored by the Gixxer’s amazing headlights. Karcham onwards, the road was broken but dry and we made it to Powari petrol pump by 7 PM. This being the last point of refueling before Nako, we were dismayed to find no petrol there. Perforce, we spent the night at the nearby Reckong Peo and re-fueled the next morning before moving on towards Nako and Malling Nallah. High places are all the more alluring if there’s still higher to look at. That’s exactly what we saw as we headed deeper into Kinnaur. High snow-white peaks standing sentinel against the azure blueness of clear skies. To top it all, there were patches of newly laid tarmac at places and runway smooth at that. Getting into the fast groove with big powerful bikes is an everlasting addiction and we were getting our regular dosage from time to time. Puh onwards the road is great and the surroundings take on a harsh and rugged persona. And every time we hit good tarmac, there was a rush for the Gixxer’s keys. Khab, the point of confluence Sutlej and Spiti Rivers is picturesque as rugged and oppressive goes. Surrounded by steep vertical rocky cliffs that almost close in overhead and accompanied by the roaring waters of a torrential river, the road gradually opens out into a series of 7 hairpin turns that climb dizzily up. The Ka Zig’s as this series of hairpin bends is called, ascends almost 1000 ft in 5 kms and it’s the motorcycling equivalent of summiting a mountain. Past Ka, a tiny non-descript village that only blooms during the apple season, the road is carved out of solid rock and has a deep fall on one side and steep rocky wall on the other.





















Nako village comes up a while later and we ride into the helipad there. This flatness takes on a unique flavor at such height and when surrounded by so much of vertical land. Snowy peaks surround us and we go berserk with our cameras. It’s beautiful, picturesque, dramatic, almost mystic and an amazingly alluring place to be in. Even early November is cold enough to freeze water at 14,000 ft above sea level. Knowing Malling Nullah has lots of flowing and dripping water around, we expected icicles and frozen streams there. Higher than Nako village by about 500 ft, Malling was dramatic with a capital D. The late afternoon slanting sunlight glinted evilly off the icicles clinging to the rocky mountainside.





Water Water everywhere






What better a place to ride than amidst the towering Himalayan peaks smooth curvy roads binding them together



The Eagle has landed - acquiring Data for the next mission





The Gixxer seemed so out of place and yet so much at home there. The sheer ridability of a bike meant and designed precisely as a track tool was there for us to see and experience in its entirety. It had been a beautiful ride on a beautiful bike, a ride we would remember probably for a lifetime.


The GSXR and Bandit are great amphibious vehicles, or so we disocvered






Sunset Scapes

Nothing like experiencing sunset on a cold isolated mountain road with the fresh alpine scent invigorating your senses and some fine machines to boot. We highly recommend you have this experience on the to-do-before-i-die list. Here are some moments from the soothing sunsets we encountered on this bone shattering high adrenaline ride.


Its the rider, and then the ride



Jump for joy



At one with self