Make sure you are accompanied by riders who have already traveled and know the regions of Ladakh, or best join a Tour. My first time I booked a package with this tour company called Ride Of My Life; it turned out to be not only cheaper but also more enjoyable. Apart from spending nights in amazing hotels, I socialized with riders from across the globe; almost all companies have a back-up vehicle than carry your luggage, bike spares, mechanics and even oxygen and meds in case of emergency, take a lot of load off you and your bike, as a kg feels a ton up there. Bikes by them are provided by other rental companies; they don't care a dam if you break it - shake it or put it through whatever you can, at the max you will land up losing a prepaid 10K deposit if you manage to total the bike which is still better than totaling your own bike.
Still remember, not matter who's it is respect what you ride.

I saw some solo riders, Italians in some case in isolated ghats before Sarchu stuck with flat tires, and few playing their crab settings as their messed up Enfields by random rental companies, as they wont just climb. You don't want to be in their shoes specially up there.

Unless you are the, thousand miles clocking - iron butting having - BMW GS1200 rocking - long beard having - gear head cracking - tuff son of a b***h ! Do ride it all the way to top from home !
I have seen many riders from Maharashtra, Bangalore, Chennai and for God sake all the way down form Kochi jumping states to make it to Ladakh. Ladakh will surprise you with mind blowing landscapes and bike breaking off -road experiences; You need to be all charged up and fresh to ride there, survive and more over enjoy the expedition that starts in Ladakh; you don't need to be all drained after putting yourself through thousands of km of travel to Ladakh.

Yes I have seen people riding all the way from Manali to Leh and not at all serious about their riding gears. My dear friends safety comes first, save your bones not the dollars; be prepared and buy good riding gear cause it's just a fraction of seconds when you crash and realize the seriousness of matter. People prefer half face helmets as they are light and go easy on your neck, but I know a guy who encountered a minor land slide after Changla Pass and dislocated his jaw, there are high possibilities that your bike will slide or flip with you landing straight on your face - fracturing nose or leaving your teeth behind, and most of the time the winds are too cold and most of the passes are too dusty, wear a full-face helmet; Jackets should be well padded specially for your shoulders and back, and so your knees to take these unexpected drops. Carry a extra rain gear all the time, and do not leave it in your back-up vehicle as they sometimes take a lot of time to catch up. Crossing streams are fun but not once they are crossed, when you have to continue riding with soaked feet with freezing water; yes the stream waters are freezing cold enough to numb your legs; carry waterproof riding shoes or wear-on covers; and make sure they are non-slip or have a appropriate gripped sole enabling you to push your bike through the water or muck you will encounter on way to Rohtang Pass. Wear thick well padded and warm gloves to avoid your hands falling numb.

I was tailing this Russian Girl most of the time, obviously you know why . But I observed she nearly got herself killed every time switching-on or playing with her GoPro - WHILE RIDING - and constantly looking into the mirror to keep a track of the cam LED blink.

Remember guyz - 3_1 beep means recording, 5 beeps is switching off. Use your ears not your rear-view mirrors. Or best take a break park your bike (safely off the tarmac) and then set the GoPro.

I saw some riders going crazy as they got confident with the bikes and off-roading; they stood-up on the pegs and throttled charging the boulders; and we all know how it ends. You may be the ''dude'' back home, but you never know what's next riding through those terrains. People sometime speed the down hills with the pleasure of having the bike finally going fast after the starling ... power killing altitude effect; but do not do this on the ghats, my experience down Khardung La I was going fast and then a unexpected, un-observable bum just threw me off-control, in reaction to which I panicked and jammed the breaks sliding towards another unexpected curve ending straight to cliff edge; yes I am alive, else you wouldn't be reading this post.
Most of the accident occur between Tanglang La and Jispa (if riding from or to Manali); where you will experience these smooth endless straight stretch of road; avoid the temptation of speeding and these roads are not level, there are certain ''surprises!'' uneven patches or surfaces which you won't be able to notice until your bike goes airborne, landing hard with a uncontrollable wobble or a tank slapper leading you to a high speed crash.

Obviously the first opinion to be considered should be of your doctor; but come on guyz you ant riding to mount Everest. Avoid these pill and don't be dependent on them;Firstly arrive three days prior to the ride.. if you arrive in Leh and there is a sudden altitude sickness you experience - first day and night sleep as much as possible, second day walk up to the market rent a cycle (pay no more than 500 bucks and take it for max 4 hours/ half day) and explore the city, rest the same night and next day take a walk around. You will adapt and acclimatize naturally which will pay off when you will be riding high altitudes towards the Passes. Avoid Smoking. Drink Water like crazy all the time and every time you feel the lack of oxygen.

Avoid shopping from the main markets as they loot you, instead ride down toward the Petrol Pump and on Skara Road and ask for these Army Stores where you will find everything for Dirt Cheap, even cheaper than your city or origin. Shop and pack-up everything in Leh/Manali, you wont find anything in the outer regions. Pack lot of snickers and nutty chocolate bars.
Similarly Do Not rent bikes from dealers located close or near to the market. I Highly suggest this guy called Tashi Bullet Workshop , on Skara Road; his bikes are fresh well maintained and has a fleet of brand new Himalayans up for rent - pay Rs.800 for a Bullet 350, Rs.1000 for a Bullet 500 and Rs.1500 for a Himalayan per day.

We all know it's not safe but still some of us risk it all. Enjoy Riding the day enjoy resting the night, this was you will be fresh everyday and last longer on your trip. At the high altitudes in Ladakh you tend to exhaust faster, don't set long milestones that you have to cover so many Kms (people tend to rush to cover miles causing accidents) a day as even the shortest of distances take all day due to lack of roads and unexpected landslides and jams. Most of people encounter this problem travelling Manali to Leh (or the other way), I suggest rent a room in Jispa and rent a tent in Sarchu; don't take long leaps, remember its difficult to deal with breakdowns in the dark middle of nowhere. We know you can last longer, but lets take it slow and easy.

Asses come in different shapes and sizes; hence, this suggestion may differ person to person. To Ladakh or any ride a useful tip - Frenchies and Briefs have these elastic straps that cuffs your upper thigh and causes rashes on constant friction against the saddle; instead wear nice comfy lose fit boxers that will avoid strangling your ass, let it breath and make you last longer. Similarly avoid ripped, skinny fit jeans; tight waist pants or tight belts, excess of stuff stuffed in your pant pockets, keeping wallet in your back pockets (it may fall off at point rigorous activities). Keep it fresh, don't repeat ..

Don't fall for articles from Google, Airtel Post paid or prepaid will not work after Manali; BSNL post-paid is the only option and its network reachs in regions you won't even expect can. Its always better to have a black and white (Nokia 1100) phone carrying a BSNL sim on you as a back-up, as it lasts for days; and you will tend to drain the battery of your smart-phone clicking pics and in case of emergency a functional communication device a is must!

If you are renting a bike, you going to be paying a lot; I suggest avoid renting a Himalayan as it may be tempting but - 1. it's too expensive, 2 - its feels very de-powered due to the high altitude effect compared to Bullet 500 its very sluggish and will irritate you on inclines, 3 - and very important, if you crash parts are impossible to find, no mechanics keep a stock of Himalayan part, 4 - deposit is high..
Royal Enfield Bullet 500 is a highly recommended, it's crazy strong, produces good power on high altitudes and all you need after a crash is a sledge hammer, rope or duck tape and it will go on forever. But if you want to have an amazing off-road experience, nothing beats Himalayan.