Re: Why We Ride..No definite answers (RE Himalayan, Std 500 and Duke 390, Pune - Ladakh Ride, Sept 2

Nice set of pictures!

Re: Why We Ride..No definite answers (RE Himalayan, Std 500 and Duke 390, Pune - Ladakh Ride, Sept 2

Day 9: Leh -> Pangong Lake




General
Our original plan was to 1^st to visit Kardungla pass, then Nubra valley and then Pangong Lake. We had to reverse the plan, because there was a Marathon to Kardungla and because of the same the main roads were blocked for traffic.

As the distance to Pangong lake was not much, we started a little late i.e. around 10:00am. The roads were ok, with some bad patches enroute. This was a very scenic route and we kept stopping to take photos. With our lazy lunch, we ended up reaching around 3 pm. Definitely suggest reaching this place early as the lake looks totally out of this world in bright sunshine. Knowing that this place would be cold we had booked a resort with proper huts. This turned out to be a good decision as the temperature really dropped post 5:30 pm and with the wind, it was not comfortable to sit outside. Thanks to a good bonfire, some warm spirits, music and good banter, we enjoyed under the stars. We tried taking time-lapse videos, but unfortunately none of us were successful. Post a good dinner, we again hit the land of the nod, with the plan to get up early to catch the sunrise and view. Except for Mehernosh, nobody got up on time the next morningJ.

Re: Why We Ride..No definite answers (RE Himalayan, Std 500 and Duke 390, Pune - Ladakh Ride, Sept 2

Day 10: Pangong Lake -> Nubra Valley



General
Today again we got up at a relaxed pace. The 1^st thing we did was clean our bikes + chain lubing and general checks. Was nice doing this with the awesome view in front of us. Really enjoyed having my tea, while viewing the lake. With the rising run, the temperature quickly started getting hot. After a good breakfast we started towards Nubra valley. Though the distance was short, we were warned about the bad roads, with a few notorious water crossings. Some parts of this route turned out to be trickier as there was fine sand, which was really slippery and would catch you out if you were not alert. Also in some patches the rocks were really sharp and large. Been somewhat seasoned riders by now, we covered the distances quickly, again stopping to take lot of snaps. We also stopped once to fuel the bikes from the back-up fuel canisters. We reached Nubra valley in time to do the camel ride. Post the camel ride we headed towards the resort. The weather in Nubra was pleasant and here we had booked tent accommodations. Post freshening up, we had a good bonfire, followed by a sumptuous dinner. It started raining sometime in the night and when we work up, the weather was totally different. We could see that the mountain tops were covered with fresh snow and with this we expected to encounter snow while crossing Khardungla today.




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Day 11: Nubra Valley -> Leh



General

Re: Why We Ride..No definite answers (RE Himalayan, Std 500 and Duke 390, Pune - Ladakh Ride, Sept 2

Great going!

Re: Why We Ride..No definite answers (RE Himalayan, Std 500 and Duke 390, Pune - Ladakh Ride, Sept 2

Day 12: Leh -> Jispa



General
Today we started with a little sadness as it was the start of our return Journey. We had evaluated returning through Srinagar, but with the current situation still been bad, we decided to return through Manali only. We started at 5:30 am from the hotel. The last 3 days, we had been dumping our luggage in the escort vehicle, so it took us sometime to get used to putting the luggage back on the bikes + the additional weight. Also we had to fuel our bikes. With a slight delay in finding fuel (pumps only open at 7 am), we finally ended up starting around 7:10 am. Post fueling and checking air, we starting riding towards our first pass (Tanglala). When we had entered Leh 3 days back, it was in the dark, so we ended up missing the views. The early morning ride helped us soak up the great scenery. Post 80 kms the weather changed and it started raining. Luckily we had all dressed accordingly. We had our 1^st

Re: Why We Ride..No definite answers (RE Himalayan, Std 500 and Duke 390, Pune - Ladakh Ride, Sept 2

..and this is what riding is ALL About.

Fantastic pics and narration.

Loved it.

Re: Why We Ride..No definite answers (RE Himalayan, Std 500 and Duke 390, Pune - Ladakh Ride, Sept 2

Day 13: Jispa -> Manali




General

Re: Why We Ride..No definite answers (RE Himalayan, Std 500 and Duke 390, Pune - Ladakh Ride, Sept 2

Day 14: Rest in Manali



General^st thing I did post getting up was to wash my bike and generally check it up. On the ride up Rohtang pass I lost the glass of one of my auxiliary lights, but only realized it while cleaning my bike. Taped up the electricals nicely to ensure no water seeps in. Post a hearty breakfast we headed to the RE service center to leave the bikes for the issues to be addressed. The RE service center in Manali is located in a quite far of location and when you ride to it for the 1^st

Re: Why We Ride..No definite answers (RE Himalayan, Std 500 and Duke 390, Pune - Ladakh Ride, Sept 2

Day 15: Manali -> Panchkula




General^st decent place we found. The weather had also started becoming hot and with every stop, we continued reducing the layers from our riding gear. Apart from our usual stops for tea and bio breaks, we maintained a good average and entered Chandigarh around 5:30 PM. Hashim had a few office calls to attend to, so we took a long tea break. Post this stop we decided to ride for another hour or so, and on a friends recommendation decided to stay at Panchkula. Post checking-in and freshening up, we stepped out to check out Panchkula and retired after a not so great dinner. Since the next day was our last ride, we were a little sad, but nevertheless slept early.

Re: Why We Ride..No definite answers (RE Himalayan, Std 500 and Duke 390, Pune - Ladakh Ride, Sept 2

Great!!! Awesome pictures and beautifully written too. Read your whole journey today itself.It will be helpful for a rideRs who has desire to visit leh-ladakh. Keep writing,keep riding.����

P.S- Don't you carry extra fuel for emergencies??
Also want to give you suggestion add things you taken for your ride for safe ride.

Re: Why We Ride..No definite answers (RE Himalayan, Std 500 and Duke 390, Pune - Ladakh Ride, Sept 2

[MENTION=85130]motobiker[/MENTION] - Thanks. All 3 of us carried fuel bladders / cans for extra fuel. I have mentioned this in the write-up as well.

From a safety aspect, all of us were riding with full riding gear (jacket, pant, boots, gloves and helmet) at all times. Most important thing is to ride within limits of yourself and bike, while respecting nature at all times.

Regards
Ronald

Re: Why We Ride..No definite answers (RE Himalayan, Std 500 and Duke 390, Pune - Ladakh Ride, Sept 2

Nice ride, nice travelogue.

Re: Why We Ride..No definite answers (RE Himalayan, Std 500 and Duke 390, Pune - Ladakh Ride, Sept 2

Awesome stuff, bro.

Re: Why We Ride..No definite answers (RE Himalayan, Std 500 and Duke 390, Pune - Ladakh Ride, Sept 2

Ohhh... sorry, I think I missed that point.👍. Great write-up , waiting for your rest part.

Re: Why We Ride..No definite answers (RE Himalayan, Std 500 and Duke 390, Pune - Ladakh Ride, Sept 2

Day 16: Panchkula -> Gurgaon



General
The ride from Panchkula to Gurgaon was quite eventful. Mehernosh faced his second puncture of the trip, though luckily there was a puncture wala a little distance away only. I also faced a mini scare when my bike (Duke) suddenly lost power and stopped. On checking I found that I had run out of fuel, because of the non-working displayJ.
The roads were good, though entering Delhi we had to tackle the traffic. With the help of Google we managed to find our way, though it did take us through some adventurous shortcuts. Stopping at our final stop was quite a nice feeling, though it took time to sink in that our trip was coming to an end. In parallel we also called up our courier person to ensure they reach on time the next day as we had our flight to catch as well. Overall a great ride, thanks to a great set of friends and now that we have tasted Himalayas, we will definitely keep coming back for sure. Hope by penning down our experience, we have been able to share a few points which will be useful for the others.



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Day 17: Couriering of all 3 bikes to Pune

General
The last day was spent ensuring the bikes are well packed and loaded safely in the truck. Post the bikes been taken away, we spent time catching up with a few friends, before catching the flight to Pune. Thankfully the bikes reached safely (few minor scratches) and on time through Agarwal packers and movers. There is still a big scope of improvement, but compared to the horror stories we have heard, it was still ok. But given a chance, I will still prefer to ride my bike, rather than courier it.

Summary of the different bikes performance