@speedo: The 220 proved to be the best of the lot during this trip. Had a battery issue, which was rectified before the trip. Had a 30,000 km old clutch cable snap, which was replaced during the trip. When there was lesser oxygen, the bike did experience loss of power just like any other bike, but was relatively the most powerful again. I managed to do some of the Passes with a pillion and also managed to push the bullet for 60 kms.

Apart from all this, it is highly recommended that you carry most of the spares irrespective of whether you use it or not.

wow praveen ! that was really a tiring writeup. your fingers could be weakened by now. But i read it every word.

I am just running out of words u guys! What a trip ! brilliant photographs ! excellent writeup ! brilliant photographs is just 2 words...I m flattened ..

Some of the exp u got is really terrifying. Its just amazing that u guys are cool as cucumber in those situations. Vehicle breakdown in middle of nowhere is no joke.

Its very hard to see south indians goes to leh. cheers because of the distance / language / money and not to mention the RISK !!!

BTW, what camera u have used ? I think u had used a P&S and a DSLR right ? and why other 3 guys are keeping mum ? apar, kiran and allen... u guys type atleast a para about ur opinion towards leh.

Its very bad that fuel is stolen and u guys faced a lot vehicle problems along the way but thank god its all rectified.

thats one hell of a trip...one of the best of ur lifetime - and other's dream...U done that guys.just great.keep it up.

Thanks for the compliments, amvj! And yes, my log is on its way.

@amvj: Its not about keeping mum man. Its more of finding time. 15 days of backlog work has hit me like a sledge-hammer. And as Kiran said, yes even am getting my log ready.
Kiran and Allen used 2 P&S while Praveen had a D-SLR. And 3 out of the 4 of us know Hindi. So no language problems as such.
As u said yes, the trip is a once in a life time. I still cannot forget the amazing vistas and sceneries!

Just went through the complete writeup. Awesomely written. felt like i'm traveling with you guyz.

Liked the quote "Impossible will take time and difficult will be done imediatly"

Lovely pics in all the three albums.

My GOD.....thats a real feat achieved......congrats again for the trip u guys have done...

Thank you buddy! I have a Canon 400D with a Sigma 18-200 lens.

I appreciate the support all of your folks are lending us!

phew!! Finally completed the whole log & saw all the pictures. Fantastic, marvellous, awesome, amazing & nevertheless BHAINS KI AANKH

Man the trip log & the picures have actually left me speechless & bit depressed. Don't know when the greatest oppurtunity of life , doing Leh, will come. You guyz have gone through such hardships but finally you did finish the trip. Wish I could meet you all.
Thanks !

Thanks da..... Me also from chennai but right now living in pune

Wonderful write up there and great that u ppl shared ur experience and the simplicity with which its put out .

Wish i could also join u guys , i do wanna go , but no idea when its gonnna happen.

Y did the zma give so many pblms ?
Pics dont do justice to the beauty there.
Need to go ther myself and with no time restriction.

Congrats on conquering Leh,

now i have more respect for the ARMY guys.
Helmets off to them.

Santa
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The Cliff Condos Cosy Beach

^^Thanks Santa. Inspite of all those problems, u really have to respect the HONDA engine Santa! It did all the passes and also ripped all its way back to Delhi. If it were any other engine, it would have given itself up mid-way. For starters, the bike was missing the air-screw and was running terribly lean!

Yes, pics really dont do justice. U need to see it with ur eyes for urself. Hope u do it soon. All the best!

ofc no doubtin the zma engine , but was wonderin that so many ppl did it with least pblms n his bike with so many.

Might be it got used to the chennai heat n dint like being anywer else :-P
Santa
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PervertSIN cam

lovely pix & awesome log guyz...!!
finally u too conquered the peak.. did u get enough amount of snow, AFAIK, the snow gets just perfect in June-Aug & later it starts melting.. We been in this August, & the snow was just lovely..!! Log here (http://www.xbhp.com/talkies/tourer/8...eh-mumbai.html)

My karizma didnt gave a single problem on the heights.. Never even got stalled .. the power does reduces but it was also in the bullet which was along with us.. no problems apart from just a single puncture in our entire 6500kms journey..!!

He he he... Could be!
@Rachit: Yeah mate. All bikes experience that. The ZMA was missing the air-screw. Thats why all these issues.

My ZMA is unique!

The speedo censor has been down for a long time (since I was in Delhi). The censor, I was told, costed around Rs 3k. I was not ready to make such a hefty investement before the trip - just to see what speed I am doing. The fact that I did have three more riders, who can update me about the distance covered and speed, made me make the gamble and start the ride sans the speedo working. No speedo = no odo. The things that were working on the whole console were the clock and tacho. FYI, the fuel guage went kaput after the short-circuit incident.

Something interesting was that the air-screw was not there where it had to be. Just after reaching Manali, the bike started having symptoms of swine flu. It was struggling for breath. We tried all types of air filters - the stock one, a sponge, a hand-kerchief, but to no avail. We decided to run the bike without an air-filter.

My ZMA was acting like a fully-loaded truck - the max speed was 35kmph. It was climbing the hills in the taller gears (4th and 5th). The bike developed some kind of auto-program - it would kill the engine if I revved beyond 3k rpm. Sounds weird, isn't it? It was a reality!

At the summit of Tanglang la, the complete electricals gave way. And even the clock and tacho had gone! I had big trouble in overtaking trucks without the horn.

But the bike never let me down. Of course, I let it down not once but twice!

Does this story sound interesting? Do keep an eye on this thread for more information.