Hi

My comments were based on my experiences while parcelling my bike.. I have sent my Samurai from Cochin to Delhi in 1997 and back in 1999. Also parcelled my HH Passion in 2009 from Trivandrum to Calicut.. Again sent my bike in railways for the Leh ride from Cochin to Delhi and from Amritsar to Trivandrum in 2011.

In my case, as my bike was sent by my friend in 2009, they had insisted on original owner details..they even insisted on photo Id of the owner, the person who is shipping the bike and an affidavit/undertaking from the owner and it was admitted as a parcel only and not as luggage. I was told that they insist on these precautions to prevent stolen bikes being transported inter-state by train.

Notwithstanding the rule to empty the tanks, it is not strictly enforced, either in Kerala or Delhi or in Amritsar. Even if you empty the tank in front of the parcel-babu, the loaders who handle the bike will think otherwise and try to pinch last bit of petrol from the tank.. the fuel line of my HH passion was cut, and I learnt it in hard way..so in the Leh trip, while transporting my bike, I removed the line and kept it with me..My bike had some petrol in it, while shipping back from Amritsar, as there is no nearby petrol outlet near the station, Kochuveli, where I alighted..


No hard feelings, but I just stated my case..

ride safe

ramamoorthy

SMS language

Everyone,

I'm sick and tired of reading these SMS Language and consider it spammers. Please go through the forum member guidelines. Everyone makes mistakes but if you are too lazy to type words, I suggest you dont write at all in the first place.



Where are the moderators?

Thankyou sir
i will make sure to carry my friend's photo id with me and a letter that he has given me the bike for trip.

Dear asifhooda,

The documents you have mentioned are mandatory.

Loading the bike involves a little Gandhigiri, if you know what I mean.

ramamoorthyh has excellent inputs and my team will follow these. The empty petrol tank bit is for safety and as responsible riders, I think we can put ourselves to some extra effort in ensuring safety for the Railways, right?

The Army does not issue permits; the DC's office in Leh does that. You should plan for 4 copies for EVERY Inner Line Permit place you intend to visit.

About your schedule. Why don't you do it the other way round - upwards via Srinagar and downwards via Manali? Easier acclimatisation is the biggest merit here...

Dear ramamoorthy,

Thanks for these inputs. I have sent my bike 6 times by rail and have not had the petrol pipe cut or anything of that sort.

Charges for parcel and luggage are the same. The preference part comes in because it is deemed that luggage is absolutely essential to the passenger at her/his destination.

Travelling on a ticket in some other person's name is fraudulent and tantamount to cheating. How the hell have you suggested this on this forum, Rama, and that too with a sarcastic emoticon? What if the person gets caught and is thrown off of the train?

Four wheelers with non - Himachal Pradesh registrations ONLY are required to get a permit from the DC's office and this rule is itself under litigation.

May I request you to to post ONLY factual, corroborated and true information here, please? When you write here, all followers are watching you and may take actions based on your inputs. Your inputs are good but the ones about Govt rules need researched knowledge.

Dear rungtavikas,

My friend, you seem to be a rookie to this thread and quite ignorant about the norms for writing on it too! Your SMS style language is prohibited on this forum and I had a lot of trouble making sense of what you had written. Please write properly if you a) don't want to suffer an infarction from the xBhp police, b) want to appear as a decent, responsible biker and c) want positive responses to your questions. Read the rules of the forum, man, before shooting off such stuff. Your written communication speaks volumes about what you are. No hard feelings, just some gentle scolding, okay, Vikas?

I will answer your query ONLY if you were to post it in correct English. If you do not do so, I will presume that you are not interested, fine?

Dear Rama (if I may address you like this),

Some people undergo a traumatic experience of this sort, others may not. Yet, every single bit of experiential knowledge helps.

Dear MLAG,

I agree with you one hundred percent. Most people learn from the pain of their own experiences than from the remote ones of others. I have had a lot of trouble with such members on precisely this thread and I have simply stopped anwering to them. rungtavikas was the last one; now onwards, I shall simply refer these people to the mods for suitable action.

[QUOTE=icemang;807750]Dear asifhooda,

The documents you have mentioned are mandatory.

Loading the bike involves a little Gandhigiri, if you know what I mean.

ramamoorthyh has excellent inputs and my team will follow these. The empty petrol tank bit is for safety and as responsible riders, I think we can put ourselves to some extra effort in ensuring safety for the Railways, right?

The Army does not issue permits; the DC's office in Leh does that. You should plan for 4 copies for EVERY Inner Line Permit place you intend to visit.

About your schedule. Why don't you do it the other way round - upwards via Srinagar and downwards via Manali? Easier acclimatisation is the biggest merit here...

Iceman sir
thankyou for the reply

after reaching kalka if manali leh highway is closed
we have a plan B
that is kalka to srinagar
that is your route
"Easier acclimatisation is the biggest merit here..." you mean we will not have problem or lesser problem with altitude sickness?

sir for riding
i have bought cramster k2k jacket and cramster riding pants i will wear a set of thermals inside...
i hope it will keep the cold away!

just confused with gloves & shoes
should i do it on gum boots? or buy normal boots
i tried woolen gloves & surgical gloves
i put my hand in cold water it is good
but while riding i am have problems with grip on clutch & brake liver
can we rely on gloves available at manali local market?

at railway parcel babu told me to get an affidavit from owner of the bike
basically NOC "the owner has given the bike to me for the trip & it can be sent by railway to & fro...

Sir once again thankyou for starting this thread
god bless you

My friend, Iceman will definitely reply to you. I could not stop myself.

There is a bible of information in various travelogues if you read through. Still, I want to ask, you spend good amount buying a Cramster K2K. Why don't you go for a good riding gloves?

Woolen gloves will help you from the cold, but not the rain. Surgical gloves do the opposite, and they give you no ventilation. Your skin needs to breath during warmer conditions. And when it rains, you need perfect grip on Handle bar/Brake lever and foot peg. Slippage is dangerous. I used to ride during Kerala Monsoon. The droplets size and temperature that fall are merciless. You try hard to just keep vision 100%. The gloves and boots should do its job automatically. You cannot let them make yourself conscious and distract your already alert mind.

Riding with gumboots all the way? I will let experienced riders reply about that.

I have these, hope it helps. keeps the hand warm and its highly water resistant. (DSG Acqua 2.3K). Do not use in summer.

When you are going on a motorcycling expedition of this magnitude, you got to be very serious about safety.

Because the altitude change would be gradual on Shrinagar - Leh route, you MAY face lesser or no problems with altitude sickness.

Normal boots would not protect you from cold. It would be better if we understand your travel dates. If you are travelling to Leh in second half of June onwards, you may not feel very very cold. If you are travelling before that, I would recommend that you buy fur lined gum boots / riding boots. You may also need to buy bigger size boots so that they would accommodate your foot with couple of woolen socks on it.

Gloves available in Manali market are rubbish. I had bought gloves in Leh itself which proclaimed themselves at -20degree capable and they tore within 4 hours of use. Best option would be to buy waterproof riding gloves. If you don't want to buy them, buy woolen gloves, wear them inside your riding glove. Again the period when you are travelling is important.

Used them on a couple of rides in the mountains.
They don't keep the hands warm. Not when riding in/after rains. Surely not in Kullu and North of it.

What magnitude?


Was just reading some posts about queries, etc. Just wanted some people to think if they really want to ride on their own? I mean there are some tour operators, who will take care of every thing for you & also provide some backup support.
Or may be think if a trip in shared taxi with friends is what will be more suited to you?

Apology


Hello Icemang, you are correct that i'm a rookie to xBhp.

Madelikeagun & Icenmang thanks for guiding me about xBHp policy, will keep an eye on my language before posting.

Dear Vikas,

It is magnanimous of you to accept the gentle rebuke. Do read up and I am sure you will be a good contributor on this forum

Dear nav,

Water resistance and ventilation in clothing are diametrically opposite in the demands they make of designers and fabricators. No glove can be completely water resistant if it has to be ventilated and vice versa.

An experienced hand talking complete sense.

Kalka to Srinagar is NOT our route, our route is Jammmu to Leh.

Manali is a crap place for any shopping of any type for clothing.

For boots and gloves, you would have to go by the trial and error method till you find the optimal solution for YOURSELF; what works for me may not do so for you. Do lurk around this and other fora for inputs.

And yes, that is about acclimatisation and AMS

Please re read.

Oh and talking about cold in post-June. Well, my two ride in August must be a special case where though the temperature were not in -ve but the wind chill was at its worse.
Yes, in Ladakh its not just about the low temperature but its also the wind chill that one has to be worried about and then add the rain (can be experienced in post-June as well), things get a bit difficult for someone who is not used to of such elements.

motorcycle spares and luggage on aircraft

Hi All,

I am doing a Leh ride this year in Mid-June.

I will have to fly to Delhi from Bangalore.

I would like to know what are the tools that are allowed to carry as aircraft check-in luggage(since the rules says no sharp items tools blah).

Here is a sample list :
Foot Air pump, Tyre levers, Bike tools, Rubber glue, Clutch cable, Throttle cable all that, Spare tube (F& R), H/L bulb, Carb fuel pipe, Lube oil, Engine Oil, Chain links, Spark plug, Spanners for rear axle nuts, Allen keys, Chain and lock
Since i will be carrying Cramster Saddle Bags, What's the recommended way to carry it along (tie it with rope, does not come with a lock(hope does not come off with just the lock clips) :-( )

Any suggestions ?

Hello prad.cs,

I am not an expert on airline baggage regulations but will quote from personal experience and common knowledge. You will, of course, consult professionals of the airline of use for exact advice.

The bold text is the attempted answer.Every single item with the OK will go into the cargo hold (NOT CABIN) as standard luggage. It WILL NOT be allowed into the cabin due to the potential use of every single one of the items as a most effective weapon. Anything related to anything inflammable in base ingredient or finished product (alcohol = perfume, after shave lotion, gels etc, crude oil = rubber glue, engine oil) is completely banned from transport by passenger aircraft globally.

I presume you will carry the Cramsters as luggage either cabin or check-in. You could stuff them up with clothing and carry them into the cabin, subject to weight restrictions.

A reminder on what I see as the basic luggage for Leh:
01 X Tank bag, 01 X saddle bag pair, 01 X duffel bag on the pillion seat.

You will have to arrive at the judicious permutation and/or combination for your special case.

Regards,

Maneesh

Which airline have you traveled?

I have carried alcohol, perfume, deo, after shave as check-in baggage, few times in India & once abroad too.
Though such stuff are not allowed as cabin luggage.

I think one can also carry alcohol in cabin as well. I have seen people buying alcohol from duty free shops at airport. Duty free shops are located "after" you have checked in your luggage. Hence, it can only be carried as cabin luggage.

Just put it on the rear seat and if the built-in locks are broken(using which you can tie it around pillion grabrail), put a bungee rope around it. That's how I have done it once.
I'll suggest you to travel as light as possible.

Come to think of it, I have never tried to carry any such stuff on board ever! So, you are right, one must be allowed to carry it.

About the Cramsters. I had thought he meant to ask about carrying it in the aircraft. On the bike, they would be saddled as designed.