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Hello friends,
I have been dreaming of a trip to the NE for an year now after doing a Leh/Ladakh trip last year with my friends. The thrill of the mountains and the escapade of a long relaxing drive to connect with yourself is something that is addictive. Last time around, we hired bikes from Delhi(I was the sole guy on a Duke 200 whereas the others preferred the RE) and had a wonderful journey as we floated like clouds and wafted through the roads with freedom like never before. 14 days, 5 different states, 3000 KM's and memories for a lifetime, it was E.P.I.C.
A li'l background into who I am, I am your quintessential IT guy from Bangalore, the whole of 27 years young waiting for the next adventure to show me a whole new world. This would be most probably my last trip in India for sometime as I'll be moving to US soon and then get tied down with marriage and stuff because of my pestering parents!(No offence, I love them the most). Riding experience is well over ten years, a very sedate rider with no high speed thrills and thankfully zero accidents. Previous rides include but not limited to Bajaj Chetak, Lambretta's, Yezdi's, RE's, Hero Honda's,Yamaha's(Still own a Rx Z 4 speed), and the lot with the baby Ceeber being my first four stroke acquisition.
This time around, my riding buddies have all moved abroad and I don't have a partner in crime. Hell, I'll do it alone is what I have been telling myself for sometime now. In adherence to the quote " A journey of a 1000 miles begin with a single step" , I have acquired a pre-loved 2012 Honda CBR 250 ABS, shod her with new tyres, fixed all the tiny niggles and is just missing a rear luggage rack to haul my stuff around.
I plan to take take off from 2nd Nov to 19th Nov and do a round trip to the oft ignored, unsung and obscure beauty of the North east and possibly into the realms of Bhutan. I should be setting off around Nov 1/2 from Bangalore and plan to reach Siliguri via Chennai-Vizag-Bhubaneswar-Kolkatta and then head off to Tawang from there.
I could probably summarize my queries as follows
1. Is it feasible to explore Sikkim/Bhutan and ride all the way back to Bangalore in 17-18 days(I could stretch by a max of 2-3 days).
2. I have zero experience in these roads, so would like to know if there are better roads to my destination(s)? I don't usually prefer highways as they suck the joy out of riding, I generally love curvy roads with a nice scenic backdrop that keeps the drive engaging and refreshing. I'am not much of a photo guy and seldom click with memories etched in my mind rather than a solid state device.
3. I would carry the basic spares(Cables,spark plug, Std tool kit, T/L puncture kit) with my assumption that the ceeber is a thoroughbred reliable tourer(Ruled out the D390 because I still can't come to terms with the reliability part of it,esp in areas where you don't have SVC access). Hopefully my two bottles of Ride On puncture sealant would have arrived from US by that time, so that can take pretty good care of the punctures. Any specific parts advised on such a long trip?
4. On a budget, I am not looking to unwind at star hotels and would like to know of good places to halt for the night which doesn't burn a hole in my pocket.
5. I haven't seen many luggage racks around for the CBR and would like some guidance to where I can fabricate a custom one for my requirements in Bangalore. Any pointer to a off-the-shelf one/Other examples would so just fine.
6. I haven't done such a long solo drive and would really be encouraged if someone else can join in with their own ride(Itinerary can be tweaked) from Bangalore or else where en-route.
Do PM me if any of you guys are interested and we can work something out.
Ride Safe,
Roomy
I have been dreaming of a trip to the NE for an year now after doing a Leh/Ladakh trip last year with my friends. The thrill of the mountains and the escapade of a long relaxing drive to connect with yourself is something that is addictive. Last time around, we hired bikes from Delhi(I was the sole guy on a Duke 200 whereas the others preferred the RE) and had a wonderful journey as we floated like clouds and wafted through the roads with freedom like never before. 14 days, 5 different states, 3000 KM's and memories for a lifetime, it was E.P.I.C.
A li'l background into who I am, I am your quintessential IT guy from Bangalore, the whole of 27 years young waiting for the next adventure to show me a whole new world. This would be most probably my last trip in India for sometime as I'll be moving to US soon and then get tied down with marriage and stuff because of my pestering parents!(No offence, I love them the most). Riding experience is well over ten years, a very sedate rider with no high speed thrills and thankfully zero accidents. Previous rides include but not limited to Bajaj Chetak, Lambretta's, Yezdi's, RE's, Hero Honda's,Yamaha's(Still own a Rx Z 4 speed), and the lot with the baby Ceeber being my first four stroke acquisition.
This time around, my riding buddies have all moved abroad and I don't have a partner in crime. Hell, I'll do it alone is what I have been telling myself for sometime now. In adherence to the quote " A journey of a 1000 miles begin with a single step" , I have acquired a pre-loved 2012 Honda CBR 250 ABS, shod her with new tyres, fixed all the tiny niggles and is just missing a rear luggage rack to haul my stuff around.
I plan to take take off from 2nd Nov to 19th Nov and do a round trip to the oft ignored, unsung and obscure beauty of the North east and possibly into the realms of Bhutan. I should be setting off around Nov 1/2 from Bangalore and plan to reach Siliguri via Chennai-Vizag-Bhubaneswar-Kolkatta and then head off to Tawang from there.
I could probably summarize my queries as follows
1. Is it feasible to explore Sikkim/Bhutan and ride all the way back to Bangalore in 17-18 days(I could stretch by a max of 2-3 days).
2. I have zero experience in these roads, so would like to know if there are better roads to my destination(s)? I don't usually prefer highways as they suck the joy out of riding, I generally love curvy roads with a nice scenic backdrop that keeps the drive engaging and refreshing. I'am not much of a photo guy and seldom click with memories etched in my mind rather than a solid state device.
3. I would carry the basic spares(Cables,spark plug, Std tool kit, T/L puncture kit) with my assumption that the ceeber is a thoroughbred reliable tourer(Ruled out the D390 because I still can't come to terms with the reliability part of it,esp in areas where you don't have SVC access). Hopefully my two bottles of Ride On puncture sealant would have arrived from US by that time, so that can take pretty good care of the punctures. Any specific parts advised on such a long trip?
4. On a budget, I am not looking to unwind at star hotels and would like to know of good places to halt for the night which doesn't burn a hole in my pocket.
5. I haven't seen many luggage racks around for the CBR and would like some guidance to where I can fabricate a custom one for my requirements in Bangalore. Any pointer to a off-the-shelf one/Other examples would so just fine.
6. I haven't done such a long solo drive and would really be encouraged if someone else can join in with their own ride(Itinerary can be tweaked) from Bangalore or else where en-route.
Do PM me if any of you guys are interested and we can work something out.
Ride Safe,
Roomy
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