3 intrepid college friends, 3 bikes, 1 Road Trip.. to the "Highest Motorable Road of the World" and back..
The Pulsar 200 DTSi rider narrates the story..
Life was peachy until a couple of my college mates and I had sprung this idea of a bike trip to Leh sometime in mid-August. Though unsure at the beginning, after a while it was like now or never. Moreover, here was the chance to test the PULSAR 200 DTSI through one of the most torturous terrains in India. The guys were Kenny, on his Bullet Electra, Himanshu on his pulsar 150 DTSi (alloys) and I (Nilutpal), on the just new PULSAR 200 DTSI.
"On Top of the World"
From left.. Kenny, Nilu, Himanshu at "Khardung La- The Highest Motorable Road in the World"
I did come back safe and sound from the trip with flying colours indeed. And before people speculate, let me tell you at the onset:
- 1. My bike’s (Pulsar 200) front forks aren’t broken
2. The LED tail lamps are working fine
3. The oil cooler worked fine without springing any leaks
4. The exposed chain didn’t fail me, although I oiled it intermittently
So now, let me describe more of the journey!
Nilu's Intro:
# Full Name: Nilutpal Hazarika
# Assamese by ethnicity
# Indian by Birth
# Mechanical Engineer by Profession
# Guitarist and a Biker by Passion
Day 1: 09.09.07
Delhi to Anandpur Sahib
Our day started with the preps for the bikes including fitment of the saddlebags, packing off our sleeping bags and backpacks onto the bikes with bungee cords. Us ex-KRECians/NITKians (Karnataka Regional Engg. College/ now named as National Institute of Technology Karnataka) have a generic problem-saving all work for the 11th hour! And this was no exception. After a hectic Saturday with hiring all the camping gear, getting hold of plastic jerry cans for petrol and the works, it was time for the usual weekend beer. It was well into the wee-hours of the morning that we finished with cleaning the jerry cans and rinsing with petrol and packing all the necessary stuffs into our backpacks.
The Road Trip Starts
I was afraid that I might total the front forks after having hit some very very nasty potholes that leapt out of nowhere
Morning came with the hassles of fitting the saddlebags onto the bikes. It wasn’t before 9 AM that we got done with it, and then off we went to the local mechanic to get our engine oils changed with Motul FL 300V fully synth engine oils. Good thing that we all had got our bikes serviced the week earlier. I had my third free service exactly a week before .10:15AM and we flagged off from Kenny’s place at Gurgaon. Breakfast was at Murthal, lunch at Chandigarh. The ride was uneventful barring the extreme heat, humidity, dust and the extremely bad patches before approaching Anandpur Sahib.
I was afraid that I might total the front forks after having hit some very very nasty potholes that leapt out of nowhere. But much to my relief nothing unfortunate happened to my front as well as rear suspension. We halted for the night at the holy city of Anandpur Sahib.
Tripmeter reading: 306 Km
Day 2: 10.09.07
Anandpur Sahib to Manali
The roads were simply amazing and we paced our bikes to whatever we could confidently execute on the mountain roads.
It is an awesome sight to be the last in the line and seeing the bikes ahead of you making the same turn one by one
Day 2 was the day when we had the feeling of fresh air on our faces in the twisty Himachal roads. We left Anandpur Sahib at 07:15 hours and made it to Bilaspur at 9:30 hours, where we had our breakfast. The roads were simply amazing and we paced our bikes to whatever we could confidently execute on the mountain roads. Now we know how Rossi must feel on those turns!! It is an awesome sight to be the last in the line and seeing the bikes ahead of you making the same turn one by one. The whole road was full of twists and turns and that was when I appreciated the fat 120 tyre in the rear of my bike most. We made it to Kullu for lunch and reaching Manali was a breeze from then on.
Beautiful Mountain Roads to Manali
We filled up our tanks at Manali and proceeded to a local mechanic to get our bikes checked. The mechanic suggested nothing more than lubricating the chain. So I just got the chain oiled and asked to check on the chain tension, which wasn’t required after a brief inspection. After proper lubrication, we checked into a hotel and had a good rest for the day ahead.
Problems with my bike so far: none
Tripmeter reading: 606 Km
Day 3: 11.09.07
Manali to Darcha
We started off on the 3rd day of our journey on 11.09.07 from Manali at 07:45 hours amidst slight rain. We couldn’t wait for the rain to stop lest we lost transit time.
Rohtang Pass
The immediate 50 kms was the steep climb to Rohtang pass at 13050 feet, where we stopped for some pics for pass no 1. We faced some really horrid slush and mud after Rohtang, where we had to be extremely careful with our bikes; we didn’t want to fall into the foot deep slush, or worse-slip off the road and end some 1000 feet below!! We made it through on only our 1st and 2nd cogs and before we knew it, we were through with the worst. We made a stopover at Koksar where I inspected my exposed chain. Whatever lubrication had been done the day before was all made waste by the mud. I knew I had to lubricate the chain again to avoid any problems whatsoever.
We stopped at Keylong for lunch and moved on towards Darcha for the night. I could feel the chain developing some slack, and the dusty roads, mud, passing streams weren’t helping either. I suspected the indefinite upshifts and downshifts on the gears to be the prime reason for chain slack. However, we made it through the way without any hassles and pitched at one cozy Lama Dhaba at Darcha for the night.
Tripmeter reading: 759 Km
End of Part I.
Concluding parts coming soon..
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Disclaimer:
This is to remind that the Views or Opinions in the blog are entirely mine unless explicitly stated. The Views and Opinions published in this blog should in no way be related to any other person or organization associated -- directly or indirectly -- with me.
10 Comments:
awesome story, I guess you guys had the time of your life.
cheers!!
oh yes, we did!
it was an out-of-this-world experience..and there were places that had to be seen to be believed.
Good to see someone going long distances in the P200. Problem is I just can't decide between the P200 and the avenger 200. My worry is that I may not be able to go long distances in the Pulsar, because of its riding posture. WAS IT COMFORTABLE ENOUGH TRAVELING LONG DISTANCES? Other than its riding posture the avenger has nothing in its favor. Help me out here man. I've already booked a P200 and have very little time to change my order.
Both the Pulsar 200 and Pulsar 220 have sporty riding positions.. its not exactly uncomfortable but not as comfortable as the bikes with upright siting positions..
If you would like to try then you could try replacing the low handlebars of the Pulsar 200 with the higher handlebars of previous models of the Pulsar 150 whenever you decide to go on a long trip.
Thanks Payeng. Guess that helps. And keep it up with the BC of I. ;-)
hello sir my name Avinash from Bangalore i have dream to go on road trip all over India on my bike and i want to complete fastest.......... but i don't have any information or any details of about any one has a record of this kind or any other details I am collecting information but not finding sufficient result........ can u plz help me.........
hey Nilutpal I was planning of riding n d mnth of july so would need sum info frm ur side as u been thr. Could you provide me with ur phone number so I could talk to you nd get sum help :)
Good to see someone going long distances in the P200. Problem is I just can't decide between the P200 and the avenger 200. My worry is that I may not be able to go long distances in the Pulsar, because of its riding posture. WAS IT COMFORTABLE ENOUGH TRAVELING LONG DISTANCES? Other than its riding posture the avenger has nothing in its favor. Help me out here man. I've already booked a P200 and have very little time to change my order.
waiting for the next parts :)
@avinash Even i have same dream but no company. I am planing by going through blogs and forums Please le me know if you want to join me i also do stay in bangalore.
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