“The mountains are calling” is a cliché you hear from every other traveller. They certainly didn’t call out to me. Instead, I went chasing the stars in the remote corners of Spiti on my two-year-old Royal Enfield Himalayan 450, braving everything nature could throw at me – landslides, freezing rain, slush, gravel, and snow. Of course, I did get my fair share of good tarmac too on this week-long, 1,600-km round trip from Delhi to Spiti, going via Narkanda and returning via Manali.
4D on two wheels
Having done this same loop in a comfortable 4×4 SUV nearly 15 years ago, I’ve always wondered why bikers throw themselves to the elements. To me, it was about experiencing nature in 4D. When you are astride a motorcycle, every bump, curve, and gravel patch constantly lights up all your senses. There’s no time to daydream. It requires absolute concentration. Do that consistently over 1,600 km on ever-changing terrain and it resets the mind. It’s meditation. Do it longer, and it will be nirvana.
Made for the mountains
The Himalayan 450 is a middle-weight adventure-touring motorcycle that is aptly built for Himalayan terrain. Equipped with a single-cylinder, 450cc liquid-cooled 40-bhp ‘Sherpa’ engine, six-speed gearbox, Showa suspension, and a 17-litre fuel tank, the Himalayan is a go-anywhere motorcycle.
Landslides and slush
The first day, I encountered a few spells of rain while climbing towards Shimla, but I was prepared for it. The Himalayan’s 40 Nm of torque and sofa-like suspension ensured I could easily stay ahead of traffic most of the time. But about 10 km short of my halt for the night, I faced my first landslide, which caused a two-hour delay.
The next day’s ride from Narkanda to Kalpa was very scenic, with lush green hillsides leading to the Sutlej River several thousand feet below. Just as I thought the roads were heavenly, a second landslide hit just before Reckong Peo, forcing a 15 km detour over a slushy trail. And it rained, again!
The third day was the long haul from Kalpa to Chicham, home to the highest suspension bridge in Asia. The roads are good until Tabo. But from Tabo to Kaza, the surface is terrible, and I had to stand on the footpegs and ride for several kilometres, letting the bike take a beating. The Himalayan handled it without a fuss (except for the saree guard that came loose, which I removed at Kaza).
Chasing the heavens
It was a clear, new-moon night at Chicham and the sky was resplendent. Millions of stars and the Milky Way galaxy visible to the naked eye is a sight I will remember forever. I spent two days staring at the heavens, but the next two days saw me ride across the road to hell!
I caught the season’s first snowfall on the way up to Kunzum La pass, and then zero-visibility and sub-zero temperatures on the way down, forcing me to abort a trip to Chandratal. After a gruelling 111 km from Losar across boulder-strewn trails, water crossings, and slush, I finally hit tarmac a few kilometres before the 9-km Atal Tunnel on the way to Manali, followed by smooth highways all the way to Delhi.
The Himalayan 450 is not really a bike you’ll love at first ride (although I did and bought it). But it’s one that is a revelation when it comes to being an all-terrain motorcycle. It can comfortably cruise at 100 kmph on the highway and keep you comfortable on the bounciest of terrains. Not once did it let me down. Not once did I let it down.
