Author: chrisingles

We were introduced to our bikes, or rather just take the one you want.  It was like Henry Ford you can have any colour you want, as long as it is black. In our case it was green and these Enfields were the Army Green models.

The ride was through the outskirts of Katmandu to the south-west, due to the national holidays the traffic was light, but it was still a surprise to some of the riders who had not ridden in Asia. Gaps that you did not think existed the locals would find them. They would be playing chicken with the oncoming buses and lorries who only had two speeds fast and even faster. It was interesting to sit and watch each rider and see how they coped. By the end of the day, it was clear there was a competition between the French and the Brexit as they like to call and remind us.

First blood to the Brits as deadly Dom, went around a corner and was faced with a 4×4 coming straight towards him, he braked but slid and fell. He snapped his left footpeg clean off as well as getting a very muddy arse.

The roads were a mixture of tarmac and semi off road, where the roads had been flooded, we would soon get used to this. Another 90 minutes later it was 2 – 0 to the Brits as KTM had a front wheel puncture. The Brits were all smiling under their helmets.

It rained on and off and so the waterproofs were coming on and off, whatever we did we were wet. my waterproofs kept me dry from the outside, but with temperatures around 30 degrees C, I was sweating inside! it was a no-win situation. I was longing for the lunch stop, but this seemed to be in confusion due to the rain. We stopped at a roadside shack, where we got one samosa. The Mechanic went off and got a bunch of bananas and a bag of apples. I really hoped that this was, not going to be the trend going forward.

After our lunch break due to the rain and two unforced stops, we had to make quick progress to our overnight lodgings. We encountered roads that were just blocked and had to ride over the earth barriers, onto unmade roads. The light was fading fast, the mechanic was using a spare bike as flash had not yet joined us. He took the lead with Ravi bringing up the rear. A group of 5 of us broke away from the group. We were now in total darkness, apart from the little candlelight from our bikes. The roads were not roads they were like farm tracks and the bikes were bouncing around under us. It was only the fact that I used to do off road biking that i was keeping up with the group and the fact that I had ridden Rajasthan earlier this year and knew the sides of the road was the place to be. After an hour or so of darkness, we arrived at the Barahi Jungle Lodge. https://www.barahijunglelodge.com/ . We did not know what the place was actually like as it was all so dark but it had a pool and a bar.

I tend to give people nicknames dependant on their character and this trip is no different. We are 10 riders or pilots as the French tend to call them, 3 Brits and 7 French. Joined by a guide who is Indian and a Mechanic also Indian and a driver who is Nepalese.

Here are the motley crew

THE FRENCH 

 

Pierre

aka Perfect Pierre, due to his good looks 

 

Dominique 

aka Dangerous / Deadly Dom, a go-karter and he tends to think his still on the track

 

Victor 

aka Flash, not sure why he got this name, but his very self assured 

 

Jean-Bernard 

aka The Mad Professor, JB just looks like his about to pull out a whiteboard marker and explain Einstein’s theory of time travel.

 

 

Philippe 

aka Photo Phil, due to his propensity to just stop at random and take out his many cameras.

 

Didier

aka  Marathon Man, Didier just looks like he was born to run. 

 

Philippe 

aka KTM or The Undertaker, KTM as he wore a bright orange KTM jacket and undertaker as he was constantly undertaking vehicles.

 

 

The British 

Pete 

aka Polite Pete the Publican, Pete always said please and thank you, just like your mother would have liked. 

 

Mark 

aka Maverick, the music lover (he loves a tour t-shirt)

Christopher 

aka Inspector Gadget (by the Brits), The Geek ( by the French), he just has too many gadgets

 

Support Crew 

Ravi 

aka The Guide 

The Mechanic 

The Wheel Man 

 

The Bikes 

Royal Enfield 500cc Classic in Battle Green

ENGINE

Type	Single Cylinder, 4 stroke
Displacement	499cc
Bore x stroke	84mm x 90mm
Compression Ratio	8.5 : 1
Maximum Power	27.2 bhp @ 5250 rpm
Maximum Torque	41.3 Nm @ 4000 rpm
Ignition System	Digital Electronic Ignition
Clutch	Wet, multi-plate
Gearbox	5 Speed Constant Mesh
Lubrication	Wet sump
Engine Oil	15 W 50 API, SL Grade JASO MA
Fuel Supply	Keihin Electronic Fuel Injection
Air Cleaner	Paper Element
Engine Start	Electric/Kick

CHASSIS & SUSPENSION

Type	Single downtube, using engine as stressed member
Front suspension	Telescopic, 35mm forks, 130mm travel
Rear suspension	Twin gas charged shock absorbers with 5-step adjustable preload, 80mm travel

DIMENSIONS

Max Torque	30 ft lbs
Wheelbase	54 in
Ground Clearance	5 in
Length	85 in
Width	31.5 in
Seat Height	31.5 in
Height	42 in
Curb Weight	412 lbs
Fuel Capacity	3.83 Gal

BRAKES & TYRES

Tyres Fr.	90/90 – 19” – 52V
Tyres Rr.	110/80 – 18” – 58V
Brakes Front	280mm Disc, 2-Piston caliper
Brakes Rear	153mm Drum, Single Lead Internal Expanding

ELECTRICALS

Tail Lamp	21 W / 5 W
Turn Signal Lamp	–
Electrical System	12 volt – DC
Battery	12 volt, 14 Ah
Head Lamp	60 W / 55 W, HALOGEN

So the new “itin” kicked in and we left Mustang a day early, not to go to Begnas Lake, but to go back to backpacker central Pokhara so that we could party a little. We had around 40k’s of off-road and then it was tarmac and for me to watch the delights of the blind overtaking by the gang on mountain roads.

But remember on our way up we had to cross the river where the bus broke down midstream …. we had to do it again and right on queue was the JCB midstream patching up the crossing. No dabbing for me ( ok you youngsters I know this refers to a dance move, but for “us” trials riders it refers to putting ones foot down, it predates your grandfather so don’t think you invented the word !! )

So not too much off road to go … then suddenly we were driving along and what I can only be described as a Nepalese Dick Turpin or an Adam Ant moment ……  a guy ran at me with a scythe … now he had no red star on him, so he was not a fellow party member ( Oh Jeremy Corbin!) … this man wanted my money. A small man was running at me shouting something …. and I know it wasn’t you have an Amazon delivery … So a quick weave round and full throttle …. out of danger hoping the scythe was not going to stab in the back.

the rest of the ride was ok, no more drama’s and so we arrived at Pokhara and we are in the Peninsula Hotel! , no not the famous one but some Nepalese local brand… but hot water and better than we had in Mustang (http://www.pokharahotel-link.com/Hotel_Peninsula/accm_photo_gallery). Lunch was had by the lake in a very acceptable healthy western style restaurant right on the lake edge. Foolishly or wisely I went for a

In the evening the Brits decided to go it alone and visited many bars ….. oh dear !!!!

So like a fool I got the times wrong and was up at 5 am ready for breakfast at 6 am. The kitchen staff only got in at 6, and so I was an hour early, however, this gave me a chance to fly the drone.

So today was the doubleheader two days riding in one on some of the most difficult terrain, which had already seen Photo Phil and KTM take minor spills. I sadly left my brown trousers behind and maybe due to this, I was not riding as confidently as I should have done. The ride down to Beni was ok, mainly due to the tarmac roads, but as soon as we hit the rough stuff. Ravi set off like a man possessed, Pete and Maverick had troubles keeping up with him and we all bit in hard.Although we had already been down this route Ravio managed to get some of the route wrong, going high when we should have gone low. This meant we went through the same ford 3 times! and this was engine deep.

 

All in all, we did well, Perfect Pierre managed to drop his bike (5-0, under new scoring rules) as well as lose his exhaust pipe. I must admit I am feeling tired and sick and so my full concentration is not there. Further, this is leading to elements of doubt that I can get through these water hazards or the tricky downhill bits. I am telling myself this is all in my mind and I have done it all to-date,  and certainly, I am one of the better riders. So some mediation to get my mind right has been done, or this could just be the cold I have has really set in.

 

The new lodgings in Tatopani suffer from the Monks place issues, has Wifi but no electricity! But I do have a socket 5 foot up the wall! Trying to upload pictures or go into the content manager of the blog is a nightmare. I am going to have to think of another way of doing all this in the future. However I managed to get in the shower quick and it was hot for five minutes, also I stuck a bucket on the floor collecting hot water so score !!! At last, I feel clean and no Dal Bhat for dinner, for once we had steak … we live like kings!  During dinner,

I was joined by a friend who happened to like the colour of my Tee Shirt.

Random shots of Tatopani

 

 

A fairly ok ride through the river bed and sides of the mountains, we even got to go across a steel suspension bridge at Jomson which was fun.

I nearly bought it once coming out of a stream but luckily my short legs and help from Ravi stopped me dropping the bike, a save for Britain, However, Mr KTM did manage to hit a rock while turning and promptly could not hold it and off he was, 6-0 to us Brits.

We rose up to 3100mtrs (10,000ft +) and were surrounded by some of the highest peaks in the world ( the 8000mtr+ club). Strangely at this point,  there was perfect asphalt road which lead us into Jharkot at 3500 metres. A quick rest at our “lodgings” for the night before we set off for the highest part of the journey at 3700mtrs a town called Muktinath.

A short 100mtr walk up to visit the Mukti Kshetra, a temple that is sacred to both Hindus and Buddhists and considered to be one of the holiest places of pilgrimages for both religions, this was clear by the amount of Helicopters coming in ferrying old people.

 

 

However finally my favourite brown trousers have worn out, I was sitting in the Bob Marley Hotel Bar when I noticed a rather cool breeze, yes there was a 6 inch split in the undercarriage department. Sadly these trousers will have to be left behind.

 

So last nights accommodation was a bit rank, esp the bathroom, well this bathroom was something out of Midnight Express (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Midnight_Express_(film)). Cold water pipe coming straight out of the wall and a hole in a platform, for the bodily functions.

No sockets in the rooms so everyone which was 13 of us as well as three Italians, a French couple and some randoms had to use two wall sockets to charge our phones and then at 6 pm just as it was getting dark a power outage for an hour. This was like going back into the Ted Heath government of the early 70’s.

For hot water and cooking, they used a satellite dish! with a cast iron pot located where the receiver would normally be..

I took this chance to give the drone another fly out which the locals loved ..

 

 

An uneventful meal and everyone trying to bag a socket was the evening. Bed at 9 pm because as expected the itinerary has changed. Tomorrow we are going to do two days riding in one, basically, what we have done over the last two days we are going to do again, but back down the valley! This is going to be hard work and I expect some people to come off. Around 8 hours to do 100km, this shows you how challenging the roads are. Actually, they are not roads they are mountain tracks as the video to date have shown. I have never in my life ridden on such terrain and I can totally see why they classify this as advance riding and no pillion passengers allowed. So it’s a 6 am breakfast for a 7 am off, meaning that we should hit Tatopani around 4-5 pm, allowing for the “black tea” break and lunch and the odd landslide!

We Brits had now decided it was unfair to penalise for bike failures and so the score would firmly be based on coming off the bike, which brings the score to France 4 Great

France 4 ( Deadly Dom 2, Photo Phil, Mr KTM) v Great Britain 0 ( its a bit like the score in the Eurovision Song Contest … Great Britain Nil point !)