First Summer Ride 2008

Summer's here! And the back roads of Himachal Pradesh in India is riding nirvana. Smooth tarmac, loose gravel, roads where you don't see another vehicle for hours, and usually a comfortable bed at the end of a hard and fun day of riding. This time my ride was a RE 500 Machismo

Theme Song Video

An old Kate Bush song covered by a band called Placebo

Why?

It is possible to fall in love with a place the same way we fall in love with another human being. The texture of its landscape can make your heart race, the sound of its name send shivers. This is Ladakh to me—a love affair. And motorcycle touring in Ladakh is a powerful elixir, and one made especially potent while communing with the vast, open spaces with a Royal Enfield motorcycle strapped between my legs. This is a physical happiness that flows from nose to toes, that lifts like dancing to great music. I have travelled to Ladakh many times by road, and every time I leave I am busy laying plans for a return. I delight in taking friends here, and invariably they recognize the intrigue. The weight of its emptiness is invaluable in these harried times, and once you see the raw, engaging beauty of its people and places, you are forever bound to return.


Whenever I have ridden my Royal Enfield motorcycle to Ladakh, I have done so in a big group of friends as well as strangers, taking solace in the security of numbers. But now, i think I am ready to do it alone. Though the Royal Enfield is quite capable of doing the trip in its standard avatar, I would like to build an off-road Bullet that will tread on the varied terrain with a little more poise and purpose. I hope to post progress on my project as it happens and answer Ladakh's call next riding season on the project bike.