My father and I share a similar love of motorcycling.
I've always wanted to be on a motorcycle - as far as I can remember, my love for motorcycling started when I was 8 or 9 years old. My father used to work with an Indian motorcycle company, he used to get new motorcycles from the factory to home to try them out and ride them a bit before they got sent to the showrooms. He used to sit me on the tank (which is now in retrospect, very unsafe - albeit, very fun) and we used to go around for a spin or two around our society complex.
In 2006, he bought a Royal Enfield Standard 350 - the one with the cast iron engine and the gear - brake pedals on switched sides and got into proper motorcycling; gear, modifications, going on long trips and then returning with a bag full of dirty clothes and some amazing stories. The factor of adventure in those stories is what drew me to them the most.
Fast forward to 2017, I was 21 now and had been riding on and off for about 5 years - nothing special mind you, just ringing the exhaust on his 350 on the road, showing off my mediocre riding and the regular milk and bread haul. In 2017, my father bought me a Royal Enfield Himalayan. Why the Himalayan? I'll try to be as brief as possible. "Aajao tum kal bike le kar" he said to me for a Sunday of trail riding. He'd bought the Himalayan BS3 for himself at that time and was really enjoying off road riding, the group of riders was also a sizeable amount. When I started riding that trail, it was a lot for me and I had two falls from the heavy, clunky 350 which ended up breaking the brake and clutch levers both (yeah, I dropped it on both sides - I love symmetry). After that it was a task to get that 350 out of the trail and my father asked me to take his Himalayan and meet him at home. That ride, from the trail to home is what made me fall in love with the Himlayan.
After a few months of hardcore off roading, we decided to ride upto Spiti. This is a video journal of the trip. I hope you enjoy.
Episode 1:
Delhi to Kaza.
Episode 2:
Kaza to Kibber / Kaza to Batal.
Episode 3:
Batal to Gurgaon.
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