Cold Play

COLD PLAY

Triumph Speed Triple & Bonneville T100 to Kaza

WORDS by O u s e p h C h ac ko P h o t o g r a p h Y by V i r N a k a i & O u s e p h C h ac ko

Spiti Valley. Winter. Two Triumphs. We must be mad!

A

A chunk of mountain crashes down barely a few feet ahead of us. A few seconds later and that chunk would have made rock salt out of two motorcycles and their riders who shouldn’t really be there. I think someone up there timed the landslide to tell us we’re not on a road trip to Goa, that we might be in over our heads; that we shouldn’t get carried away. It gives us pause – a ‘catch your breath and mull about what you’re doing’ moment.

What exactly are we doing here? Who came up with this hare-brained plan? Plans like these can get you killed or worse, leave you half alive at the bottom of a deep ravine with no help around! I blame Vir Nakai of Helmet Stories. A few weeks ago, he thought it was a great idea to ride to Spiti Valley in Himachal Pradesh.

In December.

December at the 12,000-foot high Spiti Valley is not like December in Mumbai. In Spiti, the mercury regularly drops below -10 degrees, the weather can be even more unpredictable than it usually is and hillsides are even more fragile, thanks to the constant changes in temperature. At that time, from the relative safety of my apartment in Pune, I thought it was a brilliant

196

evo India | January 2015

ThrillOfDriving.com | |

evo India

197

Triumph Speed Triple & Bonneville T100 to Kaza

idea. But then again, I can be an idiot at times. Calls were excitedly made and as a result an adventure had to be had.

Switch to the now and conversation on the aircraft to Delhi is limited to nervous chatter. Vir has been following weather updates and an Instagram account of someone who’s currently documenting life in Spiti in the winters.

Search for Himanshu Khagta, he’s got some cool pictures and current updates. We had decided that if this was to be a proper adventure, we shouldn’t find out too much about what lay ahead. We decided that we would ride till we found some snow, see if we could get through that snow and get as deep into Spiti Valley as possible.

If the weather and the bikes permitted us to get to the highest petrol pump in the world at Kaza, then we’d call it mission accomplished.

The mountain people Vir knows, tell us the road to Kaza is presently open, but it has been snowing and is bitterly cold. They tell him to expect lots of black ice and the usual 50,000ft drop off the edge, if we ride like baboons.

Now, to the motorcycles. They aren’t exactly designed for a winter expedition to the Himalayas. The Triumph Bonneville T100 was made for flashing its retro looks and giant chrome engine covers on a Saturday night but I must admit, it looks more up to the challenge than the other one.

The Speed Triple, the one I’m riding, was made for wheelies, stoppies and lap times – a hooligan for the road and track.

It’s got Metzeler Racetec K3s on it. Please Google the name – you will know why I’m sweating cold bullets right now. These tyres look like they belong on Rossi’s weekend wheels and I’m foolish enough to think they will make it through the 1700km of tyre-shredding rocks that lie ahead of us. We have also decided, for whatever bright reason,

that we will have no back-up. Anything that happens on the trip, we will have to deal with ourselves and we’re not even carrying the correct tools to remove a tyre if we have a puncture or bent rim. We don’t know if petrol stations are open, we pretty much don’t know anything. I know we haven’t thought the trip through – we are just excited to be riding again, excited to be in the Himalayas again. We will figure things out as they happen.

Three days later, two very dirty Triumphs are standing in front of a sign that reads ‘Welcome to Spiti’. Everyone we’ve met on the road so far thinks we’re loopy. They insist the bikes won’t make it to Spiti. They say it’s too cold, that the road may be closed. We’re laughing off these naysayers in a show of nervous bravado. What’s keeping our spirits up is the fantastic ride we’ve had so far. So far, both bikes’ about 230km range has got us to the next filling station, nothing has fallen off the bikes, including the riders, and we’ve had the pleasure of carving up some seriously brilliant tarmac. We rode through the apple orchards of Kotgarh, experienced a Himalayan sunrise over Kinnaur Kailash, drank a million cups of very sweet chai and feasted on

We decided not to have any back-up if we wanted a proper adventure The Bikes The Speed Triple felt too edgy and the seating position felt a bit too cramped for my 6 foot 3 inch frame. So the Bonneville it was for me. The wide seat and the seating position is comfortable, the bike is quick and stable at high speeds and, most importantly, stops when you need it to. While carving up brilliant roads around Shimla, the Bonnie was nimble, fast and never lacking in power even on the steeper sections of the road. It was surprisingly easy to ride on rough sections.

Above: Deep in the Himalayas, some of the roads are narrrow but brilliantly surfaced.

Left: Kerosene fires are welcome after sunset.

Below: The Street Triple is a complete wolf in sheep’s clothing

Vir Nakai I loved the Speed Triple's super wide powerband.

I loved its tremendous brakes and I loved that I got so comfortable with it just twenty minutes into the ride. It was nimble, it was fun and it was quite scary to ride through slush.

Ouseph Chacko

198

evo India | January 2015

ThrillOfDriving.com | |

evo India

199

Triumph Speed Triple & Bonneville T100 to Kaza

There’s no plan, so we don’t really have to be anywhere in particular. When night falls, we stop. That was the only rule

CONTEST Answer this question & win.

What state is Spiti Valley in? a. Jammu & Kashmir b. Punjab c. Himachal Pradesh

Five triumph tees to be won Send your answers to editorial@evo.in Subject: Triumph- Kaza

200

evo India | January 2015

Above: We would get miles of dirt road and then...

Right: ...many miles of unexpectedly good road

mutton curry and rice. There’s no plan, so we don’t really have to be anywhere in particular and when night falls, we stop. The weather’s been excellent – not too cold to make you shiver and not hot enough to make you want to tear riding gear off every time you stop. The tyres on the Triple are worrying me though, and I get more stressed about it as we get closer to where tarmac ends.

But, we’re at the entrance to Spiti now and there’s no turning back.

We’ve had some bad stretches and most unexpectedly, brilliant stretches. That bit from Khab to Malling Nala is – my god – stunning! It climbs over a never-ending series of switchbacks and hairpin bends to about 12,000 feet and then drops down into Spiti Valley. It turns out that the road is in its brilliant state of repair thanks to the permanent residents of the region – the Border Roads Organisation and GREF workers.

Fixing that road is their livelihood and they keep at it the whole year round, sun or snow.

Amen to them.

Still, there are the occasional slushy uphill bits to conquer. The Speed Triple, on those tyres, is tricky. As long as the road’s dry there’s tremendous grip, but hit a patch of mud and you’ve got to be very precise with the throttle.

Too much gas and the torque will spin up and slide the rear wheel in the blink of an eye. I really don’t want to drop this awesome motorcycle that’s got me this far without as much as a hiccup.

Riding into Spiti Valley in the afternoon is magical. The winter sun bounces off rocky, sandy mountainsides and bathes the valley in golden light. Deep blue skies, wispy white clouds, an aquamarine Spiti river and no one else around for company – it’s a feeling that’s hard to describe. It brings a lump to your throat and makes your spirit soar. Oh, and the roads are now appalling. Every sharp stone pinging off the broad tyres is making me cringe. I’m expecting that wobbly feeling of a blown tyre any moment now, but so far, it hasn’t happened. Vir’s tyres are better suited to this terrain and he’s left me behind with a bark from the Bonneville’s twin exhausts.

I’m gingerly finding my way through the litter of sharp rocks, the Triple inching along

Left: Am cuscimagniet venduciatur?

Otat. Duci ut ex et occus molo blatur aped estisqui qui officitent, nulpa que vent explani mporatisDolorro quae volorum etur moditio ex es aut vel molorum vid ut eossit excerferiti nos

ThrillOfDriving.com | |

evo India

201

Triumph Speed Triple & Bonneville T100 to Kaza at 20kmph in first gear. It’s frustrating, but what’s keeping me going is the bass rumble from the Speed’s exhausts – at near idle, it sounds like a Buddhist chant and it’s hugely comforting.

It’s unsettling to be this alone in this vast landscape so close to dusk, but I must push on. Kaza is only 40km away, but once the sun drops behind the mountains, temperatures will plummet and I’ll then be riding blind and frozen. Despair is setting in and I’m tired just as I come across this arrow-straight piece of good tarmac. The third gear redline howl of a Speed Triple at 12,000 feet is something I’ll never forget.

Vir’s been waiting impatiently for me a little ahead and we make it to Kaza town just before the sun sets. We fill up at the world’s highest petrol pump and find the one hotel that’s open in Kaza this time of the year – the Sakya Abode. We are tired, the chicken curry rice dinner is spectacular, the kerosene fire is welcomingly warm and the heavens have laid out a carpet of twinkling diamonds for us. The temperature gauge reads -8.8 degrees Celsius.

We’ve made it! Good night.

A gust of wind blows down main street, a dog howls somewhere is the distance and a heavily loaded Maruti 800 kicks up a cloud of dust as it hobbles past. It’s a bitterly cold morning in Kaza and yet, it feels like a wild west outpost. We’re looking for a cup of chai and we seem to be the only people in town. The more sensible have left the valley and the town, leaving behind the few diehards. Because it’s so cold, water in the pipes freezes and when that happens, the things we take for granted every day, like washing backsides in the morning, becomes a monumental problem.

We consider spending a couple of days exploring Kaza and the world’s highest monastery at Komik, but grey, ominouslooking clouds overhead help us make our

The third gear redline howl of a Speed Triple at 12,000 feet is something I’ll never forget 202

evo India | January 2015

ThrillOfDriving.com | |

evo India

203

Route

Triumph Speed Triple & Bonneville T100 to Kaza

Kaza Nako

Engine Transmission Power Torque Weight 0-100kmph Top speed Price(ex-showroom, Delhi)

Triumph Speed Triple ABS

Triumph Bonneville T100

In-line 3-cyl, 1050cc, liquid-cooled 6-speed 125bhp @ 9301rpm 104.82Nm @ 7797rpm 214kg NA NA `10.7 lakh

Parallel-twin, 865cc, air-cooled 5-speed 60bhp @ 7500rpm 61.1Nm @ 5551rpm 230kg NA NA `6.75 lakh

evo rating: ;;;;2

evo rating: ;;;;2

Kalpa

Shimla Chandigarh

Kurukshetra

Deep blue skies, a valley bathed in golden light and an aquamarine Spiti river for company

AH1

Delhi

N Start Finish Distance: 794 km

Top: Some roads make you ache to go back and ride again. The road to Kalpa is oneof them

204

evo India | January 2015

ThrillOfDriving.com | |

evo India

205

Triumph Speed Triple & Bonneville T100 to Kaza

GEAR CHECK I use the Viaterra Fly non-magnetic tank bag with the camera insert. With this you get all the functionality of a normal camera bag but with the ease of a tank bag that mounts to the bike. The bag is large enough to hold my Canon 60 D with my 18-55 and 50 -250 lens as well as my GoPro and its many mounts and accessories. The new camera insert comes with enough removable padding to move around and customise for whatever equipment you are carrying.

The Fly has three straps to strap on to the bike. Mounted properly, the bag stays put and does not move whatever terrain you take the bike through.

For the other not so important things like clothes, woollens, jackets and spares, I used the Viaterra Claw. The claw is the perfect solution for carrying luggage on top of the bike. It's a one-piece bag that sits on the back seat and does not hang on the side of the bike. With one large compartment of 55 litres, you can fill it up with all the important pieces of clothes and woollies for a ride like this. There is a waterproof case that covers the whole bag, which works quite well. Mounting the tank bag is easy as it has three straps.

Ouseph used the Dirtsack Speedbags which are great for motorcycles with high-mounted exhaust cans. The Speedbags would slide on to the rider's seat on the Street Triple but Ouseph said he still had enough space to operate the levers.

Vir Nakai

For a few precious days, we were happy-go-lucky travellers on a road that isn’t too kind to travellers at this time of the year 206

evo India | January 2015

Where to stay

Top: Riding over slippery surfaces was scary on the Speed’s Metzeler Racetec K3s.

Above: Temperatures dropped to well below zero at night

Kaza Sakya abode – Simple but clean rooms, great food and a really friendly inn-keeper. There’s no running water in winter.  +91-9418208987 | email tseringsakya@gmail.com Hotel Deyzor – Usually shut during winter, but is run by friend and ex-motoring journalist Karanbir Bedi. He knows a lot about the region and is a great guy to talk to, if you’re on a road trip through the Himalayas.  +91-9530570649 | email info@himalayanshepherd.co Kalpa The Grand Shangri-La Clean rooms, a lovely library bar and friendly staff. Ask for the rooms that face Kinnaur Kailash.  +91-9805695423 | email welcome@thegrandshangrila.com

decision to get back as soon as possible. The Himalayas have been kind to us this time; we don’t want to overstay our welcome. All we have to do now is make it back to Delhi and for the record, we did.

At the start of this trip, I was a bit sceptical about the bikes making it. I worried that if anything went wrong with them, that would be it for us. There was a possibility that we would be stranded and forced to spend a night out in a sub-zero temperatures. That the bikes didn’t skip a beat (though the Bonneville had a tiny cold starting problem at 12,000 feet) is deeply impressive. We were lucky too – we got brilliant riding weather, found unexpectedly good roads where we didn’t expect to find any and, for a few precious days, we were happy-go-lucky travellers on a road that isn’t too welcoming to travellers at this time of the year.

Yes, we went in search of snow, we didn’t find any and I say thank god for that. As we ride our road-kill and grime-laden bikes into a sparkling Triumph showroom in Delhi, I can’t help but feel like we’ve pulled off a heist. L

ThrillOfDriving.com | |

evo India

207