The tour begins now and Alex starts with the customary briefing. The good new is we've got an amazing week of so of riding. The bad news is the Nepalese roads are worse than those of India, and that's from someone who's ridden in India for more than 20 years.
First things first: your horn, use it! It's the single most important asset on the bike; not the engine, not the wheels, nor even the brakes. It tells people you're there and without it you might as well be invisible. People here do not think about looking when they cross the road, Alex makes that very clear. There's no 'right' side of the road, overtaking is initiated by the horn, and if you want to turn right (they drive on the 'left') what ever you do, don't stop in the middle of the road waiting.
Alex explains the 500cc Enfields are better than those we've ridden before, they've got more power (28hp) and pull well. More than fast enough for these roads.
For toilet stops find a quiet spot, but don't expect privacy. It's likely someone has been there before so watch out for "man cakes"
Our India virgins are looking rather anxious. Most of our group have heard it before, but even to us it's deadly serious. We're all experienced riders and we know the risks. We WILL take care.
First things first: your horn, use it! It's the single most important asset on the bike; not the engine, not the wheels, nor even the brakes. It tells people you're there and without it you might as well be invisible. People here do not think about looking when they cross the road, Alex makes that very clear. There's no 'right' side of the road, overtaking is initiated by the horn, and if you want to turn right (they drive on the 'left') what ever you do, don't stop in the middle of the road waiting.
Alex explains the 500cc Enfields are better than those we've ridden before, they've got more power (28hp) and pull well. More than fast enough for these roads.
For toilet stops find a quiet spot, but don't expect privacy. It's likely someone has been there before so watch out for "man cakes"
Our India virgins are looking rather anxious. Most of our group have heard it before, but even to us it's deadly serious. We're all experienced riders and we know the risks. We WILL take care.
Sent from my trusty rusty BlackBerry
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