If you’re going on a motorbike adventure that takes in Everest Base Camp there’s only one model for it – a Royal Enfield Himalayan.
Sean Blowers, one of our customers, and friends Dave Allison and Ken Ferriss enjoyed the challenge of a spectacular tour of Nepal and Tibet with Hearts and Tears Motorcycle Club.
Their group was riding older Royal Enfield Himalayan 410s but they got the chance to try the new Himalayan 450 when they met up with other tour riders.
The utilitarian 410 was ideal for the job but the engine struggled to breath at high altitude.
Retired actor Sean, known for his roles in London’s Burning and Game of Thrones, said: “I liked the old Himalayan 410 a lot but the new one is a superb motorbike. You can ride them on the road but, with different tyres, you can also use them off road. It’s a perfect little all-rounder.
“The new one breathed much better at the top of the mountain passes.”
Their adventure started at Kathmandu and took them through Nepal to the border with Tibet which is run by China so there was lots of red tape but Sean said it was worth it for the scenery.
“We were riding on main roads, poor tracks and even no tracks. I have never ridden anything like it. It was amazing.”
The tour then took them to the city of Lhasa, home of the Dalai Lama, where they visited the historic Potala Palace.
On the way back they went to Everest Base Camp, more than 5,000 metres above sea level, where Sean said riders also found it hard to breath.
“We were full of expectation and anticipation going up on a little bus to Everest Base Camp but, 20 minutes after leaving the bikes, it was snowing. It was a whiteout and you couldn’t see Everest because of the snow,” he explained.
Back on the bikes they negotiated the mountain road and rode 90km across a plain in a blizzard.
“I’ve never ridden in those conditions and don’t want to do it again! It was freezing.
“I’ve never been so cold or wet. We were geared up for it but when you ride in a blizzard it’s not pleasant.”
They covered around 2,500km on their 15-day tour but were thwarted by storms and a landslide which plunged the mountainside road into the river valley below just 11km from the border and a day’s ride from Kathmandu.
With no road left, they had to leave the motorbikes and get a bus back to Lhasa before flying to another airport in China and then on to Kathmandu.
It added five days to their trip.
“It was an adventure that kept giving,” said Sean.
“I would advise anyone to go adventure bike riding in Nepal. It’s very challenging.
“The scenery is incredible and the Nepalese people are fantastic.”
The motorbikes were stranded where they had been left and could not be picked up for several weeks until the road was repaired.
Sean is now planning his next two-wheel adventure, touring Morocco on a Yamaha Tenere with another Hearts and Tears trip.
Check out the full range of Hearts and Tears Motorcycle Club tours at www.heartsandtears.com/tours
