Scorpio-N ran smoothly and without any problems, total DEF consumption was about 10 l per 6,300 km and average fuel efficiency was 14.2 kmpl, with a maximum of 18 and a minimum of 10.4.

BHPian Dragon Falcon recently shared this with other enthusiasts.

“A photo or a video and few words cannot describe it, only your eyes can, it is Spiti!!!”

Trek through the mystical peaks of Spiti, also known as ‘the middle land’, the land that connects the Buddhist lands of Tibet and Leh, where ancient monasteries and mummified remains, historic forts and ancient fossils blend with a web of timeless legends and untold secrets. Even if you’ve studied maps and looked at countless photos online, nothing can prepare you for the breathtaking moment when you cross the rocky Malang Nala and enter the pristine, unexplored region of Spiti.

We were a group of five and embarked on this epic adventure which also included my fellow BHPian Emvi and three of my close friends. Our journey was to uncover the exploration treasures of Spiti Valley, try out local food and also get a glimpse into the local way of life. Our journey started with me trying out ScorpioN and two bikes including a couple of Dominor 400s. While the bikers started their journey from Bangalore on Day 0, Emvi and I started from our hometown Puttur (Karnataka) to Bangalore to pick up my friend in Bangalore and also the luggage of biker friends.

This is what our plan looked like:

Preparation

Preparation:

My car was regularly serviced from day one at Karnataka Agencies, Mangalore even though I bought it from Anant Cars, Bangalore. I am not a fan of changing service technicians just because one is not satisfied with the services provided. I have always tried to build some rapport with SA, SM and CRM which helped a lot in the past and the same has helped with these guys too. My SA Mr. Ashwin is very knowledgeable and also helpful and gets jobs done even if they seem quite minor. When I was doing 20,000 kms, I had informed him about the upcoming journey and he suggested to get some of the important components tightened and I had also requested to keep the spares listed below.

• DEF 6 liters
• Wheel hub caps
• Wheel nuts as replacement for roll nuts
• Air filter
• 3. Seat can be removed to make room for luggage
• Front windscreen wiper

Apart from the above items, the following items have been added to the list of items to be carried.

• Tow rope
• Jumper cables
• Tire repair kit
• Tire inflator

We were supposed to take the items as replacements, but God had other plans and did not allow us to use them.

One of the stock tires had a severe flat caused by a 3″ thick piece of metal. The only way to repair this was a hot patch, but unfortunately the patched area started to leak. The problem was further compounded by the fact that the stock Bridgestone tires were already cracking. Given this situation, I was in no mood to take any chances with these tires.

I tried to get All Terrain (AT) tyres both in Mangalore and where I live, but no one had any in stock, even in the larger size. Those who had them were charging exorbitant prices.

During my visit to Sri Maruti Tyres in Kalasipalya, I finally managed to get hold of the latest consignment of Maxxis Bravo AT 771 tyres. I requested them to send them to my home and to my surprise, they did so within an hour. I received them the next morning.

These tires proved to be an excellent choice. After driving 7,000 kilometers on them, I can safely say that they are far better than the stock Bridgestone tires, which in my opinion are some of the worst tires.

Big daddy with new shoes and ready for adventure.

Other than that, I tend to keep my car as original as possible, the only thing I have added is underbody reinforcement. I scoured the market for a good underbody protector and looked at offerings from Mahindra or other 4×4 kit manufacturers and finally settled on Prad4x4 which offers full underbody protection and DEF tank protection.

Apart from having to take care of our cars and bikes, a long journey means that our bodies also need some attention. A precautionary visit to the GP to get my vitals checked and I also got a prescription for Diamox for AMS if needed. However, we had planned our itinerary to mitigate AMS by taking it easy in the beginning and gradually gaining altitude and acclimatising. This careful planning is one of the special reasons why we chose the Shimla side rather than the Manali route.

Big Daddy, third row removed, fully equipped.

We did the route planning ourselves and also took the help of our good friend HV Kumar. All hotel bookings except for Chandrataal were managed by his CHD volunteers based on the progress we made on a particular day and none were booked in advance. A day before our start, the HVK ROUTO app was loaded with maps. Since these are offline maps, they came in handy in some stretches where there was poor network coverage.

Day 1:

• Date: 13 July 2024
• Goal: Nagpur from Bangalore
• D2D total: 1107km
• Travel time: 18 hours 30 minutes including breaks.
• route: Bangalore-Nagpur

We started from KR Puram at 3:30 am expecting a smooth ride. However, due to metro construction work at ORR, we were delayed by 20 minutes. After leaving ORR at Hebbal, we made steady progress. Unlike the highways in Karnataka and Tamilnadu, there are no good restaurants on the highways in Andra and Telangana. Given our time, the only good option i.e. Paakashaala at Ananthpur was closed. Finally, we were able to find a fairly decent roadside eatery after Gooty. We reached Nehru ORR at around 12 pm and took lunch after exiting at Medchal. After lunch, we started again and made good progress. Road conditions till Adilabad were pretty good. Once we reached MH, truck traffic, heavy rain and bad roads slowed us down considerably. At around 7 pm, we stopped for early dinner at Haldiram’s at Jamb. The food was excellent and the toilets were hygienic. After an hour’s break, we finally reached our hotel in Nagpur at around 9 a.m.

Good planning, a bit of luck and seeking the blessing of the Almighty.

Rain and light music provided the perfect start to our monsoon thoughts.

Read BHPian Dragonhawk’s trip report for more insights and information.