Ladakh Ride Day 3 – Agra to Amritsar

We dismissed the alarm and started to get ready for a long riding day, Agra to Amritsar. By 05:45 AM, we had almost loaded all our luggage and cold-started the motorcycle.

Finally, after settling our bills, we started by 06:00 AM, and by the sun came up, it was a pleasing morning. A few kilometers later, I heard a metallic sound from my motorcycle, and to be very frank, I was enjoying the surroundings, so I ignored.

We were about to enter the Yamuna Expressway in 2-3 Kilometres, and that metallic sound got louder. Suddenly, one guy from another vehicle shouted at us, saying, “Silencer”. We stopped and found that our exhaust (silencer pipe) was almost lying on the road. And the metallic sound, I heard it was coming from the pipe itself when it rubbed against the road.

At around 06:30 AM, I literally felt helpless. I quickly searched for the nearest Royal Enfield service center and got a few within 8-15 km. We decided to go to the nearest service center in Valdev Nagar. We were slowly moving so that the exhaust pipe would not come out, but we missed a turn on NH and found ourselves on narrow lanes.

Finally, in a big hump, the pipe came off. It was one of the worst things that happened to me. We poured some water so that it would get cold. I asked my wife to sit in the back seat holding the pipe. It was around a kilometer, but it passed through schools, my bike was roaring like crazy, and everyone was looking at us.

We came to the service center around 08:15 AM, and the security guard told us to wait till 09:00 AM.

While waiting, we conveyed this incident to our parents, had some tea. After the longest 45 minutes ever, two service center guys came to me and asked what had happened. I explained everything and, out of curiosity, enquired about the new exhaust price. It costs around 5K, they told me. Oh my god !! I started thinking about alternatives, probably aftermarket, cheap ones.

They took my vehicle inside and politely asked us to wait in the customer lounge. In around 15 minutes, my motorcycle was fixed; it cost two bolts. They also checked every nut & bolt and lubed the chain, all this for Rs. 100 only. I would have changed the pipe itself, but they guided me properly and also ensured everything was fixed. This is called a genuine attitude.

Again, we loaded all the luggage and started to cover up for Amritsar, entered in Yamuna Expressway. I was pretty much excited to ride this expressway, but we were losing our energy rapidly due to the empty expressway, concrete roads (looks greyish after a time), and extreme heat. We halted in the cafeteria and ordered Tea.

Trust me, riding this expressway was boring to me, cruising at 90 KMPH. The roads were almost empty, and a few cars overtook us at high speeds. We were stopping after 50 KMs to take a 5-15-minute break. Once we crossed the Yamuna Expressway and entered the Greater Noida Expressway, the scenario changed. Other vehicles were changing lanes to filter the traffic, but it was quite manageable. We passed the Akshardham temple, which looked very nice from the flyover.

After Rajiv Nagar, we got a lot of diversions and patchy roads. We were very tired by then, and I was thinking of taking a night’s halt near Ambala. I was feeling sleepy, every 40-50 KMs I used to stop and freshen up with cold water and again start. I was finding excuses to stop for a break. After crossing Ambala, we stopped at a Tea shop and spent almost 30 minutes there to gain some energy back. It was around 05:30 – 06:00 PM, and sunset started.

Roads were very good with some small potholes. In Ludhiana, we faced traffic congestion and which slowed down our pace a bit. It was completely dark, now we are not enjoying the surroundings rather chasing Kilometres to reach Amritsar. Around 09:00 PM, we stopped at McDonald’s near Jalandhar and searched for some hotels in Amritsar.

We had our dinner and freshened up. There was a hotel nearby, my mind was saying, stay here, do not stretch further. But we followed our hearts and started. We were maintaining low speeds due to the road and our tiredness. The last 60-65 KMs before Amritsar were the toughest between Agra to Amritsar ride, roads were almost empty, visor getting fogged, cold surroundings, and whatnot.

Somehow, we managed to reach Amritsar around 11:45 PM and spot booked Hotel Mercury Inn. This AC room was a bit small, but very clean so was the washroom. We got a shared balcony as well. We parked our motorcycle just in front of the hotel. And yes, we can see the Golden Temple premises from the balcony (< 5-minute walk to the main gate).

Conclusion

Being a remote place, a lot of preparation is needed before the Leh Ladakh Tour, be it mentally or physically. Don’t forget the weather in the Ladakh region is extreme, and most of us are not accustomed to it. So, acclimatize well before you start exploring.

So, be prepared, and everything in your Leh Ladakh tour will go well. You may also check out below generic posts to make your Leh Ladakh trip successful and memorable. I am sure you will love it.

• How to prepare for Ladakh
• Things to Carry in Ladakh
• Medicines needed in Ladakh
• How to fight AMS or High Altitude Sickness
• Mobile Network Connectivity in Ladakh
• Inner Line Permit Procedure for Ladakh
• Complete Guide for your Ladakh Trip

If you are doing a road trip to Ladakh, you may find my Kolkata – Ladakh – Kolkata on a Royal Enfield Thunderbird 350 journey helpful.

Lastly, get Leh’ed soon.

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