Helmet Stories ride to Spiti through the eyes of Kismet Jewell Nakai

To Quote Kismet "Strange isn’t it, how most of us are more than eager to hop on to a plane to some exotic place where the landscape is breath-taking, there are rivers gushing through the valleys, towns with a population of twenty and endless skies of blue….wait a second! Jump on to a plane to ANOTHER country? When we have all of that right here in India? Guilty, as charged. Luckily , there is always time to rectify that." So in May Kismet joined us on our ride to Spiti.

Kismet has done a brilliant post on her blog so we "borrowed" a handful of pictures to post on ours to show you the trip through her viewfinder.

You can find more of Kismets pictures here 

Kismet’s Instagram | Facebook page | VSCO grid

Royal Enfield Classic 500 Despatch Rider - Limited Edition

Royal Enfield today introduced its new gear collection inspired by the Despatch Rider of the World Wars. In addition to apparel and accessories, the collection also includes a limited edition range of Despatch motorcycles.

A motorcycle despatch rider relayed vital information between headquarters and ground forces through the World Wars often riding days and nights through varying weather and terrain. Royal Enfield's were one of the most popular motorcycles for this arduous task due to their durability and ruggedness. Inspired by the kit that the riders rode in, Royal Enfield’s new collection pays homage to these riders with a range of gear that blends the heritage look and classic materials with modern cuts and fits. A palette of browns, greens, olive, tan and blues is pared with classic regimental detailing. Fabrics such as leather, twill and canvas have been chosen for their utility.

Speaking about the limited edition motorcycle range, Siddharth said, “Each Royal Enfield Despatch motorcycle has been handcrafted wising a unique film transfer technique that uses a delicate and precise hands on process to transfer the camouflage pattern on the motorcycle’s skin. Each body panel of the bike requires specialised and dedicated personal skills. when these panels are assembled on a single motorcycle; the result is a signature camouflage pattern for each individual machine. Hence no two motorcycle will have the same design - making it the only one of its kind.

Some other design features of the bike are.
• Leather buckle strap for the Air Filter box.
• Genuine Italian leather seat made of premium quality thick hide superior to any regular leather currently in the market. Optimised for being superior light and rubbing fastness, these leather seats are specially coated and backed with polyurethane membrane for resistance to water.
• Original Despatch Rider matte black finish on:
     Engine
     Tiger lamp casing
     Front & rear indicators
     Silencer
     Exhaust pipe
     Exhaust & silencer heat shields & pipe
• Limited edition aluminium embossed plate detailing exact particulars of the machine’s manufacture.

Royal Enfield will only produce 200 such bikes in each colour starting the 15th of July so better get those cheque books ready and get in line.

Once a Friend - Always a Friend

In the words of Dad (Robin Nakai)  

There is an old Turkish Proverb - Once a Friend - Always a Friend !

Talli (Manjit Singh Sehmbey of Goraya) is one such person in my life !

We began our friendship in the Bishop Cotton School , though we were in different houses - Talli in Curzon and I in Rivaz !

We journeyed through History and Biology classes - Hockey and Football Teams in different battles - fighting one another and together in school teams, battling Sanawar, Marathons from Sanjauli via Bede's to Bishop Cotton - many more adventures !

Talli also had the distinction of being my School Captain, and backed my raids on the School Tuck Shop, carrying the largest tray of burfees - being the School Captain and a 100 Meter Sprinter !!!

We were to do a stint in the Government College Chandigarh, but then business and matrimonial alliances being order of the day, took him back to Goraya !

We were to later connect in Los Angeles, where we drove Shuttles from LA Airport and had many an adventure - on the I - 15 from Rancho Cucamonga - Hemet - Perris - Corona - West Covina - And the beaches of L.A - dining at little Mama Papa Italian joints or Indian eateries, that Talli would discover !

I came back to India and Talli stayed on in L.A!

The first ever Triumph Motor Cycle I ever sat on was Tallis - Twin, Light Blue Chrome - in 1969 and today in 2015 - after 46 years - we are on a Triumph T-100 Bonnevile, Light Blue and chrome - once again !

Once a Friend,

Always a Friend,

The Road to Kalpa

Sarahan to Kalapa is about 90kms apart but in this part of the world that 90kms can take you all day. The roads are in decent condition so we made our way easily with many a stop for pictures. Today we loose connectivity as we head out to Nako. 

A brilliant day to ride

Crisp clean air, a good bike and great people to ride with what else could you ask for on a Tuesday morning. 

Spiti

An easy ride up to Shimla. Spent the evening traipsing around the mall. Tomorrow we ride deeper into the mountains to Sarahan.