Bell Helmets and Café Racer XXX recently partnered to put together an incredible charity ride in India, through the Himalayas in support of the American Himalayan Foundation and its goal of ending human trafficking. Upon arrival, each rider got to pick out a bike for the ride and received one of Bell’s new Moto 3 helmets to wear. This five day, 485-mile ride traversed some of the most challenging roads in the world and provided riders a truly once in a lifetime experience. In addition to the ride, participants also got a special look at the country including exploring local villages and temples.
Below is a first-hand account of the ride from the Café Racer XXX team.
On August 11, nine riders from all over the Unites States assembled in New Delhi to kick start a ride of a lifetime. The goal was to ride the heck out of some of the most technical roads in the world while raising money and awareness to prevent Human Trafficking in the Himalayan Mountains. The next day we got up at 5am to meet our tour leaders from Motorcycle Expeditions and catch the morning train to Chandigarh. As the train rolled through various towns, we got a quick glimpse of the local lifestyle. We saw towns littered with trash, kids running and playing and a variety of makeshift housing that eventually faded into a beautiful countryside. From there, we had a 5 hour taxi ride of winding roads to Shimla. As soon as we arrived that evening, we were handed the keys to our Royal Enfields. Each of us claimed a machine, strapped on our Bell Moto 3’s and ran over any necessary adjustments with our mechanics.
Over the next 5 days, we took on 485 miles of what has been referred to as one of the most challenging roads in the world. Now that doesn’t sound like a lot of distance to cover but let’s consider a few things. You don’t ride these roads fast, no one is trying to be a hero, and you want to survive. Consider cliffs with no guard rails that have no place for you to roll and slow down, it’s just over and a drop straight down. One wrong move in the mud on a rainy day and it’s over. Actually one wrong move in the dirt, and it’s done. Also, 80% of the roads were pure dirt, the rest were a mix of rocks, mud and the occasional pavement.
Our route was as follows: Sarahan to Kalpa to Tabo to Kaza to Manali and our views were breath taking every single day. We passed from lush green valleys, to snowcapped mountains, to dry desert regions and back to the lush green again. The weather ranged from warm, to chilly, to hot and ended quite cold. We reached 14,780 feet, shared narrow roads with nomads, livestock and crazy decorated buses. We encountered fog with less than 5 feet of visibility, heavy downpours and more than our share of mud. For the next 5 days, we rode our hearts out, connected with locals, explored Buddhist temples and wandered through quaint villages. We sipped chai tea by day, threw back Indian beers at night and had the absolute best Indian food.
If you ever have the opportunity to ride the Himalayas, it is life changing. There is something about India as a whole, it is pure magic. It would be impossible to forget this trip and we are already craving the return. I can say this, everyone was nice and welcoming. And as we entered each town, children lined up beyond excited and smiling for a simple high five. Each one of those kids solidified as a reminder of why we were there. Our mission was simple, show the beauty of an incredible country, ride the hell out of it, and raise awareness to prevent Human Trafficking for the local kids in the Himalayas. We partnered with a US based non-profit that has a local office in the Himalayas called the “American Himalayan Foundation”. All funding raised is directly linked to their PayPal to support their already established project to fight trafficking.
We can’t thank Bell Helmets enough for supporting our mission and protecting our heads and in all of the conditions we faced. For years, we have been dreaming of a re-release of the Bell Moto 3 and to be able to test it in the Himalayas was beyond mind blowing. The helmet proved durable, classy, styled, and comfortable.
