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Congratulations to the BikeHigh team - Damon I'Anson and Pankaj Trivedi have set a new unassisted motorcycle altitude record.

On July 18th 2006, they reached an altitude of 5713m by riding up a mountainside adjacent to Marsimik La, a pass approaching the borders of India and Tibet.

Both riders independently reached an identical altitude as planned.

Read more about their trip, together with their latest journal entries at www.bikehigh.com. You can also follow their adventures serialised in Bike Magazine. The first part of their adventure can be read here.

Motorcycle Altitude Record Attempt

Devitt are proud to be a sponsor of BikeHigh - a continent-crossing journey from the UK to the Himalaya, culminating in an attempt to set some kind of new world altitude record for motorcycles by the riders, British bike journalist Damon I’Anson and Indian climber Pankaj Trivedi.

Why?

So, the big question: why are these two embarking such an extreme and ambitious two-wheeled adventure? Perhaps it’s something to do with the onset of middle age, or maybe it’s a side-effect of eating too much Encona Hot Pepper Sauce. Or maybe, heaven forbid, it’s simply a ridiculously over elaborate excuse to ride motorbikes, travel to new places and climb mountains…

The Plan

Pankaj and Damon will ride from sea level in the UK to Ladakh in the Himalaya to make an attempt on a motorcycle altitude.

On the way they will spend as much time as is possible riding and climbing in various mountain ranges – Alps, Balkans, Carpathians, Anatolia etc – without having a huge amount of fun at all. Please do not allow yourself to become mislead; this caper is not simply a thinly disguised excuse to go on an ‘enormous great big holiday’ as has been rumored by some of their friends and family. And nor are they embarking on ‘an over-indulgent mountain-fest’, ‘an exercise in automotive irrelevance,’ or ‘venture in altitudinous futility’. In fact, what many people would consider ‘fun’ is in fact a carefully random training program, ill-designed for pushing the boundaries of motorcycling endurance in the Himalaya.

Route

Although no route can be set in stone, the Bike High trip is expected to go much like this…
Leaving the UK in early May, they plan to pop up some Alps and experience the highest passes, roads, bars, etc. possible. On this western European leg of the trip, they expect to be travelling through France, Italy, Germany, Switzerland, and Austria.

Next comes Hungary, before they enter Romania for a serious exploration of Transylvania and the Carpathian Mountains. We’ll have a quick look at the Danube Delta and then travel down south for some more high jinx in the Bulgarian Balkans.

Now Turkey (not yet fully planned, but expect some mountains), Iran and Pakistan to India. This first part of the journey is expected to take around 6 weeks.

Once in India, they will travel north through the Punjab to the Himalayan foothills where we will embark on a period of training, reconnaissance and acclimatisation.

Month three: They will head up towards the high altitude desert near the Indo-Chinese border, reconnoitering the area around the world’s highest road passes (a pass, in Tibetan, is a ‘la’). They will explore the vicinity of Tanglang La (5328m) and Kardung La, widely (but wrongly) regarded as the world’s highest road. Many claim Kardung is at 5606m, but recent GPS evidence strongly suggests this is an over-estimation of the road’s loftiness to the tune of some 300m.

What they presently believe will be our best venue for setting a creditable and challenging altitude record will be in the area around Marsimek La (5680m). This has been ridden before, so they will leave the track and climb off-road. What happens next depends on time, health and inclination... Nepal is a possibility.

The Record

The outright motorcycle altitude record stands, they think, at 20,065ft (6116m) – achieved on the North Face of Everest. They’re trying to find out more detail, but it's believed this record was set by two Chinese chaps with the help of a big support team. Information is very hard to get hold of.

They are not expecting to get permission to venture to the Chinese side of Everest, so their attempts will have to be made elsewhere. First port of call in the Himalaya will instead be an area of high desert called Ladakh. Here they hope (authorities permitting) to explore the area around the Marsimek Pass – which is currently the highest 'road' in the world at 18,634ft (5680m) and where pictorial evidence suggests we can go a good deal higher than the pass itself. Any increase in altitude above the road should see them safely able to claim an unsupported record, though they will endeavour to set as serious a benchmark as they're able. Using reconnaissance and local contacts they will also be looking to find additional venues where they can push the record further.

The Bikes

Yamaha UK have kindly loaned them a pair of XT660Rs for the journey, which they are modifying to give them even more off-road and distance capability. In order to cope with the breathless demands of high altitudes, they have the facility to modify the fuelling via a Dynojet Power Commander (a black box of electrickery) and a laptop. This won’t stop the bikes losing about half their power due to low oxygen density, but it should allow them to keep them running by maintaining the air/fuel ratios within acceptable limits.

They are also fitting hard (very hard) luggage, supplied by Metal Mule, and two-into-one, high-level exhausts developed for the same company by Scorpion. SW Motech centre stands will make the inevitable puncture repairs less of a hassle. Tyres will be Metzeler Karoos, the knobbliest road-legal rubber that can be accommodated on the XTs’ rims.

Other modifications include Renthal handlebars which are stronger, lighter and easier to repair than standard and Venhill braided brake lines to uprate brake power and feel. Lower ratio gearing, using lighter sprockets (again by Renthal) will be essential for hauling a down-on-power bike up steep and unmettled terrain.

They are carrying a lot of equipment. Expected temperatures on the trip will range from around +45 to -15 degrees, so they can’t get away with the usual do-it-all kit. They will also be doing a fair bit of trekking to get in shape and used to working at altitude, so will need specialist items like crampons, ice axes, ropes etc. Then there’s all that’s needed to camp in such diverse climates… So to back up their hard luggage we’ll each be using a Pac-safe stuff sack and Bagster tank bag.

Find Out More

Read more about their trip, together with their latest journal entries at www.bikehigh.com. You can also follow their adventures serialised in Bike Magazine. The first part of their adventure can be read here.

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