• A digital camera is a great ice breaker with value for opening up conversations and people that is beyond words – show the photos and instantly kids will love them and photos can bring adults over their shyness in a second.
• Ziplock bag for passport – keeps rain and sweat out which a normal money belt will let through
• Big ziplock plastic bags for stuff or duty-free bags excellent for bigger things or those gifts you buy on the road
• Sun block is hard to find in a country where the locals don't use it and a necessity anywhere in India or Nepal
• Plastic soap container. Soap is easy to find, something to put it in isn't.
• Photocopies of passport and visas
• Passport photos- these will be needed in the strangest places
• Ultra-light sleeping bag – many of the beds I certainly didn't want to touch
• Your own padlock for hotel doors which are often a latch you can put your own lock on in India. This can be bought in India and I'd suggest a big thick one for the doors.
• Bring postcards from home as a giveaway to people on the road - it is a wonderful way to leave your e-mail, phone number or a note which will be treasured
• The Garmin GPS I used kept me on the road and helped me to trackbacks. It is unfortunate the maps of India were questionable and Nepal and Bangladesh absolutly worthless, but being assured of being able to return to my hotel when I went wandering at random down alleys and back roads was worth it in itself.

• Anything that can't be lost – Everything I've brought on this trip has been soaked by rain, dunked in a couple of rivers and pounded through five motorcycle wrecks. That everything still works I consider a blessing but I'm glad I'd resolved myself to the loss of everything I brought before I came, and didn't bring anything that I couldn't lose.
• Clothes – there are clothes everywhere and buying the local stuff is a great souvenir unless its added into an already stuffed pack in which case it becomes a pain.

• Rely on the back brake not the front, most of your traction especially with a passenger or luggage is directly over the rear axle. In the US the rule is 80% front brake / 20% back, in India this is reversed.
• The Enfield disc brake for the front wheel is too powerful for the dirt roads in North India that I went on, and in an emergency its too easy to lock the wheel and the bike will drop out from under you. I'd recommend staying with the original drum break.
• Park in neutral as the Bullet when stopped won't shift from gear into neutral so you can start it– The trick I learned from Paul is to glide in to your stopping place and toe from 1st to 2nd, then hit neutral finder lever and park in neutral.
• The high springy seat that I used, lowers control ability and though looks good was a mistake. The solid seat allows firmer grip on the bike with the legs and is lower so my feet would have been on the ground had I not switched.
• Must be able to have feet flat on the ground. The bike is too heavy to hold without feet being literally planted in the ground.
• The Bullet can't ride with the light on, the alternator simply was not built to sustain drain. I like to ride with the light on even in the day-time for safety, that won't work on the Bullet.
• Make sure to get the "super-loud" horn, you'll need it.
• Electrical tape, super-glue, a metal coat-hanger and a swiss army knife can repair anything.
• Goggles are crucial, sunglasses won't cut it for long trips and rain. I bought a plastic shield made in Japan with foam keeping the air out that was the most useful thing I brought on the trip. Big goggles that will be uncomfortable in the heat and will be regretted.
• A simple list of the day's stops on a piece of paper will save pulling out the roadmap or Lonely Planet while on the road and keep the locals who are just guessing from picking the wrong road on the map.
• A kidney belt is needed for the long rides and the bumpy roads.
• Crash guards are an absolute necessity to keep this heavy a bike from crunching your legs off.
• Carry a full flat kit and foot pump, flats will happen and you will not enjoy being stuck in 100F degree heat by the side of the road on the Indian plains.
• Riding at night in India is a wonderfully effective way to shorten your life span.
• Finding good riding gloves in India was near impossible, bring your own.
• If you get one of the locking gas lines, its very easy to bend or break the key with your left knee if the bike goes down. Make sure you have a spare.
• If the bike goes down in a river or you have been riding through monsoon rains, check the oil. I had my engine flooded with oil on one drop in a river.
• Carry a spare liter of oil, the Enfield burns an amazing amount.
• Spares in Nepal can be double what they are in India. Change anything on the Indian side if you can.
• Buy a plastic tarp to keep the rain off the bike it rusts quickly and the water can get into the mechanicals.
• Keep a close eye on the luggage racks for cracks in the welds and loose screws. I saw two break and that is to say the least a pain to get fixed.

• Repairs are often cheaper then buying something new
• Recheck everything done by a mechanic yourself. I have as yet not had a single time when everything worked when I left the mechanic. The only question was if I would find it on the shop or 20km from anywhere.
• Local knowledge is better then Lonely Planet maps.
• Dust protection for electronics and camera gear is essential.
• I found people very honest and I was overly worried about things getting stolen before I came. It does happen but my feeling was this is much safer then the US or Europe.
• Garmin's maps for the GPS were extremely unreliable and because I couldn't trust them didn't add much to the trip.
• Plan for no more then 40km/hr on the roads and less for the mountains.
• I had a very hard time finding international system compatible ATM machines. Do not count on them outside of the big cities.

• Indian 500 rupee and 1000 rupee notes are not accepted in Nepal so bring US$ especially for visa and customs fees
• The Garmin GPS maps are not accurate.
• If you are going to go for a mountain flight, I'd recommend Buddha Air. I had a disappointing experience with Cosmic Air while I watched three flights of Buddha passengers take off happily.
• Get a shirt or jacket embroidered with something custom commemorating your trip in the Thamel or Pokera shops. The work is good and as a souvenir it is nice stuff. I had my trip logo made on the back of a North Face jacket which has meant a lot to me.

• One can take an Enfield into Nepal and Bhutan without a "Carnet de Passage" BUT NOT into Bangladesh. You have to have the carnet to cross the Bangladesh border which you can get in Calcutta or Delhi.
• You will be stared at constantly and if you sit down to have a Coke, 40 people will surround you, stare and ask the same questions over and over - this is something you should get used to before crossing the border.
• There are no English signs on the roads so try to find a better map then just the Lonely Planet

• The first four weeks will be the hardest but no matter where you are, you'll figure out how to get by in about the first month.
• This website took an average of 2 hours every day to maintain be careful to expect serious time investment if you undertake a travel site. Getting a free Blog (www.blogger.com) is much easier then a full site and will let you spend more time on the photos and stories then HTML and coding.
• Keep candles and matches in a plastic bag to keep out the water in a place easy to find in the dark, as power outages are common.
• Don't believe the claims of running hot water - turn it on and test and if you want English on the TV, turn it on and check as well. TV doesn't mean channels you want.
• For the same reason keep a waterproof flashlight in an easily reached pocket.
• Just a few months into the trip, I'm finding my memories are already slipping away. Don't save money on film or diaries, the memories are worth much more then the cash.
• Its not as hard, dangerous or scary as you terrified yourself thinking before the trip.
• Most important – IT IS DO-ABLE!!!

My Favorite Places From the Trip:
• Zanskar
• Manali-Leh Road
• Kashmir Houseboats
• Khajuraho Temples
• Pokhara
• Kalpa / Recong Peo
• Lamaruyu Monastery Festival
• East-West Highway from western Nepal border to Pokhara

Places I Thought Were Overrated:
• Agra / Taj Mahal
• Fatehpur Sikri
• Amritsar
• Varanasi
• Hemis Monastery Festival
• Nanital