TRAVERSE 187
smooth , the bends predictable and with almost no traffic , this was riding nirvana , right up until the moment the unmistakable smell of burnt clutch plates entered my nostrils . At first I thought it was something environmental as I had not been riding the clutch at all , but soon realised with the engine starting to slip a little from the incline that the smell was from my bike . We stopped just past the Gitti Das Bridge , it was decision time , do we continue north or turn around and head back to Islamabad . Islamabad was further , but it was mainly downhill , about 3,000 metres downhill .
It was with real disappointment that I decided it was best to head back , for purely practical reasons , Islamabad was the best chance of getting the bike fixed . Dominic went along with me , but I knew he was also a little disappointed . With a very light hand on the throttle , over two days , I managed to nurse the bike all the way back to Islamabad . We headed back to the same accommodation we had left a few days earlier as it had both reliable air-conditioning and Wi-Fi to be able to search for parts in some comfort if nothing could be found locally .
Over a few days we scoured the local bike shops of Islamabad and Rawalpindi for clutch plates that might fit , all to no avail . The only option now was a Google search of KTM & Husqvarna dealers across the
TRAVERSE 187