Condition of Pamir Highway
 

Am planning a trip on Pamir Highway, Dushanbe to Karakul in April 2025 on my Honda NC750.

Need information about the condition of the highway and if NC750 is suitable for this trip? I have a XR650L and a Chinese clone of XRE300 which is much lighter giving great torque at low end but with tubed tyres.

Shall be grateful

Hi Omie,
Pamir highway is in decent condition: I know of people crossing it on Honda CBs, Honda Monkey or Super Cub.

But if I was you and want to have fun, I would definitely chose one of the two XRs, specially if you want to take the Tavildara route or venture a bit in the Wakhan.

I'm sure you can find plenty of pictures on this forum

April is very early in the season

I rode the Pamir the end of May 2024 on a Super Tenere. Had snow in the high passes but overall good. There is a stretch of construction with several road closures that could add several hours to your day.

Hi Bigguy,
Did you take the Wakhan route? If you did,, how was the experience of taking an over 200kg bike on that route?
Regards

I didn't. I met with two friends on Honda XR650R and they just finished riding the Wakhan route. They said it was the worst punishment they can ever remember. All washboard beating. They have been traveling the world and carry everything with them.
Later I met a tour group that also rode it on DR650s and they loved it. They had support vehicle caring all their gear.

My bike weighs 740 lb with me being another 240 lb. Not the road I wanted to take.

Hi Bigguy, thanks for your input.
I own a Super Tenere and am planning to go to India on it with my wife pillion.
Ever since watching "Himalaya Calling" on Amazon, I was convinced that this is the bike for long distance travel.
Now I'm biased here, but I do wonder why you and I are in the minority here as most seem to eschew bigger, heavier bikes unless of course they think that they're going to take the dirt tracks all the way.
Not just on this forum but elsewhere too. I mean there's the issue of reliability and likelihood of something needing repair sooner on a smaller bike.
I would be interested in any info you could impart regarding your trip.
I've set myself a mammoth task-London to India, tour around internal India and then home again, but hey, life's too short to sit around at home and there's people cycling or walking that and more.

Rule of thumb is big bikes are better on road. small ones are better off it. Every trip will be a mixture of both and you have personal preference to take into account as well. To my mind the sweet spot is 500-800cc for a long, mainly road, tour - but for a two-up journey you might want to be at the upper end there. I really don't think anyone needs over 1000cc but as I say, personal preferences. Reliability shouldn't be an issue on a trip of a few months unless you're starting on an old nail (engines are usually the last thing to go wrong).

I have 110,000 miles on my Super Tenere. I'm a big guy and have no issues with the weight or picking it up fully loaded by myself. I love the creature comforts of cruise control, heated grips and such. Also 55+ MPG. I carried everything for camp, cooking, many tools, even OEM water pump, fuel pump and ignition coils. Not that I didn't trust the bike but places where I was would've been a long wait for parts. Having the big bike, these extra comfort parts were no big deal to have with. I even carried another 4 gallons of fuel and 2 gallons of water. The big bike didn't care.
Now after a lap around the world, I have my Super Tenere home and bought a Tenere 700. Not for being a smaller bike but because the Super Tenere loved staying on the tar. I could do dirt but nothing enjoyable. Next year's plans are to be more dirt than tar. Hoping the Tenere 700 will shine.
I would love to ride thru India but everything I read, it's a paperwork nightmare for USA plated bikes. Any details you care to share?

On your way to India you'll be crossing Pakistan. Do give me a call to meet Pakistani bikers.
Have a great trip.

Well said. However my preferred size for offroading is 250cc or lower. I prefer them for tough tracks in Pakistan like Noori Pass and Ratti Gali over my XR650l too.

Stay blessed.

I delayed the Pamir trip by 45 days. Now its mid/late May 2025
Thanks for the advice