Savino Del Bene served as the trusted logistics partner for Honda Motor Europe Ltd. for the Honda Ladakh Adventure. Six brave riders rode the six Africa Twin motorcyles across four Himalayan passes all the way to Umling La in India, the world’s highest motorable mountain pass at 5,798 meters. (19,022 feet)
For Savino Del Bene, this was much more than just a shipment. Transporting the motorcycles over thousands of kilometers and delivering them to an extreme mountain environment like Ladakh required expert planning and flawless coordination between the Italian and Indian branches. The main challenge was ensuring that the bikes arrived in perfect condition and on time for the start of the adventure, while overcoming the logistical difficulties posed by high-altitude transportation and Indian customs regulations.
Route and Mode of Transportation
The shipment of the six motorcycles, with a total weight of 3,976 kg, followed a complex and multimodal route which was comprised of air and overland modes of transport. After the motorcycles arrived in New Delhi from Malpensa, Savino Del Bene India organized the road transport to Leh, on the banks of the Indus River at an altitude of 3,500 meters. (11,482 feet)This last leg covered a distance close to 1,000 km, and took approximately 4-5 days. It posed several challenges due to the high altitude and difficult road conditions that included notoriously rugged sections.
For the final leg, a specialized truck for oversized loads was used to navigate the winding mountain roads to Leh. It was here that the motorcycles were delivered directly to the event organizers, ready to be used in the Ladakh Adventure.
At the end of the event, the “adventurous” cargo was shipped back to Italy by sea and air.
