we did the first part of your plan last year. we bought an old 500cc enfield (to get up the hills 2-up) and rode up to ladakh and did the manali to leh road and back again to get the whole mountain-experience that you speak of, before heading through to southern nepal on the mahendranagar highway (v flat, v straight, but v beautiful). once in nepal we rode to kathmandu and pokhara (landslides, road blocks... but good fun, and definitely more hilly near pokhara).
we tried to sell the bike in nepal but had difficulties finding anyone -out of season, and fewer enfield-riders. plus the fact that you don't officially 'own' an indian enfield, you just sort of officially long-term loan it from the original owner unless you are Indian. this means you cant sell it to anyone Nepalese, or anyone foreign who cares about these things. we thought we would get a higher price for it in nepal but the opposite seemed to be true. in the end we rode back to delhi, but obviously you arent doing this.
also, i dont know about the fuel situation there now but when we went there had been no regular indian petrol deliveries for 8 months, so fewer people generally wanted anything to do with their own transport. if you do go, take as much fuel from india across the border as you can carry in a larger petrol tank and jerry cans. if you do head to ladakh you will need to do this there anyway for the journey, and leh often runs dry too.
your plan sounds brilliant and i am very jealous. how will you get into tibet, will you have to join a 'tour'?- we considered trying to join one but they didn't seem to be offering any where we could take our bike along and we didnt want to get in the jeep with everyone else. maybe its changed now has it? you couldnt get in to china or tibet as an individual in oct 07. if its changed i am really really jealous!! hope its brilliant for you!!! x x
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