Hi everyone
Firstly, thanks for replying to my last thread asking about tyres. We're all sorted there now. I'm beginning to feel like a nuisance on this forum - we have another problem, this time more major:
One of the Suzuki DRs is having engine problems. It is not rideable. We have pulled it apart as much as possible but need specialised tools to pull apart the rest of the engine. We may also need spare parts (ie crank shaft bearings).
We are currently in west/central Mongolia, near a little town called Tariat.
It seems like the two possible places we could go to pull apart the engine are head back to UB, or put it on a truck and take it onwards to Novosibirsk (we were heading back into Russia anyway before going into Kazakhstan).
Does anyone have thoughts on which of these places is more likely to have the equipment required to pull apart a Suzuki DR650, and which is more likely to have parts?
Also, if we go to Novosibirsk, does anyone have ideas on how we should get the bike there?
We have two weeks left on our Mongolian visa and one month left on our double-entry russian visa.
We would greatly appreciate any thoughts/advice anyone has!!!
Rob

51st Traverse

If you are going to be shipping parts get to UB soon as, phone the woman at Chumbee hostel a few doors from Chumbee she knows a guy with about 10 dead DR650s in a yard, I saw them taking engines apart and they do do rebuilds. She asks for a 5000TG fee to call them though. The guys at Oasis will also be able to help you on this.

Secondly if you are going to ship parts in, choose Mongolia seriously. It will arrive in the airport in a couple of days as there are flights from Beijing/Berlin/Seoul regularly. Hannes on an Africa tried shipping in Russia and it took forever stuck in customs as it had to stop in Moscow.

My experience in Novosirbisk is not great I spent a day cruising round looking for tyres and parts I visited almost every shop in Novosirbisk and found very little in the way of specialised tools. They sold loads of bits to customise your bike but not even tyre levers.

David Lambeth after 48 hours managed to get me a handful of parts after I gave him a call on Skype. Granted it cost a lot more but it was exactly what I wanted and fast.

While going to Novosirbisk is a risk and when you get there parts will be a long time coming (I also found no cheap hotels there either). AND in 2009 the road to Novosirbisk from Irkutsk and was horrible though you'll probably exit via the eastern side of Mongolia.

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http://www.itchystravels.co.uk/Bigone2009.html

thanks for this info Kennichi. i'll pass this on to the other boys when i get back to camp, and it looks like we'll consider UB as a more serious option than we had previously.
cheers
rob

Useful Novosibirsk thread here:
http://www.horizonsunlimited.com/hub...ike-shop-44031

Agree with Kennichi, though - if you can get things sorted in UB, much easier.

good luck!