Motobike in the transiberian train
 

Hi,
I'm leaving in may for a trip from Paris to Ulan Bataar on a Yamaha SR 125, a very small bike.
My friend join me in july for 1,5 month. So i'd like to know if someone ever put a motokibe with himself in the train transiberian from Moscou to Ulan Batar. Just in case if i got a problem.
Thanks a lot, Olivier

Hi,
No problem. You can load the bike at any station where the Trans Siberian stops. Problem sometimes is to find personnel willing to do the lading for you. They're Russians, obviously, and having been spoiled by two generations of Communism, they're no go getters. Good also, if you can speak a bit of Russian. So, before going, learn some Russian; learn to be patient, smile a lot, and always carry of bottle of Vodka. This will always get you through. Nas dorovye!!!

Thanks for the information, i'm a litlle bit quiet now.
Have you mad it before to put a motobike in the transiberian train? As you said to me i'm gone to take some Russian lessons.
Thanks a lot, Olivier

Hola, Olivier,
I put my own motorcycle on the Trans Siberian back in 1999, from Chernishevsk to Scoborodino. At that time there was no road on this gap. I had to put it on a flatcar (platforma). A friend of mine put his bike on the train going West between Blagoshevchensk and Chita for the same reason, same year. He checked it in as baggage to go into the baggage car. It took three hours to load the bike. He almost missed the train. Stress. It can be done. Patience, smile, bring Vodka; lots of it.

Unfortunately, the Russian railways are no longer allowed by low to transport motorcycles.
But private company's still do. Yhey charter wagons on some trains.
A company I used before is firma Vera, they can be found near the Yaroslav railwaystation in Moscow.

I don't know how the situation in Moscow is, but i can tell you what my experience was.

in August 2004 I had an accident in Mogoja, on the 'zilow gap', and there were only those old babushkas working at the train station. The meaning of their lifes is to make your life hard. I wanted to send my bike to vladivostok, 2000kms further east

generally spoken, there are two possibilities to send your bike by train: Either with the post-wagon (postochni-bagashni-wagon or something like that), or you have to rent your own little container.

The babushkas didn't like my motorbike. Friends of mine sent their bikes with the post-wagon from chitta to vladivostok, so this is still possible. But they have a weight limit, which is around 200kgs. Although i tried to lie, they didn't believe me, and I couldn't make them believing (money or so.) And my friend told me that in chitta they didn't make any problems with the weight.

So, I had only the alternative to rent a container, which was more expensive. And much slower. For the 2000kms it took about two weeks.

With the post-wagon you pay by kilo, the other by kilometers and renting the container... I think it was about 100 USD, but i don't remember exactly.

Let me know if you need any more information.

Marco
http://www.schnueriger.net