Desperate need of welding, Khabarovsk!
 

Hi folks,

I've made it to Khabarovsk, next stop Vlad, but my bike is hanging by a thread. The rear sub frame under the seat has completely sheared off, the exhaust hanger has broken and the pannier rails are cracked in two places.

Desperately need to find a bike shop or a welder in Khab or possibly Vlad.

Bike held together with bungies, wire, cable ties and tie down straps. It could collapse at any minute!

I've tried searching the HUBB and the net but I have a really bad connection and haven't had any luck.

Help!

Russia is full of welders. If I remember right, the russian word for welding is "swarka"
Or try to find the Linx of Amur biker club for help. Just flag down anyone on a Japanese bike, they should know.
Contact the Vladivostok community and they could put you in contact with someone.
http://www.horizonsunlimited.com/com...tEnglish.shtml

Hey Todd,

You can indeed track down your own welder pretty easily. If you want to get some help in the whole process and a place to stay while it gets fixed, there is a small bike club in Khab and they have a gathering place which in in one of the members back yard.

They have close ties to the guys in Vlad, who have a great club house and have helped many a foreign biker. Unfortunately both of these places are tough to find without GPS co-ordinates. The approach of waving down a biker is a good one, the alternative is to stop at a couple of bike shops as it's a pretty tight knit community and they will make a couple of calls and track the guys down.

Sorry, can't remember the numbers or exact locations without a GPS but hopefully someone here will have them at their fingertips.

I found a mechanic in Khabarovsk who were linked to the vlad tigers. I think a few of the guys working their are part of the gang, but like Mountain Man, i can not tell you where is it located! im really sorry, I have been stearing at google maps for you with out any luck!

Thanks all for the suggestions. I'm really open to any advice as I'm getting nowhere. Hotel reception are no use, and it's raining so hard it's almost impossible to ride around looking for places, especially as the bike is so fragile and doesn't like water anyway. Also means there are no other bikers out. I'll try another ride around this evening if the weather clears. I sent a message to the Vlad community but no replies so far. Can't uncover anything to do with the Amur Lynx club either. If it was dry I could have spent a day riding around looking, but it's been torrential and isn't improving. The streets are like rivers, it's really bad. Of course, all the local girls are still tottering about in very impractical high heels, and I found a place that sells decent German beer, so it 's not all bad!

I think I'm going to lash the bike together and try to get to Vlad. For one thing I can't find a reasonably priced hotel here, and the weather forecast in Vlad is a little better.

It would be absolutely brilliant if anyone could help me find somewhere in Vlad or make contact with the Iron Tigers. I'm in dire straits here and I have to get the ferry before my visa runs out. I might make it to Vlad, but I don't think it will survive the rigours of ferries and air transport so I need to fix it first. Even going for Vlad is a gamble on the strength of a cable tie!

Unless I have better luck later, I'll head for Vlad and should be there on Saturday. If anyone can help me track down a bike shop, the tigers, a regular biker meeting spot, a local's contact details, anything like that, then I would be immensely grateful.

Thanks guys.

Been looking for the last half hour and so far not a lot but this guy mentions meeting the Iron Tigers, many be worth sending him a mail poorcirculation at hotmail dot co dot uk


Pete

Email sent, and whether it comes to anything or not, a thousand thank yous!

Hopefully a tour of the motorbike shops should lead to some helpful bikers. Or even just heading for an industrial area if it's only a welder you need.

I sent a PM with some contact details too.

Ben

searching the web brought this up -

Habarovskenergo Open Society - shows as selling welding rods so who knows?
Address:
680000, Russia, Khabarovsk, street Frunze, 49

Phones:
(4212) 30-53-80, (4212) 30-49-14, (4212) 33-92-78, (4212) 23-49-14, (4212) 23-53-80

----------------------------------------------------
ALL 4 WELD STORE
Address:
690001, Russia, Primorye Territory, Vladivostok, street Dalzavodsky, 2

Phones:
(4232) 22-16-93
else maybe head for Golden Horn Bay in Vladivostok where Google Earth shows up huge amount of shipping/docks- Someone there must know.

'I need a welder please' translates as ' Я нуждаюсь в сварщике пожалуйста'
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Iron Tigers
(president) Mikhail Shluskim vladmoto 'AT' mail 'DOT' primorye 'DOT' ru or Igor (Sinus) Sokolov sinus 'AT' farpost 'DOT' com
Good luck

Thanks, Ben, really appreciate it.

Any idea where I can find the bike shops? I've asked in several places and no-one has been able to help.

Cheers.

Bertrand,

Thank you so much. I've emailed the Iron Tigers.

Really grateful for everyone's help!

when you do find a bike shop and or welder, please grab the details and GPS coords and post up for those who may need same after you!
Hope all goes well for you:thumbup1:

Seriously...ask a cab driver...they need stuff welded all the time...or go to any auto mechanic...a welder is a welder...BUT make sure you disconnect all electronics brains etc...

Todd,

Telephone Marina. she is the Khabarovsk Bikers moderator, speaks good English as well. She will be able to put you on the the "Doctor", a very good bike mechanic, and a good bloke as well. marina's number is: +79242016258. If you can't get her, try Dens: +79098785866, or Greg: +79625032238. English might be a problem with the last two. As well the bikers meet most nights at a beer tent down by the river.
the Iron Tigers at Vladivostok can be contacted at Vlad Moto, phone: 8(4232)367514 or 8 902 557 2588. Ask for Mikhail or Max. bloody terrific blokes.

Awesome! I've spoken to Marina, and now I'm waiting for the main dude to get out of bed. Could be onto something!

Tried down the riverside are last night, Harley Davidson bar etc. No-one out because it had been raining so hard.

Had a little ride around earlier. Still didn't see anything useful, and the back of the bike is really sagging now, hanging by a thread. Tried a couple more car type places and just got shrugs and "nyet"s. Don't want to risk going anywhere till I know where to go, so I'm really hoping Marina comes through.

If she does, then you've really saved my bacon!

Thanks Chris!

Brilliant!

My bike is now safely in the hands of (sounds like) Genie. Marina sent a guy called Alexander and with his help, and the help of half a dozen hotel staff and a taxi driver, I was taken to a workshop in an industrial area where I was delighted to see an array of bikes, bike parts, and a man with a welding torch.

My bike will be ready tomorrow, and they're even going to do an oil change and replace my ripped fork gaiters.

Thank you so much to all who have tried to help me, I would still be stuck if not for the HUBB. I can't begin to say how grateful I am.

I will post a GPS coord and some more details on finding the place when I go back tomorrow. Meanwhile I'll post the few photos I managed to take just now. This place looks like they could deal with most problems especially anything structural.

Again, thanks a million!

Message from Michael
 

Todderz
pls check your p.m's

I have been in touch with Mike mikesworldtour.com
and asked if if could look up a specific number for you- his reply is in your p.m


He is now in Vlad with his friend Elliott who has a busted r1200gs which blew up at 16,000:eek3: and they will be on their way to Japan soon.
You might want to hook up with them
his user name here is mikesworldtour

Well I've just arrived in Vlad and I'm absolutely elated! Sitting in the lobby of Hotel Vladivostok having a celebratory Baltika No. 7! Brilliant!

Thank you so much to everyone who tried to help me. I can't begin to say how grateful I am and how happy I am to have made it to Vlad. I'm trying to go RTW but this really feels like the finish line, it always has.


The guys at the workshop did a fantastic job, working till 7:30pm yesterday, not just a saturday but also the main man Evgenie's birthday! They charged me really very little for 2 days hard work, they put me right to the front of the queue and were brilliant. They splinted and welded my frame and pannier rails, changed my oil and filter, replaced my split fork gaiters, adjusted my chain tension and a dozen other little things, all with great care and attention. I've never seen someone apply chain lube so carefully! There were 4 people working on my bike at 7 in the evening on a saturday. Would you get that at your local dealer?!! The bike has just done 500 miles to Vlad and it feels perfect.

I will post a gps coord and more details of the workshop when I get organised. These guys were great. They even showed me bike/girl porn, gave me stickers and a key ring made from an AK47 bullet and invited me to a motocross meet. What more could you ask for?!!

Once again a huge thanks to all of you. You've helped me achieve the most ambitious thing I've ever attempted and I'm walking on air right now!

I'll have another Baltika on your behalf. Cheers!!

Al

Pokraska polirovka motoremont

ulitsa industrialnaya 8A

telephone 8924-201-7914

Yevgeni Alexandrovich

N 48 25.278
E 135 06.937


I wish I could provide directions but it's not easy. Head south of the city on one of the main roads and eventually there's a load of industrial estates and it's in there somewhere. The coord ought to get you in the right area, then ask around. There are railway lines, tram lines, and big cooling towers nearby. There are loads of car repair type places in that area.

Or ask a taxi driver.

Hope this helps someone. Take along a foreign coin for Igor the tall thin one with a moustache and you'll be well in, he's a mad keen collector. I only had a Euro but take something from Albania or Mongolia and he'll drop everything to help you!

Once again, my sincere thanks to you all.

oops, sorry was out of radio contact for well over a week there. Glad you got it sorted.