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23 Jul 2009
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Knight of the Holy Graal
So, if I understood correctly from this topic and from other reports I found over the web... From Atyrau to Beyneu we are talking about good asphalt road, but from Beyneu to Nukus it becomes a dirt road.
Is this right? Are we talking about a terrible road or is it rideable enough well?
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Atyrau to Beyneu is asphalt (some good asphalt, some not so good), except for about 30 km .. but they are working on it now. By next year its probably all asphalt to Beyneu
Beyneu to Nukus ... the first 150 km is dirt road, and the rest is asphalt.
There are no terrible roads here ... its all rideable.
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23 Jul 2009
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Thanks Colebatch! Your updates are like gold to me!!
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23 Jul 2009
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Hi, Knight. You should distinguish two parts in that way we are talking about.
From Aktau (port at the Caspian Sea) to Beyneu the road is very bad, as I said. From Beyneu (still Kazakhstan) to Kungrad (Uzbekistan) the road is more or less half good dirt road and half asphalt, as Colebatch said.
So, If you take ferry from Baku (acerbaijan) to Aktau, you should ride a very bad road, but of course ridable (I think that kind of roads is what we are looking for in the Stans), but if you go from Astrakhan (Russia) to Atyrau (Kaz) you will not ride the worst part, and arrive Beyneu on asphalt (I didn´t ride that way so I couldn´t say how it is).
I did both worst parts: Atyrau to Aral (hell 1), then I went to Almaty and going back by Tashkent, Samarcand, Bukhara, Nukus, Kungrad, Beyneu and Aktau (hell 2). So I ate the Aral shit twice, but I really enjoyed it. My bike is a GS 1200 and everything Ok, so yours, much lighter, shouldn´t have any problem.
Check the blog about that part in my blog.
Blog de Miquel Silvestre
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23 Jul 2009
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Miquel-Silvestre
but if you go from Astrakhan (Russia) to Atyrau (Kaz) you will not ride the worst part, and arrive Beyneu on asphalt (I didn´t ride that way so I couldn´t say how it is).
Check the blog about that part in my blog.
Blog de Miquel Silvestre
Have fun on hell.
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Hey, Miguel!
I will do as you stated here above (Atyrau from Russia, then Beyneu-Nukus-Khiva-Bukhara-Samarkan), so I'll be pretty lucky, I think...
I'll check out your blog as soonest!
Thanks and take care while
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24 Jul 2009
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Miquel,
I read your blog.
From where did your friends put their bikes on the train to Aktau?
If you have any info on putting bikes on trains in the stans, please post it for us. Sometimes it may be necessary even when we want to ride the rough road...
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24 Jul 2009
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Hi, Chris. They finally put the bikes in a truck. They were able to put them in the train after a very hard negotiation (first railway people said not allowed) and paying 10.000 tenges each, but then the guy at the Station asked them 10.000 tenges more ( 60 $) just to lift the bikes into the wagon. So they said not and started to argue. Then a soldier aproached to them and suggested to hire a truck. Through that guy they contacted to a lituanian lorry driver and for about 7000 tenges they sent the bikes to Aktau in his truck while they were traveling in the train. I know the whole story because they told me it in Aktau, but I can not say how to get the train or hire a truck in Benyeu. But everything is possible in Central Asia (the worst and the best), so if you have the need, ask and get it.
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24 Jul 2009
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I forgot to say that it was in Beyneu. They asked in Nukus (Uzbek) and the answer was "Not", but in Beyneu (Kaz) they allowed bikes on train. I hope it could be useful.
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25 Jul 2009
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Knight of the Holy Graal
I will do as you stated here above (Atyrau from Russia, then Beyneu-Nukus-Khiva-Bukhara-Samarkan),
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I did this exact route 3 months ago - details in my Sibirsky Extreme blog below as well ... just a few variations ... from Beyneu to Nukus I went via Muynaq to check out the Aral sea boats in the desert, and from Bukhara to Samarkand I went via Shakhrisabz as the main highway is utterly boring.
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25 Jul 2009
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Yes, Colebatch, in fact I took a look to your report a couple of weeks ago (which has been really interesting), but I wrote this post just to be sure about every detail.
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27 Jul 2009
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Quote:
Originally Posted by colebatch
Atyrau to Beyneu is asphalt (some good asphalt, some not so good), except for about 30 km .. but they are working on it now. By next year its probably all asphalt to Beyneu
Beyneu to Nukus ... the first 150 km is dirt road, and the rest is asphalt.
There are no terrible roads here ... its all rideable.
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Colebatch, do you think those dirt road stretches can be ridden astride a big dresser like the bike I currently own? (Ultra Classic Electra Glide)
If it does not deal with sand or potholes, maybe I could do it even with it...
What is your suggestion?
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27 Jul 2009
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Its fine ... the dirt road is very dry but there is no sand. Because it is so dry and no rain there, there are no real potholes either. Just light gravel and corrugations.
Your bike will be fine ... you could even do it on road tyres ... it will be a bit slower for you for that 150km than for someone on a lightweight bike with dirt tyres, but no problem.
To encourage you, Here is a picture of the lovely new road that goes from Kulsary to Beyneu! ...
A final note ... be careful on the uzbek asphalt ... there are a couple of long stretches where the bitumen has come up thru the asphalt and makes a slippery shiny surface on the road. Its actually very soft and slippery like oil. The Russian guys i was riding with immediately moved over and rode on the dirt shoulder of the road whenever we hit these slimy bitumen section.
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