Thanks everyone, sounds like a do-able challenge [on big bikes] which after all is what it's all about!

To be honest when I rode UK to Cape Town a few years ago on a 1200 GS there were the same concerns both in the replies to my post at this exact stage in my planning, and in my own mind. There are a couple of notoriously muddy areas (southern Congo, and entering Cameroon from Nigeria in particular), not to mention a desert! Having said that, although big bikes never cease to amaze me off-road, the one thing they really don't like is mud....

So correct me if I'm wrong: It's as easy or hard as you choose to make it as far as the Road of Bones junction. The main challenge starts with the ROB, depending on the weather, but the real challenge is the Old Road via Tomtor? Is that where they trucked their bikes across the river in LWR (pardon me for swearing!)?

BDG, what visas did you need to get in UK, apart from Russia? In my experience the downside is that they can constrain you to a schedule, and often cost more than at borders.

Regarding time, yes I'd love to take forever, but in the real world I only have limited time, and prefer to cover as much ground as I can in the time available. I usually average around 5000 miles a month on a big trip, admittedly often regretting that I can't stay longer when I come across somewhere nice! But I always find it satisfying to see myself moving across the map....

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