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Mongolia to Magadan: Any which (the hard) way
Hi
Here’s a ride report from a bike trip I did in the summer of 2013: It involves off-pavement riding from Ulaan Bataar, the Capital of Mongolia across eastern Siberia in Russia via Irkutsk, Lake Baikal, the western section of the BAM Road, Tynda, Yakutsk and the Road of Bones to Magadan. The journey started on a 1988 Honda XL600V Transalp (The Shed) and finished on a 2008 BMW G650 X-Challenge (The RBA). There were lots of adventures: Either because they would have happened on any bike, or special bonuses based on my unsuitable bike selection. I met lots of great local people and had some super riding buddies. They were, in chronological order: Mr Pete-the great dancer-Berry Mr Bod Waters Mr Andrew Don Mr Jon Boulton (AD and JB’s website is J.A.B.A MUNDUS | Motorcycling Around The world ) Mr Adam Lewis ( Short Way Round | …short on legs…short on hair…and short on cash – riding around the world the ShortWayRound! ) And last, but by no means least, Mr Felix -Mullets are back in fashion- Wright Most of the images are mine, but some belong to the boys. I have asserted their copyright as appropriate. Thanks for letting me use them. There are also a few videos. They’re not really edited “with love”, but they hopefully help to tell the story of one hell of a trip. I’d also like to thank Mr Walter Colebatch (Sibirsky Extreme | Going where no motorcycle has been before ) for his advice and navigation aids (Next time I’ll follow the advice more closely…) and Mr Phil Kneller for allowing me to complete the trip on his bike while he spent more with the beautiful and charming Zarina. Here are some pictures to give you a feel for what I encountered. http://i412.photobucket.com/albums/p...ia2013_042.jpg http://i412.photobucket.com/albums/p...ia2013_079.jpg http://i412.photobucket.com/albums/p...ia2013_138.jpg http://i412.photobucket.com/albums/p...ia2013_151.jpg http://i412.photobucket.com/albums/p...ia2013_158.jpg http://i412.photobucket.com/albums/p...ia2013_163.jpg http://i412.photobucket.com/albums/p...ia2013_175.jpg http://i412.photobucket.com/albums/p...ia2013_245.jpg |
Gives me something to read at work today :)
Mark www.bamriders.com Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk - now Free |
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to Magadan
Hola Chris,
thank you for posting this here, good pictures, waiting for more to come. What happened to the Transalp? Did you forget to fill oil in? As you know, I traveled solo on an XL250R in 2003 to Magadan, it was fun, but hard at times. I did not take many pictures, because the camera got wet, so I wait for yours. But next year I will go back to Russia, but not to Magadan. Saludos desde Bolivia mika |
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The TA never actually died. At the end of my trip I rode it back to Ulaan Bataar and shipped it to Europe. It's on its way at the moment: 5 months late! Don't freight anything to/from Mongolia! Issues with the bike: The radiator started leaking in various places (caused by bumpy road) The shock was about to explode (caused by bumpy road) I had already toasted 1 clutch and replaced it with a spare: I didn't have another spare (caused by bumpy/muddy road and river crossings) Where I turned back, half way along the western BAM (before the Vitim Bridge) was the easy bit. The hard part would have been to come! |
Waiting for more pics...Awesome ride!
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Ch1: Ulaan Bataar - 200 clicks up the track - and back again in the back of a truck!
In 2012 I had shipped the Shed from Europe to Almaty in Kazakhstan and had a good ride around bits of Central Asia and through the Altai part of Russia and across Mongolia to Ulaan Bataar. The RR of that trip is at http://www.horizonsunlimited.com/hub...et-place-66414 I parked the bike over winter in the heating cellar at the Oasis Guest House and returned again in early July 2013. After charging the battery overnight and turning the fuel on, it fired up first push of the button. It's a Honda after all. The Oasis was full of the usual motley crew of overlanders, both 2 and 4 wheeled. http://i412.photobucket.com/albums/p...ia2013_001.jpg I met up with Pete Berry and Bod Waters (3rd from left and on the right: Who had ridden with Matty Johnson (left) on XR400s from England). We agreed to ride to Irkutsk and along the BAM together. Interestingly the bike behind Matty is one of 3 Dutch Yamaha 600 Diversion road bikes (euro1000 each) that had ridden all the way from Europe and across Mongolia via the southern route without any problems. They sold the bikes in UB and flew home. Who needs a blingen 10k £/ 16k us$/ 12k euro pride of German/Austrian shiney engineering? http://i412.photobucket.com/albums/p...ia2013_002.jpg And he's off... After the first bit of dirt I took off the windscreen so I could see where I was going. http://i412.photobucket.com/albums/p...ia2013_003.jpg The long view http://i412.photobucket.com/albums/p...ia2013_004.jpg A little splash http://i412.photobucket.com/albums/p...ia2013_005.jpg The trail to the Russia border follows the railway line for a little while https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nBmhHzmf_CE Wired for sound http://i412.photobucket.com/albums/p...ia2013_007.jpg On the smooth easy stuff the Shed's suspension could handle it... http://i412.photobucket.com/albums/p...ia2013_008.jpg What a great ride http://i412.photobucket.com/albums/p...ia2013_010.jpg Crossing the railway track. Why, oh why, do I carry so much sh!te? http://i412.photobucket.com/albums/p...ia2013_011.jpg Bod leading, me second http://i412.photobucket.com/albums/p...ia2013_013.jpg Calamity struck! After a little bit of mis-navigation Bod took a shortcut. It's really easy to ride off piste, but sometimes over the crest of a hill there's an unexpected drop! Where I'm standing, I recon is where Bod took off. He lies where he landed. He was concussed and had hurt is foot really badly. Pete stayed with him while I rode off to try to get transport for him and his bike. http://i412.photobucket.com/albums/p...ia2013_014.jpg Bod's line up the hill to the crest http://i412.photobucket.com/albums/p...ia2013_012.jpg Loading Bod's bike onto the truck http://i412.photobucket.com/albums/p...ia2013_015.jpg Bod and bike on way to last town we had passed 10km previously. http://i412.photobucket.com/albums/p...ia2013_016.jpg Bod putting a brave face on it at the village medical centre where they looked after him well and fixed him up so he could survive the truck journey back to UB to a proper hospital. We managed to organise another truck for all 3 bikes and us back to UB with the help of the village mayor who phoned his daughter who could speak a little English and was able to interpret to bridge the language barrier. http://i412.photobucket.com/albums/p...ia2013_017.jpg There was only space for 3 in the cab including the driver. Pete drew the short straw and spent 300km on the bumpy track and the pavement in the cargo bay with the bikes. We arrived back in UB at 2am the following morning from when we had left 16 hours before. What a day and night! |
Ch2: Leaving Mongolia, Take 2
http://i412.photobucket.com/albums/p...ia2013_018.jpg After a couple of days where Pete helped Bod to get checked out at a proper hospital, me and Pete set off toward the Russian border, this time on tarmac to make up some time. Bod had broken his heel and had to fly home. http://i412.photobucket.com/albums/p...ia2013_019.jpg A very intriguing statue heading north, in many ways less tacky than Ghengis', east of Ulaan Bataar http://i412.photobucket.com/albums/p...ia2013_020.jpg Free camping having crossed the Mongolia/Russia. Welcome to mosquito central. It only got worse, but later on I never really noticed any more. Here they were still annoying. Note the Shed is leaning against a tree: The side stand snapped again at the border ;) http://i412.photobucket.com/albums/p...ia2013_021.jpg A visitor http://i412.photobucket.com/albums/p...ia2013_022.jpg My attempt at surreptitiously taking a photo of a Russian military convoy... I needn’t have bothered: When the APC got closer I spotted the gunner taking my picture with his camera phone. http://i412.photobucket.com/albums/p...ia2013_023.jpg We met up again with Andrew and Jon whom we had seen at the border. http://i412.photobucket.com/albums/p...ia2013_024.jpg Navigation here wasn't too challenging http://i412.photobucket.com/albums/p...ia2013_025.jpg Comfort stop http://i412.photobucket.com/albums/p...ia2013_026.jpg A bridge was down and yours truly checks the options. A bit too deep to pass. The thermometer also said it was quite chilly! Taking this off-road short cut we missed out on the city of Ulan Ude http://i412.photobucket.com/albums/p...ia2013_028.jpg Not all Russians are poor http://i412.photobucket.com/albums/p...ia2013_029.jpg Lake Baikal to the left http://i412.photobucket.com/albums/p...ia2013_030.jpg Lake Baikal to the right |
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Fantastic pictures . . .
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Ch 3. Irkutsk to Olkhon Island
http://i412.photobucket.com/albums/p...ia2013_031.jpg After hitting the main paved road at Babushkin we headed around Lake Baikal to Irkutsk. Here's a traditional piece of architecture, rather than the horrid Soviet stuff that also became so popular in parts of the UK when Huddersfield's favourite son, Prime Minister Harold Wilson (I live near Hudds), was Housing Minister after WW2. http://i412.photobucket.com/albums/p...ia2013_032.jpg 3 wheeled scooter with Italian plate outside the most expensive hotel in town. Unfortunately we never met the owner. ANY vehicle can ride/drive the slab (aka Trans-Siberian Highway) from Europe to Vladivostok. Especially if you've got a winch on the front ;) http://i412.photobucket.com/albums/p...ia2013_033.jpg Takin' a picture of you takin' a picture of me. At the bike workshop round the corner from where we got our new tyres and other supplies. From left to right: Andrew, Adam (who had already been Irkutsk for a week when we arrived), Jon and Pete. Denis at MOTOREZINA.RU - свежая моторезина по разумным ценам. motokolesa, мотоколеса, моторезина, резина для мотоциклов had posted the tyres from Moscow to Irkutsk for us. top bloke. http://i412.photobucket.com/albums/p...ia2013_034.jpg Pete fitting a new chain and sprockets. http://i412.photobucket.com/albums/p...ia2013_035.jpg Tyres for all seasons. Note the stickers on the left. Recognise any of them? http://i412.photobucket.com/albums/p...ia2013_036.jpg Setting off from the hotel in the rain. Spare rubber (in my case Mitas C-02 (An aggressive tyre in 17 inch. Wow!) and Pirelli MT21) to fit later on up the road. Jon and Pete. http://i412.photobucket.com/albums/p...ia2013_037.jpg Waiting to board the ferry to Olkhon Island. Sorry to be "Ginger-ist": Ginger and Afro! This guy needs a haircut... http://i412.photobucket.com/albums/p...ia2013_038.jpg Brighty causing trouble. Pushing in to get on the ferry first. Must be my German genes! http://i412.photobucket.com/albums/p...ia2013_040.jpg The ferry was free! The first time in Russia where I was pleasantly surprised at the (literally) lack of cost of something. Everything in Russia, except petrol, is expensive. http://i412.photobucket.com/albums/p...ia2013_041.jpg Pete catching the rays between rainclouds. http://i412.photobucket.com/albums/p...ia2013_042.jpg My bike looking tough, until the going got tough where it retired hurt. http://i412.photobucket.com/albums/p...ia2013_043.jpg Traditional local transport http://i412.photobucket.com/albums/p...ia2013_044.jpg Shamen flags at the Shamen rock http://i412.photobucket.com/albums/p...ia2013_045.jpg Shamen rock at Olkhon Island |
Ch 4 Olkhon Island to Severobaykalsk
http://i412.photobucket.com/albums/p...ia2013_048.jpg We left Olkhon Island and joined the main paved road north. About 150 clicks before Zhigalovo the road became dirt. And our first opportunity to admire the mighty Lena river http://i412.photobucket.com/albums/p...ia2013_049.jpg One of many punctures on Jon's KTM. He and Andrew were sponsored by a well-known Czech brand of tyre manufacturer. I think the tyre was just plain shagged and he was trying to coax life out of it that just wasn't there http://i412.photobucket.com/albums/p...ia2013_050.jpg Swapping the back tyre outside the hotel in Zhigalovo http://i412.photobucket.com/albums/p...ia2013_051.jpg Jon, being the great guy he is, changing the front for me, in the garage next to the hotel, as it had started to rain http://i412.photobucket.com/albums/p...ia2013_052.jpg Jon preparing a veritable feast :) In his underpants http://i412.photobucket.com/albums/p...ia2013_053.jpg This is a normal road, with some interesting traffic http://i412.photobucket.com/albums/p...ia2013_054.jpg Adam always has a good eye for an interesting photo The Zhigalovo Road up to where it joined the BAM was pretty boring. Long and straight, but it was good to be off the pavement and on the dirt http://i412.photobucket.com/albums/p...ia2013_055.jpg Not short, and not winding http://i412.photobucket.com/albums/p...ia2013_057.jpg After we reached the BAM turn-off to head east, things got more interesting http://i412.photobucket.com/albums/p...ia2013_058.jpg Adam gets his front wheel off the ground ;) http://i412.photobucket.com/albums/p...ia2013_059.jpg The BAM road follows the Baikal-Amur Mainline railway... Some info can be found at Baikal–Amur Mainline - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia http://i412.photobucket.com/albums/p...ia2013_060.jpg Jon had plenty of opportunity to test the support that propped his bike up http://i412.photobucket.com/albums/p...ia2013_061.jpg And it gave us the opportunity to take in the pleasant views http://i412.photobucket.com/albums/p...ia2013_062.jpg Arriving at the Severobaikalsk hotel the Shed's radiator started expiring. The road hadn't even been that bumpy. It could and would only get worse. |
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How did the various bikes hold up in general? What sort of total miles were done? Would you undertake another long range ride into this area? Repeated front flats on that KTM must be something with the wheel, spokes jabbing tube? or ..? Rim lock pinching tube? Ever figure it out? Great report ... looks like you guys did very well, got along well. LUCKY! Sorry to see your buddy hurt his foot. Going cross country always has risks. Here in our Deserts guys ride straight into 100 ft deep abandon mine shafts ... or hit hidden barbed wire and go flying. Looking forward to more! |
A map of the route between Irkutsk and Severobaykalsk at the northern tip of Lake Baikal
http://i412.photobucket.com/albums/p...3map2final.jpg Sorry for the horrendous shade of green on the line ;) |
Ch 5: Severobaykalsk to toasted clutch river
http://i412.photobucket.com/albums/p...ia2013_063.jpg Adam: Give the man a map, 2 tins of sardines and 2 tins of Heinz baked beans = Heaven http://i412.photobucket.com/albums/p...ia2013_064.jpg Anti-freeze and rad-sealant. Adam had helped me fix the hole in the rad the night before. That hole held. Other holes appeared virtually daily. http://i412.photobucket.com/albums/p...ia2013_065.jpg Trying to get my bike road worthy http://i412.photobucket.com/albums/p...ia2013_066.jpg Eventually ready to go http://i412.photobucket.com/albums/p...ia2013_067.jpg Group shot http://i412.photobucket.com/albums/p...ia2013_068.jpg Catching dinner http://i412.photobucket.com/albums/p...ia2013_069.jpg This is what you call ground clearance.... And fit for purpose! http://i412.photobucket.com/albums/p...ia2013_070.jpg We bumped into these 3 cool Russian guys from Ekaterinburg(?) who were riding 250 cc thumpers they had bought in Vladivostok home. We couldn't understand why they had been riding for 12 days since Tynda. We reckoned you could do it in 5. How wrong could we be! http://i412.photobucket.com/albums/p...ia2013_071.jpg One of the bikes they bought. Is that a glass bottle strapped to the front of the engine? We told them where they could find our old disguarded tyres in Zhiglovo http://i412.photobucket.com/albums/p...ia2013_072.jpg One of the Russian dudes had a suspected broken ankle. The journey must go on... http://i412.photobucket.com/albums/p...ia2013_073.jpg Andrew chatting with a local chap who had the best set of steel teeth, but I think he knew I was only taking his pic because the teeth, so kept his mouth shut ;) http://i412.photobucket.com/albums/p...ia2013_074.jpg Adam, master-craftsman at work http://i412.photobucket.com/albums/p...ia2013_075.jpg This one wasn't towing a caravan... ;) Sorry, in-joke... Some people know what I'm talking about, hey Kurt/ Felix/ Noah/ Phil/ Mark :) http://i412.photobucket.com/albums/p...ia2013_076.jpg A visitor An overview of the (easy) riding conditions that my big shed wasn't really enjoying, leading to a "little" river crossing (which, in comparison to what was to come 500km down the track was an utter piece of p!ss). The suspension on a touring bike like my Trannie (despite my Shed having a rebuilt and stiffened shock and fork springs...) is completely substandard compared to a pukka enduro bike like a DRZ400/ XR400/ orange 690. http://i412.photobucket.com/albums/p...ia2013_077.jpg Move over fat boy, this is how it's done! Exhibit A. Did we also mention low ground clearance? Airbox under seat? Chocolate tea-cup clutch? |
Ch 6 Toasted clutch river to Taksimo
http://i412.photobucket.com/albums/p...ia2013_078.jpg It wasn't completely plain sailing for the others either http://i412.photobucket.com/albums/p...ia2013_079.jpg The final hurrah of a blowing a clutch http://i412.photobucket.com/albums/p...ia2013_080.jpg Posing for the photo. The face ain't smiling. I'm seriously up (in?) sh!t creek http://i412.photobucket.com/albums/p...ia2013_081.jpg Not posing http://i412.photobucket.com/albums/p...ia2013_082.jpg Jon and Andrew having time to see the funny side while they give me a pull http://i412.photobucket.com/albums/p...ia2013_083.jpg A local biker taking the bridge. Bollocks, did I feel small! Stupid effing tourist! http://i412.photobucket.com/albums/p...ia2013_084.jpg A more suitable vehicle than my bike, especially if you take the bridge! http://i412.photobucket.com/albums/p...ia2013_085.jpg Todor and Yevgeny arrive http://i412.photobucket.com/albums/p...ia2013_086.jpg In a video further down I describe how indebted I was to Yevgeny and Todor, 2 Russian truckers for helping me change my clutch. I was carrying a (used) spare that my mechanic had swapped out for a new one before I sent off from England. http://i412.photobucket.com/albums/p...ia2013_087.jpg They had the tools and skills and I knew what needed to be done as I toasted a clutch in the sands of Morocco and had the opportunity to watch a Moroccan mechanic and his son in Rissani change one in 2005. The fact they spoke no English and I spoke only 7 words of Russian (Da, Niet, Piva, Vodka, Borscht, Shashlik, Gastiniza) made no difference. In 4 hours we had it done, including an oil and filter change. http://i412.photobucket.com/albums/p...ia2013_088.jpg After they fixed my bike and didn't want any money (I did try to give them a little, but they flatly refused), they also fed me! http://i412.photobucket.com/albums/p...ia2013_090.jpg Monument. I'm surprised I was even in the mood to stop to take a picture. Maybe I was looking for excuses to stop to catch my breath This video shows a little of my emotional state and gratitude to Yevgeny and Todor http://i412.photobucket.com/albums/p...ia2013_091.jpg Welcome to Severomuysk http://i412.photobucket.com/albums/p...ia2013_092.jpg Very good condition for a BAM road bridge http://i412.photobucket.com/albums/p...ia2013_093.jpg A not so good bridge: The previous summer in 2012 much of this region was ravaged by forest fires We are not enjoying this! Wrong bike Bright, get it? http://i412.photobucket.com/albums/p...ia2013_094.jpg A famous bridge that's been in more than one ride report Wakey wakey! The railway is never far away. It also allowed me to extract myself from here back to Lake Baikal and the easy road to Irkutsk. More of that later though. http://i412.photobucket.com/albums/p...ia2013_095.jpg Locals enjoying a sunny day (honestly, there weren’t many) by the river http://i412.photobucket.com/albums/p...ia2013_097.jpg The Seaplane monument in Taksimo getting a clean and paint http://i412.photobucket.com/albums/p...ia2013_096.jpg A close-up in case you missed the detail ;) |
Hola Chris
Hola Chris,
I enjoy your ride report and the pictures very much, but I cant see the videos as my internet connection is not that good here in my village in Bolivia. :thumbup1::scooter:beer Did your friends leave you alone at the side of the river with the toasted clutch? When I drowned my Honda in a mud pool on the road of bones in 2003, no truck drivers passed ... and I had very little food. After boiling the oil, to get the water out, over a bonfire in the morning I could continue after twenty hours. Keep the pictures coming amigo mika |
Hola Mika
I've learn something new: In a real emergency, boil the engine oil over a fire to get rid of the water! No, the lads didn't leave me alone. The truckers had arrived before they set off. I had a lot of food to sit it out for a few days (water wasn't a problem :innocent: ) and it wasn't feasible to tow my bike 250km to a town (back the way I'd come or to where I was heading). In the the 4 or 5 hours I was at the side of the road helping to fix the bike 3 or 4 vehicles passed. If necessary I could have hitched a lift to extract me from the situation. As usual, the railway line was also close by, so I could have thumbed a ride on a train. Best wishes to Bolivia. Chris |
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Have been in that situation ... and the last time the rider just rode on with WATER in the oil. :helpsmilie: (not that much water) ... but I thought for sure the bearings would be toast. We rode about 40 miles to a town, changed oil. His bike made the whole trip. (another 1500 miles) But boiling oil makes perfect sense! A great solution! :thumbup1: :rofl: Did the Russian guys come up with this one? |
Ch 7 Taksimo to giving up and back to Irkutsk
I bumped into the other lads at the Seaplane monument. They were heading east towards the Vitim Bridge and the real fun beyond. And Me? I needed some time sleeping in a hotel bed! I wished them bonne route. http://i412.photobucket.com/albums/p...ia2013_098.jpg After 2 nights and a day (most of it spent trying to fix the Shed's still leaking radiator) I set off. These 2 young chaps were coming the other way http://i412.photobucket.com/albums/p...ia2013_099.jpg I was regularly topping up the radiator. By now it was 33.3/33.3/33.3 swamp water/sparkling mineral water/rad-seal! http://i412.photobucket.com/albums/p...ia2013_100.jpg Oh joy! Turning around: Wise words, or words of a demented man? On the way back to Taksimo. Possibly in a slightly emotional state? "Come back again another time on a little bike" I wouldn't have guessed in my wildest dreams that the "another time" would be a week later. I was expecting it to be years later. http://i412.photobucket.com/albums/p...ia2013_101.jpg 6.30am, waiting for the train… Back in Taksimo I tried to arrange a train for me and the bike to Tynda at the end of the western BAM and on the good Chita/Yakutsk road. No train with a baggage/post wagon for 2 weeks. Bo!!ocks! However, on Tuesday (in 2 days) a train all the way to Moscow. I actually considered going that far, but only went for the 500km option back to Severobaykalsk and the bike ride back to Irkutsk. http://i412.photobucket.com/albums/p...ia2013_102.jpg The shed in the baggage wagon. Despite my 7 words of Russian and the freight lady's zero words of any language I understood, but with French/Russian translation on the phone from her mate/colleague/boss/daughter (no idea!), my Russian/English phrase book and newly downloaded translation app on my smartphone I got the ticket for me and the bike sorted. There were 60 bucks of extra "loading fees" that didn't appear on any receipt, but she did have captive audience ;) Her sidekick ended up with an extra 20 litres of petrol which we decanted using 2 cola bottles from the Shed's tank into his car. In fairness, he did pay me for most of it. http://i412.photobucket.com/albums/p...ia2013_103.jpg Other baggage being loaded http://i412.photobucket.com/albums/p...ia2013_104.jpg It was funny seeing the road I had ridden from the inside of a train carriage http://i412.photobucket.com/albums/p...ia2013_105.jpg Unceremoniously deposited on the platform at Severobaykalsk 6 hours later http://i412.photobucket.com/albums/p...ia2013_106.jpg The road more travelled http://i412.photobucket.com/albums/p...ia2013_107.jpg Somewhere before Ust Kut I met this German couple who refused to pay the (apparently) high fee for the vehicle barge to Lensk to join the Vilyuisky Trakt to Yakutsk and were intending on driving the BAM. I never met them again, but there's no way they would have made it all the way on 4 wheels Overview sketch from when I was planning my trip in 2011 below: http://i412.photobucket.com/albums/p...ctober2011.jpg http://i412.photobucket.com/albums/p...ia2013_108.jpg The BAM sign I forgot to get a picture of when riding west-east http://i412.photobucket.com/albums/p...ia2013_109.jpg The forest takes back the town http://i412.photobucket.com/albums/p...ia2013_110.jpg Back to Zhigalovo http://i412.photobucket.com/albums/p...ia2013_111.jpg Kind of pretty http://i412.photobucket.com/albums/p...ia2013_112.jpg Guess what they're doing? Watch the video for the answer. (Clearing up litter) http://i412.photobucket.com/albums/p...ia2013_113.jpg I met this pleasant Russian biker when he stopped to check I was ok. I was reattaching the bash plate back onto the bike using borrowed (from a fence next to the road....) fencing wire http://i412.photobucket.com/albums/p...ia2013_114.jpg Still time to take in the view http://i412.photobucket.com/albums/p...ia2013_115.jpg Getting closer to "civilisation" http://i412.photobucket.com/albums/p...ia2013_116.jpg Entertainment at lunchtime http://i412.photobucket.com/albums/p...ia2013_117.jpg A cafe that was open and sold stuff... http://i412.photobucket.com/albums/p...ia2013_118.jpg Where the paved road started I meet Joe Stather a.k.a JoeDakar and his partner Corinna ( HARD WAY EAST - JOEDAKAR GMBH - THE MOTORCYCLE ADVENTURE COMPANY ) who were also attempting the BAM. On BMW (F800gs Adventure) sheds (a different variety of shed to my Honda Transalp Shed). Their sheds were also unsuitable for the terrain and they didn't make it. From Joe's description in the link above, he turned round at the same place as me and dropped his bike off the bridge where I only fell over (filmed in the second of the 3 videos above). Myself and Felix had a really pleasant evening with Joe and Corinna a week later in Taksimo when we returned on the XCs and before Joe's mishap. |
I'm away from a desktop PC for 2 weeks riding around eastern Bulgaria and Romania, as well as hunting for the Easter bunny closer to home, so if it floats your boat, here are a couple of maps of the end of the Transalp "Mk 1" trip and the start of the "Mk 2/RBA" caper for you to hone your geography skills. Prepping a RR on a tablet PC or smartphone isn't feasible.
http://i412.photobucket.com/albums/p...3map3final.jpg http://i412.photobucket.com/albums/p...3map4final.jpg And also 3 pictures from the Mk2/RBA jolly to hopeful wet you appetite http://i412.photobucket.com/albums/p...ia2013_174.jpg http://i412.photobucket.com/albums/p...ia2013_176.jpg http://i412.photobucket.com/albums/p...ia2013_181.jpg |
Ch 8. The start of part 2 (the “any which way” part…) Irkutsk north and east
A bit of background as to how I ended up riding an XChallenge: After my aborted attempt at the BAM on the Transalp and before I boarded the train at Taksimo, I had texted Felix and Phil, who were behind me, to let them know I was returning to Irkutsk and asking if they’d still be there. I again had cell phone contact in Severobaykalsk when Felix texted me to say Phil would lend me his XC to do the trip with him. My first reaction was "Don’t be so ridiculous": I’d sworn I’d never ride a BMW again in my life and the concept of riding a bike that wasn’t in my name in a distant country like Russia made me feel uneasy. The day’s ride from Severobaykalsk to Zhigalovo gave me 8 hours to think things through: +If we just rode one way (i.e. we had to ship bikes out of Magadan) we should have the time +If I stuck a sticker over the BMW logo, nobody would ever know I was riding that brand from Berlin :-) +I knew I wouldn’t meet many police who might want to check my papers as there were very few people where we were going +I would actually make it to Magadan and have no more frigging in the rigging and get this huge monkey off my back. So, I texted Felix and said I was up for it, as long as he was ok to just ride one way. Why do I dislike the BMW brand, you might ask: I rode around the world on an airhead between 1999 and 2002, spending too much time in mechanics' workshops and relying on the kindness of strangers to get it fixed. The story is at Round the World TBSdotCom Before we left Irkutsk, I serviced the (black) Transalp as I knew it would be close in terms of timing to ride it back to Mongolia when I flew back. I parked it at a posh hotel in the city. http://i412.photobucket.com/albums/p...ia2013_119.jpg Old traditional architecture http://i412.photobucket.com/albums/p...ia2013_120.jpg Vladimir Ilyich is always watching over you http://i412.photobucket.com/albums/p...ia2013_121.jpg Admiring the architecture :-) http://i412.photobucket.com/albums/p...ia2013_122.jpg Is he saying "You looking at my girlfriend's architecture"? Chatting with Phil about bikes at Nina's Guesthouse in Irkutsk http://i412.photobucket.com/albums/p...ia2013_123.jpg Nah, it definitely ain't a Beemer http://i412.photobucket.com/albums/p...ia2013_124.jpg Like the badge says, it's a Honda ;-) Less of the BS, time to hit the road… |
more great stuff!
Did you say Joe Dakar dropped his F800GS "Off the Bridge" ? :eek3: Crikey! I hope he wasn't attached to it when it went over. Must be a good story there. "hey mate, got a winch and tackle handy?" :rofl: Interesting to learn of your BMW history ... I have a bit of history too, similar experiences. How did that Russian guy get a DR650? (or some mix of parts that looks like the DR?) Did he ride it from Japan? Hope things go better on your "new" Transalp (made in Berlin!) Looking forward to next installment. :scooter: |
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Indeed I have form, where BMWs are concerned. People like to boast about being the first to do this or that. People also like to boast about their BMW GS. My boast is: I'm the first man to ride a BMW GS into the ground. Literally! :oops2: All the Russians I met who were on Japanese thumpers, were on 250s. I think the one above is a DR250 Jebel (called a Gerbil in the UK :mchappy:). There's a few people in Vladivostok who import 2nd hand Japanese bikes into Russia. People either pick them up there or they are distributed to the Russian buyers using the Trans Siberian railway. |
Ch9 And they're off (The Zhigalovo Road for the third time!)
http://i412.photobucket.com/albums/p...ia2013_125.jpg My riding buddy for my second attempt on the BAM: Mr Felix "I make Kevin Keegan's and Chris Waddle's mullet look good" Wright. Myself, Felix and Phil had already met in the UK and agreed to ride the BAM together. Various events had conspired to prevented this from happening up until now. Russia and Siberia have many positive aspects, but the mullet haircut, that many local men sport, is not one of them. I suppose their 1980s haircuts go with their love of 1980 heavy metal music. Felix's Russian skills at the barber shop weren't good enough when the lady said "That'll be a mullet then sir?". All he could say was "Da" and hope. His hopes were in vain :) http://i412.photobucket.com/albums/p...ia2013_126.jpg Mr Wright in the bright sunlight http://i412.photobucket.com/albums/p...ia2013_127.jpg Mr Bright in the (w)right light... He's a poet and doesn't even know it! On the Transalp MarkII alongside the mighty Lena river http://i412.photobucket.com/albums/p...ia2013_128.jpg If only the weather had stayed this good... Some dubious video footage... http://i412.photobucket.com/albums/p...ia2013_129.jpg Spare tyres are also the (b)right size for tasty Baltika 7 cerveza cans purchased at the bottle shop en route to the hotel I stayed at twice already on the Transalp Mark I. |
Chapter 10 Zhigalovo and back onto the BAM to Novo Uoyan
It could be said that good weather and a light bike with good suspension might reduce the adventure a little (not to worry: The weather changed and the track got much worse later on). The MarkII Transalp (also known as an RBA (Rebadged Aprilia) just ate up the miles up to the turnoff onto the BAM road before I remembered I was also meant to take some pictures... Why is the XC an RBA? Answer: It allows me to claim I never actually rode a Beemer and lets me sleep with a clear conscience at night ;) The XC was built in the Aprilia factory, has (of course) an Austrian Rotax motor and Swedish Ohlins (Phil has swapped out the pants oem airshock on my bike: Felix was running Hyperpro) suspension... So pretty much the only thing coming from the BMW factory in Germany is the badge and the mapping on the efi unit... http://i412.photobucket.com/albums/p...ia2013_130.jpg At the BAM road sign (The same one as on the MarkI Transalp). The MarkII travelled all the way from somewhere in the middle of the Russian Altai, then across Mongolia, from Ulaan Bataar to Irkutsk and along the BAM to Tynda, then to Yakutsk and Magadan, including crossing 2 borders, without a licence plate! Why? Why not, nobody bothered checking and no police stopped me/us. Phil had dropped the bike backwards into a hole in the Altai, (that apparently took some heavy lifting equipment to extract 48 hours later: Felix or Phil might be able to elaborate on this story) and he lost the rear turn signals and plate. I did try making a new plate in an internet cafe in Irkutsk and cable tied it on, but after an hour it was falling off, so it spent the rest of the journey sticking out of my camelbak. http://i412.photobucket.com/albums/p...ia2013_131.jpg The first (of many) puctures :( Memo to self: When Phil says the spare tubes in the panniers are fine, check that they haven't been patched, and if they have, buy some new ones in the bike shop in Irkutsk before leaving! http://i412.photobucket.com/albums/p...ia2013_132.jpg The pleasant weather and easy road, so far, lulls you into thinking this ride will be easy. Just for information: The trail gets progressively harder until Lopcha, over a thousand miles away, when it's back to easy gravel for the cruise into Tynda. http://i412.photobucket.com/albums/p...ia2013_133.jpg Too much alcohol in Severobaikalsk. 2 things were bugging me about the XC: 1. It's a BMW. Solution: Stick a piece of gaffer tape on the badge and only ever refer to it as a Transalp MarkII or an RBA ;) 2. The totally daft (some might say gay-looking...) combo of oem high fender AND low rallye fender at the same time! It was Phil's idea! I feel I've developed aesthetic taste in my old age, so something had to give! For the rest of the trip, the high oem fender lived in the red roll bag on the pillion seat http://i412.photobucket.com/albums/p...ia2013_134.jpg Food shopping in Severobaikalsk. What a ridiculous bloody haircut! http://i412.photobucket.com/albums/p...ia2013_135.jpg Stopping for an ice-cream in a railway town. I ate more ice-creams on this trip than on many others. http://i412.photobucket.com/albums/p...ia2013_136.jpg Mum and the kids waiting for dad to finish the shopping http://i412.photobucket.com/albums/p...ia2013_137.jpg Heading home with the groceries http://i412.photobucket.com/albums/p...ia2013_138.jpg Waiting at the a train crossing at Novo Uoyan. Finally somebody to make me look thin and svelt It was in Novo Uoyan a week earlier when Pete Berry (the chap on the XR) had been involved in an "incident" regarding the world (in)famous "Botty Dance" and also where I'd removed the fan from the MarkI radiator as it was causing it to leak more with than without it http://i412.photobucket.com/albums/p...ia2013_139.jpg Bloody tourist! |
Ch 11 Novo Uoyan to Taksimo
A bit of geography and background: Taksimo is 1. Where the sea plane monument is 2. Where myself and Felix had a great night of beers and chat with DakarJoe and Corinna 3. From where I freighted my Mark I Transalp westwards on the train a week previously 4. Where (on my Mark I trip the week before) one evening in the cafe next to the hotel, I was struggling to mime a pig to say I wished to purchase some fried pork. The youngish lady didn't understand. The Russian translation/phrases app on my smart phone couldn't translate pork, but did have the word "porker", which was rather unfortunate considering her physical appearance;) She seemed unconcerned as to why I burst out laughing! http://i412.photobucket.com/albums/p...ia2013_140.jpg Siberian architecture: Bedraggled chique http://i412.photobucket.com/albums/p...ia2013_141.jpg A local biking fisherman http://i412.photobucket.com/albums/p...ia2013_142.jpg The bridge next to the river where I toasted the Mark I clutch and where the 2 truckers Yevgeny and Todor got me out of some serious sh!t when they helped me change it Textbook stuff http://i412.photobucket.com/albums/p...ia2013_143.jpg Selfie on said bridge: Having a spot of lunch. How very sophisticated http://i412.photobucket.com/albums/p...ia2013_144.jpg The oil from the Mark I oil change, after we'd changed the clutch, is still there a week later. Sorry no recycling facility available http://i412.photobucket.com/albums/p...ia2013_145.jpg I presume in memory of someone http://i412.photobucket.com/albums/p...ia2013_146.jpg Going… http://i412.photobucket.com/albums/p...ia2013_147.jpg Going… http://i412.photobucket.com/albums/p...ia2013_251.jpg Gone! The whole video is a bit of an overview of the day, but from 4.16 to 4.27 ties in with the images above ;) Just to demonstrate what a good sport I am: I could just have "lost" the evidence, but I ain't proud :) http://i412.photobucket.com/albums/p...ia2013_148.jpg When you've messed up... This is how you sort it. With a little bit of help from your friends... |
Ch12 Taksimo to the Vitim River Bridge
As said in the previous chapter, we had a pleasant evening chatting to Joe and Corinna, but had to head off early(ish) the next morning as we were on a tight schedule. They were staying an extra day before setting off http://i412.photobucket.com/albums/p...ia2013_149.jpg The bridges got worse as we headed east. Every winter the harsh weather takes its toll and in 2012 there were lots of summer forest fires which also more than accelerated the deterioration of the bridges http://i412.photobucket.com/albums/p...ia2013_150.jpg This is the puddle were I turned back on the Mark I Trannie. The Mark II found it quite straight forward http://i412.photobucket.com/albums/p...ia2013_151.jpg One of my favourite images of the trip. When I showed this to my uncle he asked "Why are you riding though the swamp? Why not ride on the road?" This IS THE ROAD. You can see the swamp on the other side of the bike Felix riding the “Mark I turn around puddle”. Note how the pitch of the motor changes as the bike goes lower and lower. Only something like an X-Challenge with an incredibly high air-box intake (just about at handlebar level) can make it while being ridden. Other bikes would have to be pushed through with all offending orifices plugged http://i412.photobucket.com/albums/p...ia2013_152.jpg We got into a routine: Get off, walk the bridge, check the line, decide whether to walk or ride and if the other fella needs to give you a hand. This was an easy one, where Felix could take a pic of me riding it http://i412.photobucket.com/albums/p...ia2013_153.jpg Finally we reach the mighty Vitim River! And the Bridge, that seemed too far only 10 days previously. We walked the length of it first. Sorry lots of pics of the same landmark. Not many bikers get to ride this, so we enjoyed ourselves http://i412.photobucket.com/albums/p...ia2013_154.jpg The only way is forwards http://i412.photobucket.com/albums/p...ia2013_155.jpg Luckily it was dry today http://i412.photobucket.com/albums/p...ia2013_156.jpg Flora and fauna http://i412.photobucket.com/albums/p...ia2013_157.jpg We wish each other luck and Felix sets off The first few meters were a bit wobbly and nerve wracking, but after about 5 of 10 seconds I got into the groove. Tunnel vision and full concentration, but still enough awareness to stop 2/3 of the way along to wait for Felix to get his camera out, so there are some pics of me riding it! :) 2 minutes 30 seconds. Not the fastest, which I think is Iker from the Basque Country in 40 something seconds, nor the slowest which was Tony Pettie who encountered a huge storm half way across, so had to lay himself and his bike down and wait for it to pass! We had perfect conditions in comparison! http://i412.photobucket.com/albums/p...ia2013_158.jpg Brighty 1 http://i412.photobucket.com/albums/p...ia2013_159.jpg Brighty 2, indicating right! http://i412.photobucket.com/albums/p...ia2013_160.jpg Dunnit! Time for a biscuit and drink of coke |
Ch 13 The Vitim River to the Kuanda River
The Felix Wright Kuanda Mullet Dance that is an adaptation of the Pete Berry Botty Dance. Pete rode UK to Magadan and back on an Xr400 with barely a hitch. On my aborted Mark I attempt at the BAM trip shortly before it retired hurt, we were out eating and drinking in Novo Uoyan. I went to bed and the others carried on partying, including Pete dancing with some local women who were apparently less than impressed with him wiggling his bottom. Since the Sochi Olympics we know Putin's view on gays. These women seemed to (wrongly) think that Pete was of that persuasion too and expressed their displeasure. Maybe Adam Lewis can help to fill in the details and adjudicate if Pete's or Felix's dance is better! http://i412.photobucket.com/albums/p...ia2013_161.jpg Not to be left out I attempt the dance too. On the stage. The local (easily influenced) audience aren't sure what to think... http://i412.photobucket.com/albums/p...ia2013_162.jpg ... before kneeling down as if to say "We are not worthy. He must be the messiah..." ;) http://i412.photobucket.com/albums/p...ia2013_163.jpg One of my fav pics of the trip. I don't necessarily smile easily, but this one is genuine. I even persuaded the shy little girl to join the show off boys in their group shot map4: http://i412.photobucket.com/albums/p...3map4final.jpg More of an overview of the geography The Kuanda River Bridge. TURN UP THE VOLUME! As mentioned in the previous video the usual way to cross the Kuanda River was to hire a Kamaz truck and put the bikes in the back. We decided to see if we could wing it as the truck isn't cheap and there was only 2 of us. I think we were lucky we only came across one scrawny bloke on guard. Had there been more, it would have cost mucho rubbles. FWIW 200 Rubles = £4 = us$6 = euro5 There were many railway bridges to cross. This was the only guarded one until Olyokma. At one, I met a train half way! More about that in the next chapter! http://i412.photobucket.com/albums/p...ia2013_164.jpg Golden Spike Monument, to commemorate the meeting of the 2 railway building teams. One had started in the east at the Pacific Ocean and the other in the west. This is where the tracks connected http://i412.photobucket.com/albums/p...ia2013_165.jpg The railway is your friend and navigator and if the sh!te hits the fan, your get out of jail free card. Like me on the Mark I and Joe after his mishap. |
Not quite in sequence chronologically, but still topical. It may not be totally clear from my ride report, but the Mark II (BMW X Challenge) did make it to Magadan and back to the UK: In November 2013. Here's a picture of it and Felix's bike in the back of my van on a mammoth drive form Rotterdam to Yorkshire in November 2013.
2 weeks ago (late April 2014), the Mark I arrived in the UK too. 4 and a half months late! The pictures below are taken by Darren Mitchell in my employer's groundsman's lawnmower shed where Darren helped me hugely get it back on its wheels and into van and home. Mark II Transalp (and Felix's bike...) November 2013 en route Rotterdam to England. Very much on time, if not much earlier than ever imagined…In a Eurotunnel carriage sous la marche at midnight. https://scontent-b-cdg.xx.fbcdn.net/...66814669_o.jpg Mark I Transalp: Arrived mid April 2014, box opened the other day: The bike came in a container from Mongolia. Nearly half a year late! If you ever need to ship anything to or from Mongolia, I can advise an agent to most definitely avoid! https://scontent-a-cdg.xx.fbcdn.net/...71154661_n.jpg https://scontent-a-cdg.xx.fbcdn.net/...62131050_o.jpg https://fbcdn-sphotos-h-a.akamaihd.n...21394372_n.jpg For more information on whom to use to ship from far East Russia/ Mongolia, see post #19 at http://www.horizonsunlimited.com/hub...e-trip-57891-2 |
Ch 14 Kuanda to Hani: Frightening road and railway bridges and...
After the little shipping story, the RR is back on track. Apologies if some of the town names are incorrect and the pics in the incorrect chronological order. I had 2 cameras and a helmet cam. Felix also has 2 cameras, so sorting out what goes where, wasn't easy. http://i412.photobucket.com/albums/p...ia2013_166.jpg Top stuff, not :-( Good fun in a perverse sort of way! http://i412.photobucket.com/albums/p...ia2013_167.jpg That one's broke, this one doesn't follow the track anymore and the proper one is behind me http://i412.photobucket.com/albums/p...ia2013_168.jpg This bridge was once for the railway. Now there's a new one next door http://i412.photobucket.com/albums/p...ia2013_169.jpg Good nick? http://i412.photobucket.com/albums/p...ia2013_170.jpg Yep, you've guessed it. That white stuff over my left shoulder is ice. http://i412.photobucket.com/albums/p...ia2013_171.jpg Memorial to a driver who lost his life at the river in the following video. We saw quite a few of these on our trip. Vodka consumption might have played a part in some victims' road traffic incident demise. TURN UP THE VOLUME! Bridges, what bridges?! Isambard Kingdom Brunel wouldn't have been impressed! At the end, also a speeded up clip of when I got stuck in what appeared to be an innocuous puddle. And trying to free the bike... Unfortunately at some point the battery on the gopro flattened or the memory card was full. The full story and pics in the next chapter... http://i412.photobucket.com/albums/p...ia2013_172.jpg Even Evel Knievel might have struggled across this one! The video to go with the pictures above and below. I remember the name Hani, because we stopped there to get some supplies and the (drunk) bloke wouldn't leave us alone and insisted on showing us his mobile phone address book entry under the name of one Walter Colebatch ! :-) Dude, you made quite an impression on this chap! He thought you were the messiah! http://i412.photobucket.com/albums/p...ia2013_173.jpg We ended up on our first proper railway bridge, not including the Kuanda Bridge. Once you've done one, you get a bit cocky... http://i412.photobucket.com/albums/p...ia2013_174.jpg One careful lady owner. Never been offroad. http://i412.photobucket.com/albums/p...ia2013_175.jpg The perfect vehicle and dog for the conditions :-) |
Ch15 Hani(ish) to the hut, with Chara en route
Just a couple of pictures, but they tell a little story :) We stayed at the most horrid hotel, bar none, in Chara (arriving in the middle of a rain storm) with no hot water (that you'd expect considering the price we paid) and looking like a building site, where the cafe next door was closed and the restaurant down the road wasn't able to serve up any food either (the favourite word of anyone in the hospitality industry in this godforsaken dump was "niet"). We ended up cooking some noodles on the petrol camping stove in the room. Fire hazard? Health and Safety? Who give a sh!t. We would have done the world a favour if the place had burnt down... It was still chucking it down the following morning, but we had to leave. Giving the miserable niet-woman on reception any more money wasn't an option. A quick breakfast of (Yorkshire) tea and chocolate and we're off... After riding 1/2 an hour, it stopped raining a little too :) The following video already appears in the previous chapter (14), but the footage from 4 min 18 seconds onwards ties in with the photos below ;-) On the bridge in the background you see a train travelling across from right to left reminds me of a little incident: We had ridden along the embankment for a little while. There is usually quite a bit of space, because it was built to take 2 sets of parallel tracks, but only one set was ever laid. The railway bridges however are only wide enough for 1 pair of tracks. Felix is up ahead and has crossed already. Where he is, the track curves to the left behind some trees and bushes. I stop and turn round to see if nothing is coming from behind me. The coast is clear, but I do notice a green signal light that would be seen by any oncoming train driver :-) I'm about a third of the way along riding the bridge-walkway with my right pannier scraping the railing and the left one over the sleepers. Felix is gesticulating wildly! It didn't take a genius to work out why. I think I mouthed to myself "Yeh, I've seen it". A huge locomotive was heading my way! 5 feet ahead is a little alcove where there's sometimes a life-ring to throw to somebody in the river, or a bucket of salt and grit, if the walkway is icy. I get there with about 2 seconds to spare and lay the bike into the right hand railing, so the handlebars are in mid-air over the river. The train misses my left Adventure Spec Magadan pannier*** by maybe 2 feet. A close shave! The status of my underwear following the incident shall remain undisclosed :) I had turned off the gopro 5 minutes before to conserve the battery. So no footage :( So we get off the bridge and decide to head down the embankment and back to the main trail. As Adam said in post #74 at Mongolia to Magadan: Any which (the hard) way - Page 5 - ADVrider , "There's no such thing as an innocuous looking puddle in Siberia eh! " He's not wrong! Felix takes the right hand rut and just makes it. I think I'll take the left. Big mistake! http://i412.photobucket.com/albums/p...ia2013_176.jpg Bollox! I'm well and truly stuck! Get the luggage off and start digging http://i412.photobucket.com/albums/p...ia2013_177.jpg We had spotted a hut on the other side of the bridge. Felix found an axe in the hut. 3 hours that evening until it got too cold scraping with the axe and a tyre lever to help removing the cement like sludge by hand. This picture is taken the following morning during the next 2 or 3 hour shift. Luckily the air intake, carb and exhaust are so high on this bike! Often the tip of my nose was touching the water as I reached down to get another handful of mud http://i412.photobucket.com/albums/p...ia2013_178.jpg Are you enjoying this Mr Bright? No, not exactly. What a great idea to have a good mate along for the ride and to have purchased a tow rope in Severobaykalsk http://i412.photobucket.com/albums/p...ia2013_179.jpg I was particularly weary of toasting another clutch (we didn't have a spare XC one with us), so made sure the bike was completely free before Felix gave me a tow. He apologises for me flying through the air and falling when the bike launched forwards. I was very happy and really didn't give a toss. http://i412.photobucket.com/albums/p...ia2013_180.jpg Our boudoir for the night between attempts trying to dig out the MarkII. Felix had some tasty freeze-dried food and kindly cooked. I wasn't in any state to help. We got the wood-burning heater going and learnt that bits of railway sleeper coated in weather preserving kerosene burn really well ;) *** Am I the first person to ride a bike with Magadan panniers to Magadan?!! Sorry I digress! |
i guess those spins down through france on those shiny metal roads are a thing of the past:smartass:
very enjoyable reading keep it going :D |
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Ch16 Jet-skiing, breaking the law and a stay at the hospital...
Again, TURN UP THE VOLUME. Another compilation video. Suggested titles for the different bits:
http://i412.photobucket.com/albums/p...ia2013_181.jpg Panto season: He's behind you! http://i412.photobucket.com/albums/p...ia2013_182.jpg I think we'll let him go first… http://i412.photobucket.com/albums/p...ia2013_183.jpg Sh!te parking job, blocking the whole road! More compilation. Captions:
http://i412.photobucket.com/albums/p...ia2013_184.jpg Will this bridge still be standing next year? http://i412.photobucket.com/albums/p...ia2013_185.jpg We arrived in Yuktali but could find neither accommodation, nor fuel. People were friendly and helpful, but we seemed on a wild goose chase for both these necessities. A lady in a shop told us to follow a little lad on a pushbike. He led us to the hospital, where we were introduced to the friendly ambulance driver (on the right). We got the gist that we should come back at 6pm. We did and he allowed us to park the bikes in the garage and we slept in a hospital room! Dinner was bread and salami and crisps and beer from the shop in town. There were neither patients, nor doctors/nurses. Next morning when the admin staff arrived (still no patients…), we paid a nominal amount and I even got a receipt. The ambulance driver then told us to follow him to the train station to get benzin. While waiting for the big railway station boss to arrive, we took the opportunity to admire the cut of his secretary's miniskirt and take pictures in the corridor: http://i412.photobucket.com/albums/p...ia2013_186.jpg The Olyokma Bridge before it was repaired http://i412.photobucket.com/albums/p...ia2013_187.jpg The hazards involved in crossing a railway line on a red signal... http://i412.photobucket.com/albums/p...ia2013_188.jpg Mr Wright is stuck, rather than me, for once! http://i412.photobucket.com/albums/p...ia2013_189.jpg Even the rain stopped and the sun came out http://i412.photobucket.com/albums/p...ia2013_190.jpg I recon this sign says "Trespassers will be prosecuted" http://i412.photobucket.com/albums/p...3map5final.jpg The map of the last western BAM section towards Tynda |
I'm thoroughly enjoying your adventure. Please keep the updates rolling :thumbup1:
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We were in discussion a while ago about one or 2 Transalp spares that might wing their way to me. Do you still have them? Chris |
Ch 17 The ride into Tynda or... THE CLEAN BOYS MEET THE DIRTY BOYS
Around Lopcha my bike started seriously misbehaving, but I managed to slowly limp into Tynda. We eventually arrived at 11pm. All the downhill bits I free wheeled with no electrics, nor motor and Felix behind me with his lights on high beam and me making sure my shadow didn't ride off the road in the corners! On the main drag through town, while looking for the hotel, 2 guys flagged us down. THE DIRTY BOYS: A Russian and a Romanian biker who had started off in Magadan and had ridden the New Federal version of the Road of Bones, where apparently their bikes (sheds) were unsuitable, and had considered the BAM, but were now just going to slab it to Moscow. Why did we christen them the DIRTY BOYS (from now on and for ever in UPPER CASE!!!!). They flatly refused to believe we had ridden the BAM. Why? Because we were too clean! :D So, apart that it was nearly midnight and they couldn't really verify our cleanliness or not under a dim streetlight and they weren't aware of the effects of rain and standing water on motor vehicles, I must now admit that this entire ride report is a fake and all the images are photoshopped and the videos cgi-ed. http://i412.photobucket.com/albums/p...ia2013_191.jpg Felix has a puncture. The other thing I was glad I bought in Severobaykalsk, in addition to the tow-rope, was a big mutha of a foot pump, like the one Peter Berry had. It saved our bacon on more than one occasion! http://i412.photobucket.com/albums/p...ia2013_192.jpg Look and learn, look and learn http://i412.photobucket.com/albums/p...ia2013_193.jpg Moody mist http://i412.photobucket.com/albums/p...ia2013_194.jpg More atmospheric stuff http://i412.photobucket.com/albums/p...ia2013_195.jpg Getting our old tubes repaired at a Tynda tyre wallah. We also ate and (particularly) drank very well. http://i412.photobucket.com/albums/p...ia2013_196.jpg I desperate needed a new back tyre. The one I was running would definitely not make it to Magadan. We flagged down a biker and he helped us find a jet wash (and oxymoronic concept, considering our bikes weren't dirty :cool4: ) and then took me tyre hunting… …Without any luck, so we ended up back at his bike club house. There I spotted a used Chinese MX tyre on about 1/2 life. He called the owner who said yes and I was hugely relieved. In the clubhouse where were some sport bikes parked. How odd: Do they really have flag holders? “For club pendants at rallies?”, I genuinely thought. http://i412.photobucket.com/albums/p...ia2013_197.jpg Upon closer inspection: No, for baseball bats... I didn't know baseball was so popular in Far Eastern Siberia :cool4: Or maybe there were for catching car drivers' attention when they have just cut you up... http://i412.photobucket.com/albums/p...ricattynda.jpg I took this at the street sign on the way out of Tynda with a message to remember the great motorcycle traveller Eric Haws of Oregon, USA who passed away just over a year ago. Eric and his lovely wife Gail blazed the trails that other mere mortals followed. In the 1980s, when Siberia was part of the Soviet Union, they were the first to ride the Road of Bones and the western BAM, 2 up, on an airhead Beemer! Their Tynda website is no longer published. There's more information at http://www.horizonsunlimited.com/hub...sed-away-70631 RIP Eric |
Ch 18 The road from Tynda to Yakutsk: DIRTY... Actually just dusty, straight and boring, with some construction thrown in to break the monotony
http://i412.photobucket.com/albums/p...ia2013_199.jpg Just as we're about to ride out of the Tynda hotel gate, my bike won't start. In fact there are no electrics at all when I turn the key. Captain Carpark turns out to be a nice man an allow Felix to use his soldering machine on the connectors on the ignition switch http://i412.photobucket.com/albums/p...ia2013_200.jpg Aldan is half way between Tynda and Yakutsk (which are about 1000km apart). We're in hysterics when we see the pictures on the wall in the hotel reception. Recognise them? Felix pays homage... http://i412.photobucket.com/albums/p...ia2013_201.jpg The Sibirsky Extreme Team Sibirsky Extreme | Going where no motorcycle has been before In the middle picture we recognise the chief guru of all things fun in Siberia and Mongolia Mr W Colebatch and the demon dirtbiker Mr Terrance Brown. A local bloke (newspaper journalist?!) took their pictures. http://i412.photobucket.com/albums/p...ia2013_202.jpg Said man with the camera took our pics the next day too. If anyone passes Aldan, please look in at the hotel if the mugs of Felix and my good self are there too :) http://i412.photobucket.com/albums/p...ia2013_203.jpg The ride really was hot, dusty and boring. My mp3 player pumping out the entire back catalogue of Johnny Cash and Hank Williams Jnr made it vaguely bearable. Here (DIRTY) Felix takes a break in the shade offered by a (pleasant) trucker fixing puctures. These guys are so hard-working. I remember the help that Yevgeny and Todor gave me when I was in deep dudu on the Transalp on the BAM http://i412.photobucket.com/albums/p...ia2013_204.jpg Hard at work http://i412.photobucket.com/albums/p...ia2013_205.jpg DIRTY Bright and the black cat. I used to be the part-owner of 2 black cats in the UK. Both were called Dave! It's impossible to get a name wrong if you give twins (actually not related: you could tell them apart as one was fat from eating the other slim one's food) the same name! Here is their Siberian cousin Sibersky-Dave. http://i412.photobucket.com/albums/p...ia2013_206.jpg On the car ferry across the Lena river (much wider now than it was at Irkutsk) http://i412.photobucket.com/albums/p...ia2013_207.jpg The former clean (fake) adventure biker was temporarily real and DIRTY, now he's fake again ;) http://i412.photobucket.com/albums/p...ia2013_208.jpg Mr V I Lenin shows the way, looking over the main square in downtown Yakutsk |
Ch 19 Leaving Yakutsk, and an involuntary return (For You Herr Wright, zee journey is over!)
Yakutsk is a great place to hang out, but we only had 2 nights here. Our time schedule was very tight, particularly if we were going to attempt the Old Summer Road section of the Road of Bones. Still plenty of time to dope up on pizza, burgers and beer. I also got myself a haircut. Not a mullet though... http://i412.photobucket.com/albums/p...ia2013_209.jpg A concert in the main square. http://i412.photobucket.com/albums/p...ia2013_210.jpg Snoozing on the ferry back across the mighty Lena river http://i412.photobucket.com/albums/p...ia2013_211.jpg No idea that's going on there. Hare Krishna outing? http://i412.photobucket.com/albums/p...ia2013_212.jpg A BMW and a Honda Transalp. You can tell by the logo on the fairing... http://i412.photobucket.com/albums/p...ia2013_213.jpg Nice views on a nice day. It wouldn't last long http://i412.photobucket.com/albums/p...ia2013_214.jpg Wow, a local biker. Nope! Phil Kirk from Australia on a 1983 Jawa 250 2 smoke. Riding from Magadan to London to attend a conference. His Australian employer was paying his transport to get there. Most use the money to buy an air ticket. He used it on freight from Brisbane to Magadan as well as petrol and 2 stroke oil! http://i412.photobucket.com/albums/p...ia2013_215.jpg Phil and the bike made it to London, with barely a hitch. Might be worth considering alternative choices of vehicle when planning long distance travel. It doesn't need to be a real (or faux) "adventure" market niche junket with bling out of the catalogue. I bumped into Phil again on the highway near Irkutsk. I had flown from Magadan to Irkutsk and was riding the Mark I to Mongolia to freight/fly it/me home. http://i412.photobucket.com/albums/p...ia2013_216.jpg Wot the sign sez http://i412.photobucket.com/albums/p...ia2013_217.jpg The statue to match the sign http://i412.photobucket.com/albums/p...ia2013_218.jpg For You Herr Wright, zee journey is over! Felix was waiting for me as I'm riding a bit slower. My steering head bearings and fork seals are fuct. Nothing compared to Felix's bike mishap though. He had noticed that his rear auxilliary tank was leaking petrol. After attempting to seal it, we had a closer look at why it was punctured. The chain had hit it. Broken shock? No. Cracked swingarm? Yes. I'll only say that it wasn't a BMW manufacturing or design issue or caused by any sort of crash when Felix was riding the bike. I know too much about the real reason why it broke, but I think Felix should comment as he sees fit. http://i412.photobucket.com/albums/p...ia2013_219.jpg Help was at hand to start 200km the journey back to Yakutsk http://i412.photobucket.com/albums/p...ia2013_220.jpg Loading the bike onto the next truck. Felix putting a brave face on it. He must have been totally gutted. I started riding back to Yakutsk too, while Felix followed in the truck, but then the rain started and it got really slippery. It got dark too, so we loaded my bike into the back as well. By 1am we manage to get into a hotel near the Yakutsk ferry terminal. What a day and night! |
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The answer to this should be a good one ... :thumbup1: No way to weld that crack up somewhere there? Make it strong enough to finish the ride? |
uhhh
Hello chris,
thanks for the update, good to read about your journey. As you know I am not a Bmw man, but I would have tried to weld the swingarm.... but I dont know what material it is .... anyway as a Russian friend said: there are so many little stickers on a Bmw, dont put leaded fuel in, wear your helmet, dont put more then 5kgs on the rack, read the owners manual ... and so on ... but there is no sticker ... dont take your Bmw to Russia. will be back in Russia next year, on a DR350 !!! yuheee greetings from Switzerland mika |
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The swingarm is aluminium. I'm not a BMW man either. People tell me the only thing BMW about the bike is the badges (unless you stick gaffer tape with "Honda Transalp" written over them :innocent: ) on the side and the mapping on the fuel injection unit. It's an Italian Aprilia with a Austrian Rotax motor with Swedish Ohlins (rather than the sh!te original part) suspension. I liked riding it and I've never had a 650cc single cylinder bike previously, so I bought it. I'm heading your way through Switzerland on said RBA (Rebadged Aprilia) in early July. I'm riding as much dirt as possible between Albania and southern Portugal. Drink a beer? Best wishes Chris |
Yakutsk
Hey Chris,
Yakutsk is a big enough city to find somebody that welds aluminium, I would say, but I only spend a few days in Yakutsk in 2003 and my Honda did not need any welding. Good to read your ride report and look at the pictures. Saludos desde Berna mika |
Weld cast hollow aluminium, the shape of which gives it its strength? This is the only one to ever break, and there's a reason why it broke that I won't go into here. We'll have a chat about it over a cerveza.
Either way, we/Felix didn't have the time due to various other factors/work committments. As we couldn't ride the Old Summer Road due to the monstrous amounts of water in 2013, the New Federal Road was, in my opinion, a pointless exercise when you compare it to excellent parts of Central Asia/ Altai/ Mongolia/ BAM. Felix missed absolutely nothing of interest. |
Ch 20, The end... or Brighty, Show us yer gulags...
Right chaps and chapeses Let's make this the final instalment. Why?
See you on the road Chris http://i412.photobucket.com/albums/p...ia2013_221.jpg Friendly chap who helps me extract the snapped key from the petrol cap on the bike. He even gives me for free the screwdriver I now use to "lock" it The situation I’m in http://i412.photobucket.com/albums/p...ia2013_222.jpg Quite a pleasant view http://i412.photobucket.com/albums/p...ia2013_223.jpg A bridge over a piece of water connecting 2 bits of mud… http://i412.photobucket.com/albums/p...ia2013_224.jpg Luverly jubbly http://i412.photobucket.com/albums/p...ia2013_225.jpg Drink driving? http://i412.photobucket.com/albums/p...ia2013_226.jpg Sunset over the flooded fields http://i412.photobucket.com/albums/p...ia2013_227.jpg The next ferry across the Lena River isn't leaving until tomorrow morning at 7am. So I sleep on the boat. The captain is cool enough to let me sleep in a spare cabin. For free. What a nice man http://i412.photobucket.com/albums/p...ia2013_228.jpg The engine room http://i412.photobucket.com/albums/p...ia2013_229.jpg In the morning they start loading other vehicles… http://i412.photobucket.com/albums/p...ia2013_230.jpg …but we don't leave until noon when the mist/ fog has cleared. I've lost 4 valuable riding hours :-( http://i412.photobucket.com/albums/p...ia2013_231.jpg A trucker and his wife http://i412.photobucket.com/albums/p...ia2013_232.jpg I'm on a new bit of track that was carved out of the mountain side after a huge land slide. It took them 4 days http://i412.photobucket.com/albums/p...ia2013_233.jpg Riding until well after dark every day meant I had the chance to take pictures of sunsets without getting off the bike. At 60 odd degrees north in the summer, it didn't get dark until very late http://i412.photobucket.com/albums/p...ia2013_234.jpg The turn off for the Old Summer Road. In 2013 no motor vehicle made it from here through to Magadan via the OSR http://i412.photobucket.com/albums/p...ia2013_235.jpg The fuel station at the turn off. Phil on the MZ had written his details here a few days ago. I add mine. I wasn't organised enough to print stickers before I left :-) http://i412.photobucket.com/albums/p...ia2013_236.jpg The fuel station http://i412.photobucket.com/albums/p...ia2013_237.jpg After a night camping at the cafe/petrol station at the turnoff: Amongst the crashed/abandoned cars and trucks. That black cloud in the distance was coming my way. I tried to race it, but it was faster than me :-( http://i412.photobucket.com/albums/p...ia2013_238.jpg The highlight of my Road of Bones ride: Near Ust Nera, bumping into Pete Berry and Adam Lewis again. They had made it to Magadan, but transport for themselves and their bikes out of there, was beyond their budget, so they were riding back. Pete rode is XR400 all the way back to the UK. What a man! http://i412.photobucket.com/albums/p...ia2013_239.jpg Landslides have been cleared. In the distance, centre right is where the road came from. This is me looking back. I've just ridden a 1/2 mile detour http://i412.photobucket.com/albums/p...ia2013_240.jpg Lots of abandoned buildings everywhere on my journey. Now an abandoned town. No time to look round as it's getting dark Ghost Town by The Specials (1981). The first vinyl record I ever bought I don’t visit any gulags, so have no pictures to show. Lack of time, an unfit bike (remember 50kmh min speed…), solo riding and most definitely not in the mood http://i412.photobucket.com/albums/p...ia2013_241.jpg After the ghost town I get to next inhabited town in the dark (11pm?), where my GPS unit says there's a hotel. It's closed. Bollocks. The janitor lady suggests I try elsewhere. They tell me to get lost too. So I head back to the closed hotel and persuade the janitor to let me sleep on the floor in the hallway. Actually, she lets me sleep on the benches in the gym room/waiting room. The next morning the hotel owner lady arrives and sees me. She says nothing to me but gives the unfortunate janitor girl a whole load of grief. So I impress owner b!tch with my excellent grasp of Estuary English and head out of town. Only one more day of riding to go.... http://i412.photobucket.com/albums/p...ia2013_242.jpg It stopped raining enough to kick up some dust http://i412.photobucket.com/albums/p...ia2013_243.jpg The only fuel station in town http://i412.photobucket.com/albums/p...ia2013_244.jpg I is dirty too :-) http://i412.photobucket.com/albums/p...ia2013_245.jpg A bloody long way to ride to get a picture at a road sign. Bashplate/skidplate, silencer and auxiliary fuel tank are all held on and in place with fencing wire (probably a few cows have since escaped en route...), cable ties and bungee cords http://i412.photobucket.com/albums/p...ia2013_246.jpg I rolled into downtown Magadan at about 10.30 at night. In the rain. (Did I mention it rained a lot?) "Great, there's the hotel", I think to myself. I get off the bike in front of the main entrance and while I'm trying to remove my helmet, this rabid drunk man is preventing me by every means from getting to the hotel door. Oh joy... I'll spare the details, but I did "assert" my right to enter the hotel prior to the police taking him jail. And I leave you with a song: |
I loved that Russian song ... is that deep sense of melancholy (so evident in the song) perpetuated throughout the culture? Is it as palpable as it appears in the song? Does it "rub off" on your out look while your there? :confused1:
Is it the Vodka? :rofl: I hate obnoxious drunks. I think I'd rather camp out on the outskirts of town ... but probably all a toxic pit? Serious environmental degradation there ... worse than anything I've ever seen anywhere in the world. :( The Shed MK 2 I know you mentioned it in your report somewhere ... but I've forgotten ... did you buy the X Challenge from your buddy? Or just borrow it? In the end, what are your thoughts about it? Would you own one? (if you don't already) Is it a worth while bike to put money into? :confused1: I remember your joy when you first got it ... and the comparisons to your Transalp "Shed MK1". :smartass: But here at the end seems the BMW is kind of falling to pieces. So what is your verdict? Keep the X Challenge? Go back to a DRZ400? or something else? What's up next for travel? Thanks for the great report! bier |
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I was running the same ride report over on advrider. Felix has now described what happen. See post 149 at Mongolia to Magadan: Any which (the hard) way - Page 10 - ADVrider |
[QUOTE=chris;468846
Wow, a local biker. Nope! Phil Kirk from Australia on a 1983 Jawa 250 2 smoke. Riding from Magadan to London to attend a conference. His Australian employer was paying his transport to get there. Most use the money to buy an air ticket. He used it on freight from Brisbane to Magadan as well as petrol and 2 stroke oil! Hi Chris, about 50 kms after I met you guys I hit rain. A mixture of dust + rain and increasingly slippery road had me camping for the night on the side of the road. Next morning hit some very slippery stuff going on the run to Yukutsk. Even more slippery then it looked but the MZ just chogged along in 1st gear barely above idle and got through. http://mzadventure.smugmug.com/photo...-BSXwvbZ-L.jpg You and Felix had one hell of a trip. Looks great. Hope we catch up again in the future! |
[QUOTE=Krixos;475122]
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Great to hear from you. Hope you're well. I'm meeting Felix in the Pyrenees in Spain tomorrow and will pass on your regards. He lives on Majorca. We're riding some trails down there. Same bikes as in Siberia last summer. His bike is fixed. I've ridden from Albania to France in the past 3 weeks, a lot of it off road. Please drop me a line when you're again in the UK. |
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Correct about road conditions, but I don't agree there is nothing to see/enjoy. In fact landscape is super and partly with great mountains. There is indeed only 1 ferry to take over the Aldan rivier (not Lena!). There is the state operated one and a private company. They take off when full, no timetable. Normally 3 to 4 times a day. Big price difference for our truck, 1000(state) or 4000(private) rbl.
Apart from the landscape there are a few museums about gulag, some gulag locations etc. If you speak Russian it is very interesting to go some deeper in peoples living conditions, politics etc etc in this region because its quite specific. There is also a big difference between the Yakutian and Russian population. There are even some villages with allmost 100% UA population. We did Yakutsk Magadan last August/september. GRTZ, JP |
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The ferry I took was free for me on a bike. They also allowed me to sleep free on the boat over night. |
The coolest picture ever-brilliant!
It takes яйца to carry that off! |
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