Europe (Sweden) to Mongolia 2014
 

Hi,

Im planning a trip this summer/autumn. From Sweden to Mongolia and would really appreciate any advice from you guys.

As soon as I get visas and my license (yes, complete beginner) I will leave. I am aware of how inexperienced I am and I realize my trip might end in Berlin. Aim for the stars... :D

Very rough route I have in mind (see photo below): Sweden > Turkey > Kaz > Taj > Mongolia. Will ride 2-up with my girlfriend until around Turkey, then solo or if Im lucky and find a riding partner. After Irkutsk (not on map) take the train to Moscow and then ride home.

Boundaries:
I hope to start mid July
I have to be in Australia around mid October to mid November
Back to work latest mid January

So Im thinking,
Option A: Ride to Ulaanbaatar and fly to Australia mid October and return November to finish trip in December (winter is cold, hopefully not impossible).
Option B: Twist the throttle and do the whole trip (incl train to Moscow etc) before mid October. Would give me time to spend in summer of Australia instead of Russian winter :)

Any input on the options would be much appreciated. The part on google maps below is 14 600 km. Lets say 20 000 actual distance with some margin. 200 km/day = 100 days, which would suggest Option A (3 months to Ulaanbaatar) would be reasonable. If I could do option A and still enjoy it I would much prefer that.

I have driven 500+500km in two days (good roads and shower + warm bed in the end) so I have some vague idea about the pain in the back etc, but hard to predict doing it every day and with some bad roads. Im thinking 200km/day leaves room for breakdowns, borders and not spending all time awake on the bike, even with bad roads. But if I have to I will twist the throttle, shed a tear and experience my body moving from pain to relief, back to pain etc. I have some experience of that from non-riding related "adventures" and think I can manage if my bike can.

Is my reasoning sound or should I increase/decrease expected distance of 200 km per day?

Also, in terms of spare parts for my bike (Yamaha ttr 600 2001, currently 28 000 km):
- Starting with "ok" chain and sprockets
- Bringing 1 new rear sprocket, 2 new front sprockets and 1 new chain (DID X-ring)
- New Heidenau Scouts from start. Maybe bring rear tire. Not sure if one tire will last the 20 000 km.
- Tire repair kit (tubetype)
- Not sure about extra brake and clutch lever
- One extra oil filter (will change oil and filter before I start)
- I have read about people changing bearings etc.. should I really have to expect that? Will be so much weight and things to buy. But I understand better to buy before than to be in the field without it.
- Would I be stupid not to service the bike at a mechanic before the trip? Maybe do it before leaving Europe?

Any input/suggestions/advise would be very much appreciated and quite possibly save my trip from ending in Berlin :) As you can tell I am really new to this and doing my best to read up on how to, change tires, sprockets, install gps-charger to a kick-start bike etc. I already changed to 20L tank, got some soft luggage etc.

Thanks and please wish me/us good luck :scooter:

Congratulations on planning your first overland adventure, it looks like a great route.

I can't really offer much help as I haven't done the Asian countries, hoping to do it starting early 2016 or sooner if I can get the cash together, but I'll be doing it by car rather than bike.

I think that you might find it difficult to ride 2-up all that way, especially since you will have to carry a fair amount of gear with you and weight won't be on your side if you encounter any muddy or sandy stretches.

Best of luck to you and I'll be following your progress.

Thanks!

If we get that far Im planning to drop my partner off around Turkey. So after that Im alone and dont even have a sholder to cry on when the bike breaks down :)

Good luck with your planning!

*bump*

Purchases from different stores are dropping in every day and (spare parts, GoPro cam, Garmin GPS etcetc.) take-off is getting close. Would be great if anyone with a little experience of general bike travel or the specific path planned could give some input.

200km/day reasonable? Too little/much?
Skip spare light bulb, bearing etc (but bring oil filter, chain, tire tubes etc)?

Thanks

As someone with general bike travel experience, I will tell you the following:

(1) You will not know how much is too little or too much until you know how much you like to ride each day. Some people like to get up early, hit the road at 7am, and ride non stop 12 hours till 7pm. Other people like to wake up at 9am, hit the road about 11:30. Stop for lunch 13:30-15:30, then squeeze in a couple more hours before end of day at 17:30. Thus achieving 4 hours per day in the saddle.

(2) How much is too much or too little depends on how much you like taking detours to see interesting things locals suggest to you

(3) how much you ride per day depends on whether you want to do a fair bit of off road on your trip or not.

Only you can answer those questions and you will PROBABLY only be able to answer them 3-4 weeks into your trip.

- Between Samarkand and Almaty you are taking the least interesting option (the highway) when the glorious mountains of Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan beckon.

- take spare bearings. do NOT take spare light bulbs. They are standard sizes and everywhere. And they will smash in your luggage leaving tiny bots of glass everywhere.

- Carring tyres sux and should be avoided at all costs. On top of that its heavy, unbalances your bike, screw your handling and is generally "uncool". Contact Dean (a Russian tyre distributor who is a HUBBER) as per this post http://www.horizonsunlimited.com/hub...strachan-76491 and have tyres waiting for u in Astrakhan.

- Do carry a spare front and rear tube. Do fit heavy duty new tubes (and new bearings and seals and oil and filter and chain) before you go. Do not start with an "OK" chain and sprockets unless you know where you are going to be able to buy new ones en route.

Hey, thanks a lot for your input, its much appreciated by someone new to this as me. Maybe next year I will continue east from Irkutsk and try something closer to what you did not so long ago ;)

I understand the "it depends". I was just looking for some general guidelines as to where in the scale of "push-bike speed" to "dakar speed" my estimations are with regards to terrain, breakdowns etc. I guess I will just have to assume that the 200km a day is a safe bet for most "normal" people and then adjust from there. I have tried 10hour rides on my enduro bike with standard seat and I can do it but prefer not to.

The route will get more detailed soon. I just got my Garmin Montana and today I was able to download OSM map so I can start setting real waypoints/routes rather than just pointing at cities on google maps. The mountains around Pamir is certainly something Ill try for.

I will look more into bearings. Havent seen much of that even for sale to be honest (for my bike).

Regarding sprockets/chain and tires Im planning to go with new Heidenau Scouts and see if they might last for all 2000 km. If not will try to contact someone on the road, thanks for advice! Sprockets I will go with what I have (medium wear) but also bring a set of JD sprockets (2 front 1 rear) and DID chain. Heavy but I prefer looking for new tires than new sprockets/chain when Im out there and 2000 km seems like a stretch for one set of new sprockets only.

Again, thanks a lot. It means a lot to get some input on my thoughts after reading so much of others' posts, videos of bike breadown after breakdown etc. Next step will be to actually try for myself :)

Getting close to take-off, just waiting for the bearings I was told to get (thanks) and some other key stuff.

The planned route will always change, but I like to have a starting point that can then be adjusted.

In below route I have tried to get it roughly right with one color per day (mostly 200-300 km per day). No rest days in the map but obviously wont do it all without rest days, breakdowns etc.

Any suggestions to change route would be much appreciated. Current thoughts Im pondering are:

Austria: Go through Vienna and instead miss out on some alps
Albania: Go Albania and northern Greece but miss out on Serbia, Romania etc
Georgia: Take more time and explore more in the N and NW of the country.

Itinerary critera: Nature and beautiful views, not so much cities (but "important" ones yes). Some rough riding is ok but Im just a beginner with a lot of will.

Any input much appreciated!

What Colebatch said.

Other than that, 200km a day is a perfect planning distance.
This is exactly how I calculate roughly time and distance. There will be days where you'll do 500km because there's nothing else to do or see and other days where you won't touch the bike.

20.000km in 100 days is what we did last year and the year before that, so you'll be fine and since you won't go offroad, you'll have plenty of time to do citytrips and stuff.

Don't plan too much, just count more or less when you think you might need to be at a certain border (after EU) and that's the only thing that matters as you'll need to look at your visas. Deciding now before you even left what you will and won't see is a bad idea in my opinion. Just feel day by day what you want to do. If you're planning on doing X and the weather is exactly the opposite of what you need...?! Just go with the flow, FEEL what you want to do while on the road and all will be fine and you'll enjoy yourself!

People who (over)plan are always stressed out!!!

Thanks for input, hehe before I made the latest two maps I felt I was a little "behind" on planning since I didnt even know if I wanted Transfagarasan or Greece (or both?) or if I had 1 month or 2 to get from Georgia to Mongolia, while others ride with detailed gps routes which even made them take the same wrong path as the one who created the track log and gave it to them :)

I both expect and hope that the plan will change but I guess Im the kind of person who likes to have a plan to start with. However I do see your point. Will try to take things as they come, which will happen whether I like it or not :)

Thanks also for the confirmation of the 200 km/day! Obviously rough but again something to start with. Its not 50 and its not 1000.

Getting close now..!

When are you leaving? I'm planning a short trip late August in Europe, if you'd like to team up for some of the distance, or maybe go for a test ride.

I'd like to hear about your bikes mods and how they worked out for you at some time.

By the way, I ride the same bike a 2001 TT600R...even down to the Heidenauer K60s :D

I'm planning on leaving Denmark on the 18th August and riding through Germany, Czezh Republic, Hungary and veering off towards the Dolomites at some point.

Hello!

Interesting with the same bike and similar (start of) trip. We might be leaving a bit earlier than you though. Hoping we can leave in a week or so and move pretty quickly to croatia and Turkey. Will let you know if we're slowed down!

Mods.. I had not touched a motorcycle ever in my life until April this year, so dont expect big stories :)

From memory what I have done:

- Acerbis 20l tank
- 12v and USB electicity to charge GPS, camera, inflate tires etc (kick-start so no battery)
- Center stand
- Barkbusters
- Heated grips (not on yet)


I also bought protection for front suspension, but being a beginner Im not sure its worth the trouble of disassembling steering and all just to be able to "pull on" the sock/protection.

Then of course I bought a lot of things such as spare parts, bags for luggage, GPS, GPS holder, camera, Airhawk seat (for my girlfriend sitting behind) etc.

I have probably missed more than I did right, but Im hoping this will get me to where I want. At least I have a bike and this week I also passed last test for driver's license - what more can possibly be needed? :D

Id like to hear more about the charger of you don't mind. I've been considering some sort of set up to charge a smart phone, but seeing how the bike is battery-less, it presents some challenges.

How did you about wiring your bike? Does the current output stay stable, so you don't fry the electronics?

Regarding the socks, I've got a neoprene set on my bike too. I'd recommend it, if you're looking to take care of your bike.

Good idea with the Airhawk...had a buddy ride pillion today and he complained about the comfort for the 15 mins the ride lasted :D

What kind of luggage did you go for?

Anyways, to stay on topic...I'm leaving on the 18th...let me know if your trip gets postponed.

Oh, and it would be cool to see some pics of your ride all kitted out.

Heres mine. Not a lot of extra mods, but I like it the way it is. Only thing missing is a 20L Acerbis tank...but they're damn expensive!

Attachment 13408

Luggage:
Ortlieb soft bags (around 2x25L) + a regular duffel bag (?) at 50L. Im considering adding small bags on top on either of the three bags. A 100L should be ok for me solo, but with a (lady) passenger in the back seat... :) And yes she does fit back there, but we cant lay down ;)

Electronics:
I should probably repeat Im a complete beginner. I might very well ruin my electronics... time will tell.
What I did was to "hijack" the cable for tail light. Here I could most easily find stable 12V (actually its 14.2 or something, dont remember). After buying a multimeter and figuring the basics out I think I can say pretty certainly that the current is stable. Shifts some decimal but nothing big. Also I assume the converter to USB should keep it stable since it can take in something like 10-40V and has an output of 5V 1.1 A or something.... Again Im not 100% sure here. Nothing ruined so far and Ive tried iPhone, GoPro and Garmin GPS.
Anyway... hijak then just goes through a fuse (10A automatic currently) and the cable then continues under the tank to the front. There I have a (hopefully) waterproof 12V "cig" connection. I then have an insert into that cig for 2 x usb output.

I dont have a good photo with all changes. Below is one from when I tried luggage system. Tank is there, but not center stand, bark busters etc. Last photo is with all current mods (with bark busters, center stand).

Ill let you know if plans change. Please let me know if you have any good ideas regarding bike changes or the trip. Any special destination you are planning to visit that might be interesting?

Hi FS....I am going to Mongolia actually to Tokyo starting this Sunday and to bad that you are ruining some days behind me as I am from Serbia and my country is on you trip list.
Ride safe Zoki

Oh, too bad we might not meet. May I ask what is your rough route? Bulgaria ->Turkey and then? North or south of the Caspian Sea? Will you (try to) do Pamir highway? Later in the journey, if I have no big problems, I might catch up with you :scooter:

I read about the landslide in Georgia blocking the military highway. Not sure if its still a problem since I also saw reports of temporary roads being opened a while ago.

Been on the road for 12 days now. Doing 200km/day. Europe so good roads but lots to see so not 24/7 riding. Currently in Croatia, heading to Serbia and Romania. Will probably not post back here in a while.

Thanks again for input given. Let's see if I get to Mongolia!

At home now, last post just to conclude my own answer to my question.

I really dont want to sound like a professor after only one trip, but I do want to share for someone who might be in same boat as I was a few months ago.

So, based on my personal experience:

200km per day is little unless you really want to relax.

I would say its more realistic to expect 300-400 and then know that some days will be spent on tourism/bike repairs/looking for visa, purchases needed etc.

800km in one day is very much possible with good roads. For me its a very long day but nothing extreme. However, bad roads quickly make 300-400 km quite demanding. Many factors playing in, but better to have some numbers than none.


Regarding spare parts:
Front and back tube is obvious to bring if your not going super light weight. Bring baby powder and some kind of lube for those punctures (tubed tire).

Oil filter is so small so yes. I did first oil change after 9 000 km and then rode another 9 000 km after that. One spare oil filter took me 18 000+ km

Chain and sprockets... I had an o-ring chain that was somewhat used. It lasted for about 15 000 km without much wear. Then, due to really bad weather (cold and rain messed up lube and wind forced me to push the bike hard rather than cruise), chain started skipping/jumping 2 days after I lubed it and it was fine. Lesson learned: A good o-ring chain lasts a long time if you take care of it. But if you, like me, might miss chain maintenance for just a short time... Its really nice to have. I managed to continue for maybe 2000 km after my "chain incident", but I was driving really carefully and I drowned the chain in engine oil. Less than 15 000 km I dont think I would bring spare, but then be anal about never letting chain dry.

I am still beginner but after my lost chain/sprockets I will start using thick oils as soon as weather turns a little blue. Maybe use the branded and viscous "chain lube" when at home and short trips. It seems to be catastrophic to have dry chain and not so horrible to have oily and dirty chain. Again, all in my personal and quite limited experience.

Bring tools. Bring air compressor. Bring some spare bolts and nuts. Make sure to always have some engine oil (for engine and/or chain) in your bags.

I did not need bearings, nor any wires (gas, clutch etc), but I would probably still bring these small items on a longer trip. Little effort - huge payoff if shit hits the fan.

My tires (Heidenau K60 scout) were new when I went and they are still "ok" after 18 000+ km. That with aprox 9 000 km asphalt 2-up and 9 000 km solo off road. I didnt notice big difference in wear whether I went 2-up or off-road. Since tires are so heavy I would probably not bring if trip is shorter than 25 000 km. Given my bike and the tires I had. Longer trip I would maybe try to arrange to pick up a rear tire after 20 000 km or something.

With barkbusters I dont think I would bring brake/clutch lever.

Bringing the bike in for service was obviously not needed. My bike is of course long lasting and had already made it past potential initial problems. Before doing it I would try to understand what the service would be... Changing oil and other easy stuff should be seen as good opportunities to practice yourself. Opening engine I would probably try to avoid until I see a problem. I adjusted valves once, after spending lots of time looking for a willing mechanic, but Im not sure the mechanic was that thorough. I had no problems before/after.

I would also bring an extra 12v to USB converter. Maybe different brands even. The one I brought didnt work well after some vibrations.

On the top of my head... Again, personal experience from one 18 000+ km trip.

Good advice!

So how did the TT hold up? I heard you bent your handlebar, but if that was all, then I'll sleep well, knowing its up for the job :D

It did well, but I had some more challenges on the way. The handlebar-situation I had almost forgotten, it wasnt a big deal.

My spark plug was fairly new when I left. After about 10k km it died. I had one spare but it died after only two days. This caused issues because I didnt expect a two days old spark plug to be wasted so I didnt check first.

My spark plug story:
New spark plug died after 10k km -> change to spare 1

Spare 1 dies after two days -> with luck I found a new NGK one and also purchased 4 Chinese spare spark plugs. Adjusted carb a little (more lean mix, just before high altitude Pamir)

The new NGK died after about 7 days, so I put in a Chinese.

The Chinese is still good, after maybe 3 weeks of driving.


I think this is rather a matter of adjusting fuel mix than a fault of the bike. But next time I will probably bring 4 extra spark plugs of different brands :)

I broke some plastics due to vibrations (the plastic holding the headlight broke where it attaches in the part closes to handlebar).

Backlight doesnt work (brake light does work though), but I think this is due to me messing with cables. Havent had time to check whats wrong.


I am very happy with the bike. Best "surprise" was how well soft bags worked without investing in frame to carry bags (Ortlieb).

Kickstart will cause some soar muscles and sweaty starts of some days when bike is having issues of some kind. I dont mind that much but maybe E-start is worth a kilo or two. That also makes is easier to charge GPS, camera etc.

The bike is a little slow on highways. With a little wind I dont like doing more than 90km/h. With little wind 100. With wind in the back 110. I have done 130, but I wouldnt do that for long. For my kind of trip I would have liked a little higher max speed. Not sure I would go through trouble of changing sprockets for this, but not fun to ride with buddies and ur max is 100 when they go 120. This means you lose them in no time.

No windscreen is ok but if I could choose I would want one.

Water "protection" on front wheel is shit (made for dirt/offroad). When riding on asphalt during rain it felt like water was directed right onto my feet and also some on the legs/lower body. The plastic is too far from the wheel (for asphalt in rain), which creates a stream of water sprayed right in front of the bike. This was only a problem when riding 30-80km/h (which you often do in heavy rain).

A bit unstructured message. But as I said I have been happy with the bike. Im thinking about a similar trip (different part of the world) and maybe I would go with same bike. Maybe DRZ400... I rode with two Yamaha xt660 and they seemed like a little more road, e-start and small windscreen... could be an option I guess. The TTR is a little more off-road than what is really needed for trips like mine, but it is still a really nice bike and you will never feel like the bike is limiting you from going off-road (which was important for me).

My tires from the trip. Heidenau Scout K60. M+S on at least one of em

Started new and they did a bit more than 18 000 km, of which about 8 000 km was 2-up on mostly asphalt (Europe, some offroad Albania). Rest was solo on maybe 50/50 asphalt and gravel/offroad.

I didnt drive like crazy but didnt really try to be careful with the tires (e.g. accel).

Last photo is a new rear tire (ie same as first, but new).