Whilst I know most people are honest and friendly, there are some who aren't, and we're passing through their lives riding something worth several years of their earnings, carrying stuff that could be sold to buy them food (or vodka) for a week.

So what's it really like and what are the real risks, from people who have been there, seen that? If you don't lock your bike in a locked yard overnight is it likely to disappear? Do flocks of vultures appear every time you park trying to liberate stuff from your luggage? Can you visit a shop without leaving an armed guard by the bike? Other than unofficial muggings by traffic police, are muggings a real hazard?

Share your stories people.

I always lock my bike in Europe, I almost never do it in Asia.
Is this enough?

Seriously, main risk if you leave your bike unguarded is that someone use it to pose for pictures, and maybe he doesn't know how much a bike weights with correlated problems.

Thefts is really not a problem in that area, from my experience.
Obviously, use common sense: don't leave cameras/phones/helmets and expensive stuff unguarded.

As usual, cities are worst places than countryside

Theft is generally not an issue in Central Asia, but in Kyrgyzstan, Kazakhstan and Mongolia it's not unheard-of for things to disappear if they are left on an unguarded bike.

But beyond not inviting opportunistic theft, I don't think you have anything to worry about.

Some places I would be a little more cautious than others in Central Asia.

-Atyrau, Aktau in western Kazakhstan
-Ulaanbaatar in Mongolia
-Anywhere in Kyrgyzstan

But still, compared to Europe, theft is almost negligible. Don't worry about it too much.

EO

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EurasiaOverland a memoir of one quarter of a million kilometres by road through all of the Former USSR, Western and Southern Asia.

I was being "tongue in cheek". Really just looking for some real world experience of where people are aware of real (as opposed to imaginary) problems. It's all too easy to get a bit paranoid when you're many miles from home and totally reliant on the bike and equipment, but being realistic is important. If there are real risks then recognising them could prevent a good trip going bad.

Thanks for the responses, anyone else got any views/experience?

Simple rules of my travel....
1/ Keep the important stuff within arms reach at all times......money, passports etc
2/ Remove temptation from opportunists. If they can't see it, they don't know that it's there !
3/ Lock it as best you can overnight, yours or a rental....coz walking sucks
4/ Trust NOBODY

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My memory is becoming that good, I should be able to organise my own surprise party soon

During the day you should be fine but at night time you will need to lock up.

Someone attempted to steal my motorcycle from a hotel compound in Kazakhstan - the security guard came to my room to warn me about it, turned out the thief had attempted to break the steering lock. I had to disassemble the steering lock to remove the bent pin and from that point forwards I have not been able to lock the steering (still unrepaired).

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Garry from Oz - powered by Burgman

I choose to not trust your opinion in this matter.

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www.wanderingsouls.be

You have more chance to have stuff stolen from a bike anywhere in the US or on Europe than in central Asia.
The biggest nuisance will be that a lot of people will want to touch your stuff or just sit on your bike and they don't care it is "your property". They will sit on it, get a picture taken and then leave.
End of story.

If you are so afraid of travelling and if you agree with this ridiculous rule of "trust nobody" then why the hell would you even consider travelling?

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Two trips to Central Asia and no problems with theft anywhere. We tried to find secured parking for the bikes at night but often ended up just parking in front of the lodging.

There was one place, Beyneu, Kazakhstan, a frontier border town where 'the vultures' did descend. My partner went inside the railway hotel to arrange for a room and I was out watching the bikes. Pretty soon there were at least a dozen grown men, a couple of them drunk, pawing at things. My partner, who was taking every opportunity to practice his Russian, was taking his time inside, chatting up the clerk.

Meanwhile, one the men started to mount my bike. I put a stop to that and when I turned around, I saw another had picked up my partner's helmet and gloves and was wearing them around, showing them to the rest of the group. GPS's, luggage straps, water bottles, and windshields were all poked and stroked, and the group would occasionally break into laughter.

Finally, my partner returned, and we took everything off the bikes and hauled it inside. The odd thing is: the whole time, there was never any bad feeling from the men. They were just curious, and didn't seem to have the same boundaries for interacting with other's property that I am used to. Plus they were bored and unoccupied (no work?) and just looking to be entertained. No harm was done.

We had to leave the bikes, forks locked and covered, but unattended out front there over night, but nothing was disturbed when we got out in the morning.

Of all the places, we stopped that was the only one where anything at all out of the ordinary happened. Just take ordinary precautions, I think.

.............shu

Thanks for the story shu, and one reason I'm not overfond of travelling alone (though it's not going to stop me). Beyneu is a well documented armpit of a town but much passed-through as it sits on the junction of several major roads. As you say, there is a very little work and very much drinking that goes on there.

Lesson 1 don't leave anything on the bike that's not locked to it.

Lesson 2 lock it away at night sounds more and more a sensible move.

Thanks all

For me Osh is the place with not the best memories. We were parked on the side of a big street. Might had been the same that goes straight to the border crossing. Nothing really happened, but some beggars decided to take a bottle of (some was left) that most likely had gone bad already and a few days old prjaniki. And some guy tried to get into one of the cars. And all of that happened, while we were messing about around the cars.

I remember it because those prjaniki were supposed to be my breakfast.

But otherwise no issues at all in the Stans.

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Frank

Not worse than anywhere else in the world. We never had any problems around central Asia, other than speeding fines in Kyrgyzstan last year.

I would say that the bigger the town the more the risk. But in big towns you can find hotels with secure compounds. In Osh we left the bike in the Osh Nuru hotel where the car park is locked at night and guarded…
Last year we stayed at a newish hotel in Bishkek, and the bikes were parked near reception. We then were asked to move them to the carwash/workshop nearby (separate company) where they were locked in at night. W eewre not asked money for it either!

Usually staff at hotels / hostals will tell you (if you ask) if it is safe for the bikes to spend the night “there” or they will find a secure spot for them.

Border towns like Bayneu etc.. are always higher risk but hotels will let you park in the lobby or they will suggest a solution. Last year in Kazakhstan near the Chinese border we lifted the bikes up into the entrance by the reception desk, as instructed by the lady owner.

In Russia we even got the bikes, one night, up the outside stairs to the 1st floor reception, helped by the receptionist! Lucky we have light bikes though!
In Mongolia, the only town where the bikes were not in a compound (in Ulaangom) we just locked them together and removed all luggage. The bikes were just parked near the entrance of the hotel.

All in all, if in doubt, ask the staff if it is safe, ask where you can leave the bikes. They will always help you. They don’t want hassle with the police.

As for stopping on the road during the day. We travel with soft luggage, most without any security device. Sometimes we may have stopped on the road and not always keeping sight of them. Take the essential out of the bike. For us, it is my tank bag, which olds the maps, iPad, camera etc… All our other docs (passports, money etc) is always on us. Always.
Never had a problem but then, opening our soft panniers is a huge hassle as you have to dismantle 2 set of Rok-Straps! Just don’t make it easy for someone to grab something and run!

Basically all common sense in the end. However, we always carry a big lock and lock the bikes together at night. Since I got one of my bike stolen in Brazil, back in 2007, during our 1st overland trip, we have been a little bit more cautious!

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Maria

www.franglais-riders.com

Everywhere we have people we cant trust ethnicity or country does not count, just be very carefully anywhere you go. Safety is always at your hands.