Good Morning Kazakhstan,

Des Senior, yes, damaging only oneself still damages someone.

Your second point is a good one. I carry a second wallet with a copy of my DL, passport, expired credit cards in my name and other innocuous identification like library cards, expired student IDs etc for the purpose of handing over in the event of attempted robbery or solicitation by an obviously corrupt official. And, I keep about $20.00 USD in that wallet. My plan is to hand over or drop or throw the decoy wallet and leave.

I would only hand over the original of my DL or passport in the confines of a secure location with other police monitoring, like at a border. I have shown the originals, but never handed them over.

I am not naive, I know there is corruption in every country, but I also know, as you have pointed, possible suspected terrorists in the area, that relying on forged documents might exacerbate the situation. Using forged documents might certainly be the cause of further detention and investigation.

And, if the forged document has to do with the motorcycle or TVIP (temporary vehicle import permit) it provides a loop hole for your insurance company that allows the company to legally deny paying bail, attorneys fees and damages to others. And, not having valid insurance absolutely risks hurting others and yourself.

A question - rosa and I will be riding 2 BMWs, from Spain to Latvia in 2018, and then would like to ride from Latvia to Kazakhstan and beyond, which months would have the best riding weather?

Thanks for your excellent comments.
xfiltrate