Paris - Stans, departure January 2023
 

Hi guys,
I'm leaving alone at the end of January for a roadtrip to the stans from Paris.
I will first go through the following countries : italy slovenia croatia bosnia montenegro albania greece turkey.
The continuation will remain to be defined according to the geopolitical context.

If some of you wish to ride together for a few kilometers or on longer trips, it would be a pleasure to meet you.

You can add me on instagram @victorgrff
Do not hesitate to advise me on your favorite spots

Let's catch up
See you on the road

Victor - Transalp 600 1989

I am looking at buying an Africa Twin that is stored in Madrid. I need to find a mechanic there to verify that it's alright. If so, I'm headed to the Stans also and could leave in early February.

Have you looked at historical weather patterns for the time of year along your proposed route?

This is worth taking seriously. My several winter experiences in Italy, Slovenia, Croatia, Bosnia, Montenegro and Albania involved a lot of survival-level riding, with rains, winds, snow, and other forms of general misery. I often ended up selecting routes based solely on where I could find the least-miserable weather--not a recipe for fun times on a motorcycle.

Hope that's helpful, although clearly mileage varies.

Mark

Indeed, Mark. You're describing the European leg of the chap's proposed journey. The leg beyond Turkey is even more utopian in ambition. In a car with a heater and appropriate tyres and winter preparation, probably yes, if you like that sort of thing, but on a motorcycle? Wtf?!

The OP should look at altitudes too. Turkey, unless you're within a kilometre or 5 from the coast, is predominantly at about 1000m above sea level. The Caucasus (mountains)? The Pamir (mountains)?!

Quote from the OP: "The continuation will remain to be defined according to the geopolitical context".

Currently the only way to get to the Stans from Turkey (or from anywhere west...) is via Russia... The winter of 1941 and the German army's involvement around Moscow or Stalingrad, now again called Volgograd, springs to mind...

There's a reason why everyone else travels west/east through the Stans between May and October.

Hello everyone,

I thank you for these messages concerned with the success of the trip in good condition.
Indeed I looked at the environment of the journey basing myself mainly on this tool: https://www.ou-et-quand.net/
I prepared my motorcycle equipment accordingly to face these winter conditions
Besides I am well aware that the arrival in the Stans remains very complicated considering the current situation and it is indeed only utopian.

My trip is not linked to any obligation, I let myself be carried by my journey according to the conditions, the meetings and the environment. I leave myself 5 months to discover the world in a free way, with the aim of meeting new cultures and discovering new horizons.

I can't afford to leave later in the year, so when we have an opportunity to leave I can't miss it ;)


@motomon : nice ! let's try to get in touch

Baku ferry
 

I'm exploring the same route, Aren't there ferries from Baku to Turkenmenbashi Turkmenistan and another to Aktau Kazakhstan? I'm not planning to ride in Russia except the short distance from Kazakhstan to Mongolia.

https://www.horizonsunlimited.com/hu...-across-103601 The first sentence of this post might help

Riding through Central/Balkanic Europe, Turkey including Anatolian Highlands and the Caucasus is doable in the winter.
I have done it twice, cycling ( and camping often ).
I am not saying it is easy or the best season to tackle that route ( if I would have had the choice I would have chosen to do it when it is warmer out ) but that it is possible.
Plus on a motorbike you can ride on highways which are almost always cleared of snow. On a bicycle you have to stick to secondary roads, and there the fun starts.

And on a pushbike you're working harder too, so generating a bit of body heat? On a m/c you're faster, so much more of a cold draft and road riding, you're doing very little physical activity.

I'm currently flying to South East Asia for the winter. A bit warmer there than Europe/Caucasus/Stans at the moment.

Each to their own. Hope the OP has a fun trip.

Good point there !
But the combo intense sweat in the uphills & freeze in the downhills is also pretty tough. You keep changing clothes when cycling in the winter.

I would never say it *can't* be done. If the OP is cool with cold, rain, wind, snow, ice, and excessive darkness--and correspondingly disinterested in blue skies, warm breezes, friendly beaches, and predictable traction on mountain roads--I'm not trying to dissuade them.

As long as they know what they're getting into. Besides, I hear it doesn't snow any more in Europe. I, on the other hand, have aged out of that kind of trip.

A winter ride has its charms, too :)
And there are a few days I still remember from morning till night, more than 20 years later. Very unlikely to happen when the going is easy :innocent:
As for the weather in Europe you are absolutely right. Temperatures have been frightenedly mild so far here in France...