Jeeeezzzzzz !! A dilema.....

My timing sucks..

Thing is, If I go away for just 2-3 months I'll kick myself. I love to have a good six month trip every 2-3 years if possible. I only managed a 1 month and a 2 month trip last year and It just didn't scratch my itch. It's not enough time to unwind and lose yourself.

If I do this trip, it has to be a good 5-6 months.

NO MORE CREDIT CARDS doh

I'll go and sit on a step and think about it....:confused1:

have cold beers ready for when i get to the UK and i can show photos of the great time that you should have been having

or

go and walk around you house/ garage and sell all the crap that you haven't used for a year or more...someone out there wants it...that includes bikes...AND GO RIDE, this is what i'm doing right now

...and

i'll even help you with the welding business when you get back, i have been known to weld...hell of a lot...if you need a good TIG man for the winter

You never know........ I'm learning tig now. Currently melting a lot of aluminium into wierd shapes and swearing ;)

you've moving to slow and got your settings too high, probably not clean enough either, try using MEK before you weld...i'll tell you how to do it in Magadan :rofl: :offtopic:

Ted, 5-6 months in many parts of world is one thing ... 2-3 months that includes the Old Summer Road, the BAM, Mongolia, deeply satisfies and will exhaust you more than you think possible from 2-3 months. Ask HarryG / MarkK himself, or Chris or the JABA Mundus guys, or Felix or Phil ... you are physically and emotionally shagged at the end of several months of good hard offroad up there. I too called it a day at Yakutsk last year, instead of battling on and shipping out a shock for the last 2000 km to Magadan. 3 months of physical offroad every day is more than enough !! There are ways and means to plan the trip to work within your budget, but I am very confident you will not be feeling "unsatisfied" at the end of a few months in that part of the world.

HarryG' / Mark K s container to (and possible from) Vladivostok, is something to really think about. Once you are actually there, fuel and beer are cheap. If you are camping mostly, your daily expenses will be small. Less than 1000 quid a month. There is very little to spend it on except hotels. If you avoid that, you avoid half your costs.

Something else to think about is leaving your bike in Mongolia ... wintering it somewhere like the Oasis, and getting it the following summer while you come back via Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan.

Somebody suggested it previously, so sorry for the repeat. Nobody will force you to ride the new bridge. You can still take the wet route.:funmeteryes:

My advice is: If travelling West > East, when you get to Tynda having completed the western BAM check the likelihood of the OSR being doable (weather/rain etc). If it's not, (like this year), I would seriously recommend not riding to Yakutsk via the M56, nor Magadan via the NFR.

For me, the western BAM (and Mongolia and the Altay/Pamirs before that) were real adventures with lots of great experiences. I found the M56 in the dry and the NFR in the wet to be the most forgettable and pointless motorcycle rides I've done in many a year.

( In joke: Had I had the displeasure of riding the M56 between Yakutsk and Tynda in the wet, I would be able to boast I'm a real dirty boy adventure biker and question whether others who have just finished the BAM actually did so, because their bikes are so "clean". :offtopic::oops2: )

I can now "boast" I've done the road to Magadan (and I am claiming the silver patch... :innocent: ) and I'm sure my memory of the journey will develop a rosy tint, but if the OSR looks unlikely, I'd head straight for Vladivostok (assuming that's your final destination because you're freighting from there).

The road from Tynda to Yakutsk and then on to the start or the old summer road is a ball ache, we did it in good weather but it was still boring. Took us about 3 days to do, I wouldn't want to do it in the rain!
But the old summer road is great and the Tenkinskaya track into Magadan is also very scenic.
It really depends on if you want to ride to Magadan or not, as we started from there we didnt have a choice but to ride the roads. Which was probably a good thing as you can't give up or turn back :scooter:

i disagree about the road from Tynda to Yakutsk and beyond.

the scenery wasnt great, but for me, i love a good road, and the driving was fun.... but i will make a point, make sure that your suspension is above standard as it will get a good work out, Walter suggested deserts, and now i am a believer... ensure that you are traveling light. oh, and you might want to bring a dust mask or two, the road between yakutsk and the ferry crossing was extreme dusty conditions...

between ust-nera and susuman, i was unable to find benzin in artik, maybe i wasnt lucky, but ensure that you have enough fuel for 400kms

You might change your mind when you compare it to the bam and roads and tracks between lake Baikal and Mongolia as well as Mongolia itself or Altai Russia or Kyrgyzstan/Tajikistan which a lot people will have ridden if travelling west/east.

Indeed, the fuel station at Artik is derelict. I had no problem with dust. Wonder why ;)

Magadan then heading west bound to mongolia/ stans/ europe and beyond is now confirmed as on 100% for summer 2014

a friend just bought a new (to him) KTM 640 adventure (with 2000 miles from new), so if you see a mirage of two orange things on the horizon (possibly dirt brown too) heading towards you at speed or laying down in a river crossing as you ride west that'll be us, make sure you flag us down, or help us pick the bike up doh

http://dmh65.smugmug.com/photos/i-N5...-N5rp477-S.jpghttp://dmh65.smugmug.com/photos/i-Pd...-Pdrt95W-S.jpg

hope the weather cooperates in 2014, i know Walter will be watching

Good luck with the trip, you will have a fantastic time. Do the tenkinskaya trakt out of Magadan it's a nice ride.
We may bump into you in Tynda if we and you are lucky, should be there middle of August.

We will go west to east on 2 KTM 640 Adv., good chance for a KTM mini meeting out there.:thumbup1:

Watch out you don't get overtaken by a Lada... :helpsmilie:

Hi Noel:

stage of planning ->
- planning route / specifics countries /
- details & costs visa / carnets /
- planning to finalize the planning in the next months

When do you plan on leaving?
- I think May 2014 - (best period for Mongolia seems most critical)

What is your timing
- aiming at 8 weeks but this might be a little too short
- would like to get out of Europe reasonably fast.

driving pace, :scooter:
- I think a bit on the fast side of average but surely not racing
- Can get quite fast on boring highway roads and relaxed when taking in beauty :mchappy:

Hostels/camping,
- prefer camping but hostels might sometimes be more practical
- Try to travel light - use compact lightweight gear (tent - bag - pad - etc.)

heavy off roading with ultra light bike or moderate, unsurfaced/gravel type of roads?
- In between - Planning to use Yamaha Tenere 660 for this trip - reasonably fast and comfortable on tarmac - and reasonably capable off-road.

The Trans-Siberia Express sounds like a good idea, always wanted to do that trip too!
- maybe we can join..
- lets try to plan (part of) the trip together ? :D

Cheers,
Leo

Mongolia 2014
 

Hi Leo,

I have my head split between two idea's, either two trips next year, first Morocco some 6 weeks then North Cape another 6 weeks. Or one longer and more adventurous trip to Mongolia which is equally appealing. With respect to your comments above; it pretty much aligns with my idea, except maybe for "travelling speed and boring highways". I tend to avoid boring highways all together and prefer to take 'local' roads which sort of automatically limits achievable average speed. I will take this thread off line and send you a PM, see what we can do.

cheers,
Noel

I'm trying to turn my trip into a RTW. Still heading to magadan/VLLAD though.

This is not a question: MONGOLIA :thumbup1:

shame you're not starting in magadan or vlad, i just got my confirmation of the RO/RO out of Tilbury to Uruguay (stops in Dakar, Senegal and Santos Brazil) to carry on RTW...this would make your RTW a lot smoother and cheaper...maybe you should take up that offer of shipping your bike east first and riding a fresh bike west bound, not vice versa

I want to finish my trip in Argentina.... And maybe stay there.. Who knows !

Ted,
Are you back to the plan of leaving April/May 2014? Or is it 2015?

cheers,
Noel

I think financially, I have to wait until 2015.... :(

how much do you actually plan as budget per day on the bike? I know what long term travelling by 4x4 costs (Euro 50,-/day of which 50% for fuel, 99% sleeping in the car) but no idea of cost for bike travel! Assume 1/3% hostels, 1/3% camping, 1/3% wild camping? How many km/day do you make on average during extended trips?

Hi Ted

planning to ride my V strom 650 back home to NZ in 2015. Would be very interested in joining up with your proposed caravan. I am off to CentralAmerica next month for three months but will be back in Europe in 2014.

Will watch thread

regards

Peter

It's hard to say isn't it... Western Europe will obviously be much more expensive. Even if I stay away from the bar, I'd spend £50-60 a day inc fuel/camping/hostel etc.

I will camp as much as possible and once into Eastern Europe/ Stans / Russia, i'm hoping to spend about £25-£30 a day.

You obviously get some days where you will spend nothing and some days that you get fleeced for everything.



I usually ride about 200-300km a day. However, I really like to hang out places for a few days or even weeks if I like it. I HATE to tied to a tight schedule of miles/days/etc. I never ever have a time limit. I just travel until I run out of money.



I only know through experience...... My 7 months trip through South America cost me £7000 inc shipping, flights. Visas were very cheap and I only shipped one way. However, I didn't hold back on the good times. Lots of beer and parting. I was only 27 then...

On my UK-Capetown, I took 6 months. I spent £10,000 as I did more miles, needed a carnet, more visas and overspent in Spain and South Africa on the tourist side of things. Fuel was expensive in Africa too once south of Sudan.

I'd expect a UK-Magadan/Vllad to cost about £8,000 with Visas, insurance, shipping etc etc. That would be a lot of camping too and being more strict with the party fund. I hear hotels in Russia are EXPENSIVE and terrible.

If I want to keep going after Russia then I think i'll need at least £15,000 to cover more shipping. That's what I'm hoping to have available for a Spring 2015 leave date.

To be honest, once I get to vllad I have no idea what I want to do. I really want to visit South East Asia and Indonesia but on your own bike, it's tough with all their 125cc rules etc. I don't really know.

I also really want to ride Central and the west coast of South America as I've never managed to get there.. Maybe I'll try and get the bike to Los Angeles and high tail it South from there.

I can't afford both if I'm realistic.

Ted, thanks for the comprehensive reply. It supports what I suspected, that bike travel isn't a whole lot cheaper than car travel. The big cost is the fuel and second is sleeping if you can't camp out all the time. Africa is ideal for wild camping but Europe less so, central Asia probably better than EU. 200/300 km/day is what I think is a reasonable average too, that is what we did on our trip to Italy, avoiding highways like the plague and taking only local roads. The bike is very economic fortunately, I managed to do 1:20 and sometimes even 1:22 fully loaded :DI will plan for Euro 40 per day for now...

That's how I think about bike vs car travel...

In a car you will spend more on fuel and shipping..

On a bike you end up spending more on food and accommodation as you can carry far less food and sleeping equipment.

It's a lot more tiring traveling on a bike but I do still think it is much more rewarding and flexible.


Still, each to their own. They both have great pros and cons.

route
 

Thinking of roughly the following route for May 2014 :scooter:

https://maps.google.com/?ie=UTF8&t=h...90554&f=q&om=1

Taking Trans Siberia express from Mongolia to Moscow and ride back from there..

Any suggestions / remarks etc. are very welcome :thumbup1:

Leo

why are you avoiding tajikistan, you'll miss some great riding

Yes why not both Tajikistan and Kyrchyztan..
(Surely do not want to miss Kyrchyztan)

https://maps.google.com/?ie=UTF8&t=h...90554&f=q&om=1

Any other suggestions / remarks etc. are very welcome.. :thumbup1:

Leo

And Pamir Highway, definately! (M41)
http://goo.gl/maps/Hif7z
:D

+ Stations Trans Siberia Express (Itkutsk - Moscow) :cool4:

https://maps.google.com/?ie=UTF8&t=h...30000&f=q&om=1

Any other suggestions / remarks / tips etc. are very welcome..

Leo

There seem to be quit a few people planning on leaving for Mongolia, or in that general direction, around April/May 2014! In an effort to get some overview on who is planning for what, ultimately to group-up of course, I am trying to put a list together of all people planning on leaving around then and for that your input is needed. Please check the "UK to Mongolia 2014" post started by Hootchy-cootchy where I further explained my idea.
bier
Your opinion is valued.
Cheers,
Noel

Hi Leo,

I have something similar in mind, via Kyrgystan, Tajikistan etc... then from Ulan Bator up to Irkutsz, and transiberian to Moscow then ride back to the UK.
Just starting to investigate Visas and LOI requirements... and possibility of obtaining some of Stans Visas from Turkey instead of UK....
May start a thread on that, if poeple can find that useful?

Hi Maria,

Nice to hear from a fellow traveler.
Maybe we can join up for some part. :scooter:

Found an informative site on Visa for this region.
http://caravanistan.com/visa/
:smartass:

I will probably ask a "VISA service office" to arrange all visa etc.
Seems cheaper than taking several days off (some must come from Den Hague, others from Brussels etc.) :biggrin3:

For Iran one also needs a carnet to get a motorbike through customs. Prizes for carnets seems to differ quite a bit depending on where you get it (see some earlier posts) Seems carnets obtained in Germany or the Netherlands are substantial cheaper compared to other countries (carnets from Germany and the Netherlands seem to be available also for non inhabitants of Germany and the Netherlands).

There are some more trotters planning to travel in the same direction (see post "UK to Mongolia 2014") :mchappy:

Cheers,
Leo

Carnet for Iran
 

Hello

I read travelers needs document Carnet the passage to enter Iran but i understand its expensive and ... to get one but there is option to enter without Carnet de passage if you know right person
we have contact in Iran ,he arrange and bring travelers vehicles into the country without carnet
if someone needs his contact welcome to contact me

Safe trips...

Is this still on anyone's radar for 2015 ???

Just gathering an idea of who is going to be about :thumbup1:

I'm planning to head out to magadan in 2015 .....but I'm planning going there offroad

2015
 

Hi Ted
Been reading your posts. Been planning to do this trip for the past 2 years. 2015 would be perfect timimg for me. I want to go from UK ( Shrewsbury ) to Magadan. Not sure on the return leg. Maybe ship bike home and train/fly?????
If youre still up for it maybe get back to me and we could meet up for a pint somewhere. Youre not that far away from me.

Sounds like a plan amigo

Sent from my XT1032 using Tapatalk

If the is a NW get together about possible trip I'd be up for meeting for a drink

Does anyone know realistically what this trip would cost ??

Ignoring bike and equipment.. If one were to camp a lot, could it be done on £5000 ???

Visas alone will probably cost near £1000. Fuel another £2000. Getting oneself and bike home, £1500-£2000.

I think I've just answered my own question. This might be one for the Barclaycard, 'Boff'...doh

Hi Ted,

Visas about right. Depend which ones you apply for.
Fuel might be quite cheap once in Russia and Stans.
Transport yourself: my Russian teacher looked at quotes from Irkutsk to Moscow for bikes on the trans Siberian train, and it is very reasonable. You might get awaylightly. I will confirm when I come back in august! Then if you travel back on the train as well to Moscow, again rather cheap. Especially 3rd class :rofl:

I will let you know about our costs at the end if you like. Visas and vaccines expensive though!
Maybe catch up at Nick Nadine Les house when we are all back and before you leave... If our agendas match one day!!

yes please Maria... keep me informed. And yes, our ships shall all cross again no doubt.

Hi to all!!

glad this tread is live....

OK, i am going to morocco this April 15th and back to UK on the 12.05...anyone interested??? welcome!!

after morocco is Donnington park HUBB.....where if any of you gonna attend we can sit and have good old planing (with great beer they serving over there)...

And that is my planed holidays for this year, as money saving mode will be switched on to save as much is possible for the spring 2015.

for a Siberia trip!!! 15.04. 15. steady as it comes, one way...EAST....

i got everything penciled i, planed, but i know my plans, they never comes as i wanted, so i refuse to plan magadan trip, just yet....

take care people!!!

nino

Hi! Ted,
Me and 4 others (maybe) are planning to go Eastward direction passing the Stans, Russia, Mongolia and China before turning South towards South East Asia starting from Hamburg, Germany in May 2015. It would be great if we could meet up somewhere.
Planning is much interesting as the ride itself.
Catch up mate.

Amzah:mchappy:

Are any of you guys who are keen for Russia Jun - Aug 2015 going to keep heading east to North / South America?

I'm still planning my route, but if I can share a container to Nth America I'd be keen.

My plans to head to Vladivostok
-> here