Originally Posted by Zimi

Hi guys,

I planned to ride the western BAM and OSR this year from Ulan Bator (shipping the bike from Germany), but because of my work had to cancel everything. So I will be up for the same project for 2014, most probably during starting mid july in Ulan Bator and meeting in Irkutsk with HUBB member Bubbla who will ride from Sweden.

I also plan, if possible to sell my bike in Magadan around first or second week of August. Otherwise, I will be looking to share a container for Germany, but ideally I will sell my bike there. I will have only 4 weeks for my trip. We will both be riding KTM Adventure 640.


I read in this post that someone wants to make it with a R80 BMW. I would strongly not recommend this bike. I rod in 2011 from Switzerland to Mongolia with a R100Gs, and had some troubles in Mongolia in the river crossing, although there were not deep (30-40cm), because the air intake is much too low compare to other bikes. For the BAM, this will not work for sure.

I initially planned to ride from UB to Magadan with a new set of K60 Heidenau tires. What do you think about it? I have good experience on paved road with them, last +10'000km, and on dirt road the back one gave up after only 5000km, but I have a heavy bike (R100GS PD) compare to the 640 ADV.

My concern is, if I can't sell the bike in Magadan, will need to ride back to some major city like irkutsk or Ulan Bator, and I will not be able to do this with the same set of tires. I don't like so much the idea of having to carry a set of tire all the way with me, but I doubt I can find new tires in Magadan....

Originally Posted by *Touring Ted*

I want £8000 in the bank before I leave. If I leave the UK in April/may I'll have about £5000 and that's with selling a bike I don't want to. Think I'll ride up to nordcap instead and some shorter blasts about..

Originally Posted by WesleyDRZ400

Well try it on 5k and take a credit card or something to make up the extra 3k if needed, the younger the better i say and alot can change in another year

I was living/working in Perth Oz working offshore and one dinner break whilst bored i started searching the internet looking at blogs ect ect and i said to myself i would do my bike test and then plan a trip around 2015.

I had a bad day at work in February on a Monday and 3 days later i jacked my job and was back in the UK, 6 weeks/3 bike tests later i was preparing my DRZ and getting visa's.


First time i rode my bike was to Dover, my bike would not fit through the back garden gate with the side bags on and i fell off leaving the back of my house as i never rode the bike with the side bags

You know whats best for you and you are a experienced traveler but i would live for now and not later in a sensible way

Life is to short

Originally Posted by WesleyDRZ400

... and alot can change in another year ...

Life is to short

Originally Posted by *Touring Ted*

Jeeeezzzzzz !! A dilema.....

My timing sucks..


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

Originally Posted by colebatch

Too right Wes ...

Something to think about Ted ... If you want to go to Magadan via the legendary Old Summer Road, go next year.

The single biggest challenge on that road is the Kyubeme River crossing right at the western end of it.

Its the bridge where Ewan and Charley were faffing about at and Claudio just climbed across the collapsed bridge and went to sleep in the abandoned village on the other side. Eventually the bikes were loaded up into their support trucks and driven over the next morning.

Well to cut a long story short, the collapsed bridge, which had been collapsed and derelict for 30 years, finally got swept away in spring floods last year. The remains of the old wooden bridge were pulled down in October last year and this year a new concrete pylon was planted in the middle of the river for a new concrete bridge to be completed by the end of next year.

So next summer is your last chance to do the Old Summer Road, complete with the full Kyubeme River crossing. Once there is a brand new concrete bridge over the hardest part, it wont feel the same.

If you are worried about costs, skip Turkey and other expensive close to home bits that you can do another time.

I am constantly putting up to date info on that part of the world, as well as historical pics of interest from the BAM and Road of Bones on the Sibirsky Extreme facebook page (link in sig line). It may be useful to follow it if you are planning to go to that part of the world.

Originally Posted by *Touring Ted*

I want £8000 in the bank before I leave. If I leave the UK in April/may I'll have about £5000 and that's with selling a bike I don't want to. Think I'll ride up to nordcap instead and some shorter blasts about..