Dreaming of a motorcycle trip to distant climes? This section will help you to plan your trip, whether it's to the next state, country or all the way around the world! Start here!
The Achievable Dream 5-part series - the definitive video guide for planning your motorcycle adventure. Get Ready! covers planning, paperwork, medical and many other topics! "Inspirational and Awesome!" See the trailer here!
You could just get on a plane with your credit card and passport and buy or rent everything you need when you get there. That includes the bike, riding gear, etc. etc.
Gear Up! is a 2-DVD set, 6 hours! Which bike is right for me? How do I prepare the bike? What stuff do I need - riding gear, clothing, camping gear, first aid kit, tires, maps and GPS? What don't I need? How do I pack it all in? Lots of opinions from over 150 travellers! "will save you a fortune!"See the trailer here!
So you've done it - got inspired, planned your trip, packed your stuff and you're on the road! This section is about staying healthy, happy and secure on your motorcycle adventure. And crossing borders, war zones or oceans!
On the Road! is 5.5 hours of the tips and advice you need to cross borders, break down language barriers, overcome culture shock, ship the bike and deal with breakdowns and emergencies."Just makes me want to pack up and go!" See the trailer here!
Tire Changing!Grant demystifies the black art of Tire Changing and Repair to help you STAY on the road! "Very informative and practical." See the trailer here!
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Horizons Unlimited Presents!
Ladies on the Loose! For the first time ever, a motorcycle travel DVD made for women, by women! These intrepid women share their tips to help you plan your own motorcycle adventure. They also answer the women-only questions, and entertain you with amazing tales from the road! Presented by Lois Pryce, veteran solo traveller through South America and Africa and author of 'Lois on the Loose', and 'Red Tape and White Knuckles.'
"It has me all fired up to go out on my own adventure!" See the trailer here!
Meet people who don't think you're crazy for wanting to ride your bike to South America or across Asia! They will encourage you, share their experiences and advice on how to do it!
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In Semey, Kazakhstan I teamed up with Moritz a German chap also riding a Transalp. The border into Russia was easy, especially when the customs bloke, who was from Kaliningrad worked out we could speak German. So could he and he took the opportunity to speak in something other than Russian or Kazakh. It seems to be the policy to station these poor blokes as far from home as possible. It was the same at the Russia/Mongolia border at Tashanta. The bloke at the gate was from Kaliningrad too.
Barnaul was a welcome break for some R and R in “civilisation”.
Couldn’t find any bars, but saw me people hang out outside a mini-supermarket drinking at their cars and acting cool. That was fine by me and Moritz...
Olga is the lady on the left. Her blond friend’s name eluded me.
Olga was intrigued why I was taking her picture. I explained it was the shoes. She then impressed me with another pair she had in the boot of the car. They matched her nail varnish.
In the shop I couldn’t for the life of me work out why the security guard wasn’t letting me buy any more . Did he think I was under-age or had drunk too much? I think the sign says that you can only buy cerveza with > 5% alcohol until 9pm. So as it was midnight we had to settle for 4.9%. Made all the difference…
More legs
In Barnaul we first came across cars competing in the Mongol Rally. All the participants I met were very pleasant, less than half my age, but actually doing something interesting in their Uni vacation or GAP year. You really don't need a blinged up 4x4 to drive Mongolia...
Lenin the Toreador
The next day we found the Barnaul Biker Bar…
Hey Harley boys: This is what you call ape hanger bars…
Getting a lift home from the bar
Needed a front wheel bearing change, so went to Viktor’s…
… Viktor was out of town, but I think this is Sergei, a very competent wrench and nice bloke. The bloke with the glasses rides spoke some English and was able to interpret.
Ok. Finally a pic of a bike and a woman. It is of course a bike trip. Sorry forgot.
Some (new) bag of sh!t Chinese Lonchin 125 thing. But nice stickers eh? A DRZ Gixxer. The ultimate Adventure bike?
Somebody on a different forum recons that the Lonchin company has, since 2008, made the engines that go into the BMW G 650 GS. Not my thing, either made in Germany or made in China. I do however still like the idea of a Gixxer engine in a DRZ chassis
Great write up! We enjoyed our stay (oh and the biker bar ) in Barnaul too.
We're back in the UK so look forward to catching up with you in 2013.
Debz
Hi Debz
Good to hear you made it home ok. I thought you were heading towards South America. Yep, definitely looking forward to catching up in early 2013.
Hi guys
Haven’t posted in a while. Been busy moving house, sorting matrimonial issues and riding the "parts donor" Transalp (an 87 shed: You'll recall the trip bike is an 88 model with a 98 bodykit)
Anyway, I digress. After sorting the bike and enjoying the R and R time it was time to head through the Altai region towards the border with Mongolia at Tashanta. There’s quite a few pictures. Hopefully they give a flavour of this beautiful part of the world.
Truck on a bridge
Beautiful valley
I was impressed with myself! I managed to track down some real (Russian) duct tape. I needed it. The bike is held together with it and cable/zip ties :-)
The new Russian chip and pin reader
I met these nice Russian cyclists from Ekaterinburg on their summer vacation. The lady spoke good English and told me the Russian for tyre changer:
This is where I probably was a bit heavy handed and blew out the sprocket carrier bearing which caused a few issues after I reached Ulaan Baatar.
Spotted this outfit on the side of the road and pulled over. A couple of minutes later this young lad rocks up with a container of petrol, pours it in the tank, kicks the engine over and rides off.
In the next village, I spot him again with 2 girls: One in the chair and one on the back. Bikes = babes?
Wow, another road user, shortly before the checkpoint where I wasn’t permitted to ride my off-pavement “shortcut” any further. The Russian Army officer spoke Spanish (!) and mine was ok enough to be told I was riding too close to the Kazakh border. Bollocks, I had to ride all the way back to the main road!
Altai house
Clarkson/ Hammond/ May were ‘ere.
Altai river scene
Overtook these Russian chaps on an Africa Twin. It had an eclectic mix of body panels. Why are they carrying a totally shagged rear tyre on the back?
Wild camp.
Ok, looks like I’m riding the bridge…
Sunset just before Mongolia border.
The next morning. I had just ridden 2 miles perpendicular to the paved road and pitched my tent, because I reckoned it would be better (and cheaper) than sleeping in the border town.
Will be in touch again much more frequently than since the last instalment.
@ Mark: It's a Russian thing. Ladies wear the most outlandish heels, even to conservative day jobs. In Irkustk last year I saw nurses walking to work at a hospital in the morning wearing 5 inch leopard print stilettos. It can be distracting!
Here’s a couple more maps of my route between Almaty and the Russian/ Mongolia border at Tashanta with one or two comments of what happened (or didn’t) en route.
Great photos as usual Chris, I cannot wait to be there, but what with the shoe fetish? :confused1:
Quote:
Originally Posted by Denver Charlie
@ Mark: It's a Russian thing. Ladies wear the most outlandish heels, even to conservative day jobs. In Irkustk last year I saw nurses walking to work at a hospital in the morning wearing 5 inch leopard print stilettos. It can be distracting!
Mark, you've got a lot to learn about Russian travel. Thanks to DC for educating you I'm looking forward to my summer trip. Irkutsk is enroute from UB to the start of the western section of the BAM road.
Now I'm single again, I'm able to look and admire women's shoes without any "guilt"
Sorry, muy tres sorry. Haven't posted in a while. There's a genuine reason: After entering Mongolia I attached a soundsystem to my bike, like this dude's...
Location: South Denmark - by the coast, close to Flensburg Germany
Posts: 58
Hi Chris...
Thanx ...
The guy, filming everything was he german..?
I ask, becauseI have seen the clip where you cross the river, several months ago - on a german forum... The TransAlp is impressing...And so is your Argali :-) ;-)
Going for Mongolia in 2014. following all threads about it ....yours is always good for a laugh too.. :-)
Thanx ...
The guy, filming everything was he german..?
I ask, becauseI have seen the clip where you cross the river, several months ago - on a german forum... The TransAlp is impressing...And so is your Argali :-) ;-)
Going for Mongolia in 2014. following all threads about it ....yours is always good for a laugh too.. :-)
Keep em comming...
Hi mate
I just googled "Argali" and now know the type of sheep Ernie is/was. He's sitting on the shelf at home with the export certificate (for which I was forced to pay usd21 export tax... no receipt received) that describes him as "Sheep skull/1".
Yep, the "camera man" is German, called Moritz, website is 1World2Go | 1 World, 2 go.. The video has been around a while, so you could well have seen it before. The title was chosen by me and the strap line should read "And when you've really messed up, how to sort it out".
Location: South Denmark - by the coast, close to Flensburg Germany
Posts: 58
......pretty cheap for Ernie.....Argali , or Marco Polo sheep, named after Marco, as he was the first to descriebe the animal for the west, costs between 22.000 - 25.000 USD to hunt ! Ofcause one gets the fur too, included in the price...
Would love to find one myself ..!! :-)
......pretty cheap for Ernie.....Argali , or Marco Polo sheep, named after Marco, as he was the first to descriebe the animal for the west, costs between 22.000 - 25.000 USD to hunt ! Ofcause one gets the fur too, included in the price...
Would love to find one myself ..!! :-)
Have YOU ever wondered who has ridden around the world? We did too - and now here's thelist of Circumnavigators!
Check it out now, and add your information if we didn't find you.
Virginia: April 24-27 Queensland is back! May 2-5 Ecuador June 13-15 Germany Summer: May 29-June 1 CanWest: July 10-13 Switzerland: Date TBC Ecuador: Date TBC Romania: Date TBC Austria: Sept. 11-14 California: September 18-21 France: September 19-21 Germany Autumn: Oct 30-Nov 2
Check the RAW segments; Grant, your HU host is on every month!
Episodes below to listen to while you, err, pretend to do something or other...
2020 Edition of Chris Scott's Adventure Motorcycling Handbook.
"Ultimate global guide for red-blooded bikers planning overseas exploration. Covers choice & preparation of best bike, shipping overseas, baggage design, riding techniques, travel health, visas, documentation, safety and useful addresses." Recommended. (Grant)
Ripcord Rescue Travel Insurance™ combines into a single integrated program the best evacuation and rescue with the premier travel insurance coverages designed for adventurers.
Led by special operations veterans, Stanford Medicine affiliated physicians, paramedics and other travel experts, Ripcord is perfect for adventure seekers, climbers, skiers, sports enthusiasts, hunters, international travelers, humanitarian efforts, expeditions and more.
Ripcord travel protection is now available for ALL nationalities, and travel is covered on motorcycles of all sizes!
What others say about HU...
"This site is the BIBLE for international bike travelers." Greg, Australia
"Thank you! The web site, The travels, The insight, The inspiration, Everything, just thanks." Colin, UK
"My friend and I are planning a trip from Singapore to England... We found (the HU) site invaluable as an aid to planning and have based a lot of our purchases (bikes, riding gear, etc.) on what we have learned from this site." Phil, Australia
"I for one always had an adventurous spirit, but you and Susan lit the fire for my trip and I'll be forever grateful for what you two do to inspire others to just do it." Brent, USA
"Your website is a mecca of valuable information and the (video) series is informative, entertaining, and inspiring!" Jennifer, Canada
"Your worldwide organisation and events are the Go To places to for all serious touring and aspiring touring bikers." Trevor, South Africa
"This is the answer to all my questions." Haydn, Australia
"Keep going the excellent work you are doing for Horizons Unlimited - I love it!" Thomas, Germany
Horizons Unlimited is not a big multi-national company, just two people who love motorcycle travel and have grown what started as a hobby in 1997 into a full time job (usually 8-10 hours per day and 7 days a week) and a labour of love. To keep it going and a roof over our heads, we run events all over the world with the help of volunteers; we sell inspirational and informative DVDs; we have a few selected advertisers; and we make a small amount from memberships.
You don't have to be a Member to come to an HU meeting, access the website, or ask questions on the HUBB. What you get for your membership contribution is our sincere gratitude, good karma and knowing that you're helping to keep the motorcycle travel dream alive. Contributing Members and Gold Members do get additional features on the HUBB. Here's a list of all the Member benefits on the HUBB.
helps answer the question - Why Go? Inspirational stories by veteran travellers Greg Frazier (5 times RTW), Peter and Kay Forwood (193 countries), Tiffany Coates (Mongolia Mayhem) and Rene Cormier (University of Gravel Roads).
Get Ready! covers planning, paperwork, medical and many other topics! "Inspirational and Awesome!" See the trailer here!
What stuff do I need - riding gear, clothing, camping gear, first aid kit, tires, maps and GPS? What don't I need? How do I pack it all in? Lots of opinions from over 150 travellers!
break down language barriers, overcome culture shock, ship the bike and deal with breakdowns and emergencies."Just makes me want to pack up and go!" See the trailer here!
Grant demystifies the black art of Tire Changing and Repair to help you STAY on the road! "Very informative and practical." See the trailer here!
Ladies on the Loose! For the first time ever, a motorcycle travel DVD made for women, by women! These intrepid women share their tips to help you plan your own motorcycle adventure. They also answer the women-only questions, and entertain you with amazing tales from the road! Presented by Lois Pryce, veteran solo traveller through South America and Africa and author of 'Lois on the Loose', and 'Red Tape and White Knuckles.'
Cotton or synth sweat-wicking t-shirts with the cool Horizons Unlimited graphic on the front and a snappy slogan (changing every year) on the back.
Show your route on your panniers. Great conversation starter when you meet people on the road!
Motorcycle and travel books to inspire and inform you!
The definitive guide to planning your motorcycle adventure! This insanely ambitious 2-year project has produced an informative and entertaining 5-part, 18 hour video series. "The ultimate round the world rider's how-to!" MCN UK.
9Likes
at their cars and acting cool. That was fine by me and Moritz...
She then impressed me with another pair she had in the boot of the car. They matched her nail varnish.
. Thanks to DC for educating you
I'm looking forward to my summer trip. Irkutsk is enroute from UB to the start of the western section of the BAM road. 
Linear Mode
