Hey Dave,

Admirable attitude, not many people here are going to fault you for it.

The way I look at it though, it’s not a question of whether you can, it’s whether you have the time and resources to execute it while keeping the risks at a manageable level.

As a rough comparison I wandered up north in Canada to Tuktoyuktuk last year. It was about 6,000 km with 1/3 bare pavement, 1/3 mixed pavement/snow/ice, and 1/3 ice. Lowest daytime riding temp was -28.5C, average riding temp likely in the teens. It's a lot of logistics though and helps if you have suffered through any other random winter pursuits such as snowmobiling, back country skiing, winter camping, mountaineering, etc. If a person hasn't, not sure if I would recommend the trans siberian as a trip to try first to work the bugs out of the planning.

1. Q: What is the likelihood of being able to procure the gear I need in Japan / Vladivostok?
A: Can't say for certainty about Japan, but almost no chance of getting the gear you need in Vlad. There are severe limits as to what one can get for standard bike things there, unique items would be almost no chance and the language and cultural barriers would make it extremely time consuming. There is no way I would leave home without being completely outfitted.

2. Q: I am gonna pull the Japan arrival date back from December to November 09
A: The average temperature during the year in a city along your route (i.e. Ulan Ude) is: January -27 | February -18 | March -9 | April +1 | May +9 | June +18 | July +20 | August +22 | September +10 | October 0 | November -11 | December –19. Should make it more bearable, but I’d be also worried about avoiding snowfall rather than just temperatures.

3. Q: I was thinking if it all smacked of effort after the first 100km out of Vlad I'd throw the bike on the trans-siberian to Lake Baikal and have a go from there heading west to Kazakstan etc.
A: The road heads north to Khabarovsk for about 800 km and then it head east for another ~2,500 km to Ulan Ude. Soon after Khab the road turns to gravel, very few towns, and the road is poorly, if at all maintained. In winter, likely little or no plowing so you would be reliant on vehicle traffic to compact any snowfall. Snowfall and winddrifts are mortal enemies of bikers. If you encountered this on a non-side car bike, plan for some scary riding and some crashes.

In regards to Kazakstan, you may want to take a good, long look at the route and the elevations you would cross. It's one thing to ride across the subartic taiga, and a whole other thing to ride at changing elevations and through mountain passes.

4. Q: I will only be doing this if I deem it practical on my F650 riding solo with no side car. I won't plan on camping in Russia although I will have cooking equipment, fuel bladder (650km range all up), sleeping bag & tent etc.

A: It's possible, but in my opinion not practical. The road may be fine, and you may encounter a low snow year and make it across to Moscow (which is ~9,000 km of winter riding from Vlad) but you have to be self sufficient and prepared for bad weather as well and in that case you end carrying winter specific gear. It’s expensive, and not that transferable to standard riding.

5. Q: Alternative to Bangkok - Tokyo (& Russia) is Bangkok - Kathmandu which would be a serious short-cut and not preferable. I have to be in London by October '10 so delaying the Russia stint for summer is not an option.

A: Weather is a huge factor in deciding which routes are feasible. There is plenty to see in Asia in the Northern Hemisphere winter as you work your way across. You may want to give this option some serious consideration even though it is not your preferred option.

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If I had to choose between a bike trip to Nepal&India or Siberia in the winter, now that would be an easy one.....

It wouldnt be without complications to do that either, India´s a bit tough country to travel, but lots and lots to see & do... and at least you wouldnt need an astronaut´s gear.

Mad italians driving on snow with summer tires - looks like between -10'C and -15'C:
YouTube - Kristallrally 2008
YouTube - Kristallrally part 2
YouTube - Kristallrally 2008 part 3

This is what an ordinary morning looks like before the snow ploughs have done their daily work - looks like about -10'C:
YouTube - KrystallRally 2007 - Norvegia - Terza Parte - in Kymco

What you see are the hard parts on the Norwegian rally - off the E6... we are talking a few miles (not even ten!). The "deep" snow driving shown is in fresh fallen cold snow - if one gets that depth at around 0'C a bike gets stuck just as the trike does in the clip. Using the feets as skiis is stupid! In just a mile the feets will be on the verdge of ice bites - it is -not- possible to do this for even 10 miles! If you try... you'll be getting "new" parts at the hospital...

None of the guys in the youtube clips would stand a chance to ride at -25'C and down dressed as they are.

Now take your bike out to the beach, on soft sand, full protective gear - just try push, lift-up and pull the bike. Do you think that will be any easier at arctic tempratures dressed in a way that makes the Michelin guy look "summer dressed", and with the bike fully loaded with all gears you need to survive at below -40'C and all the extra fule ?...

Going across Russia on a bike at winter is possible - but all bikes are not suitable, and some should not be even considered to use. It is not realistic to do this on a solo - you need a side-car; if you can not accept this fact...

These are the expected -good- condition though far warmer than in Sibiria:
YouTube - Riding in a winter Motorrad - - BMW F650 GS Dakar in the snow.

This is the absolute limit for even considering a solo at all:
YouTube - BMW GS on ice......motorcycle skis!
But the ski-hook-up is wrong, faulty, dangerously stupid - look at the swedish army gear in earlier reply above.

This is the situation with non-studded tires:
YouTube - BMW R1200GS Crashing in the Snow
This is with long studds (about 20mm) on ice:
YouTube - #103 Olof Eriksson on the Aprilia RXV


This is how it is at about 0'C to -5'C on a sanded snow-/winterroad:
YouTube - Crazy Riders and snow riding ( scooter kar sürüşü )

The killers are:
* low temps
* blizzards
...even a moderat snowfall can become a major problem...

A Greating from the Swedish BMW Club - from just outside Stockholm in about -5'C:
BMW Xchallenge Test