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Photo by Marc Gibaud, Clouds on Tres Cerros and Mount Fitzroy, Argentinian Patagonia

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Photo by Marc Gibaud,
Clouds on Tres Cerros and
Mount Fitzroy, Argentinian Patagonia



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Old 28 Aug 2009
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Join Date: Nov 2006
Location: Canada
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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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Last edited by MountainMan; 29 Aug 2009 at 02:20.
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