Hi,
having to postpone my trip last year, I am finally doing it this year.

Starting in UB with a German Rider, Uwe, we will head to Irkutsk, then to Severobaikalsk, do the Western BAM, then from Tynda, go to Yakustk and finally I hope, go to Magadan on the old summer road.

We will both be on KTM 640 Adv. I have 4 weeks in total and I am not sure yet what to do with my bike once we arrive in Magadan. If I have time I will ride it back to UB and leave it at the Oasis for one year.

I might sell it to one of you fellow, that wants to start the trip in Magadan middle august.

The purpose of my thread is to know who else will be during the same period in the same region, so that we can share information during the trip for exemple.

Cheers
Zimi

The 640 is a good bike for the trip, assuming it doesn't break.

Info on road conditions and sights in 2013 at Mongolia to Magadan: Any which (the hard) way - ADVrider

If necessary, post #19 at http://www.horizonsunlimited.com/hub...e-trip-57891-2 gives information, if you want to freight your bike from Magadan to Europe

Enjoy it. It'll be a big adventure. If Old Summer Road isn't possible, I wouldn't bother riding Tynda/Yakutsk/Magadan. After the BAM it'll be boring as hell.

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Brighty's website: TheBrightStuffDotCom

CURRENT RR WITH REGULAR UPDATES: The Wife Takes on Chlamydia: A South American Retrospective

im aiming to be in Tayshet (as i left a fresh set of tires there from last year) around the start of august. riding solo, unless meet others en-route. am riding an xchallenge

Hi Chris,
thanks for your links. I will read in detail your trip.

I just wonder about one thing. Are there any ATM after Irkutsk for the whole trip to Magadan? Or do I need to take loads of cash? Do you have an approximation of how much I should have to pay the bribes to pass the bridges or to pay the truck drivers if they need to transport our bikes over the river?


I would really prefer the avoid the hassle of shipping back the bike. I don't have time for this and it's too expensive. Honestly I don't know why you bother to ship you old transalp back, it's not worth more than the shipping costs, if not less. My KTM is in fairly good condition, but is worth approx 3500-4000US$ now. I spent 940 euro to send it to Mongolia, and the return shipping is more around 1200 euro from UB. I know that from Magadan to Vlad it can be arround 1000$, so for me it's not worth. I have no sentimental relations to my bikes.

I really hope I will be able to ride the old summer road and I heard from others as well that the new road is boring... But then... I am dreaming now since 3 years to drive to Magadan, see this Road Sigh!!! Take a picture of me and my bike in front of it.. Well you know I suppose!

Edd, are you planning to ride the western BAM? If yes we should keep contact, we will be more or less at the same time as you on the track.

ATMs in Severobaikalsk, Tynda, Yakutsk and possibly one or 2 smaller towns in between.

Bribes/Kamaz truck: We never used any trucks to cross rivers. We used the railway bridges. The only place we paid was at the Kuanda bridge. We were lucky as there was just one skinny bloke, so didn't have to pay much. There's a video in the ride report.

I paid usd300 or 350 for my bike freight on a ship from Magadan to Vladivostok.

I shipped the Transalp back because the value of the bike and particularly the parts/luggage was a lot more than you think and I can legally return in the future. If you abandon a vehicle in Russia or Mongolia, you won't be returning. Their Customs computers are fully networked.

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Brighty's website: TheBrightStuffDotCom

CURRENT RR WITH REGULAR UPDATES: The Wife Takes on Chlamydia: A South American Retrospective

Hi Chris,
thanks for the information. Good to know that there are ATM's, don't like to traveller with loads of cash on me.

Only 350 euro from Magadan to Vlad? Did you ship it with other bikers? Buy anyway, for me then to ride from Vlad to UB would be too long for the small time frame I have.

If I can't sell it, I would as well be ready to lend it to another rider that will bring it to UB.

Does somebody knows if the bikes needs to be taken out from Russia by the same driver that brought it in?

In no case I want to have problem if I want to come back to Russia.

350 usd, not euro. On the deck of a ship. Olga in Magadan liaises with the ship-captain. Yuri received the bike in Vladivostok.

Somebody did ride somebody else's bike from Magadan to Austria or Switzerland a few years ago. Can't remember who though. Maybe the HUBB search function can help?

Or freight the bike from Magadan to Moscow/St Petersburg and fly to Moscow/SP later and ride the bike out of Russia?

I did end up buying the XChallenge, but in August 2013 it still belonged to my friend who lent me it. I had his paperwork and written (in Russian) permission to do what I wish with it (apparently not a legal document, according to his (now) Russian wife: but no one ever stopped me), as well as the import document and all other paperwork. I arranged everything with Olga in Magadan and Yuri in Vladivostok and even collected the bike in Rotterdam, without it officially belonging to me. Yuri was very insistent that he had the original version of the import document. Olga FedEx-ed it to him.

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Brighty's website: TheBrightStuffDotCom

CURRENT RR WITH REGULAR UPDATES: The Wife Takes on Chlamydia: A South American Retrospective

yes, aiming to start the western BAM road from Taishet, and head to Tynda, and then onto Magadan

Hi Edd,
great, we might be at the same time as you. I will post more detail as soon as I know when I will start from UB.

Do you have a website or a blog? Can you give me your contact informations (phone and mail)?

You dont exactly need a lot of cash on the BAM ... not a lot to spend it on. Taksimo also has ATMs from memory

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You mean you didn't find that Michelin starred restaurant in Chara?


Mark
www.bamriders.com

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Mark
www.bamriders.com

I know from personal experience that there is an ATM at the airport in Sokol, which is the airport that serves Magadan. Sokol is about 60 km inland from Magadan.

Michael

It feels like a michelin starred stolovaya when you have been riding in the mud and rain for three cold days to get there

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Hi guys,
so I am soon ready to start the trip, on the 18th of July will meet Uwe from Germany in Mongolia.

Here is my route planning. For those who did it, what do you thing about it? Does it seems realistic? I have the waypoints from Walter and I wanted to ask you some of you have specific recommandation about places to stay in some of the cities and especially as well if you have some repair shop contacts.

I wanted to ask as well what are the most interesting sightseeing. I am a big fan of abandonned cities and stuff like that. Is it worth going to the Gulag Butygychag from Magadan? according to mapsource it's a 300km ride from Magadan.

Ah and one last thing. Is there a road to go from Irkustk to Severobaikalsk that follow the lake instead of going through Zhigalovo? And if yes? how is it? I didn't find it in mapsource.


here it my planning:

date from to total distance day distance comments
16.07.14 Geneva Ulan bator flight
17.07.14 Ulan bator Ulan bator 0 0 pick up bike and do paperwork
18.07.14 Ulanbator Ulan Ude 0 0 finish paperwork, if possible leave during the day
19.07.14 Ulanbator Ulan Ude 585 585 meet Ivan and friends in Ulan Ude in the evening
20.07.14 Ulan Ude Irkutsk 1040 455
21.07.14 Irkutsk Irkustk 0 0 change tires, meet with Masha
22.07.14 irkutsk Zhigalovo 1428 388 sleep in Zigalovo guest house
23.07.14 Zhigalovo Severobaikalsk 1853 425
24.07.14 Severobaikalsk Novyy Uoyan 2037 184
25.07.14 Novyy Uoyan Takismo 2272 235 35km before vitim bridge
26.07.14 Takismo Chara 2531 259 Vitim Bridge
27.07.14 Chara Yuktali 2827 296
28.07.14 Yuktali Tynda 3171 344
29.07.14 Tynda Aldan 3638 467
30.07.14 Aldan Yakustk 4177 539
31.07.14 Yakustk Yakustk 4177 0 Rest day
01.08.14 Yakustk Yakustk 4177 0 spare day
02.08.14 Yakustk Khandyga 4602 425
03.08.14 Khandyga Khandyga 4602 0 Rest day
04.08.14 Khandyga Tomtor 5080 478
05.08.14 Tomtor hunter's lodge 5300 220 road of bones
06.08.14 osr osr 5300 0 spare day
07.08.14 hunter's lodge susuman 5435 135 visit abandonned city kadychan
08.08.14 sueman Orotukan 5673 238
09.08.14 Orotukan Gulag dneprovski 5818 145 visit Gulag Dneprovski
10.08.14 Gulag Dneprovski Magadan 6103 285
11.08.14 Magadan Magadan 6103 0 Rest day
12.08.14 Magadan Butygychag Gulag 306 visit Gulag Butygychag
13.08.14 Butygychag Gulag Magadan 306
14.08.14 Magadan Magadan spare day
15.08.14 Magadan Magadan spare day
16.08.14 Magadan Moscow travel home
17.08.14 Moscow Switzerland

Thanks for your feedbacks!!!!

No, there isnt.

Zhigalovo it is

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