Regularly there are questions on the HUBB about the Zilow Gap, between Chyta and Khabarovsk in Russia. The FAQ is: is it doable? I did it, in september 2004, so it is doable. Here I give the information about driving by motorbike through the Gap. I did it from Chyta to Khabarovsk but as most people will come from Vladivostok I describe the gap in the reverse direction.

General Information:

From Chyta to Khabarovsk is 2165 km.

My motorbike is BMW F650, model 1999, with carburators. Tires: Continental TKC-80's. For the front wheel is no appropriate 80's tire, so I took a somewhat wider one.

I passed the Gap in september 2004 and it took me a week. When I started from Chyta weather conditions were good (dry weather) and were so a week before. I had one day of rain. I used the Atlas Automobilenje 2004 which is available in bookshops in Russia.

Road Conditions:

Don't worry for the first 250 kilometers: good asfalted road from khabarovsk up to 70 kilometers north of Birobidzjan.

From 70 km north of Birobidzjan to Zawitinsk the Atlas promises paved road. However when I passed the road was under renovation, largely unpaved but with a hard surface with few grit on it. Good to drive but the trafic caused large and dense clouds of dust. So dense that it was not possible to see the boudary of the road. Because of the dust driving over 50 km/h was not possible to me.

From Zawitinsk to Sjimanovsk you will find a good local road, covered with asfalt. Easy to drive, like a holiday.

From Sjmimanovsk to the village of Siwani, about 100 km north of Sjimanovsk there is a new tracee. Unpaved but with hard surface, few grit on it. 80 km/h and more is possible.

From the village of Siwani to village of Gonzja (about 150 kilometer east of Skoworodino) the tracee follows a local road (indicated in yellow on the Atlas). The surface is loam, very damaged. When I did this part it rained and the surface was covered with mud. Under dry conditions it will probably be very dusty. 20 - 30 km/h under wet conditions.

From the village of Gonzja to Skorowodino is a unfinished new tracee. Unpaved, hard surface, many potholes, washbord, locally thick layers of coarse grit. 40 - 60 km/h

From Skoworodino to the village of Yryzja (100 km west of Skoworodino) is a new finished tracee, unpaved but with a hard surface, few grit. Excelent to drive but very dusty. 60 km/h.

From Yryzja to the town of Mogotsathe road is under construction as are the bridges. This part is riddled with detours and locally covered with very coarse grit. Difficult to drive. 40 - 60 km/h.

From Mogotsa till the village of Sbegd is a local road, loam surface and absolute riddled with potholes. Very difficult to drive. 20 km/h.

From the village of Sbegd to the town Sjilka is a new finished tracee. Hard flat surface, few grit, excelent to drive. 80 km/h and more is possible.

From Sjilka to Chyta the road is paved, asfalt.

Facilities:
Fuel stations: fuel stations are indicated in the atlas. In practise there are more because the atlas indicates only the AZS-stations. To get fuel is not a problem but stations may be far from each other. 95 is not always available.
Maintance: maintenance stations are also indicated in the Atlas. They are far from each other. Locally you may find "Zjinomontag", changing of tires. There they can repair tires too.
Overnight stay: "gostinitsa's" (hotels) you find in Birobidzjan (a real tourist hotel), in Sjimanovsk (horribly overpriced, to avoid at all costs), Magdagatsj, Skoworodino and Zjireken. In Zjireken the hotel was temporarily closed but the manager arranged overnight stay at local people. Apart from the regular hotels there is overnight accomodation at the regional railway stations. I stayed in the railway hotels of Zawitinsk and Mogotsa. Simple but cheap. Probably it is possible in Sjimanovsk too. Other possibilities are the camps of the road workers or just asking locals for "kwartiri" (B&B).

Advices:

Don't do this road under rainy conditions. It should have been dry for a week and stay dry for another week.
Check your bike before you leave, not only the engine but the frame too.
Take your time.

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Voorbij de horizon / beyond the horizon: www.wonderfultravels.nl