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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After the big trip - Was the trip the best - or worst - thing you ever did?
Resources and Links
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!
We're not a big multi-national company, just two people who love motorcycle travel and have grown a hobby into a full time job and a labour of love.
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T-shirts 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.
Calendars Featuring the 13 winning photos from the Horizons Unlimited annual motorcycle travel photo contest!
World Map Sticker for PanniersShow your route on your panniers. Great conversation starter when you meet people on the road!
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Videos - Watch and Learn!
Horizons Unlimited presents!
Achievable Dream 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.
"The series is 'free' because the tips and advice will save much more than you spend on buying the DVD's."
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I've stuck a few stickers on the bike since, to hide the scratches a bit.
Your and my ethics seem to be very similar. Not everybody shares them however. Putting it briefly and politely, you could say I was was disappointed, but not entirely surprised by what happened. However, what goes around comes around.
RVP was indeed a star.
You back in Thailand at Crimbo? I'm taking a little jolly across eastern Europe at the mo. It's bloody cold! It shouldn't have been a surprise. Winter is on its way. I hope my heated jacket carries on working!
I'm leaving the bike in Great Uncle Bulgaria and will return to it to try to catch some winter sun in Greece and Turkey this Christmas/New Year.
C
Hey Chris, It's gotten cold here this weekend, Xmas adverts are now on the box, thankfully I'm of to Laos for 6 months on Thursday
For me the best thing with riding with people is the team work aspect, one get's a problem everybody helps to solve it, then you share the joy and carry on it's a great feeling, you live and learn hey!.
Somebody asked about the bike. It's a hybrid of 2 Transalps. A 1988 frame/engine (hence to black motor (and oil consumption...) and everything else off a 1998.
Mods include:
30 litre African Queens petrol tank with vaccuum fuel pump by some Japanese company whose name starts with a K
Progressive fork springs and harder oil than standard
Rebuilt OEM shock with sleeve so as to increase spring-preload
Wider footpegs (off a xr600)
Bar risers and Renthal Dakar high bars
Heated grips
Lower strung silencer by Scorpion, allegedly off a 125 Varadero (that's what the bike breaker who sold me it said), with a custom link pipe. This enabled the area previous occupied to be used for spares (until they fell off and were lost!...). Also less heat so the reg/rec should survive longer.
Giant Loop Great Basin bag: It leaks, despite seams sealed. Very sturdy though. Will pack more dry bag liners for next year's trip.
Touratwat tank bag. My first ever TT product! :-) It was cheap on ebay, ok!, because the seller could'nt spell. Probably my last too, the zippers broke quite quickly.
Tool roll on bash plate: Massey Ferguson tractor manual holder
Alli bashplate: very strong. Some of the Mongolian rocks that bounced off it were huge!
Tyres: Pirelli MT21 90/90/21 and 130/80/17 with Michelin HD tube in front. Rear has a normal tube as impossible to get a HD one. Rim locks in both wheels
Swingarm and disk brake off a 98 bike as well as double disk front forks
Crash bars (very strong ) with a couple of no name spots mounted.
Hey Chris, It's gotten cold here this weekend, Xmas adverts are now on the box, thankfully I'm of to Laos for 6 months on Thursday
For me the best thing with riding with people is the team work aspect, one get's a problem everybody helps to solve it, then you share the joy and carry on it's a great feeling, you live and learn hey!.
Have a good Xmas and keep the report coming....
You luck luck boy. 6 months in Laos! If you're up for a trail riding buddy in SE Asia at Xmas/NewYear 2013/14, pencil me in!
After a parting of the ways with the others, I set off to nowhere in particular. Riding along I spotted a German TLC parked on the side of the road. Hans and Ingrid were really nice people and also told me of a big party starting at Lake Song-Kul a couple of hundred clicks down the road. So that’s where I headed. Over the next 24 hours about 3000 other people also went my way:
Some rode, some used the horsebox.
They were there to celebrate the 185th birthday of a Kyrgyz hero for whom they had just finished building a monument. A great place to build a monument too:
Horses going for a swim.
Some vehicles sported the not yet released in Europe nor USA 2013-model all new design, high tech, Touratech Alli panniers :confused1:
They drank and ate…
The most disgusting smelling (and tasting) boiled horse broth. I again had to endure the stuff in Mongolia later in the trip. Conveniently in Kyrgyzstan other foodstuffs were available, unlike Mongolia.
The also came in Audi 80s. There were lots of them in Kyrgyzstan. Some showed off their pets.
They wrestled. The Kazakh and Russian competitors received the biggest boos. Luckily a Kyrgyz won the final.
People would regularly call you over and insist you took their picture. All they wanted was to say hello, shake your hand and look at the picture in the camera display. No requests for money, nor the “Donne moi un cadeau” sh!t as pedalled in central and west Africa.
I had the opportunity to meet young local women, dressed to impress...
...Watch horse against machine. Horse wins.
Spectate several round of "Horse murderball"(!?) (closest analogy is American Football on horses with a headless male goat as a “ball”)! You could tell it was a male goat because another part of his analomy hadn't been trimmed!
Said hello to local men, also dressed to impress.
The 48 hours I spent at Song Kul were some of the most memorable from the whole trip. Kyrgystan was my favourite country on the trip.
The people you meet: A couple of Dutch bikers. Both bikes have xr250 paperwork. Which one isn’t an XT250?
The people you meet: A crazy Japanese cyclist. I met lots of people on pushbikes in Kyrgyzstan. Most were heading for Tajikistan. They wouldn’t be getting let in…
The people you meet: Some other bloke and his dad. Said his name was Leonardo Di Caprio. Also doing the ADV thing… Apparently the ship sinks at the end of the film.
En route to the Tajik border. Which way was the wind blowing?
Ive enjoyed reading your blog ,great photo's .the two guys on bikes ,i had two early xt250's many years ago,i think the other bike is a TY250 yamaha.Noel
Ive enjoyed reading your blog ,great photo's .the two guys on bikes ,i had two early xt250's many years ago,i think the other bike is a TY250 yamaha.Noel
Yeh, I think it is a TY. He toasted his XT motor in Uzbekistan, so abandoned it and bought the TY off an expat who was leaving the country. It crossed the border on the XT papers and licence plate. He couldn't even be bothered to tidy up the cable tie that was holding the plate on in a rather precarious manner.
The minor case of an assassination of the KGB chief in Khorog over a 1000km away caused the authorities to turn off the phone and internet networks and close all roads and then force all tourists to leave the country. They wouldn’t want outsiders to witness the murder of their own people, would they?. A big shame.
And from a personal point of view a PITA. It meant I wouldn’t make it to Uzbekistan (not a biggie: everybody told me how unbearably hot it was there and I’m not actually that interested in looking at architecture anyway). On the plus side, I’d have more time in Mongolia later in the trip.
A little windy
A slightly spooky shot. I kinda like it. It was really windy. Down hill at 80kmh I had my own dust cloud overtaking me! And the temp gauge was on max too.
Mr Sadat and a Polish Af Twin rider called Robert and his Slovak mate whose name I forget. Nice people.
Full yard at Sadat’s in Karakul: my Trannie, 2 Polish Africa Twins and 5 Russians: 2 Af Twins, 2 Transalps 1 xt250 Baja
Ak Baital Pass at 4655m on Pamir Highway between Karakul and Murgab. The bike was running fine here, over a vertical km higher than when I had my cliff incident. Hence the theory regarding the dodgy cdi unit suddenly kicking back in and launching me into space. Or not?
The gps reads only 4 meters lower. Not bad considering the distances to the satellites.
Crazy Scottish cyclist called Stephen and Marek and Rarek from Poland
A solo (pretty) German cyclist... The following will sound really sexist. It is: On all my travels every time I meet solo female travellers, they tend to be “functional”. All the pretty ones have a fella in tow. This lady was actually very pretty and on her own, on a pushbike in the Pamir mountains!
I first met Christine at the border between Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan. We had heard of problems ahead and due to her slow average speed and her visa running out she had a big dilemma as to whether to continue on or not. In the end her decision was made for her: The authorities put her and several other cyclists in a jeep, drove them to the border and said “get lost”. Here she’s with my Polish mates Marek and Radek with whom I rode back to Osh in Kyrgyzstan.
Over the fence behind them is China
Yours truely
Getting gas in Murgab
An artful photo?
End of the road at Murgab. They weren’t letting anyone into the rest of the Pamir region. Bollox
Now that I’ve reached the most southerly point on this trip and have been forced to turn round, here are 3 maps of my gps tracks so far with a couple of annotations. They might be of some interest. From now on, the only way is north... and east... and north east.... and east.... and south east... and east again.
2500km Tajik/Kyrgyz border to Kazakh/Russia Border
Here’s just a random selection (in chronological order…) of pictures from the Tajik/Kyrgyz to the Kazakh/Russia border: About 2500km where nothing untoward happened. Just a lot of riding, nice views and people, a bit of drinking and quite a few fun experiences.
Osh was a good place to hang out for a couple of days. Lenin Street had some nice bars and eateries.
A weird looking poster. Not sure if it’s for or whatever is in those packets. Wouldn’t eat or drink the stuff if you end up looking like those 2 Neanderthals.
While taking the above pic, look what walked by…
Beehives and honey selling
Genghis Khan on a horse, on a bike. Note the “superior” side panel mod so that the reg/rec can run a bit cooler.
All uphill and downhill incline signs in Central Asia say 12%! I kid you not. Either the ex-Soviet factory only made this particular 12% sign, or the roads are all at 12%. I don’t think it’s the later. Some inclines were definitely steeper, some shallower.
Some (new) bag of sh!t Chinese Lonchin 125 thing. But nice stickers eh? A DRZ Gixxer. The ultimate Adventure bike?
What you can buy on the side of the road in Kyrgyzstan. The obligatory water melons and inflatable beach toys (Lake Issy Kul is a 100 clicks down the road).
A couple of interesting stickers (Colebatch’s and HU amongst others) on the gate of My Town Motors in Almaty, Kazakhstan. I went there to have a chat and buy some proper engine oil.
Chatting to the mechanic at My Town
Somewhere on road north east of Almaty I had my “It’s as far from me to you as it is from you to me, you pig” interaction with a couple of bent coppers, as mentioned at the start of this RR.
While stopping for a comfort break where a gravel road goes off into the distance, who should turn up? Michal Rej and Marek Zarod, 2 Polish hardcore 4x4 people. They told me that down the track there’s an abandoned former Soviet nuclear missile launch site. Both were really nice guys. Michal has lots of YouTube videos including http://www.youtube.com/user/SyberiaM...?feature=watch
The site mentioned above.
What do you find at the end of a rainbow?
Ooops.
I was getting annoyed at riding through the nothingness that is eastern Kazakhstan. Then it started to rain. The only town I rode through only had expensive hotels and I couldn’t be arsed to put my tent up. Just before dark I saw a building on the hillside with no smoke coming out of the chimney. A shepherd’s hut. It was locked with a twisted coat hanger, but my Leatherman allowed easy entry
This is me at breakfast the flowing morning. I then rode 750km to Semey, close to the border with Russia. A really glowing (radioactive) town.
Having a nice chat with the locals while buying breakfast on the way towards the Russian border.
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.
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!
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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.
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I hope my heated jacket carries on working!
:confused1:
or whatever is in those packets. Wouldn’t eat or drink the stuff if you end up looking like those 2 Neanderthals.
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