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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!
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It wasn't completely plain sailing for the others either
The final hurrah of a blowing a clutch
Posing for the photo. The face ain't smiling. I'm seriously up (in?) sh!t creek
Not posing
Jon and Andrew having time to see the funny side while they give me a pull
A local biker taking the bridge. Bollocks, did I feel small! Stupid effing tourist!
A more suitable vehicle than my bike, especially if you take the bridge!
Todor and Yevgeny arrive
In a video further down I describe how indebted I was to Yevgeny and Todor, 2 Russian truckers for helping me change my clutch. I was carrying a (used) spare that my mechanic had swapped out for a new one before I sent off from England.
They had the tools and skills and I knew what needed to be done as I toasted a clutch in the sands of Morocco and had the opportunity to watch a Moroccan mechanic and his son in Rissani change one in 2005. The fact they spoke no English and I spoke only 7 words of Russian (Da, Niet, Piva, Vodka, Borscht, Shashlik, Gastiniza) made no difference. In 4 hours we had it done, including an oil and filter change.
After they fixed my bike and didn't want any money (I did try to give them a little, but they flatly refused), they also fed me!
Monument. I'm surprised I was even in the mood to stop to take a picture. Maybe I was looking for excuses to stop to catch my breath
This video shows a little of my emotional state and gratitude to Yevgeny and Todor
Welcome to Severomuysk
Very good condition for a BAM road bridge
A not so good bridge: The previous summer in 2012 much of this region was ravaged by forest fires
We are not enjoying this! Wrong bike Bright, get it?
A famous bridge that's been in more than one ride report
Wakey wakey! The railway is never far away. It also allowed me to extract myself from here back to Lake Baikal and the easy road to Irkutsk. More of that later though.
Locals enjoying a sunny day (honestly, there weren’t many) by the river
The Seaplane monument in Taksimo getting a clean and paint
I enjoy your ride report and the pictures very much, but I cant see the videos as my internet connection is not that good here in my village in Bolivia.
Did your friends leave you alone at the side of the river with the toasted clutch?
When I drowned my Honda in a mud pool on the road of bones in 2003, no truck drivers passed ... and I had very little food. After boiling the oil, to get the water out, over a bonfire in the morning I could continue after twenty hours.
I've learn something new: In a real emergency, boil the engine oil over a fire to get rid of the water!
No, the lads didn't leave me alone. The truckers had arrived before they set off.
I had a lot of food to sit it out for a few days (water wasn't a problem ) and it wasn't feasible to tow my bike 250km to a town (back the way I'd come or to where I was heading).
In the the 4 or 5 hours I was at the side of the road helping to fix the bike 3 or 4 vehicles passed. If necessary I could have hitched a lift to extract me from the situation. As usual, the railway line was also close by, so I could have thumbed a ride on a train.
Hola MikaI've learn something new: In a real emergency, boil the engine oil over a fire to get rid of the water!
Same here! Brilliant! Never thought of that one either.
Have been in that situation ... and the last time the rider just rode on with WATER in the oil. (not that much water) ... but I thought for sure the bearings would be toast. We rode about 40 miles to a town, changed oil. His bike made the whole trip. (another 1500 miles)
But boiling oil makes perfect sense! A great solution!
Did the Russian guys come up with this one?
I bumped into the other lads at the Seaplane monument. They were heading east towards the Vitim Bridge and the real fun beyond. And Me? I needed some time sleeping in a hotel bed! I wished them bonne route.
After 2 nights and a day (most of it spent trying to fix the Shed's still leaking radiator) I set off. These 2 young chaps were coming the other way
I was regularly topping up the radiator. By now it was 33.3/33.3/33.3 swamp water/sparkling mineral water/rad-seal!
Oh joy!
Turning around: Wise words, or words of a demented man?
On the way back to Taksimo. Possibly in a slightly emotional state?
"Come back again another time on a little bike" I wouldn't have guessed in my wildest dreams that the "another time" would be a week later. I was expecting it to be years later.
6.30am, waiting for the train…
Back in Taksimo I tried to arrange a train for me and the bike to Tynda at the end of the western BAM and on the good Chita/Yakutsk road. No train with a baggage/post wagon for 2 weeks. Bo!!ocks! However, on Tuesday (in 2 days) a train all the way to Moscow. I actually considered going that far, but only went for the 500km option back to Severobaykalsk and the bike ride back to Irkutsk.
The shed in the baggage wagon.
Despite my 7 words of Russian and the freight lady's zero words of any language I understood, but with French/Russian translation on the phone from her mate/colleague/boss/daughter (no idea!), my Russian/English phrase book and newly downloaded translation app on my smartphone I got the ticket for me and the bike sorted. There were 60 bucks of extra "loading fees" that didn't appear on any receipt, but she did have captive audience
Her sidekick ended up with an extra 20 litres of petrol which we decanted using 2 cola bottles from the Shed's tank into his car. In fairness, he did pay me for most of it.
Other baggage being loaded
It was funny seeing the road I had ridden from the inside of a train carriage
Unceremoniously deposited on the platform at Severobaykalsk 6 hours later
The road more travelled
Somewhere before Ust Kut I met this German couple who refused to pay the (apparently) high fee for the vehicle barge to Lensk to join the Vilyuisky Trakt to Yakutsk and were intending on driving the BAM. I never met them again, but there's no way they would have made it all the way on 4 wheels
Overview sketch from when I was planning my trip in 2011 below:
The BAM sign I forgot to get a picture of when riding west-east
The forest takes back the town
Back to Zhigalovo
Kind of pretty
Guess what they're doing?
Watch the video for the answer. (Clearing up litter)
I met this pleasant Russian biker when he stopped to check I was ok. I was reattaching the bash plate back onto the bike using borrowed (from a fence next to the road....) fencing wire
Still time to take in the view
Getting closer to "civilisation"
Entertainment at lunchtime
A cafe that was open and sold stuff...
Where the paved road started I meet Joe Stather a.k.a JoeDakar and his partner Corinna ( HARD WAY EAST - JOEDAKAR GMBH - THE MOTORCYCLE ADVENTURE COMPANY ) who were also attempting the BAM. On BMW (F800gs Adventure) sheds (a different variety of shed to my Honda Transalp Shed). Their sheds were also unsuitable for the terrain and they didn't make it. From Joe's description in the link above, he turned round at the same place as me and dropped his bike off the bridge where I only fell over (filmed in the second of the 3 videos above).
Myself and Felix had a really pleasant evening with Joe and Corinna a week later in Taksimo when we returned on the XCs and before Joe's mishap.
I'm away from a desktop PC for 2 weeks riding around eastern Bulgaria and Romania, as well as hunting for the Easter bunny closer to home, so if it floats your boat, here are a couple of maps of the end of the Transalp "Mk 1" trip and the start of the "Mk 2/RBA" caper for you to hone your geography skills. Prepping a RR on a tablet PC or smartphone isn't feasible.
And also 3 pictures from the Mk2/RBA jolly to hopeful wet you appetite
Ch 8. The start of part 2 (the “any which way” part…) Irkutsk north and east
A bit of background as to how I ended up riding an XChallenge:
After my aborted attempt at the BAM on the Transalp and before I boarded the train at Taksimo, I had texted Felix and Phil, who were behind me, to let them know I was returning to Irkutsk and asking if they’d still be there. I again had cell phone contact in Severobaykalsk when Felix texted me to say Phil would lend me his XC to do the trip with him.
My first reaction was "Don’t be so ridiculous": I’d sworn I’d never ride a BMW again in my life and the concept of riding a bike that wasn’t in my name in a distant country like Russia made me feel uneasy.
The day’s ride from Severobaykalsk to Zhigalovo gave me 8 hours to think things through:
+If we just rode one way (i.e. we had to ship bikes out of Magadan) we should have the time
+If I stuck a sticker over the BMW logo, nobody would ever know I was riding that brand from Berlin :-)
+I knew I wouldn’t meet many police who might want to check my papers as there were very few people where we were going
+I would actually make it to Magadan and have no more frigging in the rigging and get this huge monkey off my back.
So, I texted Felix and said I was up for it, as long as he was ok to just ride one way.
Why do I dislike the BMW brand, you might ask: I rode around the world on an airhead between 1999 and 2002, spending too much time in mechanics' workshops and relying on the kindness of strangers to get it fixed. The story is at Round the World TBSdotCom
Before we left Irkutsk, I serviced the (black) Transalp as I knew it would be close in terms of timing to ride it back to Mongolia when I flew back. I parked it at a posh hotel in the city.
Old traditional architecture
Vladimir Ilyich is always watching over you
Admiring the architecture :-)
Is he saying "You looking at my girlfriend's architecture"?
Chatting with Phil about bikes at Nina's Guesthouse in Irkutsk
more great stuff!
Did you say Joe Dakar dropped his F800GS "Off the Bridge" ?
Crikey! I hope he wasn't attached to it when it went over. Must be a good story there.
"hey mate, got a winch and tackle handy?"
Interesting to learn of your BMW history ... I have a bit of history too, similar experiences.
How did that Russian guy get a DR650? (or some mix of parts that looks like the DR?) Did he ride it from Japan?
Hope things go better on your "new" Transalp (made in Berlin!)
Looking forward to next installment.
more great stuff!
Did you say Joe Dakar dropped his F800GS "Off the Bridge" ?
Crikey! I hope he wasn't attached to it when it went over. Must be a good story there.
"hey mate, got a winch and tackle handy?"
Interesting to learn of your BMW history ... I have a bit of history too, similar experiences.
How did that Russian guy get a DR650? (or some mix of parts that looks like the DR?) Did he ride it from Japan?
Hope things go better on your "new" Transalp (made in Berlin!)
Looking forward to next installment.
If you click on the link below Joe's picture he describes his close shave with death. I think he was indeed attached to said bike when he exited the bridge. Somebody did have a winch!
Indeed I have form, where BMWs are concerned. People like to boast about being the first to do this or that. People also like to boast about their BMW GS. My boast is: I'm the first man to ride a BMW GS into the ground. Literally!
All the Russians I met who were on Japanese thumpers, were on 250s. I think the one above is a DR250 Jebel (called a Gerbil in the UK ). There's a few people in Vladivostok who import 2nd hand Japanese bikes into Russia. People either pick them up there or they are distributed to the Russian buyers using the Trans Siberian railway.
Ch9 And they're off (The Zhigalovo Road for the third time!)
My riding buddy for my second attempt on the BAM: Mr Felix "I make Kevin Keegan's and Chris Waddle's mullet look good" Wright. Myself, Felix and Phil had already met in the UK and agreed to ride the BAM together. Various events had conspired to prevented this from happening up until now.
Russia and Siberia have many positive aspects, but the mullet haircut, that many local men sport, is not one of them. I suppose their 1980s haircuts go with their love of 1980 heavy metal music.
Felix's Russian skills at the barber shop weren't good enough when the lady said "That'll be a mullet then sir?". All he could say was "Da" and hope. His hopes were in vain
Mr Wright in the bright sunlight
Mr Bright in the (w)right light... He's a poet and doesn't even know it! On the Transalp MarkII alongside the mighty Lena river
If only the weather had stayed this good...
Some dubious video footage...
Spare tyres are also the (b)right size for tasty Baltika 7 cerveza cans purchased at the bottle shop en route to the hotel I stayed at twice already on the Transalp Mark I.
Chapter 10 Zhigalovo and back onto the BAM to Novo Uoyan
It could be said that good weather and a light bike with good suspension might reduce the adventure a little (not to worry: The weather changed and the track got much worse later on). The MarkII Transalp (also known as an RBA (Rebadged Aprilia) just ate up the miles up to the turnoff onto the BAM road before I remembered I was also meant to take some pictures...
Why is the XC an RBA? Answer: It allows me to claim I never actually rode a Beemer and lets me sleep with a clear conscience at night
The XC was built in the Aprilia factory, has (of course) an Austrian Rotax motor and Swedish Ohlins (Phil has swapped out the pants oem airshock on my bike: Felix was running Hyperpro) suspension... So pretty much the only thing coming from the BMW factory in Germany is the badge and the mapping on the efi unit...
At the BAM road sign (The same one as on the MarkI Transalp). The MarkII travelled all the way from somewhere in the middle of the Russian Altai, then across Mongolia, from Ulaan Bataar to Irkutsk and along the BAM to Tynda, then to Yakutsk and Magadan, including crossing 2 borders, without a licence plate! Why? Why not, nobody bothered checking and no police stopped me/us. Phil had dropped the bike backwards into a hole in the Altai, (that apparently took some heavy lifting equipment to extract 48 hours later: Felix or Phil might be able to elaborate on this story) and he lost the rear turn signals and plate. I did try making a new plate in an internet cafe in Irkutsk and cable tied it on, but after an hour it was falling off, so it spent the rest of the journey sticking out of my camelbak.
The first (of many) puctures
Memo to self: When Phil says the spare tubes in the panniers are fine, check that they haven't been patched, and if they have, buy some new ones in the bike shop in Irkutsk before leaving!
The pleasant weather and easy road, so far, lulls you into thinking this ride will be easy. Just for information: The trail gets progressively harder until Lopcha, over a thousand miles away, when it's back to easy gravel for the cruise into Tynda.
Too much alcohol in Severobaikalsk.
2 things were bugging me about the XC:
1. It's a BMW. Solution: Stick a piece of gaffer tape on the badge and only ever refer to it as a Transalp MarkII or an RBA
2. The totally daft (some might say gay-looking...) combo of oem high fender AND low rallye fender at the same time! It was Phil's idea! I feel I've developed aesthetic taste in my old age, so something had to give! For the rest of the trip, the high oem fender lived in the red roll bag on the pillion seat
Food shopping in Severobaikalsk. What a ridiculous bloody haircut!
Stopping for an ice-cream in a railway town. I ate more ice-creams on this trip than on many others.
Mum and the kids waiting for dad to finish the shopping
Heading home with the groceries
Waiting at the a train crossing at Novo Uoyan. Finally somebody to make me look thin and svelt
It was in Novo Uoyan a week earlier when Pete Berry (the chap on the XR) had been involved in an "incident" regarding the world (in)famous "Botty Dance" and also where I'd removed the fan from the MarkI radiator as it was causing it to leak more with than without it
A bit of geography and background: Taksimo is
1. Where the sea plane monument is
2. Where myself and Felix had a great night of s and chat with DakarJoe and Corinna
3. From where I freighted my Mark I Transalp westwards on the train a week previously
4. Where (on my Mark I trip the week before) one evening in the cafe next to the hotel, I was struggling to mime a pig to say I wished to purchase some fried pork. The youngish lady didn't understand. The Russian translation/phrases app on my smart phone couldn't translate pork, but did have the word "porker", which was rather unfortunate considering her physical appearance She seemed unconcerned as to why I burst out laughing!
Siberian architecture: Bedraggled chique
A local biking fisherman
The bridge next to the river where I toasted the Mark I clutch and where the 2 truckers Yevgeny and Todor got me out of some serious sh!t when they helped me change it
Textbook stuff
Selfie on said bridge: Having a spot of lunch. How very sophisticated
The oil from the Mark I oil change, after we'd changed the clutch, is still there a week later. Sorry no recycling facility available
I presume in memory of someone
Going…
Going…
Gone!
The whole video is a bit of an overview of the day, but from 4.16 to 4.27 ties in with the images above Just to demonstrate what a good sport I am: I could just have "lost" the evidence, but I ain't proud
When you've messed up...
This is how you sort it. With a little bit of help from your friends...
As said in the previous chapter, we had a pleasant evening chatting to Joe and Corinna, but had to head off early(ish) the next morning as we were on a tight schedule. They were staying an extra day before setting off
The bridges got worse as we headed east. Every winter the harsh weather takes its toll and in 2012 there were lots of summer forest fires which also more than accelerated the deterioration of the bridges
This is the puddle were I turned back on the Mark I Trannie. The Mark II found it quite straight forward
One of my favourite images of the trip. When I showed this to my uncle he asked "Why are you riding though the swamp? Why not ride on the road?"
This IS THE ROAD. You can see the swamp on the other side of the bike
Felix riding the “Mark I turn around puddle”. Note how the pitch of the motor changes as the bike goes lower and lower. Only something like an X-Challenge with an incredibly high air-box intake (just about at handlebar level) can make it while being ridden. Other bikes would have to be pushed through with all offending orifices plugged
We got into a routine: Get off, walk the bridge, check the line, decide whether to walk or ride and if the other fella needs to give you a hand. This was an easy one, where Felix could take a pic of me riding it
Finally we reach the mighty Vitim River! And the Bridge, that seemed too far only 10 days previously. We walked the length of it first. Sorry lots of pics of the same landmark. Not many bikers get to ride this, so we enjoyed ourselves
The only way is forwards
Luckily it was dry today
Flora and fauna
We wish each other luck and Felix sets off
The first few meters were a bit wobbly and nerve wracking, but after about 5 of 10 seconds I got into the groove. Tunnel vision and full concentration, but still enough awareness to stop 2/3 of the way along to wait for Felix to get his camera out, so there are some pics of me riding it!
2 minutes 30 seconds. Not the fastest, which I think is Iker from the Basque Country in 40 something seconds, nor the slowest which was Tony Pettie who encountered a huge storm half way across, so had to lay himself and his bike down and wait for it to pass! We had perfect conditions in comparison!
The Felix Wright Kuanda Mullet Dance that is an adaptation of the Pete Berry Botty Dance. Pete rode UK to Magadan and back on an Xr400 with barely a hitch.
On my aborted Mark I attempt at the BAM trip shortly before it retired hurt, we were out eating and drinking in Novo Uoyan. I went to bed and the others carried on partying, including Pete dancing with some local women who were apparently less than impressed with him wiggling his bottom.
Since the Sochi Olympics we know Putin's view on gays. These women seemed to (wrongly) think that Pete was of that persuasion too and expressed their displeasure. Maybe Adam Lewis can help to fill in the details and adjudicate if Pete's or Felix's dance is better!
Not to be left out I attempt the dance too. On the stage. The local (easily influenced) audience aren't sure what to think...
... before kneeling down as if to say "We are not worthy. He must be the messiah..."
One of my fav pics of the trip. I don't necessarily smile easily, but this one is genuine. I even persuaded the shy little girl to join the show off boys in their group shot
map4:
More of an overview of the geography
The Kuanda River Bridge. TURN UP THE VOLUME! As mentioned in the previous video the usual way to cross the Kuanda River was to hire a Kamaz truck and put the bikes in the back. We decided to see if we could wing it as the truck isn't cheap and there was only 2 of us. I think we were lucky we only came across one scrawny bloke on guard. Had there been more, it would have cost mucho rubbles. FWIW 200 Rubles = £4 = us$6 = euro5
There were many railway bridges to cross. This was the only guarded one until Olyokma. At one, I met a train half way! More about that in the next chapter!
Golden Spike Monument, to commemorate the meeting of the 2 railway building teams. One had started in the east at the Pacific Ocean and the other in the west. This is where the tracks connected
The railway is your friend and navigator and if the sh!te hits the fan, your get out of jail free card. Like me on the Mark I and Joe after his mishap.
Not quite in sequence chronologically, but still topical. It may not be totally clear from my ride report, but the Mark II (BMW X Challenge) did make it to Magadan and back to the UK: In November 2013. Here's a picture of it and Felix's bike in the back of my van on a mammoth drive form Rotterdam to Yorkshire in November 2013.
2 weeks ago (late April 2014), the Mark I arrived in the UK too. 4 and a half months late! The pictures below are taken by Darren Mitchell in my employer's groundsman's lawnmower shed where Darren helped me hugely get it back on its wheels and into van and home.
Mark II Transalp (and Felix's bike...) November 2013 en route Rotterdam to England. Very much on time, if not much earlier than ever imagined…In a Eurotunnel carriage sous la marche at midnight.
Mark I Transalp: Arrived mid April 2014, box opened the other day: The bike came in a container from Mongolia. Nearly half a year late! If you ever need to ship anything to or from Mongolia, I can advise an agent to most definitely avoid!
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.
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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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) and it wasn't feasible to tow my bike 250km to a town (back the way I'd come or to where I was heading). 
(not that much water) ... but I thought for sure the bearings would be toast. We rode about 40 miles to a town, changed oil. His bike made the whole trip. (another 1500 miles)
Somebody did have a winch!
). There's a few people in Vladivostok who import 2nd hand Japanese bikes into Russia. People either pick them up there or they are distributed to the Russian buyers using the Trans Siberian railway.
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