Started kicking this idea around the other day while trying to think of ways to make Kyrgyzstan more welcoming to bikers. One idea that my friends and I have is to provide a sort of rescue insurance program. Basically if you put your bike down, smash it up, or some other disaster happens and you need out we could come get you in a 4x4 or Porter, drag your bike out, help deal with any local problems, get you back to Bishkek, and help you make arrangements. Cost wouldn't need to be high somewhere in the $100-150 range. I already have a transportation company, so the local resources side would be easy. Would you or someone like you use this? Feedback, thoughts?

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9000 miles 'round the US riding two up on a ratted out 1985 Shadow 500 and now exploring Central Asia on a 1994 Honda Dominator...ride what you own where you are!

Do you mean we pay a policy beforehand or do you mean we only pay if we need to use you. I'm guessing the former as you use the word insurance?

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That concrete whizzing by five inches below your foot is the real thing...

Absolutely agree. I've been in Kyrgyzstan for a year now and have already helped several bikers make repairs, get bikes, lodging, etc. Love doing it, especially as you meet an extremely diverse group of people coming through.

As far as the idea, I was thinking it would be a per trip kind of thing. Let's say that you're coming to ride Kyrgyzstan for a month, it would cover you for the entire time you're here...obviously it couldn't include all the repairs...we don't have any official or really quality repair places here...everything is makeshift, but we could provide the connections to help to get you back on the road. My thinking is that there are some people out there who think, "I'd like to ride there, but what do I do if I'm in trouble?" Maybe this could answer it. In the end it would be a cheap way for bikers to help bikers.

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9000 miles 'round the US riding two up on a ratted out 1985 Shadow 500 and now exploring Central Asia on a 1994 Honda Dominator...ride what you own where you are!

interesting idea...

however, my view is that "insurance" is something for non-adventurers. fixing the f-ups on the road is part of the adventure.

as for the cost - how much would it be to "hire" a pick-up or donkey cart to get your bike to a village / town / city?

in sudan, $60 got me about 150km in a pickup, and in western sahara, $10 got me 30km when my bikes became unserviceable and i couldn't remedy the problems immediately.

insurance is a numbers game for both parties. if there is a one-in-five chance you will need assistance, the insurer would charge for the policy, say 1/3 to 1/4 the cost of providing assistance. you are suggesting $100-$150. i'm going to guess that i could get my bike from a remote off-road piste to any town in kyrgyztan for under 3x$100.

i travel maybe 30-40 countries per one-year tour at a time. paying $100 or even $10 per country would be a significant cost for the service you are suggesting.

most of africa has no roadside assistance plan, but it doesn't stop huge numbers of bikers traveling around.

i will be in kyrgyzstan for the hubb meeting, happy to discuss further.

personally, i wouldn't use too many resources right now trying to set something up as an insurance policy... better to make yourself known as a transport guy for pay-as-you-go bikers.

good luck either way.
d