Yes we all know a big heavy bike can if needs must but after 30 days or more of man handling something so heavy the body will fatigue and no one days hard green laning can ever replicate this . The other thing is potential for injury to yourself and others in a remote region .Not to mention pissing of all other co riders ( yes we all like to help each other but it gets tiring ) that have to come over to help pickup 250+kg of bike each time it goes down or having to backtrack and missout on the interesting routes

Ok thank you for your help,, your concern over my bike choice, I've picked the bike up a few time in full gear it is a concern on my own,,,,,so is breaking down so is getting robbed so is so is so is,,, if you think like that you would never leave the house.

I've had a few messages from guys that would like to ride with me,,,,but there is one that's very interested we have met up, we plan to do some rides next year in prep for the trip on the same bike bmw 1150 gs, so its a possibility that I may have a ride partner,

We have done the Kolyma Hwy in the second half of September, this year.
Go and do not be afraid of the stories of people who never went.
Go before they sealed the road completely (vast road works are ongoing).
Kolyma = two lane dirt road (with occasional patches of asphalt) all the way.
No more wading (unless you venture on an old part here and there still visible).
People are friendly and are willing to help, and we didn't see a bear or a wolf (locals tell you to watch out).
Interesting routes? There is the Kolyma and the ... Kolyma.

September:
-advantage: the trillions of mozzies disappeared (June - August = mosquito festival),
-disadvantage: it started snowing (second half of September) and the Kolyma became extremely slippery.

Yes you will fall of in Mongolia and on the Kolyma, but you do not go there for the perfect asphalt?

See also our blog: Christine & Filiep on a trip. with shipping info if you need.

Well its nice to meet people with there glass halve full,,,,, if you no what I mean,,,some useful info on you site thank you

As I mentioned earlier, the Kolyma Highway (Federal Road) is fine. Its a 3-4 day, 100-120 km/h high speed blast on good graded gravel roads. And as I said earlier, its fine for your bike choice.

Thats not what the Old Summer Road is tho. Thus my efforts to differentiate for you the Federal Road and the Old Summer Road, which werent helped by the Belgian post above.

I mentioned the unlikelihood of getting your 1150 along the Old Summer Road, (especially solo) because you specifically mentioned the Old Summer Road, which the Belgians are not referring to, because they didn't even go there.

There are probably at least 30-40 people here on this forum that have been to the Kolyma and Magadan. Most of those on a motorcycle (thus with info more specific to the OP), not a car.

Actually you took the least interesting route (Federal Kolyma Highway route) between Yakutsk and Magadan. The Old Summer Road and Tenkinskaya Trassa are more scenic and interesting routes. Side trips to the Gulags Butygychag or Dneprovski are also very interesting from a route perspective and from a cultural history perspective. A challenging track to Jack London Lake takes in exceptionally beautiful nature and scenery. There is far more to the area than just the Kolyma Highway. If you know a bit more about the area other than just driving down the main highway in a car, once, you might know that.

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Having done some time crawling out from under bikes in the snot and usualy managing to jump ship and avoid getting squashed,the idea of a 250 kg or worse bike is completly crackers..
Was chatting to a couple in a 2cv couple of months back in France,they had seen a fair few injuries whilst in North Africa involving oversize adventure bikes breaking legs etc in fairly minor offs..
If anyone needs any convincing try picking up a 100 kg bike that's got about 60kg of that red,sticky,clay stuff all over,after you've been off about 5 times already and the wheels will almost no longer go around,then try and find the energy to get up on the pegs and get the thing going faster enough to clear some of the crap off the thing..
The prospect of this with any sort of luggage attached to bike doesn't even bear thinking about..

Hi Colebatch,

I have read your web site before leaving and it inspired me!
I found your web site some years ago, via the "askyakutia" web site from Bolot.

I have seen in Mongolia bikes ranging from Yamaha 250cc (frail little French guy) to BMW 1200 (bulky Polish guy). I have seen a KTM 990 Adventure in Iceland. The latter guy could pick up his bike 3 to 4 times in a day. The 5th time he needed help. I suppose everyone has his limits? Personally I would prefer also a lighter bike, but you ride what is most appropriate for yourselves?
On the Kolyma, there were no more bikes around, probably due to the season of the year.

Saying that the Kolyma is a 100 - 120 km/h blast is not correct.
Parts of the Kolyma were recently graded (90 km/h), parts were graded some months earlier (40 km/h) and parts were very bad (20 km/h).
The weather is one of the main factors dictating the road condition and therefore parts that were graded recently can deteriorate rapidly (loaded trucks). On two occasions rivers eroded half the width of the road.

It is correct: we did not do the Old Summer Road. We were late (snow) and alone (no second car). But as I understand, the OSR is a part of the original Road of Bones. The scenery is overwhelming on the Kolyma and I suppose also on the OSR, or road to the polar circle...

The main message: live your dreams.

Regards,
Filiep

I can only agree.. I know first hand that riding an R1200GS offroad is hard labour. I did it, and do it, in belgium, without luggage. I manage to do some 150 km per day.. Then i am exhausted. I agree i don't have tons of offroad experience, but all that I know agree that any serious offroading is hard or even impossible on this heavy bike.

But if someone thinks otherwise, fine by me, but you will not see me tackling the track with my GS.

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Your probably the best person to explain the joys of riding 250 kg in that stuff then I would think..I don't think I would entertain it unless I was about 8 foot tall and 18 stone or maybe if the bike wasn't mine and it was possible to utilise this cruise control type device some have fitted....stand next to the bike with clutch in,set cruise control for about 70mph and let the bike go by itself with no rider to get across the tricky bits?....not sure if thats actualy possible or if those clever Germans put a sensor in the seat that disables cruise control if no rider is fitted...so can't do this type of behaviour..hhmm..

I was hopping this thread was for people that had something sensible to say,
If you what I'll start another for jokes

Her is the fresh video made in the 2013: По БАМу до Магадану. Часть 2. - YouTube
video was taken from here: По БАМу до Магадану. Фильм. - Форум Содружества Мототуристов MotoTravels
This year (2013) was extremly raining, and water level was very hight. Old Kolyma road was floods, and this guys went by NEW/Upper Kolyma.
Hope it will be interesting for you. I wish you to START your journey. I am sure you will finish.

im 6'10" and weigh 19.5 stone.... im probably one of the tallest/ biggest adventure riders out there....

at the time of buying my bike, i had never met Walter, but reading everything he had written, and listening to every ones advice, i went with the xchallenge.. best thing i have ever done..

if i can be comfortable riding a 650, then so can everyone else..



last summer, shipped it from canada to korea, ferry to russia, spent a fair amount of time in the far east, but my suspension (not stock) was not good enough to handle the rough roads. had little choice but to abandon mongolia and slab it to moscow, and onto netherlands for a proper suspension upgrade.

next spring/ summer i will be heading back to the far east...

driving the 650 on the rough roads was an absolute dream, it was like a race car through the twisties.

Looks interesting. Would be interested in joining you but only in March 2016 as I am planning my trip then.
Afraid I am a bit older and will be retired in 2016 . Not strong enough to lift up a loaded BMW so have opted for either a Suzuki DR350 or a Yamaha TTR600. Both being rebuilt and to be tried out over the next year.
Would be interested in hearing from you on your return.

Best of luck with the preparations

Another Graeme

Hi Eddie or should I say big boy
For me m8 I'll ride anything you give me as long as I can take it off road, I would love to take a reliable 250 or 350 with no luggage just to thrash it, I'm not bothered I'm taking the BMW 1150 I can handle that very well, the only issue is will I get up the old road to magadan with it, and people have answered that, if I hit it at the wrong time I wouldn't even get up there on my klx, so I'll take my BMW and enjoy it ( I no that) when I get there and I need too, i will jump into a truck, so we will see,,,,

Hi Graeme
Shame that I would love to ride it with you, but take what bike that suits you, I've seen posts that people on honda cubs have done it, so there you go, good luck with your retirement.
I've got other little trip arranged if you like some company
Thanks