England to magadan
 

I've been thinking about doing the road of bones for about five years now, starting from the northeast England riding to magadan then fiying back to Moscow then riding back home from there, with been a property landlord there always something stopped me but I'm 50 years old and I need to do this, at first I was thinking what bike to use BMW gs as that's what I ride but I think it will make more sense to do it with a smaller bike endure still with touring boxes so not to small,
It 9000 miles to magadan the most I've done is 4000 tour of Europe. I'm not planing a set time as I want to take in as much as possible so would expect anywhere between 70 to 100 days. As I've said its just at planing stage, I happy to do this on my own but my wife would be more happier if I did this with some one so I thought I would post this to see if some one like me been thinking they need to do something like this before they can't so please pm me let me no your interest I would be happy to disuse what you would want out of this adventure.
I was planing to do this 2015 I now it a long way off but it will give me and possibly others so We can start to get together all that I may need, I would expect a forecast budget of £10,000 at today prices so in 2015 expect £12,000 that would include everything except the cost of the bike as possibly you may have already got that,
I'm from the northeast, don't hold that against me I've been apart of the cycling touring club for Many years (cycle camping in remote areas) been around motorbikes for a good few years, I do all my own bike maintenance.
If any one has any info or advice all is welcome as I've said if some one is thinking of doing something like this I would be happy to talk pm me and I can send my contact details
Thanks graham

Hi Graham
Are you talking about the old summer road via Tomtor for the road of bones? If so I wouldn't want to do it on a GS.
If you are looking at doing the M56 federal road then the GS should be ok, bit big and heavy though.


Mark
www.bamriders.com

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk - now Free

I'm not sure how I will get to that point yet but I will be looking at that thanks
Do you no where I can get some free mapping for Russia

If you mean maps for your GPS the research Open Street Map. There's lots of info on OSM on this site. Colebatch's v. useful waypoints are in a sticky in the Northern Asia sub-forum.

Update to my trip to magadan,', starting northeast travel to hull ferry to holland into Germany through Poland through ukrain cross border into Russia near the Black Sea cross the border into Kazakhstan beside the caspain sea, enter Russia again to drop down into Mongolia, through Mongolia back into Russia heading up to Chita then doing the road of bones to magadan,,,,,,
The bike I've decided to do this adventure on is a BMW 1150 gs my reasons behind this is firstly is cost I don't have thousands to though at this, second the 1150 is very easy to work on, no transponders to go wrong no cambus system like on the 1200gs thirdly I've got one in my workshop.

I no its 2015 before I go but I've started to remodel the bike for the trip, total strip down rebuild with some interesting mods, I'll post some photos as I go along, if any one is interested in this post any questions let me no


This is the BMW r1150gs 2000 with 66000 miles not anything special no abs good bike to start with as a blank canvas

I got the bike from a guy on the GSuser forum quite cheap few weeks ago, its in very poor condition, not been look after at all cosmetically, last two years it's been used all year round lots of corrosion around the engine, but the service history is full before that and the guy said he serviced it twice a year, the engine is strong, for the rest of the bike I intend to rebuild with a complete nut and bolt change, then colour change, I think I will turn it into BMW rallye red and white as BMW forgot to do a 1150 rallye, they done all other models

Hi mark
yes I think ill do the old summer road, I no there's problems on that route but I think if I went all the way to magadan not to do that road I would regret it.
Thanks graham


This is the start of the strip of the "GS"

Hi Graham,
Going to be tough on a GS, are you travelling solo or with others?
I would be careful if going solo, I did it in 2012 and the weather was fantastic so a GS would have probably made it.
This year nobody rode it as the weather was so bad.
Good luck on the adventure.


Mark
www.bamriders.com

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk - now Free

Mark thanks for any advice it's much appreciated, plans charge as you no
I intend to leave end of May 2015 if some one is interested then I would be happy to share the experience but happy to do solo

This is the front of the bike stripped down getting it ready to shot blast the engine next week

Tank, panels, engine bars, rear frame back from the paint shop

Here is the back end built up

After having a good think about the bike ride in 2015 I've had some interest so I thought I would post some plans, leave about June traveling about two to three months, possible booking a container to ship bikes back to England or ship to down the coast to Vladivostok then train across Russia jump off at some point to ride three thousand miles back to northeast,
The travel back is open at the moment as not sure at the moment

Thanks graham

Sounds like a great trip you have plannd Graham, and the bike rebuild is looking good. :thumbup1: Best of luck with it.

Dave

I'm planning a similar trip in 2015 also...

I'm also a BMW moto technician. But I doubt anyone wants one of those around :D

Magada
 

Hi there ,could possibly be interested in joining you but would want to continue onto Alaska ,I would like to go the other way but I believe there is a problem getting from Alaska to Magadan .I'm in the process of rebuilding a Suzuki DR350 for the trip as I prefer a lighter bike over a heavy GS .I did South America about 5 years ago and have longed to return .

There's a guy who is planing to take the trip with me, he is also planing to continue onto Alaska then America , I'm unsure once I get to magada where I will be hiding,
Next year when it comes time to start arranging I will then decide on weather it's possible to extend the adventure further, it's all about weather I can take the time out or the financial side is also important we'll.

Well guys I've only posted a few photos as I'm not up to speed with how to post loads of photos on here, but the gs is almost complete only a few thing left to do, strip the seat to recover when the seat is striped install the heated seat, cam head covers are way being painted the graphics will be put on next week few other bits and bobs

Hi I traveled a similar route in 2009 to what you have planned. if I can give you just one piece of advice . DO NOT take the GS. Just watch the long way round videos to see these guys struggling with the weight and complaining every time they get to some interesting riding. I took a Yamaha xt600 ( and traveled with a xr650l and ktm 640 adventure) which is a lot lighter yet even this proved to be a bit heavy at times.
Top trip you will love it.enjoy

Road of bones
 

We've run a few road of bones tours over the years, our website has lots of information including the route that we take. We leave mid May and take 100 days to get to magadan, leaving later increases the chance of hitting cold weather (snow) towards the end. Pack some very good mosquito repellant or buy the Russian super strength stuff, you'll need it in Siberia.
Cheers
Jack

Kito your are very welcome to give any advice as it will be very useful leading up to the trip,,,,,,I have looked at this and asked myself what would be the best bike,, the off road you are absolutely right but that's just a small part and I can only take one bike and a 1150 wins as the distance is a big factor and the 1150gs will win hands down on that,

I no a few guys that has decided to have there bikes shipped to magadan in a container 2014 then ride around for a month then send it bake, if I was doing it like that I would have my ccm 404 sent with out a doubt

Old Summer Road advice...

Realistically, you are not going to do the old summer road on an 1150 GS unless you are very very lucky with weather and water levels.

It was done with once with one 1150 in 2006 when water levels were quite low. And thats it. In 2004 Ewan and Charlie failed to do it on 1150s (they failed to do ALL their off road sections on those heavy 1150s - they failed to finish Mongolia too). Only one 1200 has ever done the OSR too for that matter ... so only one 1200 and one 1150. Thats a pretty low success rate for 15 years of the most popular adventure bikes on the planet. Especially considering in a normal year 3-10 single cylinder bikes do it.


You arent going to want to hear my advice, but I have got to be honest with you, as a former 1200 Adventure owner / rider, and as someone who has been to Magadan a bunch of times, almost everything you have expressed in this quote is going to bite you in the arse.

Firstly, my experience, which includes heavy adventure bikes, midweight adventure bikes like transalps, light adventure bikes and very light adventure bikes, and adventure riding on every continent, is that your logic for selecting the bike isn't right. Yes every bike for every trip is a compromise. No argument there. The question is how do you frame the compromise. What is the best compromise.

The majority of first time adventurers to Siberia / Mongolia etc think (mistakenly in my view) to base their compromise on what the majority of the trip will be. My experience, however, is that you should not choose a bike based on the needs of the majority of the trip and compromise on the smaller parts. What you should do is choose a bike based on the requirements of the toughest parts of the trip and compromise on the easy parts. If you intend to do the old summer road, then your starting point is a bike that can comfortably do the old summer road. THEN factor in the needs of the rest of your trip. Not the other way round.

Your starting point for bike compromise decisions should be nothing to do with the majority of the trip. Your starting point should have everything to do with the TOUGHEST parts of your planned trip.

Secondly, the distance ... the 1150 will win basically nothing regarding the distance, over a 650cc bike. There are speed limits all across Russia - strictly enforced on the long trans siberian highway. 90 km/h (55mph). Overtaking opportunities are limited and illegal overtaking on a solid white line is a BIG DEAL there and cops hide behind trees, bends, and enforce this fiercely. Partly because its a huge killer on Russian roads, and partly because its a great revenue raising opportunity. The best opportunities to speed when riding across Russia are actually on gravel roads (where there are no cops). Its easy enough to sit at 75 mph all day on secondary gravel roads across the countryside, but a 650 will be more comfortable doing that all day than an 1150, on which you will be gripping the bars with knuckle fever doing those speeds with that weight on gravel.

You will have 3 days of advantage in Western Europe (saving you a total of about 2-3 hrs) - if you take the motorways - on an 1150. If you go to the Old Summer Road you will realise that this 2-3 hrs of net advantage in Western Europe is not worth the endless daily misery that miniscule advantage costs you in Siberia.

I am not telling this to change your mind. You are clearly well underway in bike prep. You are going to do it on an 1150 and that's fine. Just want you not to be kidding yourself when it comes to the reality on the ground in Siberia, with respect to Russian highways and what its actually like to cover that distance on them (its very boring and you are stuck behind freight trucks with very limited overtaking opportunities), and especially with respect to the Old Summer Road - which normally has a couple of dozen thigh deep fast flowing water crossings. (this last year - 2013 - no one did the Old Summer Road - including experienced off road guys on light bikes - because water levels were too high). I will try and put a brief video compilation of OSR water crossings online in a week or so to give you an idea.

Realistically, taking an 1150, you are going to need to be doing the federal road, rather than the OSR. The federal road is a 2100 km long piece of good graded gravel road that you can cruise along at high speed all the way from Yakutsk to Magadan if the weather is good. Parts of it can get boggy and muddy and slippery if its wet, but if its dry you can do it in 3 days.

If the Federal Road was the toughest part of your planned trip, then the 1150 is a suitable compromise. As you are well down the 1150 road already, and are not going to change bikes, I think it would be realistic to adjust your focus from the Old Summer Road to the Federal Road. You are still going to look back at the end of your trip thinking I really should have taken a lighter bike, but at least then your aims will be compatible with your bikes capabilities.

Dead right !!

And having a lightweight, off-road capable, 70 mph single cylinder bike isn't that much of a compromise anyway. You very quickly adapt to it. Dragging a huge GS around closes more doors than it opens. The long boring roads are home of the average big GS. :funmeterno:

The 1150GS is 280KG without rider and luggage.... INCREDIBLE !!!

My XR650L is about 150KG.


You won't cover the same miles in a day and your arse might suffer occasionally but the advantages HUGELY outweigh the drawbacks. Which is another thread altogether..

I have to agree with Colebatch, but I wouldn't get too excited about the bike issue. You have what you have, the 1150 is a fine bike, and the federal road to Magadan is also a nice road, albeit without the allure of the OSR.

I would just plan on taking the 1150 along the federal road and if by some miracle the weather allows the OSR that summer, that will be a bonus!

Dont kid yourself there Ted. I cant see why my 650 with aftermarket seat and good fairing wont do as many miles a day as an 1150 on Russian highways. I have had 1100 km days on the Trans Sib. And I will do 3 times as many miles a day in Mongolia or somewhere like Road of Bones. I have had 800 km days on the Northern Route in Mongolia.

Even in Western Europe I question the difference. With my 1200 I had been above 180 km/h non stop for an hour on the autobahns, but the wind blast was misery, the bike vibrates and feels uncomfortable above 130-135 km/h, and the fuel consumption sux. Realistically, for all day cruise on a 1200, you are doing 130 km/h. With the fuel injected 650, with a good fairing, I cruise all day for several days back to back across western europe at 120-125 km/h on the GPS. The key is the right gearing and a good fairing. But in the end, the difference is not significant at all. You might cross Western Europe in 2 hours less on a 1200 than on a 650. And thats the lighter, more powerful 1200 ... not the heavier, slower 1150.

Who would logically make a choice to lug around an extra 100 kgs for 2-3 months, for the sake of a one off 2 hour (or less) saving ???

Its irrational - an illusion compounded by not knowing what its actually like out there on a heavy bike. That saving of 2 hours will feel like a curse when you are out there up to your nuts in Siberia.

Just my personal experience..

I've done 600 miles in one day on an XT600E in Brazil... Killed me and it took forever. On decent roads too.

Longest day I did on my DRZ400 was in Sudan.. 500 miles through the desert. Excellent road again but slow going and uncomfortable.

In comparison, I've done some 700 mile days on my Africa Twins and Tiger and they were much easier. Bigger seats, more torque, less vibes, better wind protection..


Fair enough, when it gets rougher, you eat up the miles far easier on a small bike.. On the easy roads though, it makes a difference having that extra 15 mph and touring seat.

I'm still with you though. I've never travelled on anything bigger than an XT600. For the reasons you state.

Yes I did stress the aftermarket seat and good quality wind fairing on my post (first sentence even), which for me are essential adventure bike add ons for single cyl bikes. But with those changes, the modern 650s like XC and 690 can be just as good at mile eating as a 1200. I know this because I have eaten miles on both :) Driven the same roads from UK to Eastern Europe and UK to Morocco on 1200s and well modified 650s, and I dont see a huge difference in terms of all day cruising.

You dont know how good a 450 EUR Rayz seat is until 3 months later when you realise you never notice your arse complaining at all even after back to back long days on the highway. :)

Excellent post - I have an XT1200 which I have spent months getting
ready for a trip from UK to Magadan 2014. After reading this and numerous
other posts on a nbr of sites its suddenly occurred to me that I have the
wrong bike for the job if I want to venture off piste. Recently I have been
considering selling the SuperTen and getting an XT660 instead for the trip.
Would this be a better tool for the job ?

Any bike (with the exception of big sheds) would be a better "tool for the job" than a shed like a XT1200

If considering the western BAM road (for me THE highlight of my trip to Magadan this summer) apart from the weight/poor suspension of a big bike being unsuitable for general terrain, a flat twin will NOT fit down the walkways on the railway bridges you'll have to negotiate to cross the very high/fast flowing rivers where the road bridges are destroyed by the weather or fires.

Only skinny singles (for mere mortals like me :innocent: ) or v twins (like a ktm 950... where you'll also have to be a very competent rider) will fit.

Basically any bike can ride pavement from Europe to Vladivostok or Magadan if you avoid interesting sections like western Mongolia, BAM and OSR. If it's muddy (like this year), even the NFR (referred to as the Federal Road by Walter, above) to Magadan will also end in a horror story on a shed like a big flat twin.

A 660 would be a better tool for the job, yes.

There have been two recent trips where 660s went to Magadan including the western BAM and in one of the cases the Old Summer Road. Kudu expeditions ran a tour to Magadan in 2012 that included the Western BAM and they used a gaggle of about 6 XT660Zs - with no luggage (luggage in truck). A year earlier, 2/3 Swedes went to Magadan on XT660Zs, including both the Western BAM AND the Old Summer Road (with luggage).

So that shows the bike is capable of doing the job (Although the Swedes have since changed to much lighter Husaberg 570s)

It (the 660) is still very heavy (tho a lot lighter than the XT1200), and I think there are better options, but addressing your question, yes a 660 with soft bags would be a much better tool for the job.

For me as well :) I hope we will meet somewhere in Siberia bier

Great idea. More likely to be in Budapest or Yorkshire though.

:offtopic: :offtopic: :offtopic:
It might have been some "financial" reasons why they used XT660Z.

I think it's a bit funny that Victor (one of the Swedes) went to Magadan. Back in 2003 his father (another Swedish traveler) and I had a long conversation about Magadan and travel in general. He was a bit disappointed that two Norwegians already had been in Magadan(1995; F650). From memory I think Victor left the conversation and went to bed early, he was probably tired after a hard day racing winter-enduro in Norway.

As far as I know Victor is a family-man now, but his father is in Spain driving BMW S1200R - it sure beats the Swedish weather!
bier

Video footage
 

For the sake of making it clear what the old summer road entails, I have stitched together some clips from 30 odd crossings - but note that this is just a tiny selection of the water crossings on the Old Summer Road.

Note more of the clips feature the heaviest bike there, the 186 kg F800. Thats because it needed by far the most help for the crossings. Therefore everyone stopped and cameras were set up for the F800 crossings. Less so for the lighter singles, which often just rode across, before realising they would have to stop anyway to help the F800, so why not set up the camera.

Great clip walter:clap:

If nothing else, it makes clear how challenging the OSR would be for most solo riders.

Thats the idea ... so people know what they are getting into. Its a big risk solo, as Adrian Silindean found out 18 months ago. In general, its not really a road to do solo. Water levels rise and fall subject to recent weather, but they can also rise and fall overnight when you are on the road, leaving you stranded unless you have a co-rider or two to help you get thru the deeper water crossings. So even if it is dry with low water levels when you start the road, that doesnt mean it will be low water levels all the way.

Also it should give an idea how high the air intake needs to be. Some bikes like the X-Challenge, F800GS and 690s have high air intakes and can do these swamp puddles and rivers without modification. Boxer engined BMWs have very low air intakes (and the 1150GS has a comparatively low exhaust too) leading to the much greater risk of sucking water in via the intake (if it is running) or exhaust (if it is not running).

A snorkel type modification would be a wise consideration for boxer engined bikes on that road. Try and get a good 90cm+ of ground clearance for your air intake.

If you drop or stall a bike in a river crossing and ingest water, you have to be able to push it using manpower alone, over the football sized boulders, to the other side - where you can then remove the plugs and clear the engine of water. But you have to either have a light enough bike that you ALONE can push across a wide, deep river complete a bed of football sized stones if you are riding solo, or, have enough guys in your riding crew to help you do it, to even contemplate that road.

The road has not seen thru traffic since 2008, when the new Federal road was built. Now there is no traffic coming along the OSR after Tomtor. Its just the random expeditioners. There might be 3 in a week, there might be none for 3 weeks. There are no trucks like Ewan and Charlie paid to follow them, no vans ... about 200 km of that road sees NO TRAFFIC at all except motorcycle or 4WD expeditioners. And they are very few and far between.

As I said in the prevues thread i will try the old road on my 1150gs the one below

As for bikes, its a mater what suits me, I ride with the trf the bike I normally ride is a ccm 404, but I'm in training, this weekend I took my BMW 1100 gs the other bikes that were there ktm 990 adv, gs 800, 2 honda 400s and beta 250, it was very wet but I must say I did everything the other bikes did,

I thank you all for your advice its most helpfull and keep it coming.

Here is the end result of the bike build

https://www.facebook.com/groups/7873...okmark_t=group

This is the link to the bike build if it interests anyone

Next time you should try it with fully loaded bike. Try to simulate that status you will ride on tour.

Like this, went down to Croatia then into Montenegro, then into Albania done a lot of off road,

I've done loads of off road stuff in the sticks in different country's with the 1200gs fully loaded, but the 1150 is a different bike all together the handling is different the weight and so on, I've no issues with what bike I use, I've a new r1200gsa but I want to do it with the bike I rebuilt as its all part of a journey that I've wanted to do for a long time........

Lowrider,
your GS looks fine, but i will agree with Walter about the weight of the Bike. I`m planning this Trip also for 2015, but i`m looking at least for a XChallenge, a KTM690 or a XT660R or Z, because i think, weight matters.
And if i have no Co-Riders, i won`t do the OSR.

This is what we do when the big boys go out to play

:clap: :thumbup1:

Wishing you the best of luck,my trip is the same time 2016,like your self i have done extensive research regarding that route,im sure we both appreciate the juggling of planning involved.I have a few trips under my belt and my main concern is weight,ie: where ever i go off road the best weight to aim for is around 200kilos fully laden except rider obviously,especially if your doing a long haul off road trip as a solo rider.
by doing that i chose a bike such as a drz400 (130kilos est +gear)i would have concerns with your gs on certain parts of the route,if your hauling camping gear water etc expect the bike to push close to 300 kilos+,well suited on metal roads,youl feel capable of doing anything,but that weight on the road of bones can be disastrous,i am sure you dont need people on keyboards pointing out the fact that picking up a 250kilo+ bike off the ground a few times a day poses serious risks,injury etc,and ive picked up a few 250kilo bikes to know:( so my message to you is dont exceed your bikes limitations and yours on such well known dangerous roads,plan to suit your abilities,good luck and safe trip:scooter:

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.

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.

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

BAM - Magadan
 

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.

bike trip
 

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

Lowrider..... You've done a lovely job on that 1150 restoration.. Seems a shame to mess it up in Siberia...

I do admire your determination. I really do. I don't think anyone is trying to joke with you.

In my experience, for what it's worth, I've found that the people who have 'been there' and 'done that' are generally 99% right..

I've done my fair share of RTW riding like many people on here and I asked the people who had ridden the roads in that region extensively about conditions and their suggestions.. I'm taking a XR650L and some think that is too big :helpsmilie:


If they say you can't do it on a 1150GS, I would listen... Expecially to those who have A LOT of experience. Unless you are a professional off-road rider ?? Or have super human strength ?? Can you push a 300kg loaded 1150GS through rivers and deep mud ???

People generally like to look out for each other on this forum and in the Motorcycle travel community in general.

I sincerely wish you luck with your 1150GS on the OSR. However, I don't you won't be riding the OSM on that 1150. Not for long anyway.

Best of luck on your trip.

Ted

Hi ted
You are right about the weight as its a bugger to move about in mud with the full kit on, if I had to do this on my own then its going to be on my mind,

If I say ok then it's better to look at something else that's more suited, what bike will do the 9000 miles with reasonable amount of touring equipment and able to tackle the highways and off road sections and series's off-road sections,
Please don't say ktm 690 as I'm not a big fan of the ktm's as reliably is a issue

I've used ktm exe for trail riding in Northumberland trails I've found they need to be rebuilt every two thousand miles or so, used a ccm 404 for two years, I like that but bits seem to drop off at times so always in my workshop, at the moment I'm riding a old 1996 klx 250 little under powered for any road work but on the trails it fantastic, it will ride over anything for its age it's quit reliable, this was imported in 1990 from china.

I'm thinking if I get my hands on a ccm 604 or 644 then rebuild put my own mods on then that's an option, I like the rotax engine, back when I was younger I used to race with that engine found to be very reliable,

What bike do you recommend as a reliable machine that would do the job

Never thought I'd say it, but having ridden one in Eastern Siberia this summer, I'd suggest a "rebadged Aprilia" :-) , also known as a BMW G650 X Challenge, with non oem suspension like Hyperpro or Ohlins.

With XTank rear extra fuel tank and soft luggage. Rotax motor too. = Basically Walter's bike, but personally I wouldn't bother with a big rallye fairing. Naked is good for me.

Never had a problem with the 690, bet it's more reliable across Siberia than a 1150GS.


Mark
www.bamriders.com

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk - now Free

Mark its a mater of choice you chose ktm I don't

Ccm have revamped a bike using rotax engine same as BMW 450 engine,,, service is 6000 miles or so, must admit I like aprilia 600, old school, been looking at g650 x as the price for a second hand bike is about £2000 ish,,, I could do a lot with it, make sure it's been run in and not thrashed, but space is a issue only got room for so many bikes,,
So if I decide to have a smaller engine bike I will need to do this soon and make sure I get this right,

There's is a guy interested in doing the same run so could make sense to have the same bike as to split spares, but see what he would like to ride,,,

I'm not a fan of KTM's either... Fantastic to ride. Lots of power, great suspension. Lovely...

I just don't trust the engineering... Not somewhere remote anyway.


Maybe consider a XT660 Tenere. MUCH lighter than the GS but still comfortable long distance. It's no off-roader but maybe it's the middle ground you need.. It's got a good seat, good screen and fairings. The ride is smooth enough too.

You can pick one up for £3500. Why not find a dealer with one available to test ride.

Put the LWD DVD on and watch them on their 1150's. Absolute NIGHTMARE time. They blagged most of it. Put the bikes on a train etc... Even with their support team..

Well just to make things more complicated--bear in mind that you can't exactly assume you-ll be able to ride the OSR regardless of the type of bike you're on. If it's wet, you might be screwed either way. That said, you're certainly more likely to be able to do it on a G650X than an 1150.

On the other hand, you could certainly do the new federal road on your 1150 (or anything else with wheels).

Duz any one have a idea what it costs to send a bike to magadan from the uk, by ship,,,

Just a thought

If 2014 suits your timing rather than 2015, as you say in post #1, look at

http://www.horizonsunlimited.com/hub...740#post440339

Also

To get an idea of who can give you a quotation that will answer your question, see post number 19 at http://www.horizonsunlimited.com/hub...e-trip-57891-2

Excellent thread this and interesting to read everyones opinion. For my part I've just gone &
got myself an XT660Z - the weight argument has won it for me. Although the XT660Z
is at the heavier end of what is recommended by Colebatch, it feels incredibly light after
getting off the XT1200Z. I've shaved a few more kilos off also by replacing the exhaust,
removing pillion pegs etc and junking the hard boxes. Looking now for a set of soft bags.
Originally I was of the impression that hard boxes would provide some additional
protection in the event of a spill, but having read numerous accounts of how hard boxes
can be bent out of shape, trap feet etc I am going the soft bag route which also helps to
keep the weight down. I took the XT1200Z down to Wales some time back and deliberately
road it offroad onto some marshy ground to see for myself how much effort it took to get
back out. OMG - thought I was going to have a heart attack. I could probably manage this
a few times a day, but after that I would be exhausted. So while I can see the attraction
of travelling on a large bike you love, and like you my planning was for the major section of
the trip (tarmac) my approach has now been swayed towards keeping weight down and
planning for the toughest parts of the journey.

Thing took at nasty turn for the worst last weekend, in the ice I came off the bike, the bike is with Carole Nash, it's all twisted head has cracked bars twisted rear frame twisted, crash bars bent, so we will see what comes back.

Regardless of how the bike fares, I hope you're okay and you're still able to venture east later in the year on whichever bike you choose.

Must have been heart breaking after all the work you put in. I can't stand BMW's (we have a history) but I respected the effort and the result of the overhaul in your previous pics.

As long as you're okay, that's all that matters.

Sorry to hear that.. Especially after all that hard work..

But it proves the point. Big heavy bikes don't fare well in less than perfect conditions.

I hope the damage isn't as bad as you think. The 1150's certainly are sturdy. They can take a knock.

Its one of those things, I'm fine I bumped down the road a little, that's why it pays to spend your money on good riding gear,

It may lead to me rethinking what bike to use if the insurance decide to wright it off.

After debating on a replacement bike my first thought was a g650x then after riding a husky 650 terra I bought one, it's got all the extras adjustable tinted screen, heated grips, extra power with USB, extended foot pegs, adjustable gear changer, touratech aluminium panniers, engine crash bars.

I ordered the lowering kit from USA, I've just fitted that it make all the difference, the height was 33.5" it's taking it down to 31.5" that's the inside leg height,

I'll be taking it round Scotland this summer to run it in

Looks very nice. Hope you enjoy it, and looking forward to your ride report when you go to Magadan.

Brave choice of bike....

BMW have dropped Husq. now. I don't think anyone is currently supporting them properly. It takes an AGE to get parts and no one really has any experience with them.


I think we only sold about 5-6 when we were still selling them with the BMW's. Most of them have been back with running problems. However, they were the Nudas and the 125's...

Let us know how you get on with it..

I'm always up for a challenge, I new about BMW before I went for the bike,
I wasn't aware of any mechanical problems with the terra, I took it off road today in the hills with only intermediates on, I'm pretty happy with it, this weekend I'm going to take it off road over to the lakes then stay there the night and ride back, I'll put the panniers on and load the bike see how that works,

I've been reading up on them in the husky forum there's not a lot wrong with the bikes, I did notice on turning the throttle there's some hesitation before you get power, I'll look into that, it seems to me it need more fuel.

I'm very happy with it with getting the bike at a very low price makes it even better

This is just an update,

Last year 2014 I had three off's on the bike first on the 1150 gs insurance Wright off, I managed to repair backonthe road.
Then my new 1200gsa on the m6 bike right off only broke my fingers,bike in the scrap yard.
Travelling though Albania, a car ran me off the road, I was on my 1150gs that I repaired ealier this year, not so lucky this time broke shoulder and collar bone, bike is in Greece I'm traveling over to pick the bike up in July, the bike will need work I think, my trip through Russia this year is off till I manage to sort things out,
The husky 650 terra went a journey I took it off road across to the lakes 350 miles of lanes, what a pile of crap, so sold the bike, over the winter I've been working on two rebuilds one a xt 600 34f kick start that's just about done the other is a xt600 tenere 1vj electric start, one off these bikes will be my preferred bike for the trip.

I'll be looking out on here to see if any one is doing this trip 2016 as my dates are open now I'm happy to change my plans as it doesn't need to be magadan,

Hi,

1) Are you going to the "Overland Magazine" event in Bucks next month ?? I will be there and am hoping to head the same way as you next year if my savings are on target.

2) Are you always this lucky on the road ??

3) Sunderland eh ?? I am originally from Whitley Bay and follow the Magpies (for my sins) so not sure if it's legal to travel with a Sunderland fan ??

4) Yamaha XT/TT600 ?? Good choice in my opinion.

Dave

Dave I think it's unlucky for both of use supporting teams up here, stick with Whitley bay m8.
I've got no problem riding with you where ever your from, lol,,,,

I didn't know there was a meeting on send me the details see if I can make it,

I tend not to plan the route to much as it always changes on adventures like this, I'm open minded as to date as long as it's not may as I'm getting married and Angie said we will need to do this before I kill myself on the bike,,,lol,,,

I would love to meet up if I can make it, my money set aside now, I'm planning wild camping most of it with the odd hostel and b&b to was my undies, or just see what happens,
Keep in touch dave see where it leads

Thanks
Graham

Let

Overland Event
 

Graham,

Here is the link to the event I mentioned and it's over the weekend of 19th to 21st June.........just a couple of days before I go to the "Tridays" meeting in Austria. Let me know if you can make it and have a look at the other link below which is a blog for a trip I made 2 years ago.

[url=http://overlandevent.com/]The Overland Event

Just had a quick look well done dave, I've spoke to the misses about next year she has gave me permission to do this, she is asking why I'm not doing the tat at the same time as that's in my plans the following year, but hay she's pushing me to take the time to do all of this next then it's something I need to think about,
I would dearly love to ride this with someone on the same planet, if you know what I mean.

Last year I did a 36 hour enduro on my 1150gs no probs then on route to Greece cut my hols short with a little accident that why I'm thinking now it's best to ride with some one, if that doesn't happen then I'm cosy on my own,

I've looked at that weekend if nothing pops up I may make that,

I may start a new thread as this one is for 2015 now it will be 2016.

Let's see what happens dave
Thanks
Graham