Motorcycle adventures

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Category: Russia

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Russia to Sweden

Go back to The Stans post.

Atirau to Astrakhan (380 km)

It was with great relief that I got to the Kazakh/Russia border!  The last 50 km in Kazakhstan had been on horrible road where old broken tarmac was mixed with new road construction.  It was dusty and sandy in places – perhaps the worst surface for a motorcycle.

We made the optimistic plan to start at 5 am from Atirau so I got up at 4.45 and started to get ready, however, it was still dark and wouldn’t get light until closer to 6.  The “Green hotel”  served breakfast early so we had a bite before leaving a bit after 6.  The first 150 km of the road wasn’t too bad (but with deep tracks from heavy trucks) and we could keep a good speed.  As we got closer to the border the road got worse to culminate in the terrible conditions of the last 50 km.

Horrible road leading west out of Kazakhstan to Russia.

Horrible road leading west out of Kazakhstan to Russia.

Road under construction.

Road under construction.

"Donkey head" oil pumps. Must be oil under ground.

“Donkey head” oil pumps. Must be oil under ground.

Lots of free running horses along the road.

Lots of free running horses along the road.

Since we gained an hour in Russia we were at the border around noon.  My entry into Russia was straight forward but Mike’s took some time.  He had a general entry into a number of countries, including Russia, and the immigration people at this entry point had not seen this before.  After an hour we were in Russia!  The road was now beautiful asphalt and it felt like heaven! 

At one point we crossed a part of the river Volga that makes up the delta of the river as it enters the Caspian and it was a pontoon bridge made of metal, it was kind of weird as the tracks in the metal was pulling the bike in one direction.  Before entering the bridge we had to pay a toll and we had no Rubles, however, Mike’s visa card worked without problems!  Back to civilization were credit-cards and, later, ATM’s work! A big relief after the problems in, particularly, Uzbekistan to obtain cash.  Surprisingly, “Pay-wave” works where you can make payments by waving the card close to the detector machine.  Amazing!

Astrakhan 25 June, 2019

I wasn’t feeling great so I mainly stayed in the hotel but went out to see the sights and get something to eat.  I found a burger place called “Kotleta” spelled with the Latin alphabet and they served me a very nice burger.  As it happened one of the staff had a birthday and I was invited to join the celebration with tea and cake.  It was very nice and they were very curious about my trip.

Astrakhan is a nice city with lots of green parks and the “Astrakhan Kremlin” which is very close to our hotel.  

Our hotel.

Our hotel.

Lots of green parks.

Lots of green parks.

Astrakhan Kremlin.

Astrakhan Kremlin.

Birthday party!

Birthday party!

Astrakhan to Volgograd (420 km)

We’re heading towards Moscow and the first leg was to Volgograd.  Of course, Volgograd used to be Stalingrad where the most decisive battle of the 2nd world war took place with the Soviets beating the Nazis.  It was the bloodiest battle in the history of warfare with close to 2 million casualties.

Coming into the city, it looked like a grimy industrial town, but as we got closer to the center it started to look nice.  We’re staying in the center within walking distance of the Volga river and we went there for dinner and have a look around.  There’s a park along the river with lots of activities for kids and adults and there were a lot of people around.

By the Volga river.

By the Volga river.

Kids playing in the waterpark by the river.

Kids playing in the water park by the river.

Volgograd June 27, 2019

Mamayev Kurgan is a dominant height fiercely fought over in the battle of Stalingrad, now it’s a large memorial park that commemorates the battle.  It is very impressive with the big statue “The Motherland Calls” being 85m high.  It was installed in 1967 and was under renovation at our visit but the scale of it is still clear.

The Motherland Calls.

The Motherland Calls.

The eternal flame with the walls showing names of soldiers that died during the battle.

The eternal flame with the walls showing names of soldiers that died during the battle.

Changing of the guards.

Changing of the guards.

Murals depicting the street fighting nature of the battle of Stalingrad.

Murals depicting the street fighting nature of the battle of Stalingrad.

Volgograd to Tambov (520 km)

We’re getting further north and the temperature kept a pleasant 20-25 C for the duration of today’s ride.  The road was good but many stretches of road construction slowed us down a bit.  The vegetation is changing and there are a lot more birch trees and also pine trees which we have not seen before on the trip.  The road goes straight for pretty much the whole stretch over very open land and to stop the wind being too strong on the road birch trees are planted along the road to break up the wind.  The road goes in the middle in a wide swath of close to 100m with the birch trees being the boundary to the enormous wheat fields and steppe to the sides.

Birch trees planted on both sides of the road to stop the crosswind.

Birch trees planted on both sides of the road to stop the crosswind.

Finally some fir trees. Looks almost like Sweden.

Finally some fir trees. Looks almost like Sweden!

The total distance traveled so far is 13964 km and around 4000 km since leaving China.

Tambov to Ryazan (320 km)

The weather turned cold and rainy when we set off.  The plan was to go to Vladimir, 180 km east of Moscow, to attend a blues and bike festival but after 150 km in the miserable weather and worn road I decided to turn along M5 towards Moscow and stop in Ryazan while Mike carried on to Vladimir for the festival and to meet his friend.  I figured the festival would not be much fun in the inclement weather and I saw for myself a muddy field with bikes falling over in the wet terrain which also might have meant the end for my clutch..

I thought M5 meant motorway 5 but as it turned out for most of the distance it was no motorway so I believe the M stands for Moscow.  After 150 km along the M5 I turned off to Ryazan leaving around 200 km to Moscow.  It’s continued raining all day but I think tomorrow is going to be better.

Ryazan to Moscow (220 km)

It was a Sunday and the traffic was light, there were some holdups in a town 50 km from Moscow but nothing major.  My hotel is in the center of town and I rode past some of the buildings I’ve seen in the news.  Later on I walked to the red square and admired it’s buildings and the sheer size of it.  The centre of Moscow is very impressive!

The Moscow white house.

The Moscow white house.

 

Moscow Jul 1, 2019

I spent the day sightseeing and in the afternoon I joined a Subway tour since I’ve read the subway stations are beautifully decorated.

Karl Marx monument on the Revolution square.

Karl Marx monument on the Revolution square.

The Kremlin

The Kremlin.

Our subway tour guide, Alina, took us to several stations and explained the art in them and the history behind and since we were only three in the group we had the chance to ask a lot of questions. The subway system was started to be constructed during the 1930s while Stalin was in power.  The reason, we were told, to make such beautiful and elaborate stations was to motivate  and make people happy while going to work in the morning.  I’m not sure if it worked but it certainly made the Moscow subway a tourist attraction today!

Lenin. Alina told us there used to be a lot more pictures of Lenin previously but a lot of them had been taken down. Of course, Stalin, has been totally discredited and it's difficult to find a single picture or staue of him.

Lenin. Alina told us there used to be a lot more pictures of Lenin previously but a lot of them had been taken down. Of course, Stalin, has been totally discredited and it’s difficult to find a single picture or statue of him.

The station where the motive was related to intellectuals.

The station where the motive was related to intellectuals.

Station depicting people of all walks of life, including soldiers, students, parents and athletes.

Station depicting people of all walks of life, including soldiers, students, parents and athletes.

Moscow to Velikiye Luki (460 km)

I wanted to get out of Moscow while the traffic was light so I started a bit after 6 and was soon on the M9 highway leading to Riga.  In the beginning there were 5 lanes diminishing to a normal highway after around 120km.  I had booked a hotel at the halfway point to Riga and reached there soon after midday.  The weather was sunny but cool and I was wearing the cold weather gear.  The hotel turned out to be a motel with lots of big trucks parked and idling their engines making for a slightly noisy place to rest.

First Motel of the trip. Characterless but very practical!

First Motel of the trip. Characterless but very practical!

Velikiye Luki to Paldiski – ferry port close to Tallinn (640 km)

The weather was gray, windy and rainy for most of the time to the Russia/Estonia border crossing which I reached around noon.  The Russian official took a long time to figure out how to clear my bike out of the country and in the end his boss, a stern looking woman in a green uniform, came out and gave him an earful and soon after I was cleared to go to the immigration counter.  The woman there looked at my forms and asked me which city I lived in and I told her Singapore.  She asked; where is that – in Spain.  I explained it was in Asia and it was it’s own country and after a while she said OK, you can go.

Miserable weather on road towards Tallinn!

Miserable weather on road towards Tallinn!

So finally, in to Europe and Estonia where the immigration and custom formalities took all of 10 mins!  Amazing! After all the long border crossings in Asia it was nice to come to a place where they really knew what they were doing and being very efficient at it.  The weather also cleared up and gave me a good welcome to Europe and the 300 km to the ferry port went by pretty quickly.

I had to wait a few hours before I could board and found a nice restaurant nearby after I checked in to the ferry.  Paldiski is  right by the baltic sea and was very windy and I was afraid the bike would blow over so had to be careful how I parked it.

While waiting for the ferry I saw this home built vehicle based on a Ford V8

While waiting for the ferry I saw this home built vehicle based on a Ford V8. The couple riding it had been brave to take it to Russia.

The ferry arrived around 8.30 pm and they started to unload it.  There were very few passenger cars but hundreds of huge trucks and I was impressed to see them reversing these juggernauts from the ferry.  The ferry was emptied in about an hour and I was waved forward to board.

 
Bike tied down on the ferry to Sweden.

Bike tied down on the ferry to Sweden.

Kappelskar to Eksjo (400 km)

The ferry arrived early morning at Kappellskar, the port in Sweden which is about 100 km north-east of Stockholm.  Riding the bike off the ferry posed no problem and I was soon on my way south.  I stopped after a while to get some breakfast and had the classic Swedish Sibylla grilled sausages with mashed potatoes. 

Swedish fighter jets displayed along the road in Linkoping.

Swedish fighter jets displayed along the road in Linkoping. The one on the right is the “Draken” and on the left is the “Viggen”.

Gota kanal

Gota kanal

It was another windy day with some rain as I was getting closer to Eksjo but I arrived without problem at my sisters early afternoon.

Eksjo Jul 5 – 8, 2019

Spent several days in the lovely town of Eksjo.  They were clever in the 60’s and 70’s not to demolish the old wooden houses in the center of the town and it’s now a tourist attraction.  On the Saturday a marching band was playing in front of the church with a lot of people attending.

Well kept wooden houses in the center of the town which has kept it's layout for centuries.

Well kept wooden houses in the center of the town which has kept it’s layout for centuries.

A stream runs through the town.

A stream runs through the town.

Every Saturday the marching band plays in front of the church and while marching through the town.

Every Saturday the marching band plays in front of the church and while marching through the town.

  

Eksjo to Goteborg (200 km)

I left my sisters place around noon to catch the ferry from Goteborg to Kiel leaving at 6.45 pm.  Gray skies to begin with that gradually lightened up as I got closer to Goteborg. The road was great as it was snaking it’s way through the hills but not enough turns to make it interesting on a motorcycle.  No jams until I reached Goteborg where I was stuck in traffic for a bit before getting to the ferry terminal where I was able to board the ferry pretty much immediately.  There were around 20 bikes on the boat and I chatted with some of the riders.  One couple had spent 6 weeks riding through Finland to North cape and back and the guy said he started on a Harley but was now standing by a very new RT 1250 and I asked him how the Harley could have transformed into the very new BMW.  He said the Harley developed problems with the bearings and there was none available and somehow his insurance got him a BMW to continue his trip.  Sounds like a great insurance!  I had a cabin and after dinner I went straight to bed.

On board Stena Germanica, quite a few bikes on the ferry from Gothenburg to Kiel.

On board Stena Germanica, quite a few bikes on the ferry from Gothenburg to Kiel.

Kiel to Hook of Holland (600 km)

 The ferry was a bit late so I wasn’t able to get off it until around 10 am after a good night sleep in the nice cabin.  It seems I sleep well on ferries…  There had been some discussion while with the group in China that a carnet de passage was required for non-European vehicles entering Germany so I was relieved that there were no checks whatsoever when driving off the ferry and into the town of Kiel.  The road layout in the town was good for transiting the town and I was soon on the motorway to Hamburg.  There were a lot of roadworks around Hamburg but the traffic was still flowing well with no queues. The autobahn in Germany is fantastic and with no speed limit!  I was doing around 125 kph and was being overtaken making me feel like I was standing still!  

For short stretches the speed was reduced to 120 km/h!

For short stretches the speed was reduced to 120 km/h!

The weather was very good and I was by the Dutch boarder after 350 km around 2 pm and then it started raining which it carried on doing all the way to the ferry.  There was a lot of traffic in Holland and several jams but I made it to the ferry and, again, boarded very quickly.  I had a nice shower to warm up and had a good fish and chips dinner.  The ferry would take me to Harwich and the start of the last day of my adventure.

Harwich to Feltham close to Heathrow airport(200 km)

The main reason for going to London was so that I could ship the bike back to Singapore.  I was not able to find a shipper in Sweden and a couple of international shippers first said they could ship from Sweden but later said no.  I also had a quote to ship from Rotterdam but that was close to twice the cost of shipping from London so to London I went, although it meant spending an extra day and ferry to get there.  Anyway, the ferry arrived in Harwich on time and I started the ride to Feltham knowing I had to go on the London circular road, the M25, and as expected there were several accidents which meant the trip took a lot longer than it should have.  However, I made it to Feltham and motofreight where I was warmly welcomed.  It took me an hour to repack and get the bike ready for shipment and then I walked to a nearby pub for lunch. 

So now fly to Stockholm for three weeks of vacation before going back to the trip origin in Singapore.

Packing

 

People asked me how I packed and what I brought along for the trip.  The picture shows the bike with the two aluminium side bags (on a bike they’re called panniers).  Above it is the yellow waterproof bag and on  the tank the tank-bag.  I packed so that I kept everything I need at the end of the day when not on the bike in the yellow bag such as change of clothes, toiletries etc.  I kept my camera and snacks and drinks in the tank-bag so I could quickly access these needed while riding.  In the panniers I kept spare parts (bearings, levers, break pads, fork-seals, light-bulbs, fuses), tools, electric air-pump, clothes I didn’t think I would need for a few days, tent, sleeping bag and air-mattress, and rain clothes.  Also some medication like antibiotics, altitude medication, stomach upset tablets, band aid patches and some other stuff.  

I know now that I should have carried an inner tube and tools for getting the tire off the rim.  I was very lucky I was riding with Mike who had these.  I should also have brought spare clutch plates (or changed them before leaving).

Summary and thanks

I did 18500 km in 10 weeks and had an amazing experience!  It was hard work and worrying at times such as when I bent the rim so badly it did not hold air and for a while I was at a loss of what to do to carry on.  The ride through China was far too compressed and I’m at a loss to remember many of the days there while I remember the more relaxed days after China a lot better.

My bike, the Triumph 800 Xrx performed exceptionally well and started every time I pressed the start button.  It was among the most fuel efficient of all the bikes in the group through China, while still having great power to go uphill on the serpentine roads. The bike was great for 95% of the distance but for the other 5% it would have been better to have a bike with lower gearing, spoked bigger wheels with inner tubes, and longer suspension travel.  The Honda Africa Twin was used by several guys on the trip and that bike is more suitable for the worst road conditions and much more suitable for off-road use.  However, I should not complain – the Tiger got me from Singapore to London!

I thank you for having had the tenacity to follow along on my trip and hope you enjoyed my photos and ramblings.

Of course, special thanks goes to my lovely wife who gave me her blessings to go on the trip and supported me morally all along!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

   

Preparations

I started looking into this last year and found you are not allowed to ride through China on your own but must join a government approved travel agency organized ride. I found an agency called ridechina (https://www.ridechina.com) who seemed to have organized many tours in China over the years. I contacted them with my plans and they came back with a tour that would fit them. They will meet me at the border between Laos and China and get the formalities on entering China sorted out – which includes getting me a Chinese driving licence and Chinese plates on the bike!

After discussions on the home front I was given the go ahead :-), so now I need to get the bike ready and figure out what I need to bring. I found a place in Osh, Kirghistan that has the tires I need so I won’t need to bring tires with me. I’ll bring some spare parts though, such as bearings, levers and possibly fork seals.

I serviced the forks – new seals and fork oil. Although I asked a mechanic if my chain would do another 20k km, and he said no problem, I was not so sure since the chain was adjusted so far back that there was not much room for further adjustment.  I went to the same workshop and another mechanic immediately said the chain was bad and needed changing!

The route up until the exit of China into Kirghistan is set, but from there to Europe there are several options – well actually 3. 1) Go through Russia either all the way to Europe or west of the Caspian through Georgia into Turkey and further towards Europe, or 2) Go through Turkmenistan to Iran and south of the Caspian into Turkey, or 3) Cross the Caspian on a boat from Kazakhstan to Azerbaijan. The big problem with option 1) is getting a visa to go through Russia, I might get it in time for the trip but possibly not. Option 2 is problematic. Getting visas to enter both Turkmenistan and Iran is not straight forward and seems to require “fixers” inside the countries. Iran also requires a Carnet de passage (CDP) and I’m in the process of applying for one through the Automobile Association of Singapore and I will get that before leaving.  However, I’ve seen reports that you are not allowed to bring in motorcycles larger than 250cc to Iran, which if true,  makes this option not useful. Option 3) is a possibility but the boats are not  ferries, but rather cargo ships, and do not go on a regular schedule which makes this option somewhat uncertain.  However, it might be the only option if the Russian visa does not materialize.

Visa situation

The following are the potential coutries I will be passing through:

  • Laos: Need visa and temporary import permit for the motorcycle.  Got that at Singapore Laos embassy last week.
  • Kirghistan: Visa Waiver
  • Uzbekistan: Visa exemption
  • Tajikistan: Electronic visa acquired – no problem.
  • Turkmenistan: Need visa and not straight forward to obtain. However, people in the group have been in contact with an agency inside the country and it appears we can get a visa at the border with an invitation from the agency.
  • Azerbaijan: Electronic visa acquired.  Will need this if we have to take the ferry across the Caspian.
  • Iran: When you fly into the country you can get a visa when you land but not sure what the situation is when crossing a land border. I also need the CDP.
  • Kazakhstan: No visa required.
  • Russia: Require an “Auto-visa” to be able to drive your own vehicle through russia. The russian embassy/consulate has said it will take 2-4 weeks to obtain the visa so I might need to give this up – not enough time.
  • Georgia: Visa free
  • Turkey: Visa free 

The above are for me with a Swedish passport but European union countries in general have the same visa requirements.

So three weeks before departure the route after China is not clear…

 

Getting close!

Today is 25th April and it’s only 5 days until I set off!  I picked up my passport with the approved Russia Visa today – Yay!  This gives me  more options regarding the route after leaving China, I can go through Russia on the western side of the Caspian sea to Georgia and then Turkey, or, if I feel really fed up after China, I can go straight to Latvia and get a ferry to Sweden…  I also received the Carnet today but I think it will be of little use since Iran has banned any motorcycles larger than 250cc to enter the country and this was the only country along the route that requires the Carnet.

After picking up the pp I walked around the Marina bay area and snapped some photos, it’s really amazing what Singapore has accomplished in the last 20 years.  Most of the buildings in the pictures were built after I arrived to Singapore 20 years ago.

The Thinker by Rodin

The Thinker by Rodin

Marina Bay Sands – the 3 blocks in the back.

The Singapore flyer in the background

The Singapore flyer in the background

MBS

The Fullerton Hotel.

Singapore War Memorial

Singapore War Memorial

Singapore to London

I’m planning to ride my motorcycle from Singapore to Europe starting April/May this year, 2019. I will go through Malaysia, Thailand and Laos before joining a group ride through western China. After a month in China riding through Tibet I will enter Kirghistan. Then into Kazakhstan and further towards Europe.

 

This will be a long trip and there’s lot’s of stuff to prepare.  I will be going through many countries and visa requirements will vary from country to country.  There are also preparations to do for the bike.

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Singapore to Laos

The first part of the trip was easy with no visas or other paperwork needed and went from Singapore through Malaysia, Thailand and Laos.

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Laos to Lhasa, Tibet

We rode 3200 km to Lhasa through amazing and scenic landscapes gradually ascending to an elevation of around 4000m.

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Lhasa to Kashgar

The highlight of this stretch was undoubtedly Mount Everest base camp but there were many other exciting sights as well.

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Silk Road

 

 

Once out of China the real adventure starts!  Kirghistan starts off as a bit of a bad dream, but Uzbekistan through Samarkand is amazing while the route through Kazakhstan is more of a transport stretch.  

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Astrakhan, Volgograd, Moscow and onward to London

Russia turned out to be a lot nicer than it’s reputation and I particularly enjoyed Volgograd.  Of course, Moscow was amazing and I got to see the famous buildings we often see on the news.  After a ferry across the Baltic I spent some time in Sweden before going to London and the end of my adventure.

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