Sibirsky Extreme 2012 - The Toughest Ride of Them All

Good one

Good comments Walter!
I think KTM's approach using Carbs for the Dakar was a wise choice.
ALL the competition had F.I. or fuel related problems on one or more of their Dakar race bikes ... so perhaps KTM are proceeding with caution until all the bugs are known and can be addressed?

But keep in mind KTM's AMA Super Cross bike (Ryan Dungey) has used Keihin F.I. for two years now ... and I think the race bikes in Europe are F.I. too now. (??)
Also ... production KTM 450's are now F.I., according to reports, and of course the 690 has been F.I. from the start. KTM don't have the deep R&D pockets of BMW & Japanese but I think they've learned a lot from their 990 series twins. I predict F.I. for KTM Dakar bikes by next year.

Seems for your trans ocean submersions ... you guys are better off with simple Carbs. Elec. components and water don't mix too well.

I'm quoting back one of your comments on soft bags to a women prepping for Latin America who insists on hard bags. Her rationale? Security. And yes, she has a lap top! Cheers!

You know all the bikes on this trip are fuel injected right?

I'd much rather dunk an FI bike in water. Solid state electronics are pretty robust. Carbs have nice overflows/breathers to allow them to fill up with water and require draining.

You know how dangerous that is, dont you.

You know I love going against the perceived wisdom. So quoting me is not recommended. Unless you want to get a reaction ...

Non traditional thinking is often unpopular. ... doesnt matter how much you prove it works.

Youre going to get us both in trouble young man !!!

That´s serious piece of adventure . I guess it would have happened a few days earlier, than the words of Steve and Erik to Iker would have been "Just you with this big bike and without "ring of fire" wet wipes ? But do you know what is the BAM? And the VITIM? And their local toilets?"

Women are better with soft bags.

Sorry. I didn't record Waypoints of my 'rural visits'.
But I can give general directions of where to avoid if required.

2009 is not that old so PM me sooner than causing a stink on this Ride Report.

Keep it coming!

I just want to thank you Walter for sharing so much information and providing products for the community. I am about to start prepping my personal bike and your reports and bike build thread are invaluable.

I've been following this RR in lurk mode and enjoying it mucho--please keep 'em coming and thanks for the story, photos, tips, etc., etc., thus far.

This link came to me tonight and I toss it into the mix as it somehow seems germain.

http://www.smithsonianmag.com/histo...-of-World-War-II-188843001.html?device=iphone

No worries, she's a reasonable girl, not a pigheaded teutonic! ,has an open mind and respect for those with "The Knowledge". YOU GUYS ARE the experts. Period.

I'm just throwing it out there to her ... what she ends up doing is her choice. I back the Sibirsky soft bag method 100% and have no problem defending that choice. I left hard bags behind decades ago for any sort of off road or mixed ON/OFF ride ... after the ones on my R100RS nearly crippled me. :eek1

Even just doing mild dual sport I prefer soft luggage. Some westerners are overly suspicious and paranoid in unfamiliar environs about theft ... they believe hard bags keep their stuff safe. Wishful thinking.

I couldn't stop reading it. Words fail me ... That is such a tragic story, so, so, so sad .

Just a slight detour while we wait for the next installment...

I came across this article on Genghis Kahn and the search for his burial site. It contains links to a project Nat Geo is working on. Anyone with a computer can download google earth images and look for anomalies in the landscape. You tag them, someone else decides if they look promising, and then, (this is the fun part...) someone gets to go out and investigate the most likely locations
Anyway, I thought it kinda tied in with the whole google earth route planning process, and the interest around GK.

Cool stuff - check it out: http://articles.washingtonpost.com/2011-04-04/national/35231797_1_tomb-mongolian-genghis-khan

Needless to add, but I must... I'm really enjoying the format - it's fun to get a little adv every day. And I really appreciate the insights into the cultures and people you encounter, both present and historical - Thanks for taking us along!

Well there is a related documentary here of the Nat Geo search in Mongolia this summer:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ohCCW4EWXaQ

Basically they reckon they probably found it.

Today should be relatively straightforward I told the guys. About 400 km ... the first 100 km on rough asphalt.

We packed up at the hotel:


(pic by Steve)

Rode into the centre of town to refuel the bikes and get some breakfast:


(pic by Steve)

The weather didnt look great, but at least it wasnt bucketing down like it did 24 hours earlier.

We had not got far off the asphalt when what would normally be a fairly innocuous river crossing beside a decaying bridge had been transformed from a harmless stream into a raging torrent by all of yesterdays rain.



This was going to mean the BAM proper starts now.!

It looks like somebody might have forgotten their seat back at the gas station?

We gathered together and I thought we give it a try. This is where 4-5 guys in the group becomes handy. Terry's bike volunteered itself to go across, and 4 of us piled around the bike to try and get it over ... 3 on the downstream side to stop it drifting away.

We barely got a third of the way across before it was clear that this strategy wouldnt work. Even with three guys downstream of the bike, it was not possible to hold it against the current. I was out the front trying the manage the front wheel, and it got the point that I could not even stand up and began getting my footing washed downstream. Reverse orders were yelled out in semi panic and Terry's bike was hauled backwards to the safety of dry land.

A new plan was needed.



While Steve and Terry checked his bike over, Geir and I went to explore the rail bridge...

Maybe this would work?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z0nkL1pScXQ

Where in this comic world did you dig up this elaboration of Siberian life? Please tell me it is a spoof of the ultimate kind or did I have too much to drink..........!!!??? I'm not sure if my laughter is justified or if I should be hanging my head in unbelief. Humor is the best medicine.

I like a thin light pair of sneakers when I travel ... and I like all black ones, cause unless you are close up, they look like going to town shoes :)

I bought these all black, chinese made sneakers, in a tiny market stall next to our hotel the first night in Kazakhstan ... for 12 bux.

They lasted me the rest of the trip