Sibirsky Extreme 2012 - The Toughest Ride of Them All

And again I find myself checking this thread here every hour to find an update!
Keep it coming!

Very interesting to see how that old-school oil-cooled DR kept up with modern bikes.

Terry, did you run Mitas E-09 130/80-18 or did you find one of 140/80-18 size? Our local dealer said 140/80-18 is not available although it is listed on manufacturer's website.

I will help, since Terry isnt online at the moment ... He used 140/80-17s (Terry was still running 17 inch wheels at t he back)... and he used the Dakar model (about 2 quid a tyre more). The Dakar model has stiffer sidewalls and an extra belt inside (4 ply instead of 3 ply for the rears). That extra strength reduces traction a tiny bit in very technical terrain, but increases durability, strength and increases puncture resistance. For this kind of long distance trip (where the terrain was mostly open) the E09 Dakar model makes sense. For local enduro riding, the regular E09s would make more sense. Terry couldnt get all Dakar models (out of stock), so he did have to use the regular E09s for the second half of the trip.

As for the DR ... wait and you shall see :)

at last Colebatch,after all this time of absence i thought you retired from adventure riding!
another Siberia ride report is for sure ''good for the eyes'' as a friend of mine claims all the time.
but just a couple of questions if you don't mint.
is your jet styled helmet suitable for such rides? i remember you also used this helmet in Marocco.do you feel safe enough?
how many km of range you have with your tanks? basically what is your average speed in all types of road you ride(ok i know you can't go flat out on mud!) ?
by the way subscribed and looking forward for updates!!!!!!!!!!!!

Awrite! it's sticky'd.

As you will see in the first post taster pics, there are more riders to be introduced to the story, including another veteran of the TAT and the Sahara, a bike mechanic who rides a tricked up and stripped down old airhead BMW boxer at speeds you wouldn't think possible for that machine, a girl (yes guys, a girl!) who had no problems keeping up with us guys - and put us to shame on a couple of water crossings, a couple of Norwegians making a BAM and Road of Bones adventure film, and a guy who had NEVER ridden a bike before April this year who bumped into us in Siberia and would join us on the western BAM before taking on the Road of Bones Old Summer Road - really amazing courage 4 months into his riding career. So lots still to come in terms of introductions, but we will do those as those people enter the story.

Another classic!

I've read all your previous RR's here, and you have a great gift for writing and photography as well. Got your DVD and book, but I haven't stared the book yet... Seems it'll be postponed again, till this RR is finished!

In for the duration!

George

Thats a bit harsh... yes its my first RR for a year, but I have been pretty much full time adventure motorcycling ... After Morocco in September last year I was in full time preparation for two big rides this year. First was Feb-March-April Andes Moto Extreme ride in Chile, to set a new world record for motorcycle altitude. We haven't done a ride report yet, but I hope to over X-mas / New Year, and then I got back to Europe in mid April and had a few weeks to change bikes, repack everything and head off in this year's Sibirsky Extreme Trail ride which began on May 12th, and from which I didnt get the bike back in Europe till late September. So for me it feels like a year of non stop Adventure Motorcycling ... I guess its time to write up some ride reports, edit some pics and stitch together some videos. But that itself will be a lot of work !

No rest for the wicked !

If I didn't feel safe enough I wouldn't use them. Open faced helmets are ideal for adventure travel because they allow you to interact far more freely with locals and not look like a threatening alien when you arrive in their village. Basically they are open faced ... so you are open faced. People can see your face. They can see you smile etc. All the riders who planned to come on this trip had open face or flip front helmets. Only the Norwegians, who we bumped into accidentally, had full face helmets. You can see that in the taster pics ... Only the last couple of pics, of the Norwegians, are there any full face helmets. All the others are open.

Open faced helmets are a British Adventure Motorcycling tradition - specifically worn to promote interaction with locals, going back to Ted Simon in the 1970s, with Jupiters Travels. In the 1995 movie Mondo Enduro, Austin Vince and his band of merry men all wore open faced helmets on the first film made about riding off road motorcycles around the world, and Austin has been a staunch advocate of open faced helmets since. I am just the latest in the line to believe strongly in that philosophy.

Range was 350-375 km (off road).

Average speed when moving is usually about 70 - 75 km/h. Obviously you slow down for tricky bits or river crossings ... normal off-road cruising speed probably closer to 95-100 km/h.

Speed is very specific to the surface of the road. We were sometimes limited to 60-70 km/h on really bad asphalt, yet on good double track wheel ruts we have plenty of film of the GPSs reading 130-135 km/h (140-145 km/h on the speedos). On really bad rough, chopped up double track, we would sometimes be reduced to 30-40-50 km/h. On the sticky slippery clay mud stretches, its 15 km/h, first gear, both legs down like skis... On gravel roads or hardpack tracks with good visibility, out on the Kazakh steppe, its as fast as the bikes will go.

So it totally depends.

Walter, you mentioned previously that your new Montana 600 is far better than the Zumo. I wonder if you can use the touchscreen with your hand in glove. It might sound naive to you and some others, but it is a very functional thing to me.

Fair question ... but it was no problem

Maybe some people might find it finnicky if using big bulky winter gloves, but enduro / adventure gloves are thin and light so gloves not an issue.

Colebatch, yours Scheffelmeier bash plate covers the front of the engine, do you notice any interference with the cooling of the engine (even in hot environments such as Morocco)? Another question! Can I use some of yours photos im my science (geology) classes?

You know its really none of my business, but I just have to ask. How do you afford such a lavish, laidback lifestyle? You've mentioned your son, but not any other kids, so I'm assuming you aren't leaving a family at home while your gallivanting (sp?)around the globe. That's only part of it though. May I ask what you do for a living, besides instilling day dreams in your fans
I understand this is a personal question, but it is one that I'm sure many of us are curious about. Feel free ignoring this question and I'll nuke it if you prefer just not going there. I mean no disrespect.

There's a non-zero chance this is going to be a less than boring ride to follow.

Thank you Colebatch for sharing your fantastic adventures on ADV!

My first Colebatch RR although I did follow your World Record Andes adventure on FB. I think I picked a corker to start with! IN!

I think it's human nature to be curious...bet we all wish we were living your life, but none wish that YOU weren't.

Sounds like another fantastic ADVenture is about to unfold before our eyes.. Subscribed.

Ride Safe

Cheers
Potski

Another ColeBatch adventure.. excellent for long chilly autumn nights

I'm in!

Ruud

Big bashplates do interfere with engine cooling, yes. One of the few things to fail on this engine under full blown rally racing conditions are the main bearings,which can suffer from insufficient lubrication if the oil gets too hot - which in turn can result from very limited cooling to the crankcase because a large bashplate was fitted.

Its one reason I will always use a top synthetic oil, and also why I have fitted an oil cooler.

In general though, you will not notice any difference. The bikes cooling system will take care of it.

And sure you can use pics in science class.

Well I took a "career break" . Decided there were things more important to me than another few years of work.

Looking forward to another good read for the upcoming winter. Colebatch, not just a Ride Report but rather an education in the Art of Adventure.

I dont think there is enough to justify an interesting side story post. Its one of those things tho, its practise, and a bit of trial and error: To see something on google earth and be able to translate it into whats actually on the ground. What is a track, and what is something else.

Earlier this week, a guy in Holland put 6 X-Challenges up for sale ... they all sold in one night. There is still good demand for them.

If you are going to do a wholesale bike prep, like I did, then you can also buy an X-Moto ... the only part thats different, that you wouldnt be changing anyway is the front and rear hub and sprocket carrier. All the other different parts like suspension and wheels, I would change anyway, even if I bought an X-Challenge ... so X-Challenge or X-moto there is not a lot of difference if you are going to do a wholesale full bike prep. X-Motos with 3000-5000 km and no off road use at all are cheaper and easier to find than low mileage X-Challenges.

There are currently 47 X's of all types for sale in USA.