Sibirsky Extreme 2012 - The Toughest Ride of Them All

[trailtosakhalin]

OK so on a XT600 BY 1999 with normal average speed should do the job

Than i am on the right direction with my preparation

[jspagnol]

Walter ,

I have been browsing thru this thread but could not find the answer : what brand is the helmet you were wearing on that trip ?

[Colebatch]

Originally Posted by jspagnol

Walter ,

I have been browsing thru this thread but could not find the answer : what brand is the helmet you were wearing on that trip ?

Nolan N41 was what I had

[husqzilla]

Originally Posted by Colebatch

...
The fact that I could hold the bike together with cable ties ...

That plus JB Weld and Duct Tape and you can go on forever.

[Yellow Pig]

Here is the bike you want:



Custom built just for this --> the Weber Rally Twin.

[ROD CURRIE]

Originally Posted by Yellow Pig

Here is the bike you want:



Custom built just for this --> the Weber Rally Twin.

And only $68000. . Oh...my aching sides. Order me two!!


Taxi!!

[simmons1]

Originally Posted by ROD CURRIE

And only $68000. . Oh...my aching sides.


Taxi!!

You just need a better sponsor! LOL

[Mehaniotis]

.
I wonder how much the Beamster and Purtser have invested in their rides. From what I'm reading their bikes appear to be trouble free.... And the Beamsters smile?, well, it's as genuine as the local hospitality. Which money can’t buy.
Thanks for sharing the humanistic side of this trip..

[(sp?)]

it's all about recognizing danger, accepting the risks and mitigating them appropriately. I've tried glacier climbing, backcountry skiing, scuba, rally driving, cycling and motorcycling at times in my past. had fun at all of them and continue to enjoy several.

As was said earlier, this isn't a solo adventure. I'd do this trip in a minute with the right group given proper time and funding. Walter, Terry, Rod, Prutser and Beamster are doing it proud.

Excellent job on relating your adventures. Thank you!

[Zecatfish]

Only on page 104,
Great RR Walter as normal.
I did a little write up on using google earth to plot out gps tracks a few years ago. (in my sig but needs a little updating)
Its in the GPS thread someplace.
Unless they've fixed it, gpsbabel does not handle .kmz files (*compressed google earth format) Just save it as .kml and it will convert straight to garmins gdb format.

I've been using a Lowrance gps units for years, though with the discontinuation of the Ifinders, and XOg they are rubbish now.
But they had 10k tracks for years and it would drive my garmin friends crazy cause they woulds have cut down the tracks to less detail to load them.

The Montana is the only Garmin gps I have seen that would truly replace my old XOG's.

It looks like its easy to read in bright light too.

I'm so envious of your treks across expanses like this.

[Buuurrrt]

Originally Posted by Colebatch

Youre not wrong mate.

I have been visiting that country since 1994 ... and the changes are incredibly rapid.

As you now know, the streets of UB are now jam packed with brand new Landcruisers, BMW X5s, Lexus 4WDs ... traffic jammed 24/7 with $100,000 cars. Who wants to stay out in your ger, when in the city, the cash is rolling in.

Mongolia is scheduled to have the second fastest economic growth in the world this year, at 13%. The foreseeable future is the same. The huge amount of money rolling in from the new coal and copper mines and the small amount of people to share that wealth around means it will soon be a very very wealthy country indeed.

I think in coming years, the Mongolian countryside will lose population, and the traditional way of life will become little more than a fantasy, as the population moves to the mines and the big cities to seek their fortune. That what happens when money becomes so easy to make. Not many Emiratis still choose to live the traditional desert Arab life when they can have a Lamborghini in Dubai. I wouldnt expect Mongolians to be much different.

Get it while you can ... Mongolia wont be the same in 5 years.

Ask Terry ... he last saw UB in 2007. Now he saw it in 2012 ... ask him how much it changed in 5 years. And the reality is that it will change more in the next 5 years cause the money pouring into Mongolia in the next 5 years will dwarf what has come in over the past 5 years and filled the city up with neon lights, non stop bars and restaurants, and 24/7 traffic jams. Australian, Canadian, Chinese and Russian mining firms are falling over themselves to throw money at the country. Its a miners dream come true. Enormous untapped coal and copper deposits, and the worlds biggest consumer of both coal and copper is just next door .... China.

This post is dead on in my opinion of what is going on the Mongolia.

Among the many other reasons we chose to do our trip to Mongolia this year, it was the amount of rapid change happening in the area that motivated us most. Our good friend has been in U.B. for the past 2 years hanging with his wife who works for a major mining company. Just in the 2 years he has been there he has seen major change happening. We almost went the year before but our vacation time was scheduled for late Sept./early Oct. It would have been just to cold at time to cover the terrain we wanted to see. When discussing the trip with our buddy in U.B. He basically said "If you are coming to Mongolia? You need to come now!" things are just changing so fast you don't want to wait..



PS. The luxury cars driving the streets of U.B. is just mind blowing.. You have people living in tents in town and others driving a Maserati. Where does it go from here?

[FLARider1]

Originally Posted by Prutser

This night I didn't new what to expect but I walked up the hill and sat down.
While scouting the hills the female Saker falcon was sitting on a big rock on the other side of the valley.
After a few minutes she flew off, and with a couple of wingbeats she reached an enormous speed. I could barely follow it as it flew down to the valley floor were it grabbed a bird. A cloud of feathers was all I could see after that.
When I took a moment to look around me the falcon had flown off and I couldn't find it anymore as the light was fading.
The rest of the crew had gone to bed by now but I couldn't resist to stay a little longer.
I had noticed some Griffon Vultures (Gyps himalayensis) resting on the other side of the valley.
When I was looking for more vultures there was something moving down the hill side. As it was running towards me I could see it was a fox (Vulpes corsac). On its way down it often stopped to look and listen before it would jump onto one of the Gerbils that were popping up out of the holes that were all over the place. With its mouth full it ran further in my direction.
On the bottom of the valley there was a small stream with a lot of big holes next to it. Just before the fox reached the holes two pups came running out. It was wonderful to see those two pups playing and chasing each other.
By now I couldn't see colors anymore and I could barely see the tents which were not even that far away.
So I walked down to get some sleep.

Ok...so I read this and closed my eyes and could picture it as if I was there.........Thanks P!! Awesome job!!!

[Colebatch]

Originally Posted by Mehaniotis

.
I wonder how much the Beamster and Purtser have invested in their rides. From what I'm reading their bikes appear to be trouble free....

Their bikes did 6000 km off road, not 18,000 km off road.

All bikes were trouble free after 6000 km, apart from the KTM. My point was that 10,000 km off road seemed to be a bit of a wall.

Prutsers bike was rebuilt from the ground up for the trip, with top quality forks and shock. Engine complete rebuild. Subframe altered. Custom alloy tank fitted. Expensive after market seat, Rizoma handlebars, Excel rims, gearbox had aftermarket gear ratios fitted. The final drive altered, custom bashplate. He did most of the work himself, but the value of the work he put into it is probably in 5 figures.

Beamsters bike too was far from stock, and had the advantage of being near new when we started the trip.

[Prutser]

Originally Posted by Mehaniotis

.
I wonder how much the Beamster and Purtser have invested in their rides. From what I'm reading their bikes appear to be trouble free.... And the Beamsters smile?, well, it's as genuine as the local hospitality. Which money can’t buy.
Thanks for sharing the humanistic side of this trip..

We invested in the same sort of things as Walter.
Most parts for Beamster's bike could be bought, things like the X-tank, bash plate, case saver, the stronger rims....and a lots more small stuff.
For the Airhead its a bit more difficult to find those things. So I had to make most of the parts my self.
That was very time consuming. I spent 6 months preparing both bikes, which did pay off as they were both trouble free.

The list of things we would like to improve for future trips is very short.
Beamster's bike : fork improvement (Because the damping system could be so much better)
My airhead : The air intake must be a lot higher to deal with the deep river crossings.
And I'm working on a lockable tool tube and a higher gps mount.

Other than those things the bikes were doing great.

[motorfret]

Originally Posted by Prutser

*I spent 6 months preparing both bikes, which did pay off as they were both trouble free.

So long?
How did you manage that with your work?
Ow wait...