Five weeks, 12 countries and just practice!

[edog200]

Today I bumped into a very special Australian Adventure motorcyclist, David Rundle.

We talked about survival and how, after a couple of weeks in the saddle, you move into a heightened state of consciousness. I experienced this when I did 8000 ks in the desert over six weeks. Looking forward to feeling that again, when you become completely at one with the bike. Anyhow enough blabbing. David did his trip on a Cossack, here is the advert from the 1970s.

David rode from England to India in the winter in 25 days. I need to get back to him and do a video. A very interesting bloke.

[LC4nicator]

Hi Dave,
I've read this thread from start to finish....well...to the post before mine as this story is a long way yet from finishing
Mate half your luck is all I can say.
And I hope plenty of luck stays with you and your crew throughout this upcoming trip.
Definitely subscribed......I've even got butterflies myself...HaHaHa!

All the best.

Con.

[edog200]

DISASTROUS NEWS
Darren contacted me last night. He's been in hospital after being taken out at an intersection by a boof head car driver. He has had surgery on his right forearm with a titanium plate inserted and has broken both bones in the wrist as well as displaced a series of bones in the base his hand. He has also broken his scaffoid bone in his left hand.

He has more surgery tomorrow.

The big question, Is the ride off? .....The answer is a qualified no. Owing to the challenges with visas and their timings we must get both bikes to the Polish/Ukraine border by the 7th of July.

He should be OK to ride from the 7th of July.

That means I've got to find a rider for the 690 from London to the Polish/Ukraine border. The rider would have to be available from the 1st July to at least the 7th, as they may have to ride a little into the Ukraine, possibly to the Russian border, although unlikely.

Please circulate amongst fellow riders. We need a sensible, reliable rider, to help us get this project back on track.

I always new the riding half way around the world would be challenging, but I would have hoped we would have at least made a start!

[fabian_s]

Sorry to hear that..I know how f*cked up something like this is just before a trip. 4 weeks for the healing of bones is not very much I think..!

Well I would be available at least from Germany to Ukraine. Maybe you find someone who wants to drive it from the UK to Germany.

The only problem would be getting back home from the Ukraine...well that could most certainly be sorted out!

Let me know what you think.

[blakrj]

Originally Posted by edog200

DISASTROUS NEWS
Darren contacted me last night. He's been in hospital after being taken out at an intersection by a boof head car driver. He has had surgery on his right forearm with a titanium plate inserted and has broken both bones in the wrist as well as displaced a series of bones in the base his hand. He has also broken his scaffoid bone in his left hand.

He has more surgery tomorrow.

The big question, Is the ride off? .....The answer is a qualified no. Owing to the challenges with visas and their timings we must get both bikes to the Polish/Ukraine border by the 7th of July.

He should be OK to ride from the 7th of July.

That means I've got to find a rider for the 690 from London to the Polish/Ukraine border. The rider would have to be available from the 1st July to at least the 7th, as they may have to ride a little into the Ukraine, possibly to the Russian border, although unlikely.

Please circulate amongst fellow riders. We need a sensible, reliable rider, to help us get this project back on track.

I always new the riding half way around the world would be challenging, but I would have hoped we would have at least made a start!

Bummer about Darren mate, and doubly so on the timing. Had I not been headed off on my bike around the same time would have gladly offered to get it to the Ukraine for you. Have a mate headed this way for some mountain biking and will check to see if he can maybe stretch his trip a bit. Again, timing might be off a bit. Darren is being petty darn optimistic about getting back to adventure strength in 4 weeks. Wishing him a speedy recovery. If he can get into a hyperbaric chamber, may speed things up.

[edog200]

Originally Posted by fabian_s

Sorry to hear that..I know how f*cked up something like this is just before a trip. 4 weeks for the healing of bones is not very much I think..!

Well I would be available at least from Germany to Ukraine. Maybe you find someone who wants to drive it from the UK to Germany.

The only problem would be getting back home from the Ukraine...well that could most certainly be sorted out!

Let me know what you think.

Darren is now going into hospital again, I'll get back to you in a couple of days. However I would say at this time that I think we have a rider for London to Poland. But the way things are that could change, so I will keep you in the loop.

Cheers,

Dave

[edog200]

Originally Posted by blakrj

Bummer about Darren mate, and doubly so on the timing. Had I not been headed off on my bike around the same time would have gladly offered to get it to the Ukraine for you.

I, like you, think Darren's chances of riding from the Ukraine on the 7th July are slim. I think we may have from London to the Polish/Ukraine border covered, but we may still need a hand for Ukraine/Russia, preferably with someone who doesn't need a visa and can step in quickly.

[jtb]

Originally Posted by edog200

... I will keep you in the loop.

Cheers,

Dave

Hope so

[edog200]

I have no idea who is riding the first leg, but I do know they are either a Norwegian, German, American or New Zealander. Darren is under the knife for his left hand as I write this post. So as soon as we can speak we will decide.

Anyway, that aside here is the first leg of the journey.



Tow things are definite. The visit to the KTM Factory a Mattigofen, Austria and the visit fo my in law's pub in Prestice in the Czech Republic.

[edog200]

ONE OF OUR RIDING PARTNERS GAVE US THIS SET OF HANDY HINTS WHEN TRAVELLING EAST.



I haven't been to any of the Stans, but I first went to the Middle East more than 40 years ago, did Iraq twice in the middle of the Iraq/Iran war and have been to at least fifty countries. So here are a few thoughts............the biggest of which is DO NOT LOSE YOUR COOL

• As soon as you leave Germany, urgency and fairness tails away
• Losing your temper is not an option....they control the shots and operate as a team, so upset one and you upset all
• It is quite possible that the official's father and grandfather held the same role....and his cousin will be chief of police, or a colonel....so you cannot win
• By and large, you will be put to the back of any queue......state officials will be whisked through, then fridge units first, perishables next, friends after that, then the old, then the young, then cars, then you. The only advantage you have is that bikers have more incommon with the frontier officials than rich people in cars
• If you get searched, appear very helpful, but in reality you need to keep near your paniers so that stuff does not get lost. If you get a full turn-out, if you can do so re-pack panier one as soon as they start on panier two. If needsbe, leave three of you looking after four bikes and then get your mate to re-pack whilst you are "being all helpful" emptying the other panier
• Don't take english newspapers into tight countries....bike magazines yes, sport yes, but not stuff that expresses an opinion
• Whilst you may hand over your passport, I suggest you only give them a good photocopy of the V5 etc etc.....stuff gets lost at borders
• Leave copies of all your papers at home so they can be posted to you, if lost
• If you have been held up a while, try to bond with a likeable official..the odds are that if you like him, his colleagues will too, so he will influence them in your favour
• Work out who the decision-maker is....technically it should be the person with the best uniform, but if they are dressed equally, then it may be the one who does the least talking. And the men in no uniform may be secret police
• Bonding can be done on three levels.....just being polite and smiling once you know them a bit.....offering a cigarette (and smoking with them).....getting on to football. I find that saying you come from near Manchester (and maybe knowing a few players' names) opens hearts very fast....Manchester is like a code word
• NEVER argue with a senior officer, particularly in front of his team. FACE is key and you must not take it away from them
• Do not make catagorical statements in front of officials like "we will be at the hotel by 8".....it is not your decision whether you make it to the hotel, but Allah's and you cannot over-rule him. Devout muslims can take offence if you assume too much will happen on a schedule
• I would be surprised if you do not need to grease a few palms along the way...say you have 100 dollar bills....keep 20 in one pocket, 30 in another, 50 in a third. Then you can go to the right pocket and peel off half, say. If that is not enough, don't show that you have more...at best it is disrespectful......at worst you are saying that you are carrying an unknown quantity of cash and you could be pounced on 50 kms further on for a fake speeding offence.....go to a pal and ask "have you got another ten please". It is not a bad idea to keep the dollar bills in bundles of ten so you can take one or two bundles out without peeling them off
• I would also be surprised of someone doesn't hold you at a border just to show who is boss. Firstly, look relaxed.....get the biscuits out and, maybe offer them around. But after say an hour (ie when they have proved who is boss) you may chose to say "look that man is not very well....we need to get him to a bed soon.....anything you can do would help, PLEASE"
• Whatever you are stopped for (customs.....speeding.....paper checks), do not encircle the official, and take your helmet off. You will have to judge the situation for yourself, but leaving the key in the ignition makes it easier for someone to steal the bike, but make your getaway faster. But I doubt you will get to that and really you can outrun thieves, but not the state. That said, you are not going to true despot countries....Iraq was bad and I gather Libya worse. By and large, you will find yourself fighting off offers of hospitality. Most people will just be curious.
• Say thank you as you leave a border post.....SHUKRAAN (arabic for thank you) works wonders.....and some countries have customs checks well inside their frontiers (France does), so being polite can avoid someone ringing ahead and saying "you've got five targets coming towards you"
• Ask Continental who are trickiest at borders and get the phone number of their agent/distributor in that country. It can work wonders of he says you are raising money for sick people or whatever. Along the way, you may need to call on someone for a favour and the Continental agent is almost certainly of more use than say the British Consul, so I would ask for a list of all depots in the tricky countries (ie the Stans and India) .
• If you have an accident, take discreet photos if you can....but avoid taking photos at border crossings where you get other people on them.....flashy trucks maybe, but not the driver. And even photographing a truck could well lead to a demand for money - I once had a huge argument with a taxi driver in Saudi Arabia because he wanted to charge me double for the air conditioning. They try to charge for everything.
• Talking of that, try to leave all overnight stays with a receipt for the stay. If you are accused of not having settled a bill, you will be deemed to be guilty long before you have proved your innocence. I cannot remember which, but one of the Stans is the 9th largest country in the world, so it will take some driving across so you could have a few stays
• If you are going into real "no man's land", fill up even if you are half full. I think it will be better now, but fuel used to be pretty low octane the further east you got
• Nothing to do with crossing a frontier, but I would have a couple of hi viz jackets each with you....that way they can get lost or dirty or you can tie one onto the front of the front bike and the back of the back bike when going across a big city. And I think they may help to reflect the sun so your leathers don't get as hot....Another email follows with a list of stuff to consider taking.

[blakrj]

Originally Posted by edog200

I have no idea who is riding the first leg, but I do know they are either a Norwegian, German, American or New Zealander. Darren is under the knife for his left hand as I write this post. So as soon as we can speak we will decide.

Anyway, that aside here is the first leg of the journey.



Tow things are definite. The visit to the KTM Factory a Mattigofen, Austria and the visit fo my in law's pub in Prestice in the Czech Republic.

Dave, ping me the gps co-ords or address of the families pub in Prestice - probably on our route south and we will stop by and support the family business. Good to hear you've sorted a rider.

[edog200]

Here is a fantastic video Darren has just thrown together of our, '12 Countries and just practice ride.' With five days our before I leave for London, this really gets me in the mood.

[edog200]

I've caught up with Darren following his second operation. We have picked Paul from Norway and Stephan from Germany to cover riding if that is required.

Thanks to those riders who volunteered to assist. This truly is a very supportive community.


Cheers

Dave

[edog200]

I think we're more than satisfied the KTM690 is a go anywhere, do anything bike, that can go places the bigger adventure bikes may find difficult. But it's not an adventure bike and this is where Rally Raid kicks in for us to adventurise the bikes. Increasing fuel range, carrying capacity and protection are the key issues.

First challenge is fuel.


and then some:





The second is luggage capacity








Just three days left before I head to London to meet up with Darren. Commence packing today.

[edog200]

This one way ticket thing to London is really hitting home now.

Adventurising our Ktoomers should be fun. Look forward to sharing it with you.