Sibirsky Extreme 2012 - The Toughest Ride of Them All

[just jeff]

Hmmmm...Rifle range+motocross track = DUEL PURPOSE!!
Regards just jeff

[Durden]

Originally Posted by ciedema

You do know they did this trip in summer?

Ha! Of course, my point was that this part of the world is extremely inhospitable during the long winter months, we get a very desirable perspective with all this amazing summer pics.

I know a few people have done Siberia during the winter, one guy on a Harley with a side car, all the way to Magadan.

[ciedema]

Originally Posted by Durden

I know a few people have done Siberia during the winter, one guy on a Harley with a side car, all the way to Magadan.

That is hardcore - the Russians have a snow dogs biker fest in Jan, the person who rides the furtherest to the event wins a knife with a hand carved handle - I know someone who did it from Barnaul also on a side-car.

[Kristof Granit]

Originally Posted by ciedema

That is hardcore - the Russians have a snow dogs biker fest in Jan, the person who rides the furtherest to the event wins a knife with a hand carved handle - I know someone who did it from Barnaul also on a side-car.

"Romanian Motorcyclists Association organise Wolfticket 2012, the very first winter ride expedition for motorcycle in Kolyma Trassa (aka Road of Bones) in winter conditions. Now, in Siberian Far East you can broke this record"
http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?v=480103898716818&

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On the second picture, it's like you are refuelling with Diesel (ДТ)
http://advrider.com/forums/showpost....postcount=2266

[jyew777]

Originally Posted by Prutser

This was the first fuel stop we had day 59.



Later that day we would meet the guys on their German and Japanese camels.I think we talked for about 15 min. when they left us, we cooked some water for a cup of tea before we got back on our bikes again.

That day we had a lot of mud and sand.
While we were cruising Rod's bike was getting a bit warm because his radiator was clogged with mud.
Beamster's radiator could use a wash too so we stopped next to a river to pressure wash the radiators.
While Rod was taking the tank off of his bike to reach the radiator a bit better a car with a whole family stopped near the same river. They dragged what looked like a lifeless guy out of their car and started some sort of ritual.......... they started to pour the cold water over him to get him out of his alcohol coma.
It took at least 15 min. to get him moving again.

When the bikes were ready to go again we reached the little town that Rod mentioned in post #2163
for jet another bike fill-up.



The inside of the Altai City hotel wasn't really colorful so we ordered some colors to add to the pictures.

Is that Tiger Beer?

[Scribe]

Originally Posted by Kristof Granit

"Romanian Motorcyclists Association organise Wolfticket 2012, the very first winter ride expedition for motorcycle in Kolyma Trassa (aka Road of Bones) in winter conditions. Now, in Siberian Far East you can broke this record"
http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?v=480103898716818&

---------------------
On the second picture, it's like you are refuelling with Diesel (ДТ)
http://advrider.com/forums/showpost....postcount=2266

Good lord that's hardcore. I don't like to ride when it gets under 50 F here.

[ROD CURRIE]

Originally Posted by C/W

I would not be surprised if any members of the Sibirsky Extreme were affiliated with an NGO.

In this case, Walter's experience with the countries, and the political stability of the countries visited, may prove having NGO affiliation irrelevant. In addition the tight deadlines may prevent any such volunteer work.

I'm interested to hear the team's thoughts on using NGOs as a travel aid (altruism not withstanding).

None of us are connected in any way to any orgs, governmental or otherwise, we're just ordinary Joes. Not saying any of us are agin it-but not sure any such affiliation'd be universally benficial.

[Loutre]

Originally Posted by Durden

I know you aren't this far east yet, not even at Irkutsk, but I checked the (current) weather in Yakutsk, WTF! Gives me a whole new appreciation for those that tough if out in the 'off season'.

I hear its suppose to be balmy Thursday.

This is all in Celsius, but at this temperature, I don't think it matters. (-51C = -60F)

Well that's at least 3000kms away from where they are. I think they are safe

[MizzouRider]

P&B, I know in RR time you are headed to the airport.. I just wanted to say your contributions to this RR have been excellent! I love both of your attitudes while on the trail. You guys are great traveling companions, the three old buzzards were lucky to have you along. P, I'll miss the bird pics, I hope someone takes it up after your departure.
Also, thanks for coming back to the thread, I can only take so many posts about cow/sheep/camel/goat/yak dung..

Please continue!

[ROD CURRIE]

We rode thje valley cros ing numerour large rivers and small streams-Bas demoed his skills by jumping across one whilst the rest of us limped across in the usual cack-handed manner. The trail was far from clear and the valley floor very wide so irt was important to be sure we picked up the right trail to get out on the correct route into the next valley system.

We picked up the right trail after a few castings about and started to climb out of the valley, but this brought little respite as the trail now got very boggy and rocky in places, and very soft in others, with the track often disappearing altogether and we had to pick our way across very soft ground with basketball size tufts of grass.
I had a fall off where I was going very slowly over soft ground and went for a dab....but there was nothing there so tumbled off into the soft soil.
Overall it really showed the capabilities of the bikes off well, and hightlit the limiting factor usually being the rider .
The trail now changed again as we rose and fell through the valleys, and became rocky with switchbacks and flaky flat rocks and here is where we had the nearest brush with a broken bone .
I was riding second to last and looked up as P & B were passing on the return of a switchback 30 or 40 feet higher that me. I saw B start to go up a little climb then go down hard.
I goosed the bike up and scooted up to where she had gone down as fast as I could .But she was trapped with the bike lying on her foot and against a nasty pointy rock.
As she'd gone to make the step-we'd negotiated much harder obstacles-this was the Murphy factor - one of these flat rocks had slid out from under the back wheel just as she needed the purchase to make the climb and the bike had hit the next step at an oblique angle and without the required momentum so had gone down.
We got the bike off her and it was clear she was in considerable pain. She took her boot off and the foot although badly bruised had nothing broken so we all stopped for half an hour whilst she soaked it in the cold river to get the swelling down.. Once she was feeling better we got our gear back on and set off again-it was more important now to have good trails as she'd not be able to dab with that foot if needed.

[ROD CURRIE]

Originally Posted by Loutre

Well that's at least 3000kms away from where they are. I think they are safe

It's a positively tropical Minus 23C in Itkutsk today. T-short and flip flops then !

[Loutre]

Originally Posted by ROD CURRIE

It's a positively tropical Minus 23C in Itkutsk today. T-short and flip flops then !

See that Durden? Positive attitude

[ROD CURRIE]

The terrain was never sufficiently technical after this that B had any issues with her foot but we had many river crossings to negotiate.
I binned it big time in one by following Bas' excellent example of looking at it...saying " wish me luck" and dashing in. I hit a large slippery boulder and the front just washed out, and I went in up to the neck but managed to save the bike from flooding . My companions naturally supported my by hooting with laughter and offering faint hearted support...otherwise known as jeering,
Terry JUST saved his on the exit of one crossing as he came out totally off balance and had to let the bike drop-but he'd just got through to the far bank. Not sure if P or B binned it that afternoon, but they'll pipe in to inform I'm sure.

The day got cooler and cooler and as it wore on we started to think about somewhere to stay.

"Rollin Rollin Rollin...get them dawgies(Yakkies?) etc etc " You need to be over a certain age I think.

[ROD CURRIE]

I'll back off a little and let the guys catch up

[BDG]

Originally Posted by ROD CURRIE

It's a positively tropical Minus 23C in Itkutsk today. T-short and flip flops then !

T shirt and flip flops in -23c, you Jocks are HARD