....Moscow to Moscow......

[pupster]

Well it's less than 4 weeks now til I set off on my trip Moscow (small village in Ayrshire, Scotland) to Moscow (Russian Federation).....I'm going on my recently purchased from Force Motorcycles MT350, my friends are on a Triumph Tiger 1050 and a BMW 1150GS.... Starting to get worried about keeping up with them on the Autobahns in Germany!....Really looking forward to the Latvia, Lithuania, Estonia stretch.....obviously worried about breaking down in Russia!.....I'll be in trouble if I outstay my visa! but everywhere else should be fine....Ukraine will be a whole new experience.....bought an inflatable campbed the other day and it fits in my front pannier along with my tent!.....laptops & camera (and 12v campbed inflator!) going in the other front pannier.......fitted a 12v lighter socket on the dash last week to recharge the laptop & camera.....next week getting my rear pannier racks (to hold canvas panniers bought on ebay) made by a bloke locally.....sadly never heard back from the bloke on this site.....I think I need to put some stickers on the bike....I've heard you're not allowed to ride military coloured vehicles in some parts of Europe.....Camping some of the way, couchsurfing some of it and maybe stay the odd night in a hotel when the pants need washing!............

[MadStu]

Ooooh, now that sounds like a nice adventure mate.

Enjoy it! And take lots of pics!

[bigfatcat]

Wow.
Good luck & please keep us all posted.

[SimmoSub]

Bloody hell, you must be both brave and insane! Respect.

I guess you'll need to take a good range of spares with you as there can't be much in the way of suppliers outside the UK (I could be wrong)?

Have you increased the range with larger fuel tank/additional jerry can etc? There might eb long stretches with nothing much happening in the way of civilisation?

Best of luck

Dave

[Bunker]

Nice one, keep us posted!

[cockney steve]

good luck mate hope it all turn's out good for you.Keep it up righr.

[pupster]

......Thanks for all those words of encouragement.....Today I'm packing the truck ready to head down to Touratech for the weekend....There's three of us definitely doing the ride....We're all paying our own way on the trip but also raising some hard needed cash for "The Poppa Guttman Trust" a spinal injuries charity at Stoke Manderville.....I've got a stand at Touratech and will be selling some "Moscow to Moscow" t-shirts down there and also trying to raise some money for the charity. Who knows?....maybe I'll find another rider for the trip....It's not too late to get involved but you'd have to be quick!.....
.....My V5 turned up which is another tick off the list.....Cancelled my insurance with Bennets and I'm now insured with Carole Nash......When I took out my insurance, they said I was covered in Latvia, Lithuania & Estonia.....Then they decided I wasn't so it was time to change insurers......Carole Nash's polich includes AA breakdown cover in all the countries I'm going to except for Russia & Ukraine.....
.....You buy your bike insurance for those countries on the border but God knows what use a Russian slip of paper will be....I think insurance is not compulsary in Ukraine!!
.....Got my International Driving Permit yesterday....Necessary for the Ukraine & Russia, it's basically a driving licence translation document with your photo in it....
.....Still waiting for my Russian Visa to turn up.....I posted my passport off a couple of weeks ago....Russia House have been very helpful and have waived our application fee....There have been lots more good guys on the way......Free tickets through the Channel Tunnel etc etc....
....We actually leave Moscow in Ayrshire on Sunday 12th June at 6pm.....Earlier that day we're going to the Classic Bike Show in Ayr.....We've then got a few days in the UK before setting off from the Ace Cafe on June 16th at 8pm.....It's going to be quite a do at The Ace Cafe.....Some live music and Peter Williams will be there to send us off...so if you live nearby.......
......Because I'm quite new to the MT350, what would be a great help would be if someone who knows alot about these bikes living on the route between Ayrshire & London could give me a few hours emergency repair tuition (cam belt etc!) on the 14th or 15th June.....I'd be happy to pay for the priveledge......
....As for spares I'm planning on taking spare cables, cam belt, chain links, inner tubes, spark plugs & maybe an oil filter & an air filter.....I've got the replacement plastic fuel tank on the bike and will also have a 5litre plastic jerry can of fuel with me.....
......more soon.......

[Wirralman]

see cambelt tutorial + pictures in club files

http://mtridersclub.freewebspace.com/index_1.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
take a copy with you

[bth2bth2]

sounds a great adventure.wishing you the best of luck.

brian

[Pirate]

Watch out for the Autobahn, it has a minimal mph, if you go below it the police will escort you off and they will not be too friendly in doing so as it is a safety matter.