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

[pupster]

......Really horrendous day yesterday.....woke up to heavy rain in L'viv Ukraine knowing we had to be in Krakow later in the day 200 miles away.....Was wet even before setting off as I had to walk across town from my hostel to get my bike which was locked by the other's hotel.....40 miles got us to the border, fuelled up before leaving Ukraine with cheap petrol....Had nearly a 2 hour border crossing in the rain.....Goggles steaming up all the way.....John had some wax which he let me use on my glasses which seemed to do the trick.....Then we just had to push on.....Was saturated all day, wet, miserable & cold.......Got to my friend's Anna's in Krakow, had a nice hot bath, took my wet clothes to a launderette to dry and went for a lovely Italian meal in town.....Was supposed to going to Wroclaw tomorrow but it looks like we're in Krakow for another day.....
Sun is shining.......so I think I'll go for a ride.....never been in Krakow before with my bike!....sorry no photos to post, my camera didn't come out in the rain yesterday.....
.

[StorminNorm]

Hope you have a nicer day today, you just cant rely on the weather.

Keep up the good work Great reports...thanks

[DSG]

Hi Pupster

just a line or so to say that I have enjoyed reading your story to the extent that at times I was mentally riding the same journey.

I would find it interesting if after you get home you could list the problems you have had with the MT and offer any suggestions how these could be avoided or resolved by other MT owners going on long trips. What spares you would now take with the gained knowledge etc.

Dave

[bth2bth2]

your having some bad luck with the weather.hope it gets better.
take care

brian

[pupster]

……Yesterday was a good day…..the sun shone all day in Krakow……I spent most of the day on my own on the bike without luggage…….It felt like a supermoto once again……drove out of town into the countryside via the Harley-Davidson dealership….at last someone knew the bike….somebody in Krakow had bought 20 of them last year…..had a lovely lunch then took the bike to some familiar landmarks in town…..had a fantastic evening with my Polish friends in Krakow……Set off this morning on my own….. destination Zgorzelec on the Polish / German border…..got some miles to do over the next few days so got a head start…..It’s been a mixed day of weather…..some sunshine, some drizzle and a lot of wind…..at times it’s been tough getting 50 out of the bike into the wind…..The needle decided to snap on my speedo today!......It’s been dancing around for the whole trip…..I gave up on it being accurate at the start of the trip when the odometer decided to pack in completely!.....At least I can’t see it jiggling about anymore……Got 40 more miles to do today to get to Zgorzelek…..If the weather’s still good, I’ll find a campsite…..


......Harley Davidson Krakow......


.....Central Square, Krakow......


.....Pawel tries out my bike......

[CaptainMT350]

Great trip! Very jealous

My dear gran would say theres no such thing as bad weather just the wrong clothes!
Don't think she had been trapped in a snow storm sliding round the mountains whiping the mist from inside the vizor and ice off the outside. I spent far too long with a wet pants! Nothing worse then water slowly creeping towards your todger. One day I decided enough was enough and invested in some very worth while Bering trousers which are like four trousers in one: large zip and velcro pocketed cargo trouser with vent mesh zips, removable knee and butt armour, 100% water proof layer and thermal layer. They are a super trouser giving peace of mind and comfort. (don't work for Bering but its only when you have made-do with crap, you appreciate the good stuff).
Sore ass ? You will get a reputation using Vaseline.. Your welsh right? then you will like the feel of fleece
Once you try it you will never go back, a good rugged sheep fleece will get at least an hour more out your num ass.
Hows the bike running still having problems with fuel dripping from the air box? I found my inlet valve gap was to small leading to a back up of fuel provoked by my sometimes inefficient town riding style. I didn't know petrol also acts as a engine coolant, at the same time as my air filter leaking petrol my exhaust brackets were melting like chocolate.
On another note hows your rear sprocket doing? The teeth nice and even or like shark fins? luckily for your chain there's no nasty oil sucking sand in Russia Also replace the chain way before you reach the end of the snail as you will start to eat your sprockets.
Also my brakes tended to stick and boil just after the final half mill of pad. the brakes sticking early made me first think the engine was at fault. Replace the pads and oil the calliper durms, the both if plumbed right are self bleeding, so if you boil which i often did they will come back in 15min or so. Also if the bleeder bearing is rusted it wont make a valve.
As for the clutch I found its perfect alinement was hindered by the bark buster bracket. forcing the cable above or below the bracket increasing wear. I drilled a hole through the bracket in the end (just below the thread) Only after going through two cables before I had even reached the Alps. Also giving all cables a drip of oil every now and then is recommended. Hows your battery levels? Throttle cables? Chain? Bulb supply?
I personally don't recommend halogens expensive don't last and melt your bike if you just look at them wrong. LEDs are the way forward.
My speedo broke too!
Have a super trip, great reading the updates

[pupster]

…..Zgorzelec was great……..lovely Polish border town…..found a campsite and was then lured by the luxury of an en-suite cabin for the bargain price of £12…..so had a great nights sleep…..Set off in the morning, spent the last of my zlotys on an array of flavoured vodkas for my friends then got on the road……destination Amstadt in Germany 240 miles away using Garmin set on “Avoid Motorways”. Took us to Dresden at which point the team split, me staying on the rural roads, the others going on the motorway…..I had a really lovely day and met some characters along the way……I passed close to the VW factory and was invited to the family open day there but had to decline as I had some miles to cover……arrived at the campsite and was welcomed with a much needed beer….Set off this morning destination Belgium…..I’ve done 130 miles so far today on the autobahn….boring!.....(had a butterly impact my goggles at 60mph and had the most expensive dump I’ve ever had to pay for! 70cent at Rimburg Services!)…..Got 140 miles to do on rural roads now this afternoon….much more enjoyable….

.....my neighbour in Zgorzelec.....

.....Dresden.....


.......Dude in Germany......

......Forgot to say.....I changed the chain in Krakow......I did have one of those ones bought from Ebay for about £23 but it was rubbish.....It had stretched to the limit after 5,000 miles so I fitted a new O-Ring chain that I'd bought from Force before I left.....Sprockets are looking fine......brakes working well.....front brake light tempramental!......engine running well in cool dry air.....

[Priest]

Have been reading the adventure, I am like that kid in, 'Never Ending story'. whose nicked my book ? Can't wait to turn the next page......

[pupster]

……Had a cold night’s sleep in Belgium……Then we pushed on towards Calais…..Stopped at the Atomium in Brussels for lunch…..I’d been there when I was 14 and it was even more impressive this time……Ice-cream in Brugge in the afternoon then onto Calais….The others stopped in a hotel, I went onto a campsite on the coast which was lovely…..In the morning met up for Eurotunnel to Folkestone……50 miles up the road met up with Prince Michael of Kent and a few of his motorbike buddies who rode the 70 miles up to Stoke Mandeville with us…….We had a marvellous reception there…….The Charity we have been riding for is “The Poppa Guttman Trust” which is a spinal injuries charity based at Stoke Mandeville…….Ludwig Guttman was a neurosurgeon whose work at Stoke Mandeville revolutionised the treatment of Spinally Injured patients, particularly through the medium of sport…..His work laid the foundation of the Paralympic Games…..If you would like to donate to the charity you can do so safely online though the “Just Giving” link on our website http://www.offonaweeride.com" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
After Stoke Mandeville we pushed onto Moscow in Scotland for our homecoming in little Moscow….This morning we attended a reception at East Ayrshire Council Offices…….I’m on my way home to Wales now…..completely exhausted…….Looking forward to my bed!.......I’ve not had my MT for long but I’ve named it Moscow and really feel like a real MT Rider now!........We’ve shared some good times (and bad!).....As I write this, I can see though the café window yet another person taking a photo of “Moscow”……nice!.....
…..In a few day’s time I’ll write a bit more on the blog with all the data of my trip, breakdowns, MPG, fuel costs etc……Big thanks for all the helpful tips you’ve posted me along the way……

.......Anyone up for a ride to Mongolia?!?!?!......


....At Stoke Mandeville with PMK.....

.....Back in Little Moscow.....

.....After 5 weeks on the road, I finally overtook another bike!.....

[sapper]

I might ne interested in mongolia!!!! Always wanted to the Mongolian Rally but the car had to be under 1000cc to qualify or something really wacky and bizarre!!!!