Why do it ?
I guess it was just one of those "Bucket List" things to do before I got too old, as the saying goes.
Having ridden a lot in Asia, I started looking for someone to complete the journey with in 2014. After a number of encouraging emails, one of the group suggested Alaska might be a better place to ride to ... or across Australia. Needless to say, I don't think they ever rode anywhere.
So, another year goes by, and roll on 2015, when I find out about a Thailand based chap who was planning a similar trip in September. I get in touch to find out, Yes he's going, but primarily alone. But the China crossing is the problem ... you need a local guide with you all the time, and that costs big money. Turns out a UK company Motoexplorers is putting together a crossing and is looking for one more riders to make things viable.... enter yours truly.
But before I fully commit, I want to cross paths with Jeremy .... which we did literally ! He was riding his Bonnie from Udon T. to Bangkok, and I was riding from Bangkok to Chiang Mai.... a night in Chaiyaphum was on the cards.
Turns out we had met once before as a group photo taken on a Memorial Run in Mae Hong Son testifies. ... and while we both recalled the fight at Crossroads Bar (because some little French Jesus lookalike would not stop playing crap music), we couldn't recall each other ! Ah well, Chang beer and memory loss are known to be linked.
The beer flowed that night, and with every sip, I was getting closer to saying Yes. Jeremy agreed that we could sort of ride together in places as it suits but since then, we feel that from Istanbul, Turkey, we will be pretty much together. Later that month, I sent in my deposit.
Why a Transalp ?
It was one of those things .... sell the Fireblade before I got killed, or my licence taken away. Then I kept looking at the empty spot in the garage, so I had to buy something.
Remembered hiring one of these for a ride through the Philippines a few years earlier and it was a very comfortable and capable machine on the unsurfaced roads over there. So the newer model should be even better ? Maybe.
Found a nice 1 year old 2009 model Honda Transalp, with the touring luggage included, in Motoden Honda. Went up on the train to London, did the deal, and rode it home.
OK .. first impressions were good. A nice lazy V-twin, comfortable, and good in the London traffic, this model having about 10 horsepower more than the 600cc version I rode before.
But Honda's styling team had got their hands on the design, and changed the bike from a capable adventure tourer, to a "prissy" plastic commuter bike. The front wheel had been reduced from 21" to a 19" one and the rest of the bike looked very fragile for use on anything but tarmac.
But it was still a nice ride, apart from an annoying front wheel wobble at 50 mph if you took your hands of the bars. Later this problem turned out to be common with the original tyres. It cured itself 12k miles later when I changed the OE tyres to Metzeler Touraces.
So after two trips to Scotland and Ireland, the bike grew on me.
Roll forward to this epic ride and unfortunately, due to time constraints, and the need to get documents to the Chinese authorities in April, I was stuck with it ! Simple as that.
Bike preparation
This is a list of the extra bits I intend to fit to the bike to make it a little more suitable for the task in hand ~
Contact
Lastly, I have decided not to enable comments on the blog, as its going to keep me busy enough updating this on a daily basis. However, feel free to get in touch either on Facebook, regular e-mail, or in an emergency, send an SMS to my UK number which I check regularly.
Don't try calling ... I'm too tight to answer at £1.40/minute !
I guess it was just one of those "Bucket List" things to do before I got too old, as the saying goes.
Having ridden a lot in Asia, I started looking for someone to complete the journey with in 2014. After a number of encouraging emails, one of the group suggested Alaska might be a better place to ride to ... or across Australia. Needless to say, I don't think they ever rode anywhere.
So, another year goes by, and roll on 2015, when I find out about a Thailand based chap who was planning a similar trip in September. I get in touch to find out, Yes he's going, but primarily alone. But the China crossing is the problem ... you need a local guide with you all the time, and that costs big money. Turns out a UK company Motoexplorers is putting together a crossing and is looking for one more riders to make things viable.... enter yours truly.
But before I fully commit, I want to cross paths with Jeremy .... which we did literally ! He was riding his Bonnie from Udon T. to Bangkok, and I was riding from Bangkok to Chiang Mai.... a night in Chaiyaphum was on the cards.
The beer flowed that night, and with every sip, I was getting closer to saying Yes. Jeremy agreed that we could sort of ride together in places as it suits but since then, we feel that from Istanbul, Turkey, we will be pretty much together. Later that month, I sent in my deposit.
Why a Transalp ?
It was one of those things .... sell the Fireblade before I got killed, or my licence taken away. Then I kept looking at the empty spot in the garage, so I had to buy something.
Remembered hiring one of these for a ride through the Philippines a few years earlier and it was a very comfortable and capable machine on the unsurfaced roads over there. So the newer model should be even better ? Maybe.Found a nice 1 year old 2009 model Honda Transalp, with the touring luggage included, in Motoden Honda. Went up on the train to London, did the deal, and rode it home.
OK .. first impressions were good. A nice lazy V-twin, comfortable, and good in the London traffic, this model having about 10 horsepower more than the 600cc version I rode before.
But Honda's styling team had got their hands on the design, and changed the bike from a capable adventure tourer, to a "prissy" plastic commuter bike. The front wheel had been reduced from 21" to a 19" one and the rest of the bike looked very fragile for use on anything but tarmac.But it was still a nice ride, apart from an annoying front wheel wobble at 50 mph if you took your hands of the bars. Later this problem turned out to be common with the original tyres. It cured itself 12k miles later when I changed the OE tyres to Metzeler Touraces.
So after two trips to Scotland and Ireland, the bike grew on me.
Roll forward to this epic ride and unfortunately, due to time constraints, and the need to get documents to the Chinese authorities in April, I was stuck with it ! Simple as that.
Bike preparation
This is a list of the extra bits I intend to fit to the bike to make it a little more suitable for the task in hand ~
- Touratech Sump guard
- Puig Crash bars
- Garmin Zumo GPS
- Givi Outback Trekker 37 litre panniers & rack
- 12 volt & USB outlets
- Loobman Chain Oiler
- 10 W Cree Led Spotlights
- 120 dB Horns
- Fender extender
- Sheepskin seat cover
Spares carried
I'm sure that whatever I bring, I wont need, and whatever I think wont fail, will be one of the first things to go ! But for those who are really interested, I'm carrying with me ~
- 2 x Spare front inner tubes (HD)
- 2 x Spare rear inner tubes (HD)
- Spare clutch & brake levers
- Set of plugs
- 1 x Full set of pads
- Spare chain & sprockets
- Spare air filter (if I have the room, its huge)
- Spare clutch cable
Russ Preparation
.... and I don't mean hours on a treadmill getting fit.
Being as all my riding gear has ended up in Thailand, this was a good excuse to get kitted out with a new set. I read the reviews, got totally confused, (but knew £1200 was just too much). In the end went to see a good friend who owns Mega-motorcycle Store in Swindon.
After what felt like a week in his store, I opted for the Richa Touareg Jacket and Pants, and some similarly branded boots & gloves. Steve gave me a great discount which I truly appreciated, hence the small plug !
Having tried it in the rain from Wales to Southampton, so far I'm pleased, but I will do a long term review on the appropriate web sites once I reach my destination.
Rescue
.... and I don't mean hours on a treadmill getting fit.
Being as all my riding gear has ended up in Thailand, this was a good excuse to get kitted out with a new set. I read the reviews, got totally confused, (but knew £1200 was just too much). In the end went to see a good friend who owns Mega-motorcycle Store in Swindon.After what felt like a week in his store, I opted for the Richa Touareg Jacket and Pants, and some similarly branded boots & gloves. Steve gave me a great discount which I truly appreciated, hence the small plug !
Having tried it in the rain from Wales to Southampton, so far I'm pleased, but I will do a long term review on the appropriate web sites once I reach my destination.
Rescue
So, what if the worst comes to the worst ?
I did some research on the best ways of dealing with the scenario of a major accident in a remote location. There is no perfect solution; there are companies who claim to have military trained staff who will come to you quickly and if necessary, fly you home for treatment back in the UK. That looked good until you read the small print... and the bottom line was that while they might repatriate you, no medical costs were covered.
So, back to a more "normal" travel policy where medical and your recovery is covered ... and after shopping around I eventually got one to suit. Of note, many insurance companies don't realise that motorbikes do come in larger sizes than 125cc, and backpackers can be older than 50 !! Read the small print .... and read it again.
Next question ... how to summon help ? Modern technology has given us GPS's and satellite phones, and I will have a mobile phone on me. But who do you call ... and its not Ghostbusters !
A little more digging and I find there are 3-4 systems available, some private, and some Government supported. But reports are always mixed, from "it saved my life" to "they left me to die".
I suppose in the end it was a combination of the fact that one of my riding companions was already using the commercial DeLorme inReach system, so rather than duplicate, I opted for the Government supported COPAS-SARSAT system where I carry a PLB (Personal Locator Beacon). So when I push the magic button, within seconds a helicopter full of paramedics will appear on the horizon ... Yeah, right.
In reality, the system was developed in conjunction with the Russians, and Falmouth Coastguard get the call if I'm in trouble ... so that's reassuring !
Contact
Lastly, I have decided not to enable comments on the blog, as its going to keep me busy enough updating this on a daily basis. However, feel free to get in touch either on Facebook, regular e-mail, or in an emergency, send an SMS to my UK number which I check regularly.
Don't try calling ... I'm too tight to answer at £1.40/minute !