chad
Registered user
crikey anything on the shins bloody hurts,,,thats gotta sting like a bastard
i dont want this one to end
Heavy Metal around Mongolia and Central Asia
- Thread starter Timolgra
- Start date
crikey anything on the shins bloody hurts,,,thats gotta sting like a bastard
i dont want this one to end
So poor Baz's bad luck continues
When I've 'eventually' finished this ride report I'll ask him to post his thoughts and some of the photos relating to his experiences.
It's well over 40deg C and Baz is stuck on the bridge with Pete helping him get the bike upright and sliding all over the place on the spilt engine oil on polished steel.
Baz tapes his gaping wound up and waits with Pete.
Our guide called Oleg, Rick and myself are at the far side of the bridge waiting for the others, a passing car driver shouts that our friend has broken his leg.
Oleg quickly goes back to him while Rick and I quickly assemble the emergency trailer in the baking heat.
We all press on to Mary, the next main town along a very hot desert road and decline our guides offer of a visit to some ruins! Baz is in a lot of pain!!
The hospital is shut and Oleg would rather wait until we're in the capital, Ashgabat so some emergency repairs are made to Baz's leg in a hotel room.
Baz's roadside repair.
When I've 'eventually' finished this ride report I'll ask him to post his thoughts and some of the photos relating to his experiences.
It's well over 40deg C and Baz is stuck on the bridge with Pete helping him get the bike upright and sliding all over the place on the spilt engine oil on polished steel.
Baz tapes his gaping wound up and waits with Pete.
Our guide called Oleg, Rick and myself are at the far side of the bridge waiting for the others, a passing car driver shouts that our friend has broken his leg.
Oleg quickly goes back to him while Rick and I quickly assemble the emergency trailer in the baking heat.
We all press on to Mary, the next main town along a very hot desert road and decline our guides offer of a visit to some ruins! Baz is in a lot of pain!!
The hospital is shut and Oleg would rather wait until we're in the capital, Ashgabat so some emergency repairs are made to Baz's leg in a hotel room.
Baz's roadside repair.
chad
Registered user
ow OW FREAKIN OW !!!!!
Baz has a high pain tolerance, but he was struggling.
On the phone to his paramedic friend in UK and a break is suspected.
So on that note, the rest of us clear off to a very nice pavement cafe for a slap up meal and a few beers leaving Baz alone
We're not quite that cruel though, a young woman comes to the room with a meal and drinks for him....I believe she mopped his brow with a cool flannel but he'll admit no more.
On the phone to his paramedic friend in UK and a break is suspected.
So on that note, the rest of us clear off to a very nice pavement cafe for a slap up meal and a few beers leaving Baz alone
We're not quite that cruel though, a young woman comes to the room with a meal and drinks for him....I believe she mopped his brow with a cool flannel but he'll admit no more.
the venturer
Registered user
A terrible injury he's got. The question is how come he's had it!! No shin protectors or Motocross boots on?
Yep, full on motocross boots and decent knee armour were worn by all of us.
Part of the problem is the fecking useless BMW crash bars fitted to the 1150 ADV.
The rear brackets mounting them to the bash plate had broken previously, in this fall the crash bars pushed back, the rocker cover was all but ripped off destroying the threads in the cylinder head and the end of the crash bar is what did the damage to Baz's leg.
chad
Registered user
Yep, full on motocross boots and decent knee armour were worn by all of us.
Part of the problem is the fecking useless BMW crash bars fitted to the 1150 ADV.
The rear brackets mounting them to the bash plate had broken previously, in this fall the crash bars pushed back, the rocker cover was all but ripped off destroying the threads in the cylinder head and the end of the crash bar is what did the damage to Baz's leg.
sheared edges of stainless steel takes no prisoners
thanks for taking the time with this report tim great reading as you stated it would be nice to hear baz's thoughts
We head towards the capital Ashgabat along the Iranian border, the heat whilst riding is almost unbearable (it was pushing 50deg C when we arrived there!).
Our guide insisted we stop at some ruins along the way, all we wanted was Baz to see a doctor, an air condition room and some cold beers....not necessarily in that order of course
Iran is in the background.
The heat was making it tough for Pete and I on the bikes, it felt as though our balls were in a pan of boiling water....all we wanted was a nublie woman to pour beer down our parched throats and slipped an iced flannel down the front of our pants....I wish!
We would have made do with a bucket of iced water to squat over and dangle our overheated tackle in.
We had neither.
Ashgabat is now an ultra modern city, it was flattened by an earthquake in the 1st century, flourished due to it's position on the Silk Road untill the Mongols destroyed it in the 13th century then destroyed by an earthquake in 1948 killing two thirds of the population.
I didn't like it, a pretentious city oozing money from oil and gas revenue while the rest of the country struggles, although fuel is only 2 cents a litre, gas and electricity is free.
One of the few remaining true socialist countries at least it's strategy keeps the population quiet or perhaps I'm cycnical, western jounalists are forbiden in Turkmenistan so I can only make my own judgements.
Our guide insisted we stop at some ruins along the way, all we wanted was Baz to see a doctor, an air condition room and some cold beers....not necessarily in that order of course
Iran is in the background.
The heat was making it tough for Pete and I on the bikes, it felt as though our balls were in a pan of boiling water....all we wanted was a nublie woman to pour beer down our parched throats and slipped an iced flannel down the front of our pants....I wish!
We would have made do with a bucket of iced water to squat over and dangle our overheated tackle in.
We had neither.
Ashgabat is now an ultra modern city, it was flattened by an earthquake in the 1st century, flourished due to it's position on the Silk Road untill the Mongols destroyed it in the 13th century then destroyed by an earthquake in 1948 killing two thirds of the population.
I didn't like it, a pretentious city oozing money from oil and gas revenue while the rest of the country struggles, although fuel is only 2 cents a litre, gas and electricity is free.
One of the few remaining true socialist countries at least it's strategy keeps the population quiet or perhaps I'm cycnical, western jounalists are forbiden in Turkmenistan so I can only make my own judgements.
Attachments
Baz get's taken to the modern hospital, there's no one there to see him!
A doctor is dragged in and sucks his teeth in sympathy at Baz's wound.
The leg is stitched up properly and X-rayed...hooray, it's not broken
He's back...although bikeless
Baz had decided to get married whilst on this trip......not to one of us I hasten to add but to his girlfriend back in UK.
It seems he's under the thumb already, she doesn't like him having a beard so like the down trodden, dutiful husband he's bound to be............
I also didn't like Ashgabat because some thieving toerag stole my phone whilst it was charging on the bike
A doctor is dragged in and sucks his teeth in sympathy at Baz's wound.
The leg is stitched up properly and X-rayed...hooray, it's not broken
He's back...although bikeless
Baz had decided to get married whilst on this trip......not to one of us I hasten to add but to his girlfriend back in UK.
It seems he's under the thumb already, she doesn't like him having a beard so like the down trodden, dutiful husband he's bound to be............
I also didn't like Ashgabat because some thieving toerag stole my phone whilst it was charging on the bike
ExpatinIstanbul
Registered user
Thank christ he shaved it off, the tramp look doesn't suit him.
the venturer
Registered user
Roger that, Tim.Yep, full on motocross boots and decent knee armour were worn by all of us.
Part of the problem is the fecking useless BMW crash bars fitted to the 1150 ADV.
The rear brackets mounting them to the bash plate had broken previously, in this fall the crash bars pushed back, the rocker cover was all but ripped off destroying the threads in the cylinder head and the end of the crash bar is what did the damage to Baz's leg.
Next day we need to get to the port of Turkmenbashi, then try to board the 'boat from hell', cross the Caspian Sea and to Baku, Azerbaijan.
It's going to be a gruelling, hot, long ride.
Pete and I are up early quickly riding off through the darkness and mmmm cool....25deg C.
Dawn breaks with the most stunning sunrise I've ever seen, it's soon to become our enemy in the desert, we don't stop for photos, we don't stop for anything.
We'd been expecting frequent stops by the police, they seem to have relaxed their hassle to tourists, we ride fast getting the miles behind us.
Just two bikes left, Pete and I were on a mission. Get there before we fried.
A couple of hundred miles later, a town, we drink Coke in a cafe and the sun's caught us.
Hidden away but we find fuel. It's very cheap.
Quickly away and into the desert, we're glad of the tarmac, it's in the high forties....oh for that bucket of iced water.
A lonely policeman steps from the shade of his hut and wearily waves his baton, we stop, he's friendly and only interested in the bikes.
Pressing on, my GPS slowly, so slowly creeps toward the Caspian Sea.
Cresting a rise and there it is in the haze, I ride alongside Pete and we shake hands.
A large hatted policeman steps from the shade waving his baton with more vigour.
I'm lectured on motorcycle safety for riding whilst holding hands.
Grovelling apologies and we're away.
Before finding our hotel we stop at the harbour and down Coke. Kids swarm the bike, climbing all over it. I'm not in the mood and we leave.
In our immaculate air conditioned hotel we down as much cold beer as possible.
Still several hours ahead of the others we swim in the Caspian.
Bliss
It's going to be a gruelling, hot, long ride.
Pete and I are up early quickly riding off through the darkness and mmmm cool....25deg C.
Dawn breaks with the most stunning sunrise I've ever seen, it's soon to become our enemy in the desert, we don't stop for photos, we don't stop for anything.
We'd been expecting frequent stops by the police, they seem to have relaxed their hassle to tourists, we ride fast getting the miles behind us.
Just two bikes left, Pete and I were on a mission. Get there before we fried.
A couple of hundred miles later, a town, we drink Coke in a cafe and the sun's caught us.
Hidden away but we find fuel. It's very cheap.
Quickly away and into the desert, we're glad of the tarmac, it's in the high forties....oh for that bucket of iced water.
A lonely policeman steps from the shade of his hut and wearily waves his baton, we stop, he's friendly and only interested in the bikes.
Pressing on, my GPS slowly, so slowly creeps toward the Caspian Sea.
Cresting a rise and there it is in the haze, I ride alongside Pete and we shake hands.
A large hatted policeman steps from the shade waving his baton with more vigour.
I'm lectured on motorcycle safety for riding whilst holding hands.
Grovelling apologies and we're away.
Before finding our hotel we stop at the harbour and down Coke. Kids swarm the bike, climbing all over it. I'm not in the mood and we leave.
In our immaculate air conditioned hotel we down as much cold beer as possible.
Still several hours ahead of the others we swim in the Caspian.
Bliss
We got across the Caspian to Baku in an old tramp ship, the bikes being parked alongside smelly railway oil tankers, the decks having oily slippy railway lines up and on to them 
Dumped in Baku at 1am in the morning the only hotels we could find were 180 USD so we rode off and in to the night
Good luck Tim and all the best... we're all right there withya
Dumped in Baku at 1am in the morning the only hotels we could find were 180 USD so we rode off and in to the night
Good luck Tim and all the best... we're all right there withya
Dumped in Baku at 1am in the morning the only hotels we could find were 180 USD so we rode off and in to the night
We were stuck on the boat for over 3 days, dumped in Baku at night I lost the others and rode off into the night too, I finally stopped the following afternoon deep into Georgia.....that's next
Pathologic
Registered user
Keep it coming
Hi Tim,
Been a fan since the beginning of this thread. Thanks for working through posting this epic. Adventure is too small a word.
Path.
Hi Tim,
Been a fan since the beginning of this thread. Thanks for working through posting this epic. Adventure is too small a word.
Path.
This is without a doubt the best trip report i have read.Thoroughly enjoying it,as has already been said before the photographs are brilliant.The heavy bikes must have been a handful many times,but you must have thought they were the right choice.very good.
tully
Registered user
Ride Report
Hi there,
this is a fantastic report from what looks like an amazing journey
i really hope i am able to set off on a trip like this one day, just hope the world hasn't blown itself up by the time i'm ready..!
i have recently acquired an 1150ADV and can't see there being a better bike out there for a trip like this
i look forward to the report of the run home through Europe
many thanks
Hi there,
this is a fantastic report from what looks like an amazing journey
i really hope i am able to set off on a trip like this one day, just hope the world hasn't blown itself up by the time i'm ready..!
i have recently acquired an 1150ADV and can't see there being a better bike out there for a trip like this
i look forward to the report of the run home through Europe
many thanks
The hassle of entering Turkmenistan could only be exceeded by one thing, leaving.
The 'ferries' to Baku take train carriages and only a few passengers, the ships we'd seen waiting the previous night had gone but now there's another.
We get down to the port with Oleg and try to blag our way aboard, nothing doing so we wait in the sticky heat.
We qued, filled in endless paperwork and were eventually told yes,......then no.
We waited.
Turkish truckers had slipped the officials a bribe and jumped ahead of us.
More paperwork and we were told to move to the boarding area, we waited while the trains boarded and in the evening we at last squeezed the bikes alongside the carriages.
It seemed smoking was compulsory on the cargo decks and we saw no working lifeboats or even life rings.
The captain's gofa tried to sting us $100 per cabin, we said bollox but Rick secured us a cabin each for $20, they were shitholes.
The engines fire up and before long, hooray we're on our way at last.
Five miles later the engines stop again and the anchor is dropped. It's too windy in Baku we're told.
Baz wearing his best trousers sits in some wet paint.
So we wait and we wait, with very little water or food we wait some more.
The cabins stink are are swelteringly hot so we sleep on deck.
No joy the next day either, in the afternoon the fire hydrants are turned on, everyone on board gets a blast of cool water.
Exactly the same on the following day. Some of the crew are fishing.
Next morning the ship's engines fire up and we're on our way across the Caspian arriving in Baku that evening.
Boy were we glad to see the back of that ferry.
Then there's Azerbaijan immigration, feck me what a palaver. An official shouts at Pete who is about to take umbrage, luckily Rick dives in to save the situation.
Eventually they let us in with a 5 day visa and tell us where to exit in Georgia.....oh and then we get ripped of a further $90 by a fat geezer for shipping, then a further $10 for using a bridge.
It's around 11pm as we enter the heavy traffic of Baku and try to find our way out......but my day is only just beginning, I make an error turning left across the traffic which the others can't make.
30 minutes later, I find the same spot and ride up and down the road, there's no sign of them.
Feck!
I don't have a map of Azerbaijan.
A Merc pulls alongside and asks where I'm going.
Er, Tiblisi in Georgia was all I could think of.
Ok follow me I'll get you out of town, around midnight I'm left in the dark suberbs with intructions to 'go this way for a long time then turn right'.
I ride off into the night, convinced it's the wrong direction and wasn't to see the others again until just east of Istanbul!
The 'ferries' to Baku take train carriages and only a few passengers, the ships we'd seen waiting the previous night had gone but now there's another.
We get down to the port with Oleg and try to blag our way aboard, nothing doing so we wait in the sticky heat.
We qued, filled in endless paperwork and were eventually told yes,......then no.
We waited.
Turkish truckers had slipped the officials a bribe and jumped ahead of us.
More paperwork and we were told to move to the boarding area, we waited while the trains boarded and in the evening we at last squeezed the bikes alongside the carriages.
It seemed smoking was compulsory on the cargo decks and we saw no working lifeboats or even life rings.
The captain's gofa tried to sting us $100 per cabin, we said bollox but Rick secured us a cabin each for $20, they were shitholes.
The engines fire up and before long, hooray we're on our way at last.
Five miles later the engines stop again and the anchor is dropped. It's too windy in Baku we're told.
Baz wearing his best trousers sits in some wet paint.
So we wait and we wait, with very little water or food we wait some more.
The cabins stink are are swelteringly hot so we sleep on deck.
No joy the next day either, in the afternoon the fire hydrants are turned on, everyone on board gets a blast of cool water.
Exactly the same on the following day. Some of the crew are fishing.
Next morning the ship's engines fire up and we're on our way across the Caspian arriving in Baku that evening.
Boy were we glad to see the back of that ferry.
Then there's Azerbaijan immigration, feck me what a palaver. An official shouts at Pete who is about to take umbrage, luckily Rick dives in to save the situation.
Eventually they let us in with a 5 day visa and tell us where to exit in Georgia.....oh and then we get ripped of a further $90 by a fat geezer for shipping, then a further $10 for using a bridge.
It's around 11pm as we enter the heavy traffic of Baku and try to find our way out......but my day is only just beginning, I make an error turning left across the traffic which the others can't make.
30 minutes later, I find the same spot and ride up and down the road, there's no sign of them.
Feck!
I don't have a map of Azerbaijan.
A Merc pulls alongside and asks where I'm going.
Er, Tiblisi in Georgia was all I could think of.
Ok follow me I'll get you out of town, around midnight I'm left in the dark suberbs with intructions to 'go this way for a long time then turn right'.
I ride off into the night, convinced it's the wrong direction and wasn't to see the others again until just east of Istanbul!
chad
Registered user
what kind of thing goes through your mind at moments like this ?
im pretty sure i would be crapping kicking myself in equal measure
I'm riding south, Georgia is west that's all my GPS can tell me.
Stopping several times at late night cafes I ask the way, they all tell me to carry on then turn right.
I recieve a text from Baz telling me they're north of Baku in a hotel. there's no way I'd find it so press on into the night.
There's nowhere to stay and I don't fancy camping.
I take a couple of rights but they don't feel er, right... if you get my meaning.
Then there's a sign for Tiblisi which is about 300 miles or so away, I turn into the darkness watching my fuel guage dropping. I have no local currency.
I try to change some dollars at a cafe but they can't, there's a coach pulled in at the next cafe it's around 2am and I get enough money change to buy fuel which suprisingly I find.
A black Merc cuts me up overtaking with only a couple of inches to spare, I shout F*CK!! into the night, that was close.
The road turns into continous roadworks and I'm riding through mud and rocks, almost every car and truck blinds me.
Riding right through the night, I watch the sun come up behind me in the mirror.
Around 7am, I need to eat and get some coffee.
There's a cafe and so I meet the gay ommelette maker.
Stopping several times at late night cafes I ask the way, they all tell me to carry on then turn right.
I recieve a text from Baz telling me they're north of Baku in a hotel. there's no way I'd find it so press on into the night.
There's nowhere to stay and I don't fancy camping.
I take a couple of rights but they don't feel er, right... if you get my meaning.
Then there's a sign for Tiblisi which is about 300 miles or so away, I turn into the darkness watching my fuel guage dropping. I have no local currency.
I try to change some dollars at a cafe but they can't, there's a coach pulled in at the next cafe it's around 2am and I get enough money change to buy fuel which suprisingly I find.
A black Merc cuts me up overtaking with only a couple of inches to spare, I shout F*CK!! into the night, that was close.
The road turns into continous roadworks and I'm riding through mud and rocks, almost every car and truck blinds me.
Riding right through the night, I watch the sun come up behind me in the mirror.
Around 7am, I need to eat and get some coffee.
There's a cafe and so I meet the gay ommelette maker.
