mongolia

 

Intro

 

9 months since the end of our moto expedition around Africa, we find ourselves consumed with a burning mal d’Afrique. We crave more adventure, more sleeping under the stars after a hard day in the saddle. Our stock answer to all these is simple and replicable: hit the road again, on two motorbikes. John, the off-road specialist, switches to a KTM 690 Enduro R. Ana transitions from Sits Behind John to Rides a Suzuki DRZ 400. The new destination is Central Asia, an enduro playground of enormous scale, cultural vibrancy and harsh contrast where, remaining true to our nomadic lifestyle, we wild-camp our way across.

 

Route

 

With Ana little more than a motorbike rookie, the itinerary looks cheeky: zoom across Romania and  Bulgaria, explore the north of Turkey, linger in Georgia, rip through Russia and Kazakhstan (round the Caspian Sea and via the Volga Delta), comb Uzbekistan, focus on Tajikistan, ride alongside Afghanistan and climb into Kyrgyzstan, and zig-zag the perfect trails of Mongolia, with a return ride via Lake Baykal, Moscow & Kiev.
In Central Asia every stage brings a new challenge, with the Wakhan Corridor and the Mongolian steppe the highlights of the route.

 

Ride Journals

 

Siberian Shakedown

Always the one to push the envelope, John adds mid-trip a solo stint into the Siberia’s interior, where roads end and real adventure begins. With eastern tundra devastated by one of the wettest seasons on record, and with the Old Summer Road to Magadan obstructed, John targets the infamous Baikal-Amur Mainline tract, a.k.a. the B.A.M. Then, everything goes haywire. As John hits the Western B.A.M., he discovers his motorbike frame severely fractured. This is just the first in a series of adventures that include many Russian characters, countless water crossings, a brush with death and a geeky rebuild of the 690 Enduro R from the ground up.

 

Motorbikes

 

We are what we ride. It’s time to sell the trusty Tenere that clocked 55.000km in Africa, and to adventurise a KTM 690 Enduro R from 2009 and a Suzuki DRZ 400 from 2006.

OUR SET UP

 

KTM 690 ENDURO R from 2009 + Suzuki DRZ 400 SM from 2006 

MODS

KTM 
– Dirt Tricks Ironman sprocket
– Aqualine Safari 14l fuel tank
– wide seat by Seat Concepts
– Linx fairing by Britannia Composites
– MK3 pivot pegs
– Unifilter foam air filter
– Renthal Dakar fatbar + KTM plastic hand guards + rally ride foam grips
– RalleMoto RM2 steering damper kit
– Scottoiler
– 150W inverter
– Enduristan textile luggage (Monsoon+ isolation bags, Tornado L, Sandstorm)
– Shorai Lithium Battery
– Dunlop Trailmax & 908 Rallyraid

DRZ 400
– Dirt Tricks Ironman sprocket
– Linx fairing by Britannia Composites
– IMS 4Gal fuel tank
– homemade lowering links
– Scottoiler
– low seat by Seat Concepts, further customized by John
– Enduristan textile luggage (Tornado L, Sandstorm)
– Shorai Lithium Battery
– Dunlop Trailmax & 908 Rallyraid

MOTO CLOTHING

Helmets: Arai Tour X3 + Shoei XR1100
Jackets, pants, gloves, thermal mid-layers: Rukka GTX with Armas protections
Boots: Sidi Adventure GTX + Gaerne SG-Junior

LUGGAGE SYSTEM

Enduristan textile kit:
Roll-top, throw-over Monsoon 2 panniers
Telescopic strap-on Sandstorm S tankbag
Roll-top strap-on Tornado M pack sack

CAMPING

Tent: Exped Mira III
Sleeping bag: The North Face Twin Peaks (-7°C)
Mattresses: Therm-a-Rest ProLite
Essentials: Sea to Summit silk liner; MSR Pactowl; Petzl Tikka headlamp
Kitchen: MSR WhisperLite multi-fuel stove + tank, FireSteel

NAVIGATION & PHOTO

GPS: Garmin Montana 650
Camera: Canon 5D Mark II + EF 24mm f/1.4 L USM + EF 70-200mm f/2.8 L USM lens
Instant Mobile Printer: Polaroid CZA-10011 POGO

fcb

rpdleykom

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rukka

intercapital

dunlop

enduristan

garmin

motul

dtricks

safari

ralle

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ims

BC

shorai

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For being trailblazers in their respective fields and generally for being awesome:
Fundatia Comunitara Bucuresti
Romanian Paper Distribution & Leykom
Grolsch featured our ride reports on Experimentalist.ro
Rukka offered top-notch motorcycling GTX jackets, pants, gloves, thermal mid layers and moisture wicking base layers
Intercapital Invest believes in our crazy ideas since 2012
Dunlop offered 908 Rallyraid & Trailmax tires and helped us retire the Africa expedition tent
Enduristan offered a complete luggage system
Garmin offered a GPS Montana 650
Motul offered the fluids (engine & fork oil, motocool, brake fluid, chain clean & lube, air filter clean & oil)
Dirt Tricks offered Ironman sprockets
Aqualine Safari – 50% discount for a 14l fuel tank for the KTM
RalleMoto – 50% discount for a RM2 steering damper kit for the KTM
Seat Concepts offered the saddles
IMS offered a 17l fuel tank for the DRZ
Britannia Composites – 50% discount for Linx fairings
Shorai – 50% discount for Lithium batteries

Next Adventure

Siberian Shakedown