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Kinvig
12-02-08, 11:59 AM
has arrived.

The LOI is the first foot in the door to getting a russian visa.

The visa is the biggie if I don't get it then Russia is out of bounds & that's pretty much a back-to-the-drawing-board scenario for my trip.


so I'm kinda nervous
...and kinda excited at the same time.

As soon as my bank statements arrive I'll be heading over th stand in line at the russian consulate.

Pedro68
12-02-08, 12:07 PM
Wooo ... good luck with the visa Dirk ;-)

tricky
12-02-08, 12:22 PM
Are you planning to ride across Russia ? I'd love to have a crack at that.

Kinvig
12-02-08, 12:37 PM
Are you planning to ride across Russia ? I'd love to have a crack at that.


Subject to visas etc:

romania & ukraine then russia -> Kazakhstan -> Uzbek -> Kyrg -> Kaz ->Russia -> Mongolia -> Siberia -> US -> Canada

I may take in S.Korea for a v.short transit.

Setting off on the first april - if you're interested, turn up to my house at 9am sharp, bring a tent....and passport.

tricky
12-02-08, 01:28 PM
Is it costing you much in carnets etc ?

What bike are you using ?

Kinvig
12-02-08, 01:51 PM
Is it costing you much in carnets etc ?

What bike are you using ?

the route has been planned as it requires no carnets.

Visa on the other hand are around ?50 each, russia & Uzbek also require a LOI.

Flights to the UK from Canada should cost be less than ?1500 for me & bike.
Flights to Anchorage from Vladvostok for are still being worked out. I'm hoping for less than ?3000.

On top of that there's kit to buy, petrol, food, hotels (and camping), beer etc

gettin2dizzy
12-02-08, 02:19 PM
I think you should do a dedicated thread on this with all the details (and limited invasion by us) - it's a mother of a trip!

Kinvig
12-02-08, 02:23 PM
I think you should do a dedicated thread on this with all the details (and limited invasion by us) - it's a mother of a trip!

not a bad idea - a sticky maybe?

i will have a website with a blog entry
a google map linked ot blog entries so you can get a not-quite-realtime fix on me
a messageboard
a sponsors' area

i'll be doling out the website name when I've got the russian visa in my greasy mitts

gettin2dizzy
12-02-08, 02:37 PM
Are you going solo?

Kinvig
12-02-08, 02:50 PM
Was going to do europe with another lad but we seem to be parting ways in either Kyrg or Mong.

tricky
12-02-08, 03:31 PM
So what bike are you using ?

Kinvig
12-02-08, 03:41 PM
So what bike are you using ?

bmw 650 dakar

though it may not be the best bike for the job - it's a bit heavy and tall...but then all bikes save for the suzi 350 are a bit tall.......

Zombie Jesus
12-02-08, 06:40 PM
What is the tank range on that bike? wonder what is the frequency of petrol stations is in russia that country seems way too flipping huge to have one per 100 miles of road :o

I've always wanted to do a world trip , it'd have to be on a gsxr/sportbike though with a couple of trackdays along the way :D. Plus I'd have to detour through china/korea and fly from tokyo to LA :smt027

Kinvig
12-02-08, 07:16 PM
What is the tank range on that bike? wonder what is the frequency of petrol stations is in russia that country seems way too flipping huge to have one per 100 miles of road :o

I've always wanted to do a world trip , it'd have to be on a gsxr/sportbike though with a couple of trackdays along the way :D. Plus I'd have to detour through china/korea and fly from tokyo to LA :smt027

Tank range in London is 140 to the warning light (apparently I should have another 3 litres of fuel after that). People can get 250 out of the tank on the road. I'll be taking an extra petrol can. China is a bit $$$ - you need a guide at $60-100 a day.

Kinvig
19-02-08, 09:34 AM
I went to russia yesterday....well the embassy & I GOT MY VISA!!!!!

I'd built it up in my head as being this big, bad, bureaucratic nightmare (Like Terry Gilliam's Brazil), but it was really painless (Except the $$$ visa fees).

I'll post my site details up soon as it's now a 100% go-er!

Sosha
19-02-08, 02:40 PM
Woohooo! Glad to see the current P*ssin contest didn't get in the way...:smt041