9. Last minute run up the Old Pacific Highway

Took a last minute run up the Old Pacific Highway in Sydney last week. The weather was chilly and foggy at first but cleared and warmed up by lunchtime. In addition to brushing up on my cornering skills it was a good chance to have a final test of all the riding gear I will be taking on the 20,000 km trip.

Thankfully nothing rubbed, slipped, annoyed or steamed up. The helmet's ventilation worked well, keeping out the cold air early on and after adjustment allowing plenty of cool breeze in. Although the enduro jacket and pants look a bit over the top in Sydney they felt comfortable and protective.

The Rallye GS2 boots however, gave me some problems as they are too big for my BMW R850R's non-adjustable gear lever. I had already experienced this riding around town, but it became more annoying along the trip. The biggest challenge was changing from 1st to 2nd, which was something like 1st, neutral, neutral, neutral, 2nd. I had to shift with the inside edge of the boot against the end of the lever. This won't be a problem on the trip however as the BMW F800GS's gear lever is fully adjustable.

A meat pie and mug of coffee at the Pie In The Sky cafe on the way back completed the morning.

8. Almost time to leave Australia for London.

Just three weeks from today I will be flying to the UK for the start of the trip.

Even though I have now sorted out insurances, accommodation, off-road training, first-aid course, navigation course, my NRMA international driving permit, new sleeping bag, new gloves and bought a Darth Vader like Arai XD-3 helmet. It doesn't quite seem real, am I really about to ride 'round the world on a motorbike?

Well, that's not quite it, the thing is, I just don't feel scared enough! Maybe I have confused watching Charlie and Ewan a couple of times on DVD with actually doing the ride myself. Maybe the 18 months since I decided to do this have allowed my fears to subside, certainly my scary-riding-related-scenario dreams have almost disappeared now.

In fact the past few weeks I have spent a bit of time thinking about what I will do when I return home again. For the past 3 years I have worked as an independent IT (SAP) consultant. Not sure if going back to that when I return will very appealing and direct employment probably less so. Perhaps I will finally start a business to make my millions, but of course plenty of time to think about this during the ride :).

So, all that remains to do in Oz now is find the most efficient socket adapter for 20 countries, arrange a few farewell drinks and get packed.

> updated Google map of the route here

7. Test Ride BMW F800GS

I recently I took a short test ride around Sydney on the BWM F 800 GS, the bike I will ride to New York.

Mostly I wanted to check out how comfortable it was and decide if I would choose the low or standard seat option (my inside leg is 31"). The bike was great to ride, light and easy to manoeuvre (thanks mum!). The engine (798cc parallel twin) was smooth and quick to pick up speed, quite different to my current bike, a BMW R850R which has a 'rougher' boxer engine (horizontally apposed flat twin). The first time I checked the speedo I was doing 100 in a 60 zone.

The standard seat height was no problem, comfortable to ride and able to get one foot down at a stop. Even though it is quite high at 780mm the narrow seat allows your legs to go straight down to the ground rather than out and down as would be the case with a wider saddle.

The lower seat option is 750mm, but the reduction is achieved entirely by removing some seat padding. Considering the trip ahead those 30mm are going to count for a lot!

6. It's all a far cry from riding a motorbike!..

During the trip from London to New York there will 8 countries that require a visa to enter.

So that means 8 visa application forms need to be completed (and 3 of those in duplicate). The translations on the forms can be quite a challenge. But after printing, filling out, signing and sticking on photos the admin is done, it's like being at work!

Here's the list with notes and links to forms & embassies for anyone who is interested:

Turkmenistan: 3 pages, 31 questions [print hard copy, fill out, sign & stick on photo] x 2 copies
The Republic of Uzbekistan: 2 pages, 16 question [print hard copy, fill out, sign & stick on photo] x 2 copies
The Russian Federation: 1 page, 21 questions [enter on-line, print, sign & stick on photo]
Mongolia: 2 pages, 49 questions [enter on-line, print, sign & stick on photo]
Kyrgyz Republic: 1 page, 12 questions [enter on-line, print, sign & stick on photo]
The Republic of Kazakhstan: 2 pages, 27 question [print hard copy, fill out, sign & stick on photo]
Islamic Republic of Iran: 2 pages, 35 questions [print hard copy, fill out, sign & stick on photo] x 2 copies
USA: not required - visa waiver available online (so I lied, it was only 7 visas)

Finally got them done, what a day. It's all a far cry from riding a motorbike!

5. Motorbike pants that fit

I wrote in my last blog (4. Riding Gear) that I have had difficulty finding a pair of bike pants that fit. Thankfully, I have now solved the problem and have just bought a pair of BMW Rallye 2 Pro pants, which nicely match my jacket :).

The pants or my physique were not the problem, it was (and it seems ridiculous now) my assumption that it is just like buying a pair of regular pants. Thanks to the sales assistant, I am now a lot wiser.

Pant length
I was going about it all wrong, firstly the bulk of the time I am going to be in a sitting position so therefore the pants need to be much longer to accommodate bent legs. Secondly, I tried them on with my boots (motorcross style BMW Rallye GS2) this time, what a good idea! The boots and pants are designed to work together, the pants being worn on the inside the boots. This has the great advantage of being able to tuck the bottom of the knee pads, which extend to mid shin, into the top of the boots. The knee pads are then held in place under the large velco tab of the boots. The secured knee pads which are fairly large and go around the sides of the knees are now nicely positioned to protect the knees whether sitting down, or standing up.

Loose Fit
It is also necessary for the pants to be a bit baggy from the thigh up to be comfortable. Firstly, enough room in the crotch area prevents squashing! Secondly the air vents on the top of the pants work much better when the material is a bit gathered and has folds in it. If the material was tighter and flush to the leg then much less air would pass into the vents and keep you cool.

So there you go - a pair of bike pants that fit. Also as the Rallye 2 Pro's come with thermal/waterproof gortex inners and armour, no need for me to buy seperate waterproofs or knee protectors.

4. Riding gear

Just over 16 weeks left before I start the trip now, the same length of time as the trip itself.

I have a large to do list which I put together a few months ago, most of the tasks however are still outstanding as I kept putting them off until nearer the time, there's not much of that left now!

I've pretty much worked out what riding gear I will use on the trip, here's the main stuff:

Helmet
Arai XD-3

Jacket
I'm taking the BMW Rallye 2 Pro, it looks great and is very comfortable.

All the pads and protectors (back, shoulders & elbows) stay in the right places and they're soft and flexible I hardly notice them. It's the first bike jacket I've had that I don't have to periodically fiddle with to get the pads to sit in the right place and not dig in somewhere, on this jacket they just fit.

It has lots of vents and a detachable waterproof and fleece inner. I've used it in Sydney on fairly hot days with the fleece in and all the vents open and it's not too hot. Plenty of big pockets, some with zips and bigger ones with easy access pop studs. It also has an integrated removable bum bag for keeping valuables in when walking around without the jacket.

I bought it at a BMW dealer in Berlin on a trip last year for 577 Euros (approx. US$ 750), went with the black/grey option, it also comes in blue/grey.

Pants
I tried the BMW Rallye 2 Pro pants that go with the jacket above, but I guess I am not built like your average German as all the sizes I tried either didn't fit around the waist or the knee protectors were right down by my shins! So currently undecided on the pants. Also not sure whether to get an all in one solution with waterproof, thermal and built in protection like the Rallye 2 Pro or buy a combination of riding pants, waterproofs and separate knee protectors.

[update: see next post '5. Motorbike pants that fit']

Boots
BMW Rallye GS2

3. The BMW F800GS

At home I ride a BMW R850R, great for riding around Sydney but no good for the off-road adventures ahead.

My original choice was the R1200GS, the all conquering giant from BMW. But after doing some research decided that its weight will cause real problems firstly bogging down in mud and secondly having to lift it off the ground, which on the pot-holed 'roads' of Mongolia will be frequent and miserable.

So the next obvious choice at the time was the R1200GS's smaller brother the BMW F650GS, although a proven bike for this kind of trip it still seemed a bit of a compromise from the power of the 1200.

However, last year a new bike from BMW arrived on the scene - the F800GS. Lighter than the R1200GS, yet more powerful than the F650GS, problem solved! Here is a picture of a one without any mud on it.

F800GS
Engine: Water-cooled, 2-cyl, 4-stroke, 4 valves per cyl, 2 ohd cams.
Capacity: 798 cc.
Power: 63 kW (85 hp) at 7,500 rpm
Torque: 83 Nm at 5,750 rpm
Max speed: Over 200 km/h
Dry weight: 185 kg

trivia: "GS" is short for Gelände/Straße meaning Off-road/On-road

2. 20 countries, 16 weeks & 20,000 miles

The trip to New York will pass through 20 countries, take 16 weeks and cover approximately 20,000 miles, here is a breakdown by week:

Week 1 - England, France, Belgium, Germany, Czech Republic
Week 2 - Slovakia, Hungary, Romania, Bulgaria, Turkey
Week 3 - Turkey
Week 4 - Iran, Turkmenistan
Week 5 - Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan
Week 6 - Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan
Week 7 - Kazakhstan, Russia
Week 8 - Russia, Mongolia
Week 9 - Mongolia, Russia
Week 10 - Russia
Week 11 - Russia, South Korea
Week 12 - South Korea, Shipping, Canada
Week 13 - Canada
Week 14 - USA (Alaska), Canada
Week 15 - Canada
Week 16 - USA

Click to see route in Google Maps

1. If Ewan McGregor can do it....

Hi, my name is Ian McCarthy, an accountant from the UK living in Sydney, Australia.

On Thursday June 11th 2009 I will leave London, with 13 other riders, traveling on motorbikes across Europe, Asia and North America to hopefully arrive 113 days and 20,000 miles later in New York.

This is the blog about that trip.




If Ewan McGregor can do it, why not.......