2017-06-02 Moscow

[Spank86]

It really depends if I can kidnap anyone along the route but I'm not averse to adding a +1.

 

[GarminDave]

Also pals, we, my russian-latvian origin wife Tatyana and me will be there, and both have quite lot experience about going around and driving in Russia, just feel free to ask )

Hi AyrtonO, good to have someone along with local knowledge. What is your opinion of my fear of Russian Traffic Police and corrupt practices?

 

[AyrtonO]

Hi AyrtonO, good to have someone along with local knowledge. What is your opinion of my fear of Russian Traffic Police and corrupt practices?

I wouldn't be so worried about russian traffic polices, they don't care so much teasing drivers for extra money anymore. That was bit different before 2000. More worried I would be about local traffic and jams....so bit planning which roads to use and timing to avoid worst ones. Also russian speeding fines are at quite decent level, but they can be more strict in other things, like crossing white lines while passing cars...but most things are easier to solve with some friendly talks than money. But could not be bad idea to get international driving license copy to give them if needed, not your precious original one There is that quote, "in Russia nothing works but things will get solved always".

P

 

[AyrtonO]

Bit feeling for going there - Tjomnaja notch - Dark is the night )

by finnka Juha Tuominen )

And same older russian version

Tyomnaya noch', tol'ko puli svistyat po stepi,
Tol'ko veter gudit v provodakh, tusklo zvyozdy mertsayut...
V tyomnuyu noch' ty, lyubimaya, znayu, ne spish',
I u detskoy krovatki taykom ty slezu utiraesh'.

Kak ya lyublyu glubinu tvoikh laskovykh glaz,
Kak ya khochu k nim prizhat'sya khot' raz gubami!
Tyomnaya noch' razdelyaet, lyubimaya, nas,
I trevozhnaya, chyornaya step' prolegla mezhdu nami.

Veryu v tebya, v doroguyu podrugu moyu.
Eta vera ot puli menya tyomnoy noch'yu khranila...
Radostno mne, ya spokoen v smertel'nom boyu:
Znayu, vstretish' s lyubov'yu menya, chto b so mnoy ni sluchilos'.

Smert' ne strashna, s ney vstrechalis' ne raz my v stepi...
Vot i teper' nado mnoyu ona kruzhitsya,
Ty menya zhdyosh' i u detskoy krovatki ne spish',
I poetomu znayu, so mnoy nichego ne sluchitsya!

[top] [report mistake]

Dark Night
Translation by University of Pittsburgh Department of Slavic Languages

Dark night, only bullets are whistling in the steppe,
Only the wind is wailing through the telephone wires, stars are faintly flickering...
In the dark night, my love, I know you are not sleeping,
And, near a child's crib, you secretly wipe away a tear.

How I love the depths of your gentle eyes,
How I long to press my lips to them!
This dark night separates us, my love,
And the dark, troubled steppe has come to lie between us.

I have faith in you, in you, my sweetheart.
That faith has shielded me from bullets in this dark night...
I am glad, I am calm in deadly battle:
I know you will meet me with love, no matter what happens.

Death is not terrible, we've met with it more than once in the steppe...
And here it looms over me once again,
You await my return, sitting sleepless near a cradle,
And so I know that nothing will happen to me!

 

[Gerhard]

Hi guys,

please allow me to ask:

Is everybody who signed in still in ?

Did anyone already started to apply for the visa for Russia ?

Does anyone know an agency which doing this visa stuff ?

 

[jaybee]

I'm still planning on going.
Haven't started the visa process yet but from reading the following, it seems quite straightforward other than the compulsory visit to the consulate.
www.visitrussia.org.uk
I'm sure there will be a German equivalent.

 

[Robert]

Gerhard, I got my visa this summer from CIBT, not cheap, but smooth.
Main issues apart from visa are: hotel booking, hotel confirmation, health insurance coverage for Russia, bike insurance.
Some story if you want to transit through Belarus. You can avoid that going via Latvia.

 

[Sneezy]

Sorry not me, with regret

 

[saphena]

I'm still in and will be starting the whole visa application/hotel booking thing in the next few weeks

 

[GarminDave]

'Fraid I'm out.

I just got my diary for 2017 Cycle Escort events and we have a 'triple whip' for that Saturday, also just invested in an iPhone7+ with my 'play' money so there is a big hole in that account so something had to go as I'm currently on a fixed income.

Sorry not usual for me to sign up and back out but needs must when the Devil drives.

Love, light and kindness,

Dave

 

[IBRX3]

Well if Dave isn't going then there is no point in his carer going ! Just joking dave !

But unfortunately, I'm also going to have to pull the plug on this. I've a group of 10 Muricans flying into Ireland on 7th May for a week of riding. And I've also realised its the Mrs 50th Birthday at end of May. And then I'm off to USA in June for 2 weeks of swanning about. Moscow ain't going to happen.

 

[Gerhard]

All right.. here is the next one who is checking out..

When planning for Moscow I wasn´t aware that this ride will be directly after Brit Butt.

So this would mean at least a 2 weeks absence from work (in one piece).

Regarding that I also will be riding the IBR next year its impossible to manage to ride Moscow.

Sorry guys..

 

[michiel kerkhof]

And another 1 bites the dust.I have same problem as Gerhard doing same rides in 17.1 too many ..on top of the above I also have problems insuring my Portugese bike in Russia would have to do that on border or in 1st Russian town,impossible to insure from here.Sorry guys

 

[AyrtonO]

How this looks so far, do we have Bob still with? Or should reschedule this task ? I can handle with lady but I am bit closer than most (

Bob - if you come, I'll be there - but if interested to look better time for others, ok too )

 

[saphena]

I have been otherwise engaged this year. I tried planning this last year but found it too difficult to plan that far ahead, hotels in particular. I'm almost ready to properly plan this now but:

For most of us this will be a once in a lifetime opportunity and I don't want to produce a half-hearted affair. There are several characteristics of this ride which differ qualitatively from other rides most of us have undertaken. In particular, a) the cost per kilometre will be much higher, b) uncertainties about insurance/breakdown cover and c) precise timing from the Russian border onwards. In June 2017 we also need to take account of other events: Brit Butt Rally at the end of May, RBLR1000 24th June and the IBR from 26th June onwards.

Timing to allow for the BBR (that means me also, I'm the scorer) means a 'proper' ride out and I offer the following suggestion: Google route map

A leisurely start after the BBR so leave Leicester on Monday 29th May @ 12 noon (to allow for alcohol dissipation); Eurotunnel Folkestone at 1600
Depart Calais @ 1800, arrive Antwerp 2100
Tuesday 30th May leave Antwerp 0600, ride SS1600K to Kaunas, Lithuania
Wednesday 31st May leave Kaunas 0600, arrive Russian border at 1400

That leaves 50 hours to negotiate border crossing and travel the 600 kilometres to Red Square ready for the photo at 1600 Friday 2nd June.

For those in a hurry to get back, perhaps because of work on Monday, that route can simply be reversed.

I'm open to rescheduling if that would satisfy more people. Looking at the list just now I count 14 bikes remaining and, based on past performance, I expect that number to reduced further before June and, while a ride to eat with three players is still a ride to eat, we are talking about Red Square, Moscow and I'd like to think we could do better than that. Napoleon couldn't get there, Hitler couldn't get there but we are the world's toughest riders!

If we knew someone in the insurance trade, perhaps we could get some inside info about how to do insurance & breakdown cover in the evil empire as that would make life easier for all of us. Noone wants to walk back from Moscow or be personally liable for 40million rubles to some Russian scammer.

I offer the following options:

1) Go ahead with the trip as planned on 2nd June.
2) Swap Riga/Moscow dates.
3) Move Moscow to mid September.
4) Move Moscow to 2018.
5) Admit defeat, we're just not tough enough.

 

[Mike Strong]

Bob, PM me on Insurance needs as you see them. I'll see what can be realistically sorted.

 

[Mike Strong]

This may help:-

http://www.theaa.com/motoring_advice/touring_tips/russian-federation.pdf

http://www.rac.co.uk/drive/travel/country/russia/

https://www.rac.co.uk/breakdown-cov...9SnP7mDgMqGMgxHs/wu5dSTpgEcklVXSe1av2CNnj1pS#!

 

[FazerPhil]

I have been otherwise engaged this year. I tried planning this last year but found it too difficult to plan that far ahead, hotels in particular. I'm almost ready to properly plan this now but:

For most of us this will be a once in a lifetime opportunity and I don't want to produce a half-hearted affair. There are several characteristics of this ride which differ qualitatively from other rides most of us have undertaken. In particular, a) the cost per kilometre will be much higher, b) uncertainties about insurance/breakdown cover and c) precise timing from the Russian border onwards. In June 2017 we also need to take account of other events: Brit Butt Rally at the end of May, RBLR1000 24th June and the IBR from 26th June onwards.

Timing to allow for the BBR (that means me also, I'm the scorer) means a 'proper' ride out and I offer the following suggestion: Google route map

A leisurely start after the BBR so leave Leicester on Monday 29th May @ 12 noon (to allow for alcohol dissipation); Eurotunnel Folkestone at 1600
Depart Calais @ 1800, arrive Antwerp 2100
Tuesday 30th May leave Antwerp 0600, ride SS1600K to Kaunas, Lithuania
Wednesday 31st May leave Kaunas 0600, arrive Russian border at 1400

That leaves 50 hours to negotiate border crossing and travel the 600 kilometres to Red Square ready for the photo at 1600 Friday 2nd June.

For those in a hurry to get back, perhaps because of work on Monday, that route can simply be reversed.

I'm open to rescheduling if that would satisfy more people. Looking at the list just now I count 14 bikes remaining and, based on past performance, I expect that number to reduced further before June and, while a ride to eat with three players is still a ride to eat, we are talking about Red Square, Moscow and I'd like to think we could do better than that. Napoleon couldn't get there, Hitler couldn't get there but we are the world's toughest riders!

If we knew someone in the insurance trade, perhaps we could get some inside info about how to do insurance & breakdown cover in the evil empire as that would make life easier for all of us. Noone wants to walk back from Moscow or be personally liable for 40million rubles to some Russian scammer.

I offer the following options:

1) Go ahead with the trip as planned on 2nd June.
2) Swap Riga/Moscow dates.
3) Move Moscow to mid September.
4) Move Moscow to 2018.
5) Admit defeat, we're just not tough enough.

5 is not an option.
2 is not advisable as rooms are being booked etc.
1 for me is difficult as the tiger may be on its way to USA. I still have the fazer.

What do others think

 

[Ziggy]

I've been holding back as I want to do the ride and considering another bike to do it but this is doubtful I'll have the spare cash to do this.

So it's now looking more like I won't be able to make the meet due to my FJR being rebuilt after a major service ready for the IBR or on it's way to the USA.



.

 

[Mike Strong]

Progress sort of, we have an office in Moscow. I'll dig deeper.