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Hagia Sophia

 Several weeks have passed and in reflection I honestly believe that it was the bike and not me that was the problem. Jim had told us that we would be able to load the bike to between 1,500 – 1,800 pounds. Later he said that we shouldn’t carry more than 1,300 gross. He told me the bike could easily go 120 k/h but then retracted his speed limit to about 60 k/h max (about 40 mph).

In Moscow, the mechanics who worked on the bike said it was a bad idea to try a round the world trip on this bike. I Kiev, the BMW mechanics said the engine had Chinese Parts and was probably a copy (a claim I continuously denied much to the ridicule of the bikers there). I really had no choice, Max had to go and in the end I gave the bike to Valeriy Chukov at MotoDrive with the intentions of donating it to a local trade school.

Happy at last

Vladimir Tchaycofshky, the After Sales Manager for BMW Russia had told me about Heiner Heidenwag, a German that he had cooperated with in a project to provide BMW motorcycles with sidecars for Vladimir Putin’s escort riders. All in all they had provided twenty of these bikes and Vladimir couldn’t say enough about Heiner. I was to find out later that Heiner is certified by BMW to modify the bikes to such an extent that he erases the original VIN number and replaces it with his own and calls the resulting product a Troika BMW.

We decided that Janet would go to Istanbul and stay with Tamara while I went to Stuttgart to see the bike. First, it was a real motorcycle that started up just by pressing the start button the first time – amazing! Further, it had real power even though it is only 850cc. All the welds on the frame and suspension are beautiful done, just like one would expect of any real motorcycle. The sidecar is bigger so we can pack more efficiently and the gross weight is higher so we will not have to keep throwing stuff away as we have had to in the past.

A real Turk

I arranged to have the money sent to Heiner and went back to Kiev to finish transferring the ownership to Valeriy. That done I returned to Stuttgart with all of the luggage that we had left there. Based on the excess baggage that both Janet and I traveled with, my weight and her weight plus the new bike, we were still under the gross weight recommended.

I want to digress a bit and tell you about this wonderful man who created our Troika. First, he is recognized as one of the real BMW motorcycle experts in Germany. His shop is clean and orderly and he works with a certainty that belies his expertise. But beyond his years of experience he is a gem of a man and while he couldn’t speak English and I can’t speak German we seemed to get along well and were able to easily communicate about the bike. While I stayed with him I couldn’t buy a meal and he certainly wouldn’t hear of my buying even a beer for him. On my last night there he insisted that I stay with him to save a few bucks.

Local Market

When it came time to add the spare parts that he suggested for the completion of our journey, he made a list, found a translator and went through the entire list, piece by piece so that I could understand why each part was needed. When he was sure I understood everything he smiled and said, "Gut."

Kiev was at zero and below when I left. Germany was much warmer but I knew that when I crossed the Austrian Alps it would be really cold. My original helmet was starting to crack and the gel coat was flaking off. Everyone told me to get rid of it because of safety reasons. I mentioned this to Heiner and we wound up at the local BMW dealership that also had a pretty descent motorcycle section.

Heiner spoke to the manager and he took me to the helmet section. I told the manager that I would love to have the System 5 helmet but there was no way I could afford it after buying the bike and parts from Heiner. It was like he didn’t hear me and chose a helmet and said, "Try it on for size." A little small (I have a big head). I tried on their largest helmet and it fit well. The manager said, "This helmet has been worn and it’s on sale." I just couldn’t pass up the deal he offered so nor, because of Heiner, I have A System 5 helmet and winter gloves.

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The Blue Mosque

He also gave me a ‘top box’ (worth about 400 Euros or about $525.00) that Janet can use for her clothes and a left side luggage bag that will handle mine. I will give our Ortlieb saddlebags to Tamara so when she buys her new bike (her BMW powered Chang failed in Ulaan Baatar and she had to leave it there). In the next few days you will see Heiner’s company replace Frank’s Classic Sidecars in the Sponsors and Friends section of this website.

Finally the bike was finished, our communications system power had been hooked up as well as the power for the GPS. I was set for my first excursion to Heppenheim to visit Touratech, the German company that supplies most round the world riders with specialty equipment. Then it was on to Frankfurt to visit the US Embassy to take care of some personal business.

Roel Hendrix

                                            Beijing to Holland on a Chang Jiang

The weather had turned cold and rainy and when I arrived in Heppenheim I had to find a hotel and while I was riding through this small city I stopped to ask two women where I could find a place for the night. "Expensive or cheap?", one woman asked. "Medium" I said and they gave me directions to a small hotel.

Germany is expensive and while the hotel was

The next morning it was on to Frankfurt and back to Stuttgart in cold rainy weather. Unlike the Chang, the new BMW never missed a beat. I wasn’t too happy with the seat, it certainly wasn’t like the Bar seats we had on the Chang but that was my only issue with the bike.

I had often wondered about the wisdom of spending so much money on the Darien riding suits from AEROstich but mine certainly proved a very worthwhile investment. By the time I arrived in Stuttgart after hours and hours in the cold and rain, it value was very apparent. In combination with the LD Comfort underwear I was warm and dry, period. No leaks and no cold spots.

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Tamara and ???

Heiner had a few last minute items to attend to with the bike so by the time I left it was nearly 2:00pm. I don’t like to ride at night but it is different in a western country where streets are well lit and livestock roaming the streets and highways is never an issue so I rode until about 8:00pm before I found a motel at a truck stop near the Austrian border.

Looking somewhat bedraggled and overloaded with gear when I approached the cashier at the restaurant who was also the receptionist for the hotel, I registered, got the room key and wandered off.

I returned to the restaurant after cleaning up and went to the bar for a beer. "Hey Jack, how are ya?" "Not too bad for an old guy," I replied. "Well, at least you weren’t riding all day so I figure you need a beer. Right?" "OK, who are you, do I know you?" He had been sitting at the bar when I checked in and heard my conversation with the receptionist and having fun with me. It turns out that Chris is a long distance truck driver who often makes a run from his home in the UK to Austria.

While we talked he became more and more interested in the Dragin’ Run and especially the route that I would follow to Istanbul. "Wait here a minute." He went to his truck and brought back his European Atlas and turned to Austria. He pointed out the route that I had planned to take and told me that one of the tunnels was closed, that I should follow the signs to this town and that stressing that while the new route was a little longer it would save a lot of time. Then he pulled out his phone and showed me a short video of his earlier drive that was hampered by low temperatures and a lot of new snow.

Finally, after dinner and another beer, we went out so he could take a look at the bike. Then he gave me his Atlas telling me that this was his last run this year and that I had more use for it than he did. He also made me promise that I would take a picture of me holding the Atlas and put it in the update. Chris, I will put your Atlas in when I finally see my wife and have access to the camera. In any case, thanx for everything.

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Janet with Okapi Castle guard

I didn’t have a camera for this portion of the trip and that was a real shame. I also didn’t have a lot of time to take pictures or shoot video even if I had had the cameras. I was anxious to get to Istanbul, spend a couple of days with Janet and then get to Changchun. So I was pretty focused on riding. For the most part, the roads through Austria, Croatia and Serbia are excellent (of course all I have to compare with are Chinese roads which sometimes leave a lot to be desired). Of course in this area of the world border crossings are like riding from state to state in the US.

The only problem I had outside of Turkey is that as soon as border guards saw the German license plate, they assumed I was German and it would often take a minute to stop them to explain I was an American. The only real problem I had was the final passport/vehicle check I had in Turkey when I wasn’t fast enough for the official in putting the documents away in my jacket (no vehicles behind me). And then I heard in clear English, "God damned Americans, I hate them." Ah, right, I am in a Muslim country and I can expect more of this.

I wasn’t too far from Istanbul so I pushed on through more rain, deteriorating roads and mud until I got somewhere what I thought was Istanbul. I had been here about 15-18 years ago and the city was nothing like I remembered. Trying to find Tamara’s house was not going to be easy so I pulled off the highway and found a shopping center where I found a man who was willing to help.

He called Tamara, got her address, stopped a taxi and helped me negotiate a good rate. I would pay the taxi driver half of the fair to Moda, where Tamara lives. I would follow him and when Tamara and Janet arrived, I would pay him the other half. About an hour later (Istanbul has a population of 13,000,000 and so it is a BIG city today) we arrived, he called Tam’s phone and within minutes we were all together.

All in all, Janet was with Tamara almost a month and after about a week with me living there as well, I thought it time to get going. I had to return to Changchun and check on the school and since I still had miles on Delta Airlines, I thought it would be good to send Janet to LA to see the kids.

So here it is, December 7, 2006 and I am in my hotel room in Changchun getting ready to fly back to Istanbul by the 12^th. Janet arrives on the 11^th and by the 13^th I hope to be on the road to Hereke.