From Murmansk to India. How Moscow Polytech Engineer Decided to Solo Travel by Bike

Almost 11,2 thousand km, 46 days, 6 countries, one bike and unlimited amount of impressions – that`s the statistics of a trip fr om Murmansk to India. Employee of the AES Center for Reverse Engineering and Standardization under Moscow Polytech Gazim Mukhamedianov is keen on bike travelling around the world. The last adventure when Gazim alone rode his bike to Delhi came to an end recently.

What countries did you manage to visit during the trip?

I started the first stage of my trip on August 20 when I was on a vacation. On the third day I was in Vladikavkaz, and after that while taking a ride across Georgia visited all most beautiful and interesting places. I had a lot of time on me, so I decided to visit Turkey. Of course, I didn`t plan [to go there] from the start but I really didn’t regret going. Crossed the border from the one side and left through the other one having made a small semi-circle. Then I went back to Georgia. I spent there several days and moved on to Armenia. The country isn`t big, so I almost went all over it. The first stage took me 4.100km and 16 days.

On December 28, I started the second stage of the trip. Flew to Erevan to pick up the bike, changed for all-season tires and set off to the Iranian border through the cold and snowy passages. In Iran reached the Persian Gulf, then went to Pakistan, and after Pakistan to India. For now, I left the bike in Delhi. Soon I`ll go to pick it up. The second stage took me 7.084km, all of take was 30 days.

How did you come up with an idea of travelling by bike specifically? It`s more complicated than taking a car wh ere you can always sleep over night?

I came up with the idea back in 11th grade, and during the first year of studies this desire only intensified. I was the only thing that was on my brain but, unfortunately, I didn`t have a chance to do so. Anyway, I`ve always been close to bikes, even at university under the project activity.

Yes, cars are comfortable, but what`s even better is simply taking a plane. But a solo trip like this can`t compare with anything else, more so that riding a bike you can perceive everything differently. Bike allows to look at the nature of a country under a different angle. Another benefit is that you can go wherever you want to, there are no limits, you can even reach hard-to-get spots. Surely, some difficulties will always be there, doesn`t matter what transport you take. Tiredness, some negative moments are nothing compared with the beauty that you see and energy that you felt during the trip.

Who inspired you for such a trip?

There are many of them. Back in the day when I was a student, I watched the motorcyclists who covered huge distances. Some of them travelled across Russia, Europe, and others got to Australia, the bravest, though, made it to Africa. There are even people who made it around the globe having paid almost nothing. Probably, Andrei Beresnevich and Alexei Korovin are the people who made me realize that all of that is possible, and showed me the freedom. Many motorcyclists will say that riding a bike gives you the feeling of being totally free.

What did you experience during the trip and what lessons did you learn?

It`s only my third season, during this time I managed to cross 30-40 km and understood that the most important thing is a proper route planning, mark the overnight stays and learn more about the peculiarities of crossing borders. One`d think it doesn`t take that much time but in the trip it can cost you much time and energy, especially in an unknown country.

Also, during this trip I realized that I hadn`t prepared properly. For example, in Pakistan I had to totally go out of my comfort zone. A couple of days staying overnight in a police station, or hostels with no hot water. Plus, it`s cold and damp. Anyway, I managed to get into the positive mind set, since I came there willingly, didn`t I. So, I can sum up that one should have at least try to get a clue about what`ll be going on.

How did it happen that you had to spent a night over at the police station?

Pakistan is a quite dangerous country, so tourists are prohibited from moving around by any transport. For tourists to be able to travel safely, armed police are accompanying you. During the first days, any tourist stays at the police station after crossing the border. The next day all the necessary documents are issued and then the armed policemen are sent to accompany you. I got in on a weekend day, so I had to stay there for 2 days. The convoys change depending on the province and its regions. In my case, during all time that I spent in Pakistan my convoy cars changed 50 times, and police bikes changed 7 times.

What helped you overcome difficulties on your way?

I tried to take the situation as is. As they say, in Rome do as the Romans do. There are things in other countries that, as much as we`d like, cannot be changed, except for altering it just a little, just that much.

What did you experience during the trip and what lessons did you learn?

How did it happen that you had to spent a night over at the police station?

What helped you overcome difficulties on your way?

How did you prepare for such a long trip?

First of all, I bought a new bike in the summer, it`s smaller and economical. I switched from a 1000cc to a 250c bike. I wasn`t sure back then that the trip would take place, so I flew to Murmansk to buy a bike. That was the chance to test both the bike and myself. From Murmansk I went to my small motherland Bashkortostan, and then back to Moscow this way having crossed 7,000 km. That`s how it was decided to turn my long-held dream into reality.

For the first stage I prepared the bike rather then myself. Bought panniers, made locks, designed and installed a new wind-shield, also installed wheel arms heating and charger.

For the second one, I had to collect a pile of papers to get visas, and bike documents. I managed to do everything within half a month. I also had get 6 vaccines.

How did you get packed for the trip?

I had some experience, although small. Even know there are times when I think whether it`s worth taking this or that, and sometimes I have to leave things behind because there is simply not enough space. Especially for India, I really wanted to bring alone more tinned goods. I even lost 5kg. All in all, I bring along the most necessary clothes, first-aid kit, all-purpose tools and repair parts that can break down in the first place.

How supported you in the trip?

In the first place, parents and wife, of course. I had to persuade mom for a long time. They were really worried when I was passing Pakistan. And I`m also grateful to my colleagues who helped me.

What`s the most pleasant thing about such trips?

The most pleasant thing is to visit the places that you`ve only seen read about or seen in films before. For example, visiting Persian ancient cities and city constructions, or see for yourself the mountains that we were studying at geography classes. And of course, explore another culture, meet new people and talk to them.

As for work – do what you`re interested in. Electronics, constructions there are different tasks but it`s anyway somewhat related to mechanical engineering. The happy person is someone who`s doing what they love.

Do you have any plans for the upcoming like that?

There is trip soon, I`m planning to travel around India for a bit, then Nepal. From Nepal I`m going send a bike to Thailand because, unfortunately, you can make it from India to Thailand by land. After that, I`m planning to go from Thailand to Laps, then Vietnam, Cambodia, and back to Thailand. If a have an opportunity I`ll go to Malaysia and then I`ll try to ship the bike to Vladivostok. If I can`t make it, I`ll have to leave it behind in Thailand. I`m not sure if I can get back to get it.

You said that for the trip with mileage. How did you choose it? Didn`t it let you down during the trip?

I choose the bike based on the simplicity of the construction. The more simple and less details there are the more reliable it is. Even if it breaks down, you can repair it in the field conditions. If you go for long distance you don`t need big bikes, especially in Asian countries, as it increases the traffic in high-density cities. Also, it depends on the fuel consumption and the price of the details. I bought this bike with a mileage of 2700km, and now the speedometer shows 21,000km. Luckily, nothing broke down.

You work at Moscow Polytech AES, how do you manage to combine such a big trip and working at the University?

I was travelling during my vacation, and there was a couple of times when I had to take unpaid holidays. The preparation of the bike and trip planning – all of that happened during my free-from-work time.Who did you want to become as a kid? Can you say that that dream is somehow related to your profession now?

As a kid, everything that ended up in my hands was took down, even new expensive things. I was scolded a little but that didn`t stop me, and thanks to that, I chose that way. In 2015, when I heard about the “SmartMotoChallenge” team I consciously came to Moscow Polytech. I guess I didn`t want to study but rather participate in racing and bikes. I do the same thing that I liked in my childhood, school, university. The best part about it is probably do what you love on a daily basis.

Didn`t you think about travelling by bike that you designed with the AES team?

That`s a very good idea. No one really did this kind of trips except for maybe electric cars. If we get it certified and register in State Automobile Inspectorate, that may very well become truth. There are drawbacks as well as this sphere is not very developed, namely charging stations. That`s why one would have ride for a long time. I`d rather build a tri-cycle with two front wheels. In this case, there will also be a bike seating and the key benefit which is the ability to install a battery that`s two or three times bigger. With this tricycle I would rather decide to go from Murmansk to Vladivostok and back. This kind of promotion would be great both for the University and our elaborations.