What's your "MECCA" on your bucket list?

regder

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Joined
Sep 10, 2017
Messages
466
Location
Toronno
Mongolia for me, from the UK, blast across Europe into the Stahns to Mongolia, I have no idea why there but I'm drawn to it.

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Mongolia is definitely on the list.

Edit: I'm an idiot, the "Gates To Hell" pictured is actually in Turkmenistan.

Edit2: If the idea of an uncontrolled underground gas fire sounds cool, the ground underneath the town of Centralia, Pennsylvania has been on fire for 60 some years. No open air fire pit though just steam coming from the ground in spots.

 
Last edited:

semmyroundel

Active Member
Joined
Mar 12, 2021
Messages
217
Location
London UK
Mongolia is definitely on the list.

Edit: I'm an idiot, the "Gates To Hell" pictured is actually in Turkmenistan.

Edit2: If the idea of an uncontrolled underground gas fire sounds cool, the ground underneath the town of Centralia, Pennsylvania has been on fire for 60 some years. No open air fire pit though just steam coming from the ground in spots.

Defo as part of my bucket list included in the "stans". To be honest, anything that's long distance is of interest to me, and I only want to cross the English channel if possible
This pit has appeared in a few motorcycle documentaries on amazon prime
 

yoyo

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Joined
Jan 30, 2016
Messages
915
Location
Swansea UK
For those with a lust ti travel to Mongolia, MotoNamad2 is a really good travel film.

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blågrisen

Well-Known Member
Joined
Jul 25, 2016
Messages
98
Location
Lyrestad, Sweden
I was fortunate enough to complete my "Mecca" trip in 2019 together with my favorite riding buddy (my son Filip).
Sweden to the Yamaha factory and museum in Japan.
Basic travel plan:
Crisscrossing Europe down to Greece.
Turn left.
Ride through Turkey, Georgia, Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan, back into Kazakhstan, Russia (Siberia), detour into Mongolia, back into Siberia to Vladivostok.
Ferry to S Korea.
Ferry from S Korea to Japan.
Visit Yamaha. Trip completed.
Bikes on a freighter back to Germany and we flew back to Sweden.

Flat tire in Turkey.
punka.jpg

Mongolia, World's biggest statue of Djingis Kahn.
dk.jpg

Final goal!
yama.jpg

Three+ months of travel, one flat tire and one clutch cable broken.
Nothing but friendly and happy people all over.
We missed Turkmenistan (visa impossible at the time) and Iran due to only allowing max 250 cc bikes into the country.
Maybe next time. I can't wait!
 

Strummer

Well-Known Member
Joined
Sep 11, 2020
Messages
620
Location
Italy
I was fortunate enough to complete my "Mecca" trip in 2019 together with my favorite riding buddy (my son Filip).
Sweden to the Yamaha factory and museum in Japan.
Basic travel plan:
Crisscrossing Europe down to Greece.
Turn left.
Ride through Turkey, Georgia, Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan, back into Kazakhstan, Russia (Siberia), detour into Mongolia, back into Siberia to Vladivostok.
Ferry to S Korea.
Ferry from S Korea to Japan.
Visit Yamaha. Trip completed.
Bikes on a freighter back to Germany and we flew back to Sweden.

Flat tire in Turkey.
View attachment 84453

Mongolia, World's biggest statue of Djingis Kahn.
View attachment 84454

Final goal!
View attachment 84455

Three+ months of travel, one flat tire and one clutch cable broken.
Nothing but friendly and happy people all over.
We missed Turkmenistan (visa impossible at the time) and Iran due to only allowing max 250 cc bikes into the country.
Maybe next time. I can't wait!
Chapeau!!!!
 

cyclemike4

Well-Known Member
Joined
Sep 18, 2016
Messages
815
Location
ky
I would like to ride Alaska and Canada. I would like to see Dick Proenneke's cabin at twin lakes Alaska. Look up alone in the wilderness for the people who have not heard of him.
 

Checkswrecks

Ungenear to broked stuff
Staff member
Global Moderator
2011 Site Supporter
Joined
Mar 7, 2011
Messages
11,489
Location
Damascus, MD
I was fortunate enough to complete my "Mecca" trip in 2019 together with my favorite riding buddy (my son Filip).
Sweden to the Yamaha factory and museum in Japan.
Basic travel plan:
Crisscrossing Europe down to Greece.
Turn left.
Ride through Turkey, Georgia, Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan, back into Kazakhstan, Russia (Siberia), detour into Mongolia, back into Siberia to Vladivostok.
Ferry to S Korea.
Ferry from S Korea to Japan.
Visit Yamaha. Trip completed.
Bikes on a freighter back to Germany and we flew back to Sweden.

Flat tire in Turkey.
View attachment 84453

Mongolia, World's biggest statue of Djingis Kahn.
View attachment 84454

Final goal!
View attachment 84455

Three+ months of travel, one flat tire and one clutch cable broken.
Nothing but friendly and happy people all over.
We missed Turkmenistan (visa impossible at the time) and Iran due to only allowing max 250 cc bikes into the country.
Maybe next time. I can't wait!
Beats anything I've done or even heard of for a long time.
Congratulations on a life achievement!
 

semmyroundel

Active Member
Joined
Mar 12, 2021
Messages
217
Location
London UK
I was fortunate enough to complete my "Mecca" trip in 2019 together with my favorite riding buddy (my son Filip).
Sweden to the Yamaha factory and museum in Japan.
Basic travel plan:
Crisscrossing Europe down to Greece.
Turn left.
Ride through Turkey, Georgia, Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan, back into Kazakhstan, Russia (Siberia), detour into Mongolia, back into Siberia to Vladivostok.
Ferry to S Korea.
Ferry from S Korea to Japan.
Visit Yamaha. Trip completed.
Bikes on a freighter back to Germany and we flew back to Sweden.

Flat tire in Turkey.
View attachment 84453

Mongolia, World's biggest statue of Djingis Kahn.
View attachment 84454

Final goal!
View attachment 84455

Three+ months of travel, one flat tire and one clutch cable broken.
Nothing but friendly and happy people all over.
We missed Turkmenistan (visa impossible at the time) and Iran due to only allowing max 250 cc bikes into the country.
Maybe next time. I can't wait!
Congrats on an achievement many of us including myself can only dream of...
My best riding buddy is my son too, but only as a pillion. He doesn't have the urge to go for the test, he's too busy saving the planet.
As he doesn't yet have those essential biking skills of foreseeing problems, and riding well within reason for road/traffic conditions, I'm not that unhappy about it, especially at 26 he still wants to come on the back of my bike-I feel lucky about that.
 

semmyroundel

Active Member
Joined
Mar 12, 2021
Messages
217
Location
London UK
I was fortunate enough to complete my "Mecca" trip in 2019 together with my favorite riding buddy (my son Filip).
Sweden to the Yamaha factory and museum in Japan.
Basic travel plan:
Crisscrossing Europe down to Greece.
Turn left.
Ride through Turkey, Georgia, Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan, back into Kazakhstan, Russia (Siberia), detour into Mongolia, back into Siberia to Vladivostok.
Ferry to S Korea.
Ferry from S Korea to Japan.
Visit Yamaha. Trip completed.
Bikes on a freighter back to Germany and we flew back to Sweden.

Flat tire in Turkey.
View attachment 84453

Mongolia, World's biggest statue of Djingis Kahn.
View attachment 84454

Final goal!
View attachment 84455

Three+ months of travel, one flat tire and one clutch cable broken.
Nothing but friendly and happy people all over.
We missed Turkmenistan (visa impossible at the time) and Iran due to only allowing max 250 cc bikes into the country.
Maybe next time. I can't wait!
I forgot to ask: It appears that you have a massive amount of clearance of your extenda fenda to the skid plate. Did you do something in particular to get that clearance?
 

blågrisen

Well-Known Member
Joined
Jul 25, 2016
Messages
98
Location
Lyrestad, Sweden
I forgot to ask: It appears that you have a massive amount of clearance of your extenda fenda to the skid plate. Did you do something in particular to get that clearance?
Thanks for you kind words. The fender extender is just something I bought from Louis.eu and no mods to either that or the bike.
No issues on the XT660Z or my XT1200 in regards to clearance.
 
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