World Tour - Europe, Asia, North and South America - Entries for: Turkey
16° | cloudy | km 326
The Road over the Bosporus
on 2016-05-03 in Turkey
We crossed into Turkey without any troubles and after a short distance we decided to stop in a tiny village to get our first chai tea and possibly something to eat.
The look on the faces of the locals were priceless when Denis and Fabi started walking towards them. Everyone was incredibly nice especially once we noticed that we had forgoten
to pick up currency for Turkey. The owner of the bar invited us for a round of chais and even picked up some cookies for us in the nearby store. We were once again amazed at how friendly and welcoming the Turkish
people treated us.
Our way to Istanbul was disrupted by heavy rains and we found out for the first time how well the Touratech Companero World Jacket and Pants worked during heavy rain and bad weather.
We stayed completly dry and warm and managed despite incredible slippery roads to arrive in Istanbul savely. We got used to the traffic in Istanbul much faster than the last time and therefore managed to find our way smoothly and wihtout any problems.
We had planned to look for a Hotel with parking which turned out to be quite difficult at first. Luckily Fabi decided to stop at a Coffee shop with some bikes in front. By pure luck we found ourselves at a well
known meeting place for bikers in Istanbul. It was the Santoka Coffe Shop. The owner and his friends were extremely helpful and found us a great hotel with parking for a special price. At night we joined them for some tea and enjoyed a friendly conversation with them. We would recommend any biker that travels through Istanbul to drop by for some of their great coffee or chai.
The look on the faces of the locals were priceless when Denis and Fabi started walking towards them. Everyone was incredibly nice especially once we noticed that we had forgoten
to pick up currency for Turkey. The owner of the bar invited us for a round of chais and even picked up some cookies for us in the nearby store. We were once again amazed at how friendly and welcoming the Turkish
people treated us.
Our way to Istanbul was disrupted by heavy rains and we found out for the first time how well the Touratech Companero World Jacket and Pants worked during heavy rain and bad weather.
We stayed completly dry and warm and managed despite incredible slippery roads to arrive in Istanbul savely. We got used to the traffic in Istanbul much faster than the last time and therefore managed to find our way smoothly and wihtout any problems.
We had planned to look for a Hotel with parking which turned out to be quite difficult at first. Luckily Fabi decided to stop at a Coffee shop with some bikes in front. By pure luck we found ourselves at a well
known meeting place for bikers in Istanbul. It was the Santoka Coffe Shop. The owner and his friends were extremely helpful and found us a great hotel with parking for a special price. At night we joined them for some tea and enjoyed a friendly conversation with them. We would recommend any biker that travels through Istanbul to drop by for some of their great coffee or chai.
17° | sunny | km 1458
Muddy Roads
on 2016-05-04 in Turkey
Our first stop before leaving Istanbul was at the Touratech Shop in the east of Istanbul. Since our gear and equipment still works perfectly we were just stopping by for a quick "Merhaba" and some Chai. Also we were looking for a couple of small parts that we thought would be nice to have in the next countries. After we took some pictures in front of the store and a nice conversation with the owner we took of in the direction of the black sea.
Later that day we left the paved road to look for our sleeping spot. The dirt road was quite muddy since it had rained the day before. Since we were still on the factory tires Basti stopped in front of a larger mud hole to take a careful look.To give you an short excerpt from our Sena communication.
Fabi:I think Basti is afraid of the... mud...
DenisAlways without fear, without fear!
At the same time Denis passed both Basti and Denis. As soon as he hit the mud his front tire started to slip, Denis started to realize it might not have been the best idea. The whole bike started to wobble and shortly after it ended in a slow muddy crash. As you can imagine the laughter was according to his big mouth quite loud. You can find the video of the crash on our YouTube Channel or directly in this video!
The next day we decided to sleep in a hotel because a storm was coming up behind us and we were afraid the spent the night praying our tents would keep us dry. The hotelier insisted that we park our bikes in the lobby. He did not have to convince us for too long and so we parked our bikes directly next to the reception.
Later that day we left the paved road to look for our sleeping spot. The dirt road was quite muddy since it had rained the day before. Since we were still on the factory tires Basti stopped in front of a larger mud hole to take a careful look.To give you an short excerpt from our Sena communication.
Fabi:I think Basti is afraid of the... mud...
DenisAlways without fear, without fear!
At the same time Denis passed both Basti and Denis. As soon as he hit the mud his front tire started to slip, Denis started to realize it might not have been the best idea. The whole bike started to wobble and shortly after it ended in a slow muddy crash. As you can imagine the laughter was according to his big mouth quite loud. You can find the video of the crash on our YouTube Channel or directly in this video!
The next day we decided to sleep in a hotel because a storm was coming up behind us and we were afraid the spent the night praying our tents would keep us dry. The hotelier insisted that we park our bikes in the lobby. He did not have to convince us for too long and so we parked our bikes directly next to the reception.
17° | cloudy / sunny | km 0
Many new friends!
on 2016-05-05 in Turkey
Shortly before we got to Trabzon, we received a Facebook message from Tobias, an enthusiastic reader of our blog. He told us that he had contact to a local biker club in Trabzon and would happily give it to us. Since we were longing for our new Heidenau tires which were send from motorradreifendirekt.de to Trabzon, we were eager to accept his offer.
At first we met with "Yamaha Osman", just to follow him a few minutes later to "Honda Murat". Murat owns a small shop and repairs almost every motorcycle brand and also boat motors. After we had sorted everything out, Murat started looking for a place to sleep for us.
After short while Sedat turned up with a beautifully restored BMW R80GS. At that time we did not know yet what to expect or what luck was awaiting us. Sedat speaks English very well and he explained to us that he was the owner of a local dormitory. He usually has rooms for travelers like us but since his building was undergoing renovations he did not have any at this time. However he offered us a small wooden shed in the common area of the dormitory. We did not have any complaints about his suggested location in complete contrast to Sedats Mother. Sedat got into a lot of trouble from his Mother for trying to let us sleep in the wooden shed and not his own home. His mother told him that we had to sleep at his house and that he should remember the famous Turkish hospitality. This is why in the end we moved in with Sedat and his parents in a very nice larger and comfortable house. :)
Sedat, not at all mad, took us to a nice little Turkish restaurant where we would eat local delicacies, meet fellow bikers and friends of Sedat and also "had" to drink Raki, a lot of Raki...
At first we met with "Yamaha Osman", just to follow him a few minutes later to "Honda Murat". Murat owns a small shop and repairs almost every motorcycle brand and also boat motors. After we had sorted everything out, Murat started looking for a place to sleep for us.
After short while Sedat turned up with a beautifully restored BMW R80GS. At that time we did not know yet what to expect or what luck was awaiting us. Sedat speaks English very well and he explained to us that he was the owner of a local dormitory. He usually has rooms for travelers like us but since his building was undergoing renovations he did not have any at this time. However he offered us a small wooden shed in the common area of the dormitory. We did not have any complaints about his suggested location in complete contrast to Sedats Mother. Sedat got into a lot of trouble from his Mother for trying to let us sleep in the wooden shed and not his own home. His mother told him that we had to sleep at his house and that he should remember the famous Turkish hospitality. This is why in the end we moved in with Sedat and his parents in a very nice larger and comfortable house. :)
Sedat, not at all mad, took us to a nice little Turkish restaurant where we would eat local delicacies, meet fellow bikers and friends of Sedat and also "had" to drink Raki, a lot of Raki...
16° | sunny / cloudy | km 387
Broken Bike
on 2016-05-05 in Turkey
Because of the night before our productivity the next day was close to 0. We did not manage to get any videos or blog entries done that day.
Later that day we spontaneously got invited by "Honda Murat" to a small shed in the mountains for as Murat put it: "dinner together and talk each other" :). After about an hour drive we finally arrived and were greeted by some of his friends. The grill and chai machine was already fired up, and for a good conversation we only needed to express our love for bikes. Since Murat and his friends also loved the old Africa Twins a strong friendship was born.
A little later Murat picked up a bobby pistol and fired a couple of shots in the air. He explained to us that the locals do this to show their love of Trabzon and the surroundings. We have a lot to learn. :)
The next day we had agreed to meet the bikers early in the morning and ride together into the mountains. Already before we reached the mountains one of their bikes had some troubles and lost some oil. It did not stop the rider though and so we continued to ride further into the countryside. After a bit we found ourselves riding along a beautiful river. Riding as a group we had time to really enjoy the nature. As lunch we had an amazing cheese fondue which prepared us for the ride back home.
With 60 kilometers to Trabzon left, the oil leaking bike finally gave up. We learned that it was normal for these sort of Chinese bikes. The pressure of the water cooler ripped the hose out of the water cooler. Luckily Fabi had too much time during his study, so that he learned in a YouTube video how Dakar riders tow one another after a break down. So we connected one rope to Murats Africa Twin and wound the loose end of the rope around the foot pegs of the chopper. While riding the pressure of the boot would keep the rope from slipping. If anything was to happen the biker in back could just lift off his foot and both bikes could come to a safe stop. For the last 60 Kilometers we continued as a group and blocked the traffic with our hazard lights. From time to time we got some company from other bikers or even cars that helped us to get through the traffic. After less than two hours we managed to bring the bike to Murats shop safely.
You can find the video in our YouTube channel or at the end of this video!
Later that day we spontaneously got invited by "Honda Murat" to a small shed in the mountains for as Murat put it: "dinner together and talk each other" :). After about an hour drive we finally arrived and were greeted by some of his friends. The grill and chai machine was already fired up, and for a good conversation we only needed to express our love for bikes. Since Murat and his friends also loved the old Africa Twins a strong friendship was born.
A little later Murat picked up a bobby pistol and fired a couple of shots in the air. He explained to us that the locals do this to show their love of Trabzon and the surroundings. We have a lot to learn. :)
The next day we had agreed to meet the bikers early in the morning and ride together into the mountains. Already before we reached the mountains one of their bikes had some troubles and lost some oil. It did not stop the rider though and so we continued to ride further into the countryside. After a bit we found ourselves riding along a beautiful river. Riding as a group we had time to really enjoy the nature. As lunch we had an amazing cheese fondue which prepared us for the ride back home.
With 60 kilometers to Trabzon left, the oil leaking bike finally gave up. We learned that it was normal for these sort of Chinese bikes. The pressure of the water cooler ripped the hose out of the water cooler. Luckily Fabi had too much time during his study, so that he learned in a YouTube video how Dakar riders tow one another after a break down. So we connected one rope to Murats Africa Twin and wound the loose end of the rope around the foot pegs of the chopper. While riding the pressure of the boot would keep the rope from slipping. If anything was to happen the biker in back could just lift off his foot and both bikes could come to a safe stop. For the last 60 Kilometers we continued as a group and blocked the traffic with our hazard lights. From time to time we got some company from other bikers or even cars that helped us to get through the traffic. After less than two hours we managed to bring the bike to Murats shop safely.
You can find the video in our YouTube channel or at the end of this video!
19° | sunny | km 394
Trabzon - Güle Güle
on 2016-05-09 in Turkey
Our tires were set to arrive friday morning. We got up very excited and went down to the dormitory straight away. After some packages had already arrived we ordered some breakfast and looked at the tracking code. Our tires were already in Trabzon and supposedly on their way. It turned out later that they were not... Friday turned into a very lazy day therefore. There was not much motivation to get anything done so we just enjoyed our day off with some foosball and backgammon.
On saturday Sedat managed to get the tires picked up by an employee and had them delivered to us. We were high in spirits when we finally held our new set of tires in our hands. We quickly went down to Murats shop to get our tires changed. Murat was very careful with all the bikes, he also took special care of the new Africa Twins. Once they were all finished we were stunned by the look of our new bikes. Finally they looked like real adventure bikes. We had ridden the Heidenaus before and were certain that they would be great on our new bikes as well.
On Sunday we rode a small mountain pass to Bayburt with Sedat and his friends. It was a beautiful rocky road, where we were able to try out our new Heidenau K60 Scout right away. And what a difference they make!! Right from the start we had more trust in the new tires off as well as on the road. It is incredible how well they behave at higher speeds and in the corners. Also they give you much more traction in the dirt and so we really enjoyed our ride out, especially because we were able to ride without all our luggage. The mountains were still white and we even crossed some large snow fields on our way.
In the end Sedat was running a flat tire. Luckily he had tubeless tires and Fabi tools to fix flat tires with him. In no time Fabi was able to fix Sedats flat and we were on our way back home. It was a perfect day and a good way to end our stay at Trabzon.
Saying goodbye to our new friends was hard but as Sedat has put it, we are leaving Europe and our adventure will begin now!
On saturday Sedat managed to get the tires picked up by an employee and had them delivered to us. We were high in spirits when we finally held our new set of tires in our hands. We quickly went down to Murats shop to get our tires changed. Murat was very careful with all the bikes, he also took special care of the new Africa Twins. Once they were all finished we were stunned by the look of our new bikes. Finally they looked like real adventure bikes. We had ridden the Heidenaus before and were certain that they would be great on our new bikes as well.
On Sunday we rode a small mountain pass to Bayburt with Sedat and his friends. It was a beautiful rocky road, where we were able to try out our new Heidenau K60 Scout right away. And what a difference they make!! Right from the start we had more trust in the new tires off as well as on the road. It is incredible how well they behave at higher speeds and in the corners. Also they give you much more traction in the dirt and so we really enjoyed our ride out, especially because we were able to ride without all our luggage. The mountains were still white and we even crossed some large snow fields on our way.
In the end Sedat was running a flat tire. Luckily he had tubeless tires and Fabi tools to fix flat tires with him. In no time Fabi was able to fix Sedats flat and we were on our way back home. It was a perfect day and a good way to end our stay at Trabzon.
Saying goodbye to our new friends was hard but as Sedat has put it, we are leaving Europe and our adventure will begin now!
13° | sunny | km 614
Cold boarder crossing
on 2016-05-10 in Turkey
We had planned to stay in Trabzon for 5 days... we left after 11. On Monday it was time, we were back on the road and it was time to continue our journey. Later that day we tried to cross the mountains. Sadly we were stopped by more than one snow field which is why we had to give up and find a camp spot later at night.
Since we couldn't pass the mountains, we had to ride along the black sea the next day, which is why early on we were setting a good paste. Quite some time after Rize we crossed back into the mountains. The streets were good and we were able to let the bikes loose for a while. 100 km to Ardahan we passed a couple of Italians on an old BMW. We quickly exchanged information at the next gas station and decided to meet up at the next city for lunch. While we ate we learned that their route would also take them to Mongolia. Although they had planned to sent their bike home from Mongolia and continue by foot. We convinced them quickly that contacting China Overland was a good idea and worth a try. We said our goodbyes after lunch and parted ways, maybe we will meet again on the Chinese border!
The weather on this day was unstable. Even though we had lost some time during lunch, we all agreed to keep going and try to pass the Georgian border that day. It was still over 200 km away and the closer we came the worse the weather got. We also did not expect to have to climb up to 2,600 meters to the border checkpoint. It slowly grew dark and we had still some kilometers to go. It also became really cold, with only 2.5°C and under heavy rain we stopped at a gas station to spent our last Turkish Lira. The gas station attendant invited us for some hot chai tea when he saw how wet we were. He actually tried to convince us to stay some more, but we told him our destination for today was Georgia no matter the cost.
Crossing the border was absolutely no problem and we soon found ourselves in Georgia where it was dry and it had 15°C. It felt good. We quickly decided to spend the night at a hotel and to shop at a local grocery store for our late night dinner. It was a 24/7 store and we even got a bottle of Georgian whine from a local as a welcome present. We went to bed glad that we had come so far and very exhausted from the ride through the cold and wet mountains.
Since we couldn't pass the mountains, we had to ride along the black sea the next day, which is why early on we were setting a good paste. Quite some time after Rize we crossed back into the mountains. The streets were good and we were able to let the bikes loose for a while. 100 km to Ardahan we passed a couple of Italians on an old BMW. We quickly exchanged information at the next gas station and decided to meet up at the next city for lunch. While we ate we learned that their route would also take them to Mongolia. Although they had planned to sent their bike home from Mongolia and continue by foot. We convinced them quickly that contacting China Overland was a good idea and worth a try. We said our goodbyes after lunch and parted ways, maybe we will meet again on the Chinese border!
The weather on this day was unstable. Even though we had lost some time during lunch, we all agreed to keep going and try to pass the Georgian border that day. It was still over 200 km away and the closer we came the worse the weather got. We also did not expect to have to climb up to 2,600 meters to the border checkpoint. It slowly grew dark and we had still some kilometers to go. It also became really cold, with only 2.5°C and under heavy rain we stopped at a gas station to spent our last Turkish Lira. The gas station attendant invited us for some hot chai tea when he saw how wet we were. He actually tried to convince us to stay some more, but we told him our destination for today was Georgia no matter the cost.
Crossing the border was absolutely no problem and we soon found ourselves in Georgia where it was dry and it had 15°C. It felt good. We quickly decided to spend the night at a hotel and to shop at a local grocery store for our late night dinner. It was a 24/7 store and we even got a bottle of Georgian whine from a local as a welcome present. We went to bed glad that we had come so far and very exhausted from the ride through the cold and wet mountains.