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  1. #11 Re: Beijing- Qinghai- Shanghai late June 2017 
    Moto Scholar moilami's Avatar
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    Wow, kind of rough start I would say But you managed it like a pro and were not a quitter, well done! it can only become better after all that. What were your feelings and thoughts during the day?
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  2. #12 Re: Beijing- Qinghai- Shanghai late June 2017 
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    My feelings? Don't like riding in rain.. at all. Sure people can identify with this although t may be that I'm fairly new to motorcycling, but I tend to imagine the things that could happen while riding. The visibility was reduced and so was my speed. Soaked at the end of this day but... The best thing I did was to attach the holder for my phone at the end of the first day, made navigation WAY easier.

    Note to self- buy some proper rain gear- had one of those blue tourist macs that I bought going up Huangshan the other month...ripped and flapping about, but like to think it kept me drier than I would have otherwise been. Rain- also soaked my leather gloves- hands were died blue!
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  3. #13  
    motor maniac ShuBen's Avatar
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    I worried about you every day and was really relieved after knowing you made it.
    Anyway you should have made a steep leading curve 😁

    Sent from my GN8003 using Tapatalk
    SWM RS500R, R1200GS LC
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  4. #14 Re: Beijing- Qinghai- Shanghai late June 2017 
    KING of MCM LOL prince666's Avatar
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    Well done Monkey
    I am still learning ShuBen lol.

    With the correct wet riding gear no problems .

    What me and bikerdoc uses are them bike warmer mits you see all the Chinese have even when it's 38C.
    FInd your self a pair off XXL waterproof ones and you hands will keep 98% dry.
    Last edited by prince666; 07-11-2017 at 01:50 PM.
    "Arguing on the Internet is like running in the Special Olympics, even if you win you're still retarded"
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  5. #15 Re: Beijing- Qinghai- Shanghai late June 2017 
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    Day2
    Set up the phone holder today, so navigation was a bit better but battery kept running out.
    Started out the day in a hotel in Dacheng, like a small truck stop town on a main road in Hebei province collecting the bike from security, I had a lot of people asking me questions, sort of hovering around me. One young guy persisted and wanted a photo, I thought alright. I got outside and I was sitting on the bike and was a bit distracted by all this so had the thought to put my go-pro on my helmet. I let the bike go and it went over, the left handle bar hitting me in the mouth and busting my lip open. I was frustrated and got a bit pissed off that these people would hover around and seem so interested but wouldn’t help me catch the bike or even lift it up. It wouldn’t start after this , so I pushed it around the corner to a mechanic who said it was short on oil, which he added for a paltry sum- like 35yuan. Bit worrying if the bike was burning oil but. What did I learn? focus and concentrate again- this is not the only time I had a problem in the morning when still sleep addled- on the last day, leaving the hotel car park, I slipped the clutch and my left leg jerked and spun by turning to the left to correct myself left me with groin strain- painful when changing gears- so – careful in the mornings!
    and also the importance of oil checks…

    This day was quite peaceful and, with the phone in place, I could stop and check the map with GPS ( I recommend MotionX GPS download from apple store – about $30 but worth it- only problem is that the map is about 200m off, the Chinese government apparently do this for security reasons- meant I missed my junction a few times and rode up to 20 km in the wrong direction, but , what can you do? )
    I was managing to follow main roads now, and the one I got on terminated in a small town where there was a mosque, good place for lunch- actually one table of guys sent over two bottles of beer to my table which I refused (riding) so I got coke bought for me. After chatting to another patron, a guy on business here, he bought my meal unexpectedly. Reminds me of the hospitality of Chinese people (that I used to see a lot when living in a small town in Hunan province but had kinda forgotten).
    The first two days were slower going than I had reckoned. The second day I managed 142.2 miles and I was only just inside Shandong province.. Actually probably the highlights for today were the gradually increasing amount of sunny spells and dry riding conditions and entering Shandong province over a small bridge. This took me into a scarcely populated area of farms, which was, in contrast to Hebei with it’s long roads, massive trucks and greasy truck stop towns, quite peaceful.
    The other highlight for me was the little town of Wudi in Shandong where I stopped for the night. The food was excellent and the town was charming with many locals being very friendly and above all curious. I asked for rice in a restaurant for dinner and they said they didn’t serve rice but I could choose from mantou (steamed bun) dumplings (which three of them were preparing en-mass there in front of me) or noodles. I went for mantou and it reminded me that I was definitely in the North. The other thing about this restaurant, apart from being run by Hui Muslim minority people, a lot in those parts, was the enormous barbecue grill- like the one the Uighurs use to do the 羊肉串 but longer, about twenty feet long and covered.
    Last edited by Metalmonkey; 07-15-2017 at 01:14 AM.
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  6. #16 Re: Beijing- Qinghai- Shanghai late June 2017 
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  7. #17 Re: Beijing- Qinghai- Shanghai late June 2017 
    KING of MCM LOL prince666's Avatar
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    Interesting read, well done.
    You are leaning the how things happen now.
    When to many people make there selfs busey around me,then it's time to leave.
    Yes,,Chinese people are very friendly,but remember we are just like a puppy dogs to them.?
    There need to have a picture of this puppy dog to show there mates.?

    Looking forward to you next post.
    Thank you for the time and effort to post.

    So I tend to be selective on who I allow to take pictures with me.
    "Arguing on the Internet is like running in the Special Olympics, even if you win you're still retarded"
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  8. #18 Re: Beijing- Qinghai- Shanghai late June 2017 
    Moto Scholar moilami's Avatar
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    The bike beated you

    I swear if I ever get troubles in my journeys I will remember yours and think ok, this is nothing

    Thank you very much of the report, it is among the best reports I have read :) You are the man seriously :)

    Anyway, what is your next plan? Hope you don't quit touring :)
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  9. #19 Re: Beijing- Qinghai- Shanghai late June 2017 
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    Day 3

    I’d been keeping to 70-80 km/h for the trip so far , especially given that the first day was spent in heavy rain. I’m a fairly new rider, so I was hanging back in traffic and assumed that the cars were faster than me. It was coming up to midday when I approached Binzhou (awesome name) in Shandong. I entered a gas station and the attendants made were shouting at me to push my bike away from the pumps before starting it up and then again to not use my phone.. fair

    enough but they made a big show of it. I decided to fill up and the attendant poured most of it over the outside of my tank- she was quite a nervous sort. She mentioned “it’s started raining” just before I pulled out. I thought nothing of it and pulled out, but on the way, a Chinese biker rolled up alongside and exchanged pleasantries a few minutes later, I found myself in driving rain I thought “oh no, rain again”. I dread rain and wet roads. I pulled over for a rest and the biker from a few minutes ago motioned for me to pull over, he said he’d guide me in the direction of Qingdao, as I had intended to take a long loop north of the town…

    I followed him as he zipped through traffic, initially thinking my bike could way outdo his until he started regularly hitting 100+km/ph . I actually had problems keeping up , giving my previous granny pace. I smiled to myself thinking I’d thought my bike would be faster. He had a 250 Suzuki with road tires and metal side cases. This guy was my mentor, showing me how to ride above my comfort speed and how to act in Chinese traffic. Probably have picked up some bad habits from him, but certainly works in China. I wish I’d filmed this because this was an awesome part of the trip- having company and tutelage ( he was clearly a more experienced rider) He said goodbye and said I should “follow the road over something something river”.. It turns out this was the Yellow river, some say the border between North and South China.. again wish I’d filmed this, as it was a handsome steel bridge.


    After this , I managed to make real ground with my new found speed.

    ( The following written upon arising at the hotel on the morning of day 4 of riding in the morning)

    My body is getting a bit worn out after three days on the road. An example is the bags under my bloodshot eyes- this much riding kinda keys you up. I wake up early every day with the sun and ride all day until it goes down again. This was a weird feeling but the grip, power and articulation in my fingers has gone from riding and clasping the handle bars hands are like lumps:) the upshot is that last night I couldn't use chopsticks- I had to employ the other hand to help scoop stuff into my mouth. Kind of a good thing, the food in this town (Jiozhou) was terrible.:))

    Skin on the legs sort of bubbling up -itchy and inflamed like mass sweat rash. Also left boot further wearing into my shin (started the first wet day out of Beijing).. painful shifting gears at times.


    It's been hell, but the memories in retrospect are pretty intense. Kind a wish I'd filmed more.

    The tree-lined roads are really nice-two straight rows for miles.


    Wish I'd recorded meeting my "mentor" . Racing to catch up with him and then crossing the wide Yellow river on an old steel frame bridge.


    I could have filmed the after effects of a car crash today but thought it maudlin.. didn't even feel like taking a picture. I tried to get through the debris between the two wrecked and mangled cars but decided against it in the end as there was a lot of broken glass on the road.

    I thought of the trip so far that the little towns are ace. It also reminded me that China still really has a long way to go on the development ladder before its at western levels regarding comfort and cleanliness. The development is kinda surface.

    Heck, British cities have muck and grime too, but this city, Jiozhou has shattered glass all over the pavement outside MacDonald's from a construction project. I ate outside last night -thought it would be nice having barbecue next to the canal until I sat down and got a waft of the fetid, rotting water... Oh well. This town gave me the best hotel of the trip. It was 228 yuan and a had living room area, high up in the building with a view and the most awesome buffet breakfast imaginable. Luxury.

    Day 3 pictures to come..
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  10. #20 Re: Beijing- Qinghai- Shanghai late June 2017 
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