UK Central Asia China Australia

This trip	UK via Central Asia China to Australia
Departure date	May 2008
Number in group	1
Trip duration	13 months
Distance covered	48000 km
Cost of trip (not incl. bike)	~ $1000 per month

Best day	Too many of them.
Worst/ hardest day	riding 300 km of corrugated roads through Tajikistan & Kyrgyzstan AFTER 2 subframe bolts sheared off
Favourite place	Iran, Tajikistan & Nepal for the people. Malaysia & Indonesia for the food.
Biggest headache	borders between Kyrgyzstan & China closed for weeks; homocidal traffic in India
Biggest mistake	Not taking enough time in some countries.
Most pleasant surprise	Whenever something bad happens, something good comes out of it. Things always work out alright, one way or another.
Any illness	roaring stomach in Bukhara Uzbekistan
Other trips planned	possibly continue for a RTW
One travel tip	There's friendly & helpful people everywhere. And in mountain ares, they're even friendlier.

Bike Model	F650 GS Dakar
Age/ mileage on departure	2005 model, 22500 miles on departure
Modifications	progressive fork springs, sidestand extension, brake-cylinder protection, iridium spark plugs
Mods you wish you'd done	new better rear shock
Type of baggage	aluminium (Overland Solutions)
Tyres used	Metzler Tourance & Continental TKC 80.
Number of punctures	1 (nail in Pakistan)

Bike's weak point	rear shock, soft front (heavy panniers)
Bike's strong point	solid engine, fuel economy
Bike problems	rear shock leaking oil
Number of accidents	no traffic accidents, but 2 whilst off-roading
Same bike again?	possibly – but disappointed by BMW service (only positive exception: BMW in Penang Malaysia)
One biking tip	-