...Quick Update!....Bike now running well minus starter motor...so it's push start or kick start from now on!....


...Last night was the first meeting of the Moscow Chapter MT Riders!....It consisted of me & Ruth and Pavel & Anton, both of whom live in Moscow, both have MT350's bought from LMS....At the meet at Honky Tonk We were surrounded by Hell's Angels, Biker Brothers, Night Wolves and a few other assorted gang members....You could see they had MT envy.....

....MR Riders Moscow....

...Ruth & I were really looking forward to an early start....We were up at 5, the bike was packed by 6....Then Dmitry sent a text to say that a Goodbye breakfast was being prepared at the Honky Tonk bar for us.....I still haven't mastered kick starting the bike.....Last night Pavel lent us a rear footpeg....I'd fitted Ade's brilliant big ones but sadly they get in the way trying to kickstart........Despite the new footpeg, I was struggling so it was time for a pushstart...


...Moscow clearly wasn't ready for us to leave and decided to deal another hand.....With Ruth pushing, I was just a bit too enthusiastic putting the bike into gear and I snapped the end off the gear lever!....F***!.....So off I went on foot with my gear lever, still wearing my leathers in the Moscow heat to find a welder....I tried a few places but most were still shut (it was about 7:30am)....Eventually found a place and got it welded up (another story!)....back to the bike, managed to kick start it then off we went.....

....Ruth tries out a comfier bike....

...Garmin managed to get us out of Moscow.....I can't say I enjoyed it....Getting into the 6th lane of a highway 2-up with baggage on an MT350 to take a left hand fork....It's a dangerous city to ride in and I was glad as the countryside started to take over after about 30 or 40 miles...The road wasn't quite as bad as had been suggested but it had it's moments....


..I think we were both glad to leave Moscow and we made our longest day's ride of the trip so far of 249 miles....We'd have carried on had Ruth not been stung by a bee on her hand....So we turned round and headed for a motel we'd seen a mile or so back....Which is where we are now....900 roubles for the night (£18)...Sorted!....


...Only 157 miles to the Latvian border in the morning....