But where’s all the snow,
After 14 years away from bikes Yorkshire accountant Kamran Bangash got back on his motorcycle and headed off around the world….
Where are you right now? I have completed my trip and am back home in England.
Where’ve you been?
I completed the first section of my trip in July 2018. I took a flight to Anchorage, Alaska, where I bought my bike. I picked it up on 3 July 2018, and started my journey on the same day.
First I went to Prudhoe Bay (the northernmost point in the Americas) then to New York via the Yukon, British Columbia, the Canadian prairies and some relatives in Toronto and Montreal. After this first, 8000-mile section of my trip I shipped my bike back to England. Then in April 2019 I rode from the UK to Moscow where I handed my bike over to the shipping company who took it to Magadan (in the far east of Russia) while I returned to England.
In June 2019 I flew to Magadan to resume my ride. I did it this way because I wanted to ride the Road Of Bones via Yakutsk, Chita and Ulan-ude. My route took me through Mongolia before coming back to Russia and Europe via Lake Baikal, Novosibirsk, Omsk, Kazan, Moscow and back to Europe via Latvia. 12,000 miles.
You did the Road of Bones – the hard bit – first when most people do it the other way round…
Yes, I threw myself in at the deep end, not leaving myself any choice but to ride it back to the UK. I decided it would be easiest to do the hardest section first and then ride back to the United Kingdom at my ‘leisure’.
I am glad I made this decision because my bike needed attention towards the end of the journey – the valves needed adjusting and it needed new tyres. I also had some electrical problems and had to replace two batteries. It would have been harder to find parts and a garage on the Road Of Bones. It all works out in the end.
What motorcycle did you use for your adventure?
I used a Kawasaki KLR 650 for the trip which I purchased in Alaska. I chose it because it’s simple, with few electronics to go wrong. I replaced the stock battery, which was not sealed, with a sealed unit. I would definitely use the same bike for a similar trip in future. The KLR is a mid-weight dual-sport bike and ideal for solo riders, mostly because it’s easy to pick it up if you manage to drop it.
What was your motorcycling experience before you left? Had you ever done this sort of thing ahead of your big trip?
I have been riding motorbikes since I was 16, but had a 14-year break when I concentrated on my career. I started riding again in 2008. I had done the whole of Europe to Nordkapp, and a few African and Asian countries before starting this particular adventure. It was my dream to complete a round the world trip.
What was the best moment of your journey? It was when I reached Moscow, nearing the end of my trip. That was when I finally realised
I am
‘The doctor advised me to rest for at least two weeks, but I took only four days off…’
one of a handful of people who have completed the hardest round the world trip from Alaska to Magadan.
And what was the worst moment you had?
It was when a dog attacked me 12 miles away from Ust-nera, Siberia. I ended up breaking five ribs and fracturing my ankle. I thought my dream was over and I would never be able to complete my trip.
At the time I felt I had busted my ankle and damaged muscle under my shoulder blade, but I continued until I went to hospital in Ulaanbaatar (Mongolia). There I found out I had actually been riding with more broken bones. The doctor advised me to take a rest for at least two weeks, but I took only four days off and started riding again.
What does the future hold for you?
Round the world was great, but now I want to take it easy and ride shorter trips.
Find out about Kamran’s adventure at…