Gerald Gardebled in Beijing
The Mongolian Expedition   (Newest images are at the top of the page.)
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"We made it back to China and crossed the border without problems. We then headed for the same hotel in Er Lian Hao Te. We cleaned both bikes—it was time! I worked on Thierry's bike and then we headed for Beijing with a trouble-free trip back.

This is what I can say regarding the bikes during the trip:

• Sidevalves are able to make the same as OHV and in very good mechanical conditions without suffering overheating problems. People who knew I was doing this trip asked if I was taking an OHV. Those who knew I was taking my 6V 22HP SV thought the bike would never be able to make such a trip.• Vintage and PLA parts are far better than the standard issue ones. • The best frame for sidecar in harsh off-road conditions is the M72 style without suspension for the 3rd. wheel. • Well laced wheels of good quality are pretty good—no broken spokes ! I got mine from the Nan Hang factory, the one that use to build plastic CJs. The wheels I got are from 1980s stock. • CJs are pretty reliable for such trips and longer ones if well maintained and built with good vintage quality parts.

I only suffered a broken battery cable when we almost arrived in Beijing. Too much vibration and cable too old."



















August 29, 2005  






"The day after Thierry's bike was back on three wheels we visited the train station where, by the way, I got a "part time job". Then we visited a Ural graveyard. After that we decided to make our way back to Beijing because Thierry has to be back at a certain date due to work obligations."











August 27, 2005  








"In the afternoon, after we left the Citroen guys, we went to look for a place to have Thierry's bike fixed as I didn't have a spare axle. In the morning I had already spotted a Russian Ural and started to negotiate with the owner to buy his sidecar frame and put it on Thierry's bike. This model Ural did not have the same type of side axle and the whole frame was the best solution.

We found a small shop owned by a 65 year-old women with a machine that could make a new axle for Thierry's bike! We went to the hotel parking lot with the lady. With the help of another guy I removed the the axle holder, took out the broken part, took out the other part of the axle and took them to the lady. She made a new axle for Thierry out of a Russian truck axle.

In the meantime I discovered tank wheels in her shop. They cut of the rubber that's on these wheels and use it to make rubber parts. Nothing is lost in Mongolia. Recycling is a good thing."







August 25, 2005  












"As soon as we arrived in the city of Saijand we went to the "best" hotel, four stars. You get the bugs and roaches for free in the bed and burning or cold shower available. We parked the bikes in the hotel yard, went out, came back to the hotel for dinner and then went to bed. The next morning, Thierry and I took a turn in the city on Alpha. As soon as we got out of the hotel and turned right, Thierry asked me to stop cause he just saw a French Citroen from the fiftiess with a French license plate. What a hell that car was doing in the middle of nowhere in Mongolia? We stopped and found a Frenchman, owner of the car, and soon other Citroens from the fifties showed up. They left France a couple weeks ago and were going to Beijing. That was a funny thing to happen. Meeting French guys in the middle of nowhere in vintage cars. One of them wanted to exchange his car for Alpha. I said that ain't gonna happen as Alpha has never failed in its two years on the road with me. Later we went to the hill at the entrance of the city taking some pictures with a Russian WWII-era tank, an ISU 125 I think it was."

[I'm crazy about Citroen 2CVs which is what most of these cars are.]











August 24, 2005  






"In the afternoon at 30km from the next town we encountered bad roads. On one of these roads Thierry's sidecar axle broke. And the bad part of it is that there were no spares. So we made the following decision in ten minutes: take Thierry's bag and important spares that were in his bike and 10 liters of gasoline. Go on Alpha to the next town and see how to get his bike. After 20 minutes of riding we encounterd a Ouaz Jeep. We stopped it and started to explain to the driver what happened and what he could do. We then went on higher ground with him to make a phone call. He was able to get a truck that could pick up Thierry's bike and send it to the next town. Waiting for the truck we had to drink some Mongolian vodka from the jeep's driver with his friend. On its way to us the small truck got stuck in the sand so we had to have the jeep to get it out. After all we were able to load Thierry's bike on the truck and make it to the Town of Saijand, Thierry in the truck and me riding Alpha."





August 23, 2005  








"After leaving the water point in the desert we rode for another two hours and then Thierry's bike got stuck in a riverbed when trying to cross it. It took three hours to get it out. We had to empty it and dig around with a shovel, t he kind of work that kills someone after a ten hour ride. Then we decided to reach higher groung to pitch our tent as animals would come to lower ground to eat and drink. While Thierry did the cooking I realised that his bike wasn't charging. I knew then what would be my first task the next day. In the morning the first thing I did was changw the stator—damn 12V bikes! When I was working on the bike, two Mongolians arrived on a Russian Izh 350. They were very curious about me working on the bike and then after I gave them some cigarettes they left us. We put everything in order and hit the road again. On the way we met two other Mongolians that made us understand that we were going the wrong way. They gave us directions to another village after 2-4 hours of riding. (Actually two hours of real ride and two hours to get the bikes out of the sand where they got stuck.) At the moment we entered the village a Mongolian guy jumped on me giving me a Russian carburetor. He took me the gas station. We did not have enough local money to refill the bikes so we waited for the bank to open and then after three hours waiting we were able to change our dollars, refill the bikes and go back out on the road. During those three hours in the village we bought water, cold drinks and ate some local food."







August 22, 2005  




"We got to the small village and refilled the bikes. We had to go get the gas station owner at his home, give him a ride to the gas station and then take him back home. Then we went to buy water and cold drinks. We went back on the road and after two hours in the desert we found a well with children, goats, camels and horses. We stoped to take pictures before going back on the road."











August 19, 2005  








"After seven hours of riding on the Gobi desert's bad roads, and after some encounters with horses and camels we finally reached the first village since the border. The afternoon ride went pretty good without any problems with either bike. Even sometimes at a substained 30km/h for both sidevalves, no overheating problems were noticed. Then we headed into the village for gasoline refuel and also to get some water and cold drinks."







August 17, 2005  








"So now we are in Mongolia and heading to the Gobi desert. It took 5 kilometers to Thierry to have his first problem in the desert. His bike flew up 30cm and when it went down, the leaf springs supporting the rear of his sidecar bucket bent the other way. I still do not understand what happened as my bike also did a couple of "flies" in the Gobi and also in China during the ride from Ji Ning to Er Lian Hao Te, and my leaf springs are still ok. I guess that old leaf springs are stronger than the newer ones. The leaf springs on Alpha are the same as when I bought the bike, and that bike was in poor shape when I got it. So we had to empty Thierry's sidecar and shift the heavier stuff to the front of the bucket. I tried to do the best I could to put back the leaf spring in shape but it only lasted for 5 kilometers and Thierry had to ride without the bucket being on the leaf springs."







August 16, 2005  








"On the morning of the first Thierry and I finally crossed the border and went into Mongolia. It took us an hour to clear both Chinese and Mongolian customs. We took some photos with Mongolian border guards. We were then about to start our ride in the Gobi desert keeping in mind what Jim Bryant told me: "These roads are the worst that I have met until today..."







August 15, 2005  






"On our way to the city of Er Lian Hao Te at the border with Mongolia we had a nice ride on very nice road until we met bad roads. On the way we met with Lucas from Switzerland who has been riding his bicycle since more than five months from Switzerland to China and had also crossed Mongolia. Then came the muddy and watered roads before Er Lian Hao Te. It was real fun to ride. Cars would stop on the side and look at us trying to cross the heavily watered roads. Alpha died in one of these but after I pulled it out of the water it started at the first kick, then no problem crossing the others. We arrived in Er Lian Hao Te in late afternoon, went to refill at the gas station and headed for the hotel after we realised that we could not cross the border before the following day, 8:30 in the morning."





August 14, 2005  
"Here's a taillight Mongolian syle on a Ural bike"
August 13, 2005  






"In the afternoon we reached the city of Ji Ning in Inner Mongolia and then found a very nice hotel. The manager give us use of the owner's closed garagel. We had the bikes and belongings in security. I took advantage of the closed and clean garage to change Thierry's M1M main seal as it sarted to leak badly when on the highway between Beijing and Gan Jia Kou. Then the second day we left for Er Lian Hao Te, the city border with Mongolia. On the way I had to stop to change Thierry's rear end seal as this one also was badly leaking. Later in the afternoon I had to change the rear end drive shaft seal on Thierry's bike as it also started leaking. The picture with the Carefour umbrella is a joke as Thierry works for Carefour"





August 12, 2005  




"Here are the first pictures of Thierry's and my trip to Mongolia. We left on the 30th. at 6 in the morning toward Ji Ning in Inner Mongolia. Ji Ning was our first stop that we reached in the afternoon after a smooth ride. We wasted a lot of time on the road due to the rain and the huge ammount of trucks making the cruising speed very slow. Overtaking the trucks was a bit dangerous and hard as the roads are very narrow and the trucks drivers drive crazy without any respect of anything."



August 11, 2005