THE MAN :
JOCHEN "JOEDAKAR" STATHER
"The unrest-less to discover new routes, undriven tracks,
to live my dreams and turn them into reality is a good driving force.
Of the initially relatively aimless dreamer, the dreamer still remained...
The glance behind the scenes is important to me, deep in the hearts and daily lives.
The stars are not interesting, it's the people themselves in their personal environment.
The motorcycle is the perfect travel tool. You are not separated by the doors
are dark windows of a car, not filtered through the organization of
a tour company.
Motorcycle trips are naked and honest - there is nothing you can hide, this opens hearts and doors..."
THE BIKE
Find more information´s about this bike here
The ENDURANCE TEST
The trip report at the official BMW site
Joe followed the recommendations in the scene and made a choice for the tires he would never regret.
Never counted on a feedback ... but
Dear "xyz" ,
13,000 kilometres across 8 countries in 5 weeks, always heading east, a motorcycle just launched, more than half of a route off-road and mostly far away from ordinary traffic.We experienced extremely hot and sunny weather but also thunderstorms and cold. We stayed either in 5-star hotels or in the rough, Mongolian steppe and Siberian forests. We relished the uncounted precious moments and adventures, great routes and a breath-taking landscape.
A tour, which totally deserves its name “Hard Ways East” and pushed the drivers and the gear on the cutting edge of what is possible (not to mention my fall, which was absolutely not a part of the planned test).
After all, it is also thanks to your support that we, in fact, were able to take up this tour, for which I would like to thank you from the bottom of my heart. Without a partner like you, such ventures would simply be beyond one’s power.
As a sign of my thank-you, I would like to offer you some photo material to use it freely at your convenience. On top of that, I took the liberty of providing a feedback about the products and I am confident that your products could hardly ever be used in such tough, ruthless and intense conditions, which is why I hope you’ll find it of assistance.
PRODUCT EVALUATION
We embarked on the tour with the brand-new tyres. After many kilometres on tarmac surface, also in rain and fierce heat, we were further challenged by sand, gravel, rubble, water, mud; we either stepped up or slowed down the tempo.
MITAS E-09 DAKAR
Overall performance rear tyre: 13,000 km!!!!!!
Overall performance front tyre: 9,300 km!!!!!
I am thrilled! OK, kilometre reading is definitely due to our average riding tempo, during which we only rarely accelerated or put on the brake sharply, as we tried to drive in a “sustainable” manner as much as possible. Nevertheless, that’s just awesome for such a rough tyre! (of course, the front tyre was completely smooth after 9,500 km).
On-road in wet conditions – driving performance is OK and need not at all hide behind dual-sport motorcycles.
On-road in dry conditions – our motorcycle cases rubbed against the surface, since there was a lot of leaning, however, handling was reliable. One could feel the limit range approaching and the tyre was easy to handleduring this phase. Brilliant! It puts one in a cheerful mood!
Off-road – gravel and sand. That’s something! Superb cornering andsuper thrust. A K60 or a TKC cannot compete with that. Here, the tyre feels like home and one can notice it.
Off-road – rocks, rubble. Safe handling, no weak points.
Off-road – mud. The negative profile is not quite adequate here. It can be very annoying here and there but still controllable. When a tyre behaves like that, it does, but this is the case with every tyre.
Generally speaking, the E-90 is a superb dual sport motorcycle tyre, even though it could be even slightly rougher. Since it behaves greatly on tarmac, too, it can work as an ideal compromise and for me, personally, it beats the TKC80, K60 or the Karoo. Overall impression is that the tyre simply outperforms the rest, which is thanks to its first-rate performance, a super-hard carcass (total 26,000 km and only one nail in the tyre at the end of the route, nothing similar before that), brilliant handling.
For me, the Number 1 dualsport motorcycle tyre! It seems that a tyre can be more than just look sexy.
THE TOUR
To celebrate his 10th anniversary of taking a motorcycle tour Düsseldorf – Vladivostok, Joe Stather made his dream come true and hit the road in direction east again. This time, the tour was slightly more extreme including longer stages, more off-road sections and heading for the north-east of the vastness of Russia, to Magadan. An accident happened at about 2,500 km before finish and ended the tour after 13,000 km, which, however, was earlier than planned.
Total distance: 13,000 km
Motorcycles: BMW F800 GS Adventure
Driver: Munich – Ulan Bator – Taksimo Joe Stather
Munich – Ulan Bator (Mongolia) Joop Benne
Ulan Bator – Taksimo (Russia) CorinnaZiebart
On-road: 6,000 km
Off-road: 7,000 km
Countries: Germany, Austria, Czech Republic, Poland, Ukraine, Russia, Kazakhstan, Mongolia
Stage distance: 50 – 850 km
Weather: from thunderstorms to the heat at 45°C
Travel duration: Munich – UIan Bator 20 days (17 days of driving)
Ulan Bator – Taksimo 17 days (9 days of driving)
The title Hard Way East tour mirrors many a feature of the tour: dreadful weather withpouring rain and thunderstorms, the temperatures ranging from just above zero to just below 50°C. Long stages in adverse traffic and road conditions. At times, it was quite difficult to find the right way, despite having road maps, GPS and signposts (the combination of which sometimes appeared contradictory). The toughest riding conditions in Mongolia (water, sand, and about 1,000 km of corrugated surfaces) and in the eastern part of Russia (water, destructed bridges, trial route sections).
It was a true challenge for the drivers and the material.
German coverage: Own homepage
BMW international motorcycle homepage
Facebook (BMW Motorcycles, diverse)
Printed media
English coverage: Own homepage
BMW international motorcycle homepage
Facebook (BMW Motorcycles, diverse)
Printed media
I would be delighted to answer any further questions or provide further details. Should you be interested in a multimedia lecture about the tour (at customer or corporate events), please feel free to contact me.
Let me thank you again for your valuable support and I hope you’ll find the attached material of use.
Warm regards.
Joe Stather
P.S.: By all means, the products have now been
