The 3,000km road that links Vladivostok with with the rest of Russia is still being built, which means parts of it are brand new tarmac and parts of it aren't. Although even the bad bits are the sort of road a Mongolian can only dream of.Five days of Siberian rain and all the muck thrown up from the road was too much for the Yamaha. Yesterday, having stopped for petrol, the bike wouldn't start. A liberal dousing of WD40 and problem solved. Today, however, something much more sinister. Riding up a hill the bike lost power and then cut-out. It would restart but then die when I applied the throttle. I had visions of finishing the journey to Vladivostok on the back of a lorry. I opened the pannier to get the workshop manual out but came to the WD40 first and thought no harm in giving it another spray. Result - problem solved.
A business idea for any budding entrepreneurs out there - a jet wash at either end of the Amur highway. While you're there a Little Chef franchise would go down well, and a Travel Lodge.