Overland From Yorkshire to Mongolia on a Quad....Please Help
Discussion
Hi the guys over on www.quadsuk.net suggested I repost a thread here for any help and advice...........all of which would be appreciated....THANKS
Original thread posted on www.quadsuk.net
OVERLAND FROM YORKSHIRE TO MONGOLIA ON A QUAD!!!
The name is Scarecrow57 (aka Carole Howard) from the name you should take it that I am female, I am 51 years old (going on 15!!!)......I am a slightly eccentric divorced ex farmer, currently living in North Yorkshire..........Oh my God, from my introduction this is beginning to sound like I am looking for a partner................ no, this is not correct at all, but I do need your help guys
Why do I need your help, well, for the last 2 months I have been planning an overland roadtrip to Mongolia and China in aid of three charities (Cancer Research, Womens Rural Refuge Retreat, and the brain injury charity Headway Teeside)......in the last 2 months I have raised over £3000 cash towards the trip but I would much prefer to donate these cash monies direct to the three charities and as a challenge get all the equipment required for the roadtrip donated.............and this is where you may be able to help.........'cause I have decided that I what I would like to do is this 365 day roadtrip on a quad bike.........yes, you did read that correctly........a quad bike!!!.......(I warned you I was 51 going on 15!!!)
So basically guys I am in desperate need of your help and your sound advice..........which quad would you recommend?..........do you think that this quad could tackle this sort of trip?...........do you know of anyone who has done anything similar before?........and finally, (and most importantly) would you know of any company willing to donate a quad for what many feel is a worthwhile cause.
A few details of the trip so far.............all equipment is being donated or sponsored..............in each region/country I have arranged to be donating a weeks volunteering work to a like minded charity to those that we are supporting back here in the UK............the aim is to raise at least £33000 ( but I am sure we would not complain if it was in excess of that figure!!!)........so far all the food and accommodation for the whole roadtrip ihas been very kindly been donated by over 200 world members of www.couchsurfing.com
I am in the process of setting up a website for all those that are or will be involved to keep a track of the trip...........(as I have published before it makes common sense to obviously write a book of the whole adventure during the roadtrip)...................the set off date is mid November 2009..............and it goes without saying that I would be honoured to do any promotion/press work for any company that is involved en route.
So guys can you please help in some way?......... all advice, donations, sponsorship, etc would make this roadtrip for all those involved something to be really proud of...........
Warmest regards
Carole Howard
(Scarecrow57)
May I thank you for reading thus far, and should you wish to contact me direct please do not hesitate to ring me on 01757 289834..........or email me carolehoward2712@hotmail.co.uk
MILL HILL BARN FARM
BREIGHTON
NEAR YORK
Original thread posted on www.quadsuk.net
OVERLAND FROM YORKSHIRE TO MONGOLIA ON A QUAD!!!
The name is Scarecrow57 (aka Carole Howard) from the name you should take it that I am female, I am 51 years old (going on 15!!!)......I am a slightly eccentric divorced ex farmer, currently living in North Yorkshire..........Oh my God, from my introduction this is beginning to sound like I am looking for a partner................ no, this is not correct at all, but I do need your help guys
Why do I need your help, well, for the last 2 months I have been planning an overland roadtrip to Mongolia and China in aid of three charities (Cancer Research, Womens Rural Refuge Retreat, and the brain injury charity Headway Teeside)......in the last 2 months I have raised over £3000 cash towards the trip but I would much prefer to donate these cash monies direct to the three charities and as a challenge get all the equipment required for the roadtrip donated.............and this is where you may be able to help.........'cause I have decided that I what I would like to do is this 365 day roadtrip on a quad bike.........yes, you did read that correctly........a quad bike!!!.......(I warned you I was 51 going on 15!!!)
So basically guys I am in desperate need of your help and your sound advice..........which quad would you recommend?..........do you think that this quad could tackle this sort of trip?...........do you know of anyone who has done anything similar before?........and finally, (and most importantly) would you know of any company willing to donate a quad for what many feel is a worthwhile cause.
A few details of the trip so far.............all equipment is being donated or sponsored..............in each region/country I have arranged to be donating a weeks volunteering work to a like minded charity to those that we are supporting back here in the UK............the aim is to raise at least £33000 ( but I am sure we would not complain if it was in excess of that figure!!!)........so far all the food and accommodation for the whole roadtrip ihas been very kindly been donated by over 200 world members of www.couchsurfing.com
I am in the process of setting up a website for all those that are or will be involved to keep a track of the trip...........(as I have published before it makes common sense to obviously write a book of the whole adventure during the roadtrip)...................the set off date is mid November 2009..............and it goes without saying that I would be honoured to do any promotion/press work for any company that is involved en route.
So guys can you please help in some way?......... all advice, donations, sponsorship, etc would make this roadtrip for all those involved something to be really proud of...........
Warmest regards
Carole Howard
(Scarecrow57)
May I thank you for reading thus far, and should you wish to contact me direct please do not hesitate to ring me on 01757 289834..........or email me carolehoward2712@hotmail.co.uk
MILL HILL BARN FARM
BREIGHTON
NEAR YORK
Hi
I would recomend the New Yamaha 550 Grizzly.
It has fuel injection and will half the amount of fuel a normal quad would and it has electric power steering so is alot lighter on the steering....
Although it has a fair bit of electrics on board we have been selling them to farmers and they have proved to be very relible.
A CVT gearbox has to be a must, you will need at least a 500cc to get a decent road speed, and i would think that 2 sets of tyres would be advisable as the nobbly tyres make them a bit irratic on the road.
I would recomend aproaching Yamaha or Honda direct, you may be suprised what they might offer.
Good Luck
Regards
Tom aka Zippy
I would recomend the New Yamaha 550 Grizzly.
It has fuel injection and will half the amount of fuel a normal quad would and it has electric power steering so is alot lighter on the steering....
Although it has a fair bit of electrics on board we have been selling them to farmers and they have proved to be very relible.
A CVT gearbox has to be a must, you will need at least a 500cc to get a decent road speed, and i would think that 2 sets of tyres would be advisable as the nobbly tyres make them a bit irratic on the road.
I would recomend aproaching Yamaha or Honda direct, you may be suprised what they might offer.
Good Luck
Regards
Tom aka Zippy
zippy144 said:
Hi
I would recomend the New Yamaha 550 Grizzly.
It has fuel injection and will half the amount of fuel a normal quad would and it has electric power steering so is alot lighter on the steering....
Although it has a fair bit of electrics on board we have been selling them to farmers and they have proved to be very relible.
A CVT gearbox has to be a must, you will need at least a 500cc to get a decent road speed, and i would think that 2 sets of tyres would be advisable as the nobbly tyres make them a bit irratic on the road.
I would recomend aproaching Yamaha or Honda direct, you may be suprised what they might offer.
Good Luck
Regards
Tom aka Zippy
Hi Zippy, I would recomend the New Yamaha 550 Grizzly.
It has fuel injection and will half the amount of fuel a normal quad would and it has electric power steering so is alot lighter on the steering....
Although it has a fair bit of electrics on board we have been selling them to farmers and they have proved to be very relible.
A CVT gearbox has to be a must, you will need at least a 500cc to get a decent road speed, and i would think that 2 sets of tyres would be advisable as the nobbly tyres make them a bit irratic on the road.
I would recomend aproaching Yamaha or Honda direct, you may be suprised what they might offer.
Good Luck
Regards
Tom aka Zippy
Thank you for your recommendation I appreciate it.......what seems to have come out of the off and online discussion is that the Outlander650 or the Yamaha Raptor 700 are possible contenders to be man enough and reliable enough for the roadtrip.
I have been in touch with Yamaha and BRB yesterday and as yet am awaiting their reply..Thank you for your confidence that they will be supportive....have you got any good contacts in Yamaha.......the guy I have been in touch with is David Pougher..I am under the impression he is in charge of the Commercial Dealer Network.
One discussion that has failed to resolve a problem I have, is trying to guessimate the fuel usage........the whole trip is about 11500 miles so it is an important figure to put into the cashflow........do you have any idea what MPG I would achieve?
An odd few of the guys on www.quadsuk.net say that not only have I lost the plot but the whole roadtrip is unachievable but I am sure it can be done......and hey ho it will be fun trying!!!
Thank you again for your advice
Scarecrow57
Hi
I have no clue what the MPG is, but on a standard non fuel injected bike it is not a great deal....
The Raptor is a craking bike a have a couple of customers who race them. I can only asume that you can get road legal kits for them??? Not sure what there road handling is like??? And being race tuned fuel economy will be crap...
As for the challenge itself.... If you believe in something enough it will happen, most people have no sence for adventure, and realising that there is a big bad world outside the UK just waiting to be explored....
I was due to be leaving next week for an expedition to Morrocco in a Land Rover for 4 weeks, but the financial commitments needed for such a trip became a problem with my fellow team member.
Its been done on a bike why not a quad bike....
Regards
Tom aka Zippy
I have no clue what the MPG is, but on a standard non fuel injected bike it is not a great deal....
The Raptor is a craking bike a have a couple of customers who race them. I can only asume that you can get road legal kits for them??? Not sure what there road handling is like??? And being race tuned fuel economy will be crap...
As for the challenge itself.... If you believe in something enough it will happen, most people have no sence for adventure, and realising that there is a big bad world outside the UK just waiting to be explored....
I was due to be leaving next week for an expedition to Morrocco in a Land Rover for 4 weeks, but the financial commitments needed for such a trip became a problem with my fellow team member.
Its been done on a bike why not a quad bike....
Regards
Tom aka Zippy
I would advise against the Raptor as I've run mine for over a year now, and it eats fuel like its going out of fashion. Additionally the Raptor over long distances (greater than 150 miles) becomes very uncomfortable. Expect about 75 miles on a tank full from the Raptor. Mines road legal, the SVA kit comes in at about a grand, including the testing. For that kind of trip, the only recommendation I would make is a Can Am Renagade or Outlander 800. Both very capable and comfortable machines.
Avoid a sports quad as they are height restrictive and have bugger all places to attach kit to. Quadzilla do a LWB 500cc ES which £ for £ provides very good results it comes with winch as standard and the seat is like a sofa. The odd one comes up time to time on my site. www.greenlaning-on-quads.co.uk
Try Ensign Motors as they get quite into charity events and they have a good reputation amongst quad dealers.
A CVT is a must for long haul trips as they will sit for ever and a day at 50 ish (The Can ams are good for 90!) However thje downside with the Can Ams is that the front brake is on the opposite side to a normal bike/quad - takes a bit of getting used to. Also make sure that you fit a Gasser Dual Cable throttle or your thumb will be paralysed after 200 miles. Its a thumb and twist grip conversion. One can be sourced from kartmanuk on ebay circa £100. worth every pennny (Not compatible with Can Ams)
There are a few members on GLOQ that can help with further recommendations if you ask there.
Hope that Helps,
Marc,
(RAPTY on GLOQ)
Avoid a sports quad as they are height restrictive and have bugger all places to attach kit to. Quadzilla do a LWB 500cc ES which £ for £ provides very good results it comes with winch as standard and the seat is like a sofa. The odd one comes up time to time on my site. www.greenlaning-on-quads.co.uk
Try Ensign Motors as they get quite into charity events and they have a good reputation amongst quad dealers.
A CVT is a must for long haul trips as they will sit for ever and a day at 50 ish (The Can ams are good for 90!) However thje downside with the Can Ams is that the front brake is on the opposite side to a normal bike/quad - takes a bit of getting used to. Also make sure that you fit a Gasser Dual Cable throttle or your thumb will be paralysed after 200 miles. Its a thumb and twist grip conversion. One can be sourced from kartmanuk on ebay circa £100. worth every pennny (Not compatible with Can Ams)
There are a few members on GLOQ that can help with further recommendations if you ask there.
Hope that Helps,
Marc,
(RAPTY on GLOQ)
zippy144 said:
Hi
I have no clue what the MPG is, but on a standard non fuel injected bike it is not a great deal....
The Raptor is a craking bike a have a couple of customers who race them. I can only asume that you can get road legal kits for them??? Not sure what there road handling is like??? And being race tuned fuel economy will be crap...
As for the challenge itself.... If you believe in something enough it will happen, most people have no sence for adventure, and realising that there is a big bad world outside the UK just waiting to be explored....
I was due to be leaving next week for an expedition to Morrocco in a Land Rover for 4 weeks, but the financial commitments needed for such a trip became a problem with my fellow team member.
Its been done on a bike why not a quad bike....
Regards
Tom aka Zippy
Hi Tom (aka Zippy144)I have no clue what the MPG is, but on a standard non fuel injected bike it is not a great deal....
The Raptor is a craking bike a have a couple of customers who race them. I can only asume that you can get road legal kits for them??? Not sure what there road handling is like??? And being race tuned fuel economy will be crap...
As for the challenge itself.... If you believe in something enough it will happen, most people have no sence for adventure, and realising that there is a big bad world outside the UK just waiting to be explored....
I was due to be leaving next week for an expedition to Morrocco in a Land Rover for 4 weeks, but the financial commitments needed for such a trip became a problem with my fellow team member.
Its been done on a bike why not a quad bike....
Regards
Tom aka Zippy
Thanks for the info........I think I have narrowed the quads down to an Outlander650 Max or a CCM LX600 either quad according to the guys on www.quadsuk.net they both appear to be man enough for the job, with both reliability and strength......
As to the challange everything is gaining momentum now and I am trying to sort out the visas and innoculations for the roadtrip.....the date of departure has been brought forward to mid November 2009, which is only 7 weeks away, so I am starting to get excited about everything now.......mind you I am bricking it abit as well 'cause I have never done anything like this before........
Sorry to hear about your Morrocan roadtrip can you not find anyone else to go? There should be someone else out there who has the time effort and inclination not forgetting the dosh to it........mind you I cannot find anyone else to do this with me so I thought Ok I am over 50 and I'm a big girl now so what the hell I will do it on my own......
What sort of cash are you budgeting for the trip?
Warmest regards
Scarecrow57 (aka Carole)
If You Look Like Your Passport Photo.......You Are To Ill To Travel!!!!
[quote==Stella Artois=]I would advise against the Raptor as I've run mine for over a year now, and it eats fuel like its going out of fashion. Additionally the Raptor over long distances (greater than 150 miles) becomes very uncomfortable. Expect about 75 miles on a tank full from the Raptor. Mines road legal, the SVA kit comes in at about a grand, including the testing. For that kind of trip, the only recommendation I would make is a Can Am Renagade or Outlander 800. Both very capable and comfortable machines.
Avoid a sports quad as they are height restrictive and have bugger all places to attach kit to. Quadzilla do a LWB 500cc ES which £ for £ provides very good results it comes with winch as standard and the seat is like a sofa. The odd one comes up time to time on my site. www.greenlaning-on-quads.co.uk
Try Ensign Motors as they get quite into charity events and they have a good reputation amongst quad dealers.
A CVT is a must for long haul trips as they will sit for ever and a day at 50 ish (The Can ams are good for 90!) However thje downside with the Can Ams is that the front brake is on the opposite side to a normal bike/quad - takes a bit of getting used to. Also make sure that you fit a Gasser Dual Cable throttle or your thumb will be paralysed after 200 miles. Its a thumb and twist grip conversion. One can be sourced from kartmanuk on ebay circa £100. worth every pennny (Not compatible with Can Ams)
There are a few members on GLOQ that can help with further recommendations if you ask there.
Hope that Helps,
Marc,
(RAPTY on GLOQ)
[/quote]
Good Morning Stella Artois (aka Marc)
Thanks for the info re my backside and my thumb........with regards to my backside...which I must admit I have been a bit worried about!!!.....I have made sure that over the years I 'ave built up plenty of padding in that department so there shouldn't be too much problem there.......also this roadtrip will not be a race so the mileage covered per day should not be too bad at all......I take your point about my thumb though........'cause I remember on my previous quad when I was gathering sheep all day it used to seize up by late afternoon so I will definitly investigate the Gazzer Duel Cable Throttle.......cheers mate for the prompt on that one..........
...when I have finished this post I will check out GLOQ......'cause all info and advice is greatly appreciated......Thanks
Got to get back to filling in visa applications....does anyone speak Ukraine or Moldovian????????......'cause this paperwork is hell on earth!!!
Warmest regards
Scarecrow57
(aka Carole)
There Is More To Travel Than The Destination.....Its Called The Journey!!!
Avoid a sports quad as they are height restrictive and have bugger all places to attach kit to. Quadzilla do a LWB 500cc ES which £ for £ provides very good results it comes with winch as standard and the seat is like a sofa. The odd one comes up time to time on my site. www.greenlaning-on-quads.co.uk
Try Ensign Motors as they get quite into charity events and they have a good reputation amongst quad dealers.
A CVT is a must for long haul trips as they will sit for ever and a day at 50 ish (The Can ams are good for 90!) However thje downside with the Can Ams is that the front brake is on the opposite side to a normal bike/quad - takes a bit of getting used to. Also make sure that you fit a Gasser Dual Cable throttle or your thumb will be paralysed after 200 miles. Its a thumb and twist grip conversion. One can be sourced from kartmanuk on ebay circa £100. worth every pennny (Not compatible with Can Ams)
There are a few members on GLOQ that can help with further recommendations if you ask there.
Hope that Helps,
Marc,
(RAPTY on GLOQ)
[/quote]
Good Morning Stella Artois (aka Marc)
Thanks for the info re my backside and my thumb........with regards to my backside...which I must admit I have been a bit worried about!!!.....I have made sure that over the years I 'ave built up plenty of padding in that department so there shouldn't be too much problem there.......also this roadtrip will not be a race so the mileage covered per day should not be too bad at all......I take your point about my thumb though........'cause I remember on my previous quad when I was gathering sheep all day it used to seize up by late afternoon so I will definitly investigate the Gazzer Duel Cable Throttle.......cheers mate for the prompt on that one..........
...when I have finished this post I will check out GLOQ......'cause all info and advice is greatly appreciated......Thanks
Got to get back to filling in visa applications....does anyone speak Ukraine or Moldovian????????......'cause this paperwork is hell on earth!!!
Warmest regards
Scarecrow57
(aka Carole)
There Is More To Travel Than The Destination.....Its Called The Journey!!!
Hi
We budgeted for a minimum of £5000.00 but we suspected it could rise to £6500-7000 as a worst case.
This was a total budget taking into account all the gear needed for the trip,food,road tolls, camping costs, ferry crossings,spare parts, insurance but not the Land Rover itself of course....
Fuel was going to be our biggets expence at just under £2000.00. As we were looking at a total milage of about 4000 miles.
We also took into account worst case if the Land Rover dies how much it would cost to recover home....
I asume you have a support vehicle or another quad going aswell???
Regards
Tom aka Zippy
We budgeted for a minimum of £5000.00 but we suspected it could rise to £6500-7000 as a worst case.
This was a total budget taking into account all the gear needed for the trip,food,road tolls, camping costs, ferry crossings,spare parts, insurance but not the Land Rover itself of course....
Fuel was going to be our biggets expence at just under £2000.00. As we were looking at a total milage of about 4000 miles.
We also took into account worst case if the Land Rover dies how much it would cost to recover home....
I asume you have a support vehicle or another quad going aswell???
Regards
Tom aka Zippy
zippy144 said:
Hi
We budgeted for a minimum of £5000.00 but we suspected it could rise to £6500-7000 as a worst case.
This was a total budget taking into account all the gear needed for the trip,food,road tolls, camping costs, ferry crossings,spare parts, insurance but not the Land Rover itself of course....
Fuel was going to be our biggets expence at just under £2000.00. As we were looking at a total milage of about 4000 miles.
We also took into account worst case if the Land Rover dies how much it would cost to recover home....
I asume you have a support vehicle or another quad going aswell???
Regards
Tom aka Zippy
Hi Tom aka Zippy,We budgeted for a minimum of £5000.00 but we suspected it could rise to £6500-7000 as a worst case.
This was a total budget taking into account all the gear needed for the trip,food,road tolls, camping costs, ferry crossings,spare parts, insurance but not the Land Rover itself of course....
Fuel was going to be our biggets expence at just under £2000.00. As we were looking at a total milage of about 4000 miles.
We also took into account worst case if the Land Rover dies how much it would cost to recover home....
I asume you have a support vehicle or another quad going aswell???
Regards
Tom aka Zippy
You should do your Morrocan roadtrip on your own.....you will meet god knows how many people on the way.....don't let a minor problem like lack of funds put you off........
No, there will be no support crew.........I have advertised for anyone who wants to come along for the ride, but as yet I haven't found anyone who can spare the time away from their friends/family and life commitments..........its a shame really 'cause this roadtrip will be a gas!!!
Warmest regards
Scarecrow57
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