There are some common questions we keep receiving. This page tries to address some of them:
Question: Motorcycling in Russia
Me and some friends are thinking of driving through Norway first up to Nordcap and then continue to Murmansk.
I hope it is ok to ask you so my question to you is if there is anything you should think of when driving a bike to Russia as you and your friends
have the experience of doing this, in terms of visa, insurances etc ?
Answer: The trip through Kirkenes in Norway to Murmansk is definitely doable, I've done the same trip with a car couple years ago.
Fuel availability in the Kola Penisula may be issue, so be sure to fill up as often as possible. For example, I think there is only one gas station between the border and Murmansk.
Be prepared to use sign language if nobody in your group speaks russian, as english is not very widely spoken in that area.
You need to have russian visas for all attendees, they can be got from example from www.lahialuematkat.fi.
In addition, you will need to buy Russian road insurance ("strahovka") from the border. This is mandatory even if you have a green card from your insurance company. Motorcycle theft insurance of most companies is not valid in Russia, especially if you have a Harley, or don't have an approved immobilization device.
When stopping for a night, be sure to park your bike into one of the guarded parking lots ("stayanka").
The speed limits in Russia are quite slow, and people rarely observe them. However, be careful to follow rules when arriving or leaving a city as there are usually police traffic control stations there. If you get pulled over by the police, you can usually get away by paying a small bribe (100-500 rubles).
Hotels in smaller cities might be difficult to recognize, as they may not have any signs on them. Usually the best way is to ask for directions to one ("Izvinitse bashalshta, gdye gastiinitsa?").
Question: Reusing pictures from Routa MC website
I would like to ask if you would allow me to publish pictures or travel stories from your website, on my own. I would of course grant the credit and a direct link to your website.
Answer: The whole contents of the Routa MC website are available under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 2.0 license. This means that you are free:
to copy, distribute, display, and perform the work
to make derivative works
Under the following conditions:
Attribution. You must attribute the work in the manner specified by the author or licensor.
Noncommercial. You may not use this work for commercial purposes.
Share Alike. If you alter, transform, or build upon this work, you may distribute the resulting work only under a license identical to this one.
