7Days1Shower

14/04/2024

Ak-Baital Pass, the highest pass in the ex-Soviet Union.

I crossed over this pass, in Tajikistan, 4 times whilst looping through Central Asia.

Unpaved on either side, it's either dealing with long stretches of corrugation/washboard that rattle your bike and bones loose or dodging deep potholes.

It's quite surreal to be out here and up here, far away from the rest of the world, save for maybe another traveller passing by on a bicycle or motorbike.

24/03/2024

To guarantee results when strapping down luggage, it's very important to finish off with "well, that's not going anywhere"

19/03/2024

Another day, another magazine feature.

Check out the latest article in Bike Magazine UK that not only covers the most recent ride across Russia and Central Asia but also previous odysseys with GSXRs across Europe and America!

06/11/2023

On set for a short film by BendixMoto about my travels around the world on my GSXR.

Check out the preview, now live, on the Bendix page!

Can't wait for the full video to come out 😊

02/11/2023

Preview of the video feature by Bendix Moto, now live!

21/10/2023

Stoked to win a new pair of Air N Dry gloves at the Adventure Rider Congregation meet.

My last pair served me well through all kinds of weather during my ride from Australia to India.

Big thank you to (Australian distributor for Held)

14/10/2023

24/09/2023

☺️☺️☺️

Any bike's an adventure bike with the right attitude...

Ashim Ranadive has taken his Suzuki GSX-R through 60 countries, including his latest ride through Central Asia, including Mongolia, Kyrgyzstan, Pakistan, and India.

With knobbly tyres and minimal modifications, Ashim took his bike to places and roads which would scare off less intrepid, but more equipped travellers, once again proving that it's not the bike you ride, but how you ride it.

You can read his full travel story in the latest issue of Adventure Bike Rider, available now via the link in our bio.

21/09/2023

Super excited to see a full feature of the GSXR that could in the latest issue of Adventure Bike Rider magazine!

Now if only I could get my hands on a hard copy from the UK!

08/08/2023

Chapter 1 of the 2019 ride from Australia to India on a GSXR is now up.

https://www.7d1s.com/2023/08/australia-to-india-on-a-gsxr-chapter-1/

Please let me know your thoughts so I can incorporate feedback into future chapters.

I have tried to keep it brief but perhaps will get around to a longer format (book?) one day to waffle on 🤣

04/08/2023

Ever wondered how a foreign registered vehicle continues to travel overland on the registration of its home country?

Check out this 'guide I've put together to understand Temporary Import Permits and Carnets!

https://www.7d1s.com/2023/07/overland-travel-paperwork-carnets-tips/

18/07/2023

I sometimes found myself taking a break every 1km. Although it doesn't sound like much, that 1km would often take 10-15 mins each time, wrestling the bike through sand and rocks in the midday sun, with no shade for miles.

During these breaks, I'd wonder what I'd gotten myself into and whether I would get out the other end. I'd force myself to push those thoughts aside and take in the beauty of where I was and persevere onwards...

10/07/2023

A relaxing Sunday ride out to my favourite road, although I didn’t get to visit my usual stops due to a lot of traffic coming over from the main highway that had an accident

Bike is back to its rightful place in the living room.

08/07/2023

Riding the Wakhan Corridor that separates Tajikistan and Afghanistan is a bucket list item for many adventure rider.

For Yosuke & I, on our Monkey & GSXR, it was more of an anxiety ridden challenge.

We had discussed for days before whether we would actually head in or take the more straightforward route of the M41 between Alichur and Khorog.

There aren’t any signs marking the entrance bit everyone knows of the little turn off to the left shortly after leaving Alichur.

We stopped, looked at each other and thought, let’s do it!

Within metres, the poorly paved tarmac ends and a trial by fire commences with deep, sandy trails…

06/07/2023

Did you know there's a blog?!

Over a decade ago, I set up www.7d1s.com with grand visions of writing and sharing my experiences, but sadly, procrastination got in the way...

It's taken a couple of days but I've gone through the whole site, fixed all broken image links and gotten everything back in working order so I can finally start documenting and sharing a decades worth of exploring the world on a GSXR!

The last post was written in 2021 about the most recent ride from Australia to India but I'd love to hear any suggestions for new write-ups!

Riding GSXR's to inappropriate places around the world

01/07/2023

Have you ever wondered what it would be like to go back in time?

Getting into the Buzludzha Monument in Bulgaria was a challenge of it's own but once inside, it was like stepping back in time to the era of Soviet rule in Bulgaria.

Check out the post here on what it was like inside!

https://www.7d1s.com/2016/08/breaking-into-the-buzludzha-monument-bulgaria/

28/06/2023

Happiness personified; me, my bike and I somewhere in Central Mongolia.

It simply wasn't possible not to stop every few minutes to admire the beauty of the vast open country I was crossing.

Of course the breaks provided the added bonus of a reprieve from the heat, dust and pain of wrangling a sportbike though terrible terrain

26/06/2023

Fuel; how and where when riding across the world?

One the biggest concerns for most when riding to remote corners of the world is where to get the elixir that fuels our beloved machines.

If a sportbike intended to be run on high octane fuel can cross some remotest regions of the world with a max range of ~300km, I'd think anyone should be able to!

I've compiled a few simple steps that I follow which has, so far, nevr left me sranded!

1. If you don't have a fuel gauge (as I didn't), understand your bikes fuel range across various terrains/conditions.

2. Every time you fill up, zero out your trip-meter and keep an eye on it.

3. Check your maps (online or offline) to understand where the next fuel is available but don't rely on it being there!

4. If availability is a concern, stop frequently to fill up, even if after only 50km. Consider it a break to have some water or a snack. That extra 50km top up could be the difference between continuing the ride or being stranded at a pump that 'should have been right here'.

5. Use a pre-filter (sock filter) where possible. Using this with a high pressure pump won't go well (speaking from experience) but highly recommended when filling from questionable buckets of fuel.

6. Get familiar with your fuel system; pulling your tank to clear sediment, clearing away blockages from your fuel filter and changing fuel filters.

7. Last but not least, the obvious, for super-remote places, carry spare fuel where possible. I carried 11L spare across Mongolia and Tajikistan/Afghanistan between fuel bladders and my camping stove bottle and the only time I had to use it was help out an Africa Twin that had run dry despite multiple canisters bolted to his bike!