Biking in Georgia
Kevin Cain ©2003
kcain@caucasus.net
Biking in Georgia is certainly different and the country does not really have a biking culture. There was some biking activity in the old Soviet days, mainly speedway and some motocross, and the farmers and police have always used Ural bikes with sidecars as a cheap means of transport, but it was never seen really as a leisure activity until recently.
The Georgian Traffic Law and Highway Code have no provisions for motorcycles; there is no training and no form of driving test. Any Georgian biker who has the appropriate stamp on his driving licence must merely convince the issuing office that he is competent (and normally a small present helps). There is no requirement for insurance and indeed no means of insuring a motorcycle here. Of course helmets are not compulsory and I have even been stopped by the police to be told that it was not right to wear a helmet in Georgia! The police in Tbilisi have recently been equipped with some old Moto Guzzis, and though they do wear open face helmets, they do not fasten the straps!
The situation is slowly changing as far as the number and type of bikes is concerned. When I first arrived on my BMW R1100GS in 1997, it was one of the first foreign motorcycle in Georgia, and then a Gold Wing was imported followed by a Super Tenere. One or two other expats followed my example and imported KTMs from a dealership in Istanbul. A Bikers Club (Camelot) was formed and consisted mainly of old Soviet machines as well as beautifully restored BMWs from the Second\World War (of which there are many just lying around in bits). Some of the more ingenious Georgians have constructed chopper type bikes from what was available. In the past year there has been an increase in the number of bikes imported, mainly second hand from Europe, including some very fast sports bikes. I myself was riding a Honda CBR1100XX Super Blackbird for a while, but it is entirely unsuited to the poor roads in Georgia and it was impossible to really enjoy the bike here. My R1100GS was far more suited to the local conditions, and I was also able to make a further return trip to Europe on this bike. It has now been replaced by a new R1150 GS Adventure which is perfect.
A further problem facing Georgian bikers is a complete lack of any dealership or workshop. All spare parts must be individually imported, but there are several good mechanics available to do regular maintenance. Because of the lack of formal training and the fact that most journeys are limited to a small radius around Tbilisi, there is considerable ignorance concerning the correct usage of modern motorcycles, and most Georgians will not believe me when I say that 80% of braking should normally be via the front brake. They ride with considerable abandon in traffic and most of the bikes are dropped regularly, fortunately with minimum damage to the riders. Motorists are also unused to seeing bikes on the road. The Bikers Club is trying to do some basic training and I have tried to help training by supplying videos, but there is much more that needs to be done.
Georgia is in fact an excellent country for biking though the roads are generally very poor. On the other hand the scenery is beautiful and the weather very suitable for biking. We are a bit off the normal route for travellers, though we do see the occasional long distance rider coming through. Two German tourists came through on BMW R1100 RTs not long ago and made the mistake of offloading their panniers and leaving the bikes in the street overnight. Of course by morning they had gone. Because bikes are still fairly rare here, Georgians seeing a parked bike feel that this is an open invitation to sit on the bike and see how it feels. I learnt to my cost that it is always best to leave my bikes on the centre stand and only to park where I can keep an eye on the bike. On one occasion my bike was pushed over causing considerable damage.
In defence of the Georgian bikers, it must be said that with a few exceptions, very few have enough money to buy a good bike. Most Georgian Bikers are very young and new tyres and spare parts are very expensive for them. Very few indeed have any form of proper protective clothing. Even though recently some have started to wear helmets, in most cases these are borrowed from friends and do not fit properly. There is a very small market for second hand bikes and though more and more people are becoming interested in biking as a leisure activity, the cost of a good second hand bike is more than most Georgians would pay for a car. The Bikers Club makes every effort to raise public awareness of biking with frequent articles in the press and appearances on local television programmes. Two Georgian bikers were recently invited to join the Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan trip on their own bikes and received some sponsorship to cover their expenses. Georgian bikers are very enthusiastic about biking, and in view of the obstacles and difficulties they are facing, it requires considerable determination and commitment to enjoy their hobby.
Though biking is a different experience in Georgia, the Georgian bikers are very enthusiastic and deserve all the support that they can get. Biking in Georgia has been a very rewarding experience for me and has enabled me to make very many friends. The trend towards bike ownership is increasing year by year and this is a very positive factor towards the development of biking here. There is an urgent need for basic and advanced training but I can just see the face of my old instructors in London if faced with a group of Georgian bikers with no helmets or proper protective clothing! I also have a small (185cc) Honda which I have been using to teach some friends, but in most cases new Georgian riders are learning on much more powerful machines and in the absence of a legal limitation on the machines which can be ridden by new riders such as we have in Europe, then this state of affairs is likely to continue. We look with envy on the sort of training and rides which OMM is able to organise in Turkey, and even though we are the neighbouring country, it takes two days hard riding to reach Istanbul. If ever an event were to organised towards the East of Turkey then I am sure that we could find some Georgian bikers to participate.
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