So Tallinn was nice but it was time to head to Russia. Due to a bad lead, I left Tallinn a day early to head to the border town of Narva in my quest to find motor insurance for Russia. I stayed in a lovely 5th floor Soviet era tower block (no lifts). That being said its all fine.
Narva had a very russian vibe with all the signs, newspapers, tv etc.. being in russian. Quite the contrast to Tallinn which is the epitome of the EU. Anyway I filled up my tank so I had plenty of petrol to get to St Petersburg and then relaxed with a pint ready for the following days trials.
The border crossing went without a hitch, but was slow mainly due to extensive customs checks on all vehicles (but not mine!). Border staff were jovial and helped with all the paperwork and wished me a nice trip.
Fortunately there is an insurance office just past the border. Unfortunately the computer says no! He entered the make of vehicle - Triumph - fine. Which model, spitfire or stag? A
rrrgh! After much typing on the computer he eventually gave up and told me to try my luck in St Petersburg.
So … Russian drivers.. interesting. The concept of lanes doesn't quite work the same here, with peeps diving left and right, under and over taking, cars filtering down the middle and the speed limit seems to be a very loose guide at best.
Riding into rush hour in St Pete's with no insurance was a bit of a white knuckle ride. Particularly when you can't read any of the signs! Made it unscathed but I have some concerns with the trip. No UK insurer will touch Russia, and the Russians won't insure either. (Maybe a motorbike issue, maybe a nationality issue.).
If I can't sort this I need to consider how to progress but its not looking good at the moment.
http://www.horizonsunlimited.com/hubb/northern-asia/insurance-for-russia-95741
Some suggestions from others travelling in Russia on motorbikes.
Someone had luck with
www.alfastrah.ru