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Our customer Guillaume Lambin set off on a trip to Mongolia on his XT600Z Tenere in February 2024.
His aim on this trip was to document the effects of climate change on the local population.
We at KEDO were happy to support him. His trusty XT600Z mastered the route amazingly well. Guillaume broadcasts his impressions around the globe. Follow his channels on Instagram and YouTube.
Guillaume returned from his trip in August 2024. He had to leave his trusty XT600z behind in Osh / Kyrgyzstan after tackling the Pamir Highway, as it was not possible to get the damaged rear wheel back into a reliable condition on site. All the spokes were damaged and replacements were not available in Kyrgyzstan.
Guillaume plans to return in 2025 with a new bike in his luggage and ride his Ténéré back to France on its own axle.
Let's stay tuned.
Hello Guillaume, how do you feel now that you have mastered the journey?
GL: In the beginning, the first two months were full of discoveries, you met people every day and were excited about everything. Then it became routine, one day you wake up and forget that you are living your dream, but you have to enjoy it because everyone is with you. It's a strange feeling. Now I've started traveling differently, going for a day and then trying to stay in the same place for two or three days. To meet locals and discover the culture, but also to relax more because you can't imagine how exhausting it is to travel like that. You always have to be 100 % when you meet someone, you have to think about your water and your food. Where am I going to sleep tonight? What's the best road today? You don't want to miss anything...
My feelings are good now, after 4 months of traveling, I know how lucky I am to be on the road, it's not a vacation, it has started to be my life. I am ready for the next place to discover and how beautiful the world is and how many good people there are.
What was the scariest moment so far, what was the most satisfying moment?
GL: I didn't have a scary moment. You know, when you spend every night in your tent in solitude, you start to see everything in a much more relaxed way. One moment I remember was in Georgia when I was on my motorcycle in the middle of nowhere. I hit a difficult spot on the dirt road and at the same time five big dogs, almost as big as ponies, approached. They started barking at me, and dogs are really dangerous in Georgia. I know a lot of people who have been bitten. Just imagine that you are riding your 250 kg motorcycle on a difficult road and five dogs are running as fast as they can to catch up with you. Just concentrate on the road and be confident. If I crash now, I don't want to imagine what will happen.
The most satisfying moment is probably when I reach a place that I really wanted to see. For example, Cappadocia in Turkey or the Mangouistaou Desert in Kazakhstan. Or the Meteora in Greece. When you reach these places that you've been dreaming about for a year, just like in your dream, it's an incredible feeling.
What do you think about your XT600Z Tenere? Was it a good choice or do you wish you had more power and comfort for a future trip?
GL: My beloved Tenere is exactly what I want it to be: every morning you wake up and see your bike in its natural environment. You can only smile and look forward to the ride. I think the best bike for traveling is the bike you have. A bike that you enjoy riding. Of course, it would be nice if I had more power on the big climbs, but when I'm on the gravel road, I don't miss anything!
Maybe in the future I'd like to travel on something minimalist like an XT500, very simple and basic. You see all these people with big GSs or T7s. That's good equipment of course, but I want something with more personality, if you want to have a real connection with your bike, only old bikes give you that.
How do people react to a motorcyclist who is so far away from home?
GL: It depends on the country. In Turkey, I've seen very few local motorcyclists, so it's crazy for them. In Russia, I'm just a guy like many others. The country is so big, it's a classic to go to Lake Balkai for a two-week vacation... In Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan, people are very surprised by my trip. I've often seen more cities than the locals I've met.
Would you recommend your peers to go on such an adventure and why?
GL: I can really recommend traveling the world to everyone. Go out, just go to your neighboring village. The world is so beautiful and people are so friendly everywhere. When you travel, you can experience more in a month than in a year in your own country. You also feel the happiness of being a European citizen, having a family and the right to go wherever you want.
It also gives you self-confidence. It really is the best school of life.
Guillaume is a 26-year-old French chef who has decided to cross the world on his motorcycle, an old Ténéré 600 from 1988. His father gave him this faithful Yamaha as his first bike when he turned 18. It was this bike that opened the door to adventure on two wheels for him. After a trip through Scandinavia, through Norway and Sweden, during which he camped by numerous lakes and lived in complete harmony with nature, Guillaume decided to travel to Africa and cross Morocco on tracks between mountains and desert.
Life then offers him the opportunity to travel to Taiwan to visit his girlfriend. The discovery of a new culture, new landscapes and a new language made a lasting impression on him. This was followed by trips to Japan and Vietnam, which only intensified his thirst for discovery.
Back in France, the monotony of life all too quickly regains the upper hand over a thirst for adventure and curiosity. One month later, the MONGOLIA 2024 project is born. The old TÉNÉRÉ has more than 90,000 km on the clock and urgently needs a general overhaul. They also need to find a job to raise the money for the trip. Between kitchen duty and work in the garage during the break, a real race ensues to have a finished motorcycle and a finalized budget.
Guillaume contacts us via FRANK at KEDO France in September 2023. He is looking for partners to support him with his travel project.
Guillame Lambin: "When I sent an email to Frank from KEDO France in September 2023, it was really on the off-chance, but nothing ventured...!
The next day, Frank arranged a telephone appointment for me to present my project to him - bingo!
He was convinced, and within three days I was working on a partnership folder to support my application.
Kedo and Frank were a great help in concretizing my plans, so that I was able to get my old Ténéré in shape and am now looking forward to the Mongolian slopes.
With this motorcycle trip, Guillaume wants to document the effects of climate change on the local population. On his journey, he will cross Turkey, Iran and Iraq to draw attention to the immense water problems in this region, particularly concerning the Tigris and Euphrates rivers.
Guillaume will then head towards Central Asia to reach the Aral Sea, which dried up in the 1970s due to intensive cotton cultivation.
Finally, he will continue his route through Kazakhstan and Russia to arrive at his destination - the capital of Mongolia.
We KEDOs are pleased to be able to support him in this and will report further.
