Monday 12 May 2014

Istanbul


Mercenary Garage - Istanbul 2014
The Soviet experiencing culture shock.



The Soviet and me, we went to Istanbul for a few days. The original plan involved renting a Transalp and mooching around the countryside, but it rained a lot so we stayed in the city. It's a wonderful place. It's pretty exotic but it has all the conveniences of a large European city and doesn't have any of the hassles associated with say, Morocco. The people are friendly and easygoing and the food is consistently amazing!

It was a lovely trip and I can't wait to back on a bike to explore the rest of the country.


Mercenary Garage - Istanbul 2014

Mercenary Garage - Istanbul 2014
KTM 990 Adventure


Mercenary Garage - Istanbul 2014

Mercenary Garage - Istanbul 2014
Honda CBF 150 - These are ubiquitous in Istanbul and are the courier's weapon of choice. Note the crash-bars.


Mercenary Garage - Istanbul 2014
Another CBF 150.


Mercenary Garage - Istanbul 2014
Arora AR 200 anyone?


Mercenary Garage - Istanbul 2014

Mercenary Garage - Istanbul 2014
Malaysian built Megelli 250R - How beautiful is that?



Mercenary Garage - Istanbul 2014

Mercenary Garage - Istanbul 2014
BMW something-or-other... Yawn!


Mercenary Garage - Istanbul 2014
Zealsun? IDK...


Mercenary Garage - Istanbul 2014
Or a Kanuni?


Mercenary Garage - Istanbul 2014
Sym Wolf Classic.


Mercenary Garage - Istanbul 2014
Early 90's BMW GS


Mercenary Garage - Istanbul 2014
Spanky new Honda NC700.



Mercenary Garage - Istanbul 2014
Soviet Gangnam Style!


Mercenary Garage - Istanbul 2014
Give that Soviet a arbus. Soviets love arbus!


Mercenary Garage - Istanbul 2014
Tarty Sportster.


Mercenary Garage - Istanbul 2014

Mercenary Garage - Istanbul 2014
Buying Ice cream is a big theatrical production in Istanbul with bells and whistles. The ice cream has a weird visco-elastic texture allowing the sellers to do a variation of the shell game with the customer. Its funny to watch.


Mercenary Garage - Istanbul 2014
There are cats everywhere and they're treated like communal pets rather than strays. They have the run of the bars and cafes and people stop in the street to play with them. There's a similar situation with dogs but the dogs wear plastic tags in their ears.


Mercenary Garage - Istanbul 2014
Hagia Sophia. 


Mercenary Garage - Istanbul 2014
Graffiti in the bohemian part of the city near Galata tower. There's a fantastic nightlife in this area.


Mercenary Garage - Istanbul 2014
Jawa.


Mercenary Garage - Istanbul 2014
Aprilia Caponord.


Mercenary Garage - Istanbul 2014
Honda CRF 250


Mercenary Garage - Istanbul 2014
Mondial X-treme Max. When they bring out an Ultra Super X-treme Max I'll buy one.


Mercenary Garage - Istanbul 2014
When I first saw this I thought it was a Honda Rebel 250...


Mercenary Garage - Istanbul 2014
...but apparently it's a Regal Rider Motorcycles DD125E. I don't really go for cruisers much, especially small ones, but this is pretty nice (as is the Honda Rebel).


Mercenary Garage - Istanbul 2014
Kuba Motor K4. This thing is both compelling and hideous in equal measure. I thought it was pretty horrible yet I couldn't stop looking at it. It reminded me of those weird Japanese movies with a superhero who looks like a fly drives a jet powered motorcycle. In the end I decided that I loved it...


Mercenary Garage - Istanbul 2014
The electric motor appears to be located inside the rear hub - which is interesting from a packaging point of view. Note the abundance of rear shocks.


Mercenary Garage - Istanbul 2014
Suzuki DRZ 400...


Mercenary Garage - Istanbul 2014
...from California...


Mercenary Garage - Istanbul 2014
...apparently arriving in Turkey via South America. I left a business card on the bike so if the owner reads this, I'd love if you get in touch and tell me how your trip is going.


Mercenary Garage - Istanbul 2014

Mercenary Garage - Istanbul 2014
These guys are fishing off the Galata bridge right in the middle of the city. I have an idea that this is a sort of professional operation and they sell their catch to the fish restaurants located beneath the bridge.


Mercenary Garage - Istanbul 2014

Mercenary Garage - Istanbul 2014

Mercenary Garage - Istanbul 2014
Triumph Tiger


Mercenary Garage - Istanbul 2014


#TheSoviet #YelenaKalashnikova #Mercenary #MercenaryGarage #Istanbul


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