KARAGODIN® MOTO

My Ride to the Official 2026 Motorcycle Season Opening in Tomsk

I arrived at the citywide meetup spot on a rainy Saturday, May 16, 2026. It was pretty cold, so I wore warmer gear.

I spent about an hour at the meetup, talked with the guys, and then we headed out as a spontaneous but friendly riding group.

Monkey — King of the Road

Stas spent the whole winter building his Monkey bike. By the start of the season, it was ready — and now the Monkey is king of the road. It runs with the liter bikes and gives them no mercy.

Blasting Down Komsomolsky Avenue at the 2026 Motorcycle Season Opening in Tomsk

Maxim, Kirill, and I ripped down one of Tomsk’s central avenues during the motorcycle season opening.

Kirill Burned Rubber at the 2026 Motorcycle Season Opening in Tomsk

After the general meetup, before we headed to the official venue for the season opening, Kirill decided to warm up his rear tire a little.

Caught in the First Rain of the Motorcycle Season

On the evening of May 9, as I was leaving the Avangard Cultural Center in Tomsk, my battery unexpectedly died. I called Erica and asked her to bring my jump starter to bring my bike back to life. She was just heading out with Alexey to pick up Mila, so the timing was perfect.

A Ride Through Tomsk with a Legend of Soviet Motorcycle Culture — the Jawa 350

On the evening of May 9, I was riding toward the Avangard Cultural Center in Tomsk for the ceremony marking the end of the Honor Guard Company’s watch at the monument to Hero of the Soviet Union Ivan Chernykh.