Hey, I am planning to buy a motorcycle in Vladivostok beginning of August 2008 and ride it to Europe. My plan is to buy a used Russian motorcycle in good condition, bring some light camping gear and a credit card. I realise that the Ural/Dnepr bikes dont have the best reputation, but must be easier to get spareparts and find able mechanics if/when the bike brakes down. And the feeling inside must be real good, riding a Ural across Russia.

My two questions about buying a motorcycle:

1) Can anyone recommend a used-mc dealer in Vladivostok?

2) How to get the license plates without a permanent address in Russia?
Here they write about "letter of attorney":
http://www.horizonsunlimited.com/hub...n-russia-35266
I dont speak any Russian, so I thought about paying a Russian lawyer to translate and approve the letter from the dealer. Does not sound very cheap, but getting cheated could be even more expensive. Is this the way to go?

Any other tips for the trip is of course very welcome. If you want to meet in Vladivostok or elsewhere for sharing stories or km's on the road, let me know.

Mathias

try to speak to this guy i have a feeling he can help
Îôèöèàëüíûé ñàéò Ñèíóñà "Áåñïå÷íûé åçäîê" icq#16244335

Contact the Vladivostok HUBB Community and find out what they recommend, and the p.rocess.

They are a pretty good resource

__________________
edde
93 BMW K75s
www.motoedde.com

Thanks for your replies. I will contact the people.

Can't write PM because I have less than 8 posts here. It sounds much simpler to buy a bike with plates. Just like that, no "letter of attorney"?

But I would like to buy a Russian bike in good condition. A bit of repair is ok, but it should also bring me to Europe before winter. Guess my fingers will get slightly cold riding in Siberian winter. A Ural not too old can do that job, right?

the problem with Urals is not the age of a bike you gonna buy but quality of production in general. parts are cheap but not always easy to find. be ready to fix it yourself or at least try to study the construction to understand what you need in case of total stop - a new cilinder head or just pistons. be ready to go under 100km/h ALWAYS (that will be a real mental problem when you reach european part of the country especially Msk and further). be ready to permanent oil leaks. be ready to overheating ( that's why you should not buy a brand-new one - first 1500 km it heates like hell and you can't load it).
but tires are cheap and one set will bring you to europe .
sorry, not europe but Russia's border - it could be a problem to exit the country with a letter of attrney. as i know the must be a special note in the leter reading you can take the vehicle across the border. it does work with russian citizens riding russia-registerd bikes but in your case i'm not sure. you'd better ask the question to custom officers in Vladik when coming in. if not allowed to cross the border the shortest way will be to Baltic states - there you'll be able to sell Ural to locals at the border and enter EU on your feet
and - in Vladik it's much easier to buy a japanese bike then russian one. we say Primorye (Vladik region) is not Russia -or just absoutely another Russia.

begining of august it's not summer in siberia - it's start of fall. be ready to 0 C night temperatures as you enter inner continent.

Thanks for the advice, motobelka.
Below 100 km/h and a bit of oil leaking is ok. New cylinder and pistons is of course not what I am hoping for.
Guess I will have to see what is on the market in Vladik. But right now sitting in a comfortable hotel in Hong Kong, I would like the 100% Russian experience with a Ural.

you wanna - you gonna
what you need right now is to find uncustomised Ural in vladik. may be with a side-car.
do not plan to take heaps of things - you won't go into taiga for a month, all the way you'll be on a big lively highway. for siberia you'll need cash, then cards will do. of course it's an adventure, but mostly for you mind, there is no armed partizans (guerillas) and non-passable jungles.
as we russian say - behave simple and people will like you.

We'll have 2 BMW GS'ers in Vladivostok this August 14th. We're dreading the shipping expense and logistics of getting them back to Canada/England. Let me know if you're interested in swinging some deal. I know the logistics of a sale by foreigners is supposed to be difficult though.

Cheers, Mike

what cc&mileage&year? what countries are the bikes thru?

Hey Mike, BMW GS... I have a weak spot for those. But I hope to be gone from Vladik by 14 August, so I can not promise anything. Miss the boxers though. Enjoy your trip. Mathias.

No worries Mathias, the more I think about it, the worse idea it seems. For one thing I can't guarantee the condition of my bike when it gets to Vlad. It's already having some small problems here in the Stans and the road after Chita could really beat it up.

We're going to try to ship to North America, but failing that will put them on the train to Moscow and eventually ride them back to their home in England.

That's cool that your leaving Vlad at that time. It would be awesome to see you on the road outside Vlad as you begin your trip and we finish ours. Will try to gather good advice about what you can expect ahead.

Cheers, Mike

in case you'll need a mechanic here in Msk my brother runs www.motoservice.ru

if need some spare part i can check it at official's stock

Hey guys,

any new ideas or tips how to buy Ural motorcycle in Vladivostok? I already tried to email some local stores and the HUBB community, but without much success. I would be very hapy for any advice (where to buy, what to check, how to deal with the paperwork).

Thanks a lot for any comments!

This post was made in 2008. It would be great to have an update on places to purchase motorcycles in Vladivostok. There are people who are interested in motorcycle adventure touring starting here. Are there specific shops that would work with foreign riders to get them on a bike? Do the motor vehicle laws of the Russian Federation allow foreigners to purchase and register a motorcycle? While several people here have discussed the desire to have a Ural, what about Japanese motorcycles? Are Suzuki WeeStrom's, Honda TransAlp or Kawasaki DLR650's available? Would a motorcycle registered to a foreigner in Russia be allowed to enter the European Union? Expanding this topic would be a help.