Apart from Rubtsov, I also know of Bruno Blum ... a swiss guy who we met in China when there on the bikes in 1994.

https://www.amazon.de/Motorradtraum-.../dp/376544152X

__________________

Yes, this has become an interesting thread, thank all for posting.

@JimboMatrix

Where did you try to enter?

@Colebatch

Yes Bruno Blum crossed China on his own with his own bike. When I lived in Switzerland I met him a few times and he invited me and my ex girlfriend for dinner once, but this was in 2006 or 2007 and we did not talk about China then.

There are others that crossed China on their own a long time ago, but the only ones I remember at the moment are Klaus and Claudia Schubert, Doris Wiedemann and I also recall Dave Barr writing about him doing it. But I am sure there are more.


@Ibendel

I did not get in by mistake, I got in legaly and I still have the legal paper from the person in government.

... you are so right, getting out for me was more difficult, but I managed. But pls dont ask me why I got out, it took ten days and a lot of visits to Chinese Customs Headquaters in Kashgar, and I was never told why I could leave after trying with no luck twice. But I am sure they were not poorly trained officals.

I had two accidents in China, both with scooters crashing into my bike when it was parked. I just went and picked up my bike and told the riders to get lost, no problems. Sure an accident can cause a problem, but deal with it when it happens, and deal with it like a man, and dont be scared. Trafic in China is crazy for an European, and I saw a lot of accidents. Take care.

... or they open the border for bikers, who knows with the Chinese? But I think its worth a try ... just go and try, you have nothing to loose.

@Sambor

Thanks for posting the link. I had never heard of Alex Rubtsov.

Good to see you posting here, remember we met in January here in Bolivia (Tupiza) for the Dakar. Where are you?


@Nuff Said

In general I agree with your advice, maybe six or seven time I rode away when the police tried to stop me ... not because I was doing anything illegal (with the exception of the motorway), just because I had wasted enough time in the "no communication possible game" with the police and I won every time.

But I remember one situation, when I had no more fuel (and I had 36 Liters on a DR350) and the petrol station did not wanted to give me any. What would you do? I tried bribing, did not work, because of all the cameras I guess. So I went to the police station and asked for help, it took about two hours but I got fuel. The petrol station attendent even filled my bike up before he got the offical paper from the police to tell him to do it, but he asked me to wait until the police would bring the paper and I did, having lunch and drinking in a restaurant with my bike parked at the petrol station just over the road.


So, who is going to try next? As Pkicken showed us in this thread, and I showed you in my little ride report, it can be done.

Greetings from Bolivia
mika

We tried at the Irkeshtam border. Kyrgyzstan > China.

@JimboMatrix

Thank you for the reply. Pls tell us, if you made it over the border to the border station? Or did you have to turn around at the border? What passport are you using to travel?

Oh, maybe you did not know, but the actual border and the border station are some kilometers apart (if I remember correctly around 30km).

At the Torugat Pass (where I left China to Kyrgyzstan) the border and the border station are 100km apart, and its a military zone ... it will be difficult there to cross the border on your own bike without a guide. But you could try, its a nice ride up anyway ... in 2015 they opened the gate only in the afternoon.

mika

We made it over the border, the first couple of checkpoints were fine we showed our passports and were waved through by the Chinese. It wasn’t until we reached border control where they x-ray luggage and vehicles that we were questioned, “where is your tour agency?” I tried everything including using a Carnet. I tried lying and saying the agency was waiting for us in Kashgar. They tried phoning higher officials to get permission, but there was no way they would let us in without an escort and customs paperwork provided by the agency.

Me and my wife hold British passports and our Chinese visas are multiple entry 2 years.

@JimboMatrix

Thank you very much for the details, I hope this will help others.

Yes, the place where they scan luggage and stamp your passport is called Irkeshtam border station (if I remember correctly).

So you made it over the actual border and you could ride free to the border station.

This gives me an idea, but I am not suggesting this on a public forum as it would be of course illegal.

When I traveled 8000km across China in 2015, nobody ever asked me to show bike documents ... only when I wanted to leave the country.

So, this is it from my side for this thread. Maybe it helps somebody.

All the best with your China Adventure

mika

So whats the plan now @JimboMatrix?

__________________
千里之行，始於足下

When we met Bruno Blum ... it was July 1994 and we were all in Police Detention in the Chinese city of Jining, near the Mongolian border. He was held by police because he entered China with no Chinese registration and drivers licence. We were being held because even though we did have Chinese registrations and drivers licences, the area near the Mongolian border is considered a military zone and we had entered this military zone without a permit.

The Chinese special border zone cop allowed us to talk with Bruno. We made a deal with the cop that we could go to the Mongolian border if we doubled a tourguide on the back of the bike (so we would not venture off track and observe secret chinese military activity I guess). Bruno and his bike were going to be transported to Beijing on a truck and shipped to America from there. I told Bruno that apart from this guy near the border, I suspect the other cops in China dont really now the rules about foreigners ... its a role for border zone cops. So I suggested he try to make a run for it from Beijing - just get on the bike and ride. He said he wanted to get across the Khunjerab pass to Pakistan. I thought he was optimistic to go that far without docs ... but he made it.

Looking back, its just a funny co-incidence that we ended up 24 years ago in the same city at the same time being detained by the same border zone cop.

__________________