I'm wanting to tour Mongolia summer 08. A few motorcycle tour companies advertise on the net; anyone have experience with any of them? Or, is it possible to just hire bike and guide as i'll be going solo. i've done this in cambodia, northern thailand and central america but don't know if it's possible in mongolia.

I personally would recommend the following...
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German run and the owner is truly dedicated to helping the Mongolian people through responsible tourism...he rents Yamaha 600s...

Then there's also the Oasis campement owner who has bikes available for rent/use but can't offer the support that Mongolei does...

..:: OASiS ::..

HTH

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edde
93 BMW K75s
www.motoedde.com

thanks, the Extratour company looks well organized and well experienced. i will send them an e-mail and see where it goes from there. if you have personal experience, any recommendations on central, west or northern circuits they offer? done lots of desert riding so Gobi doesn't appeal; cultural interaction and some scenery preferred.

neutron: If you don't want to ride the desert then do the north or northeast trips, as the last part of the central trip is through areas that qualify as the northern Gobi desert. I don't see a west trip listed for the motorbike trips, though western Mongolia is fantastic so if they offer that go for it.

The north trip involves a trip to Lake Huvsgul, which is a beautiful place but you will likely see more tourists there than anywhere else outside Ulaanbaatar. The northeast trip is through some beautiful and remote countryside. That's the one I would choose.

But really it's hard to go wrong in Mongolia. Everywhere is beautiful and fascinating. Even the travel in the desert is fun and involves very little real sand riding. It's mostly hardpack dirt and you can often ride at 100k/hr in the Gobi.

One important variable is the rain. If it has been rainy in the days before the trip then any of the trips could be very tough with deep mud and rivers too high to cross. But the tour company will know about that and should be able to give good advice on the routes.

Scott

ScottW is right about Mongolia and its scenery...BUT I think the most stunning is out West is Bayan Olgii...and the North near the lake is full of tourists...the West is not...

Also, Extra Tours and Oasis will allow you to take the bike out solo I believe...you'll just have to lay down a deposit and bring it back. So you don't have to sign up for a tour or pay for a guide...just the cost of renting the bike on your own...Vait Scholtz is the guy at Extra and Renee is the guy at Oasis...

In fact, at Oasis...there are a couple KLR's fully outfitted with aluminum panniers, etc. left by MountainMan on the HUBB and his Aussie buddy...

HTH

__________________
edde
93 BMW K75s
www.motoedde.com

good recon info. corresponded with Vait Scholtz and they require a driver and vehicle to accompany bike rentals of more than a day. risk management, i believe, or push toward their tours.
also contacted Kevin at Mongolia Outback; they seem on top of things and have a Western tour coinciding with the Naddam festival. any interaction with them?

I havn't used the Extratour company, but Vait from there managed to supply me a new Mefo Stonemaster for my DR when I was there in September. He gave me some good advise about riding in Mongolia and seems like a top bloke. Actually Rene from the Oasis who is an equally top bloke put me onto Vait.

I rode on and around the south road (or is it the central road?) from UB to Olgi and out that western Russian border, it's amazing scenery as everyone says and I found it easy enough by myself. It's easy to take a few short cuts or long cuts off the main road if you want a bit more adventure. I did this quite often and got lost a fair bit, all part of the fun, just stick to the general direction that you want to go. There are heaps of tracks everywhere, trailriding heaven!

Was advised not to do the North road alone (by Vait) due mainly to the number of river crossings, but then someone else (who had lived in Mongolia for 12 years) later told me there were not that many....conditions do change pretty quick in that country, thats the one thing everyone seems to agree on!

As previously mentioned Rene at the Oasis usually has a few bikes, I met a couple of German fellas heading into Mongolia as I was leaving that were looking to get rid of their XT600's in UB, I told them about the Oasis. That was mid September...might still be there if you sent an email?
Rene has a mate in town with a bike shop too, there was a XR sitting there at that time might be worth a look.
Good luck, wish I was going back....