My partner and I are planning to ride a couple of 2002 yamaha XT600 from the UK to Vladivostok via Turkey, Kazakhstan and Mongolia mid 2014.
There seems to be a couple of issues with this route:
We need to be able to enter russia 3 times to get from turkey to Kazakhstan, Kazakhstan to Mongolia and again from Mongolia to Vladivostok. The visa options however seem to be quite restrictive in that you can only apply for a 2-entry visa which lasts for one month.
Is it possible to apply for russian visas whilst on the road? If so, is it a straightforward process?
The other issue is that I've come across A couple of blogs which state that you cannot import a vehicle older than 10 years into Mongolia. Is this correct? We will obviously be leaving Mongolia with the bikes so it would only be a temporary import. Does anyone have any firsthand experience entering Mongolia with a bike more than 10 years old, recently?
Any other tips for the journey would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks!

Russian Business visa 1 year multi entry visa can stay <90 days in a 180 period, before 7 days need to register whilst in the country (in Russian)

it is now easier to get then before, basically go in to a agency whilst in UK before you leave pay the money wait a few weeks then fill in a form online they email you around 4 weeks you get your visa, whilst waiting you don't have to hand in your passport only when you visa is ready which takes a couple of days.

very easy if you use a agency

Wesley wrote everything.

And whenever people tell you that you can not get a 1 Year Multi entry business visa. don't believe them.

You can get them.
look out for a good visa agency and pay the price

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www.klausmotorreise.com

I've never heard of a "10 year old" rule for Mongolia. In 2011 I took a 21 year bike through Mongolia doing the reverse of your intended route. It was never even mentioned as an issue.

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Martin

finally back on the road again


http://awayonmybike.blogspot.com/

I entered 2013 with a Honda Transalp built in 1990.

23 years old and no problem

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www.klausmotorreise.com

Think that 10 year rule is or was stated for mongo rally dudes as so it is easy to sell after as part of the mongo rally "charity" is selling the cars off in Mongolia after, wells that if Kevin & perry have not rolled it first.....

Also to sell a foreign car in KGZ they prefer to be less than 10 years old.

Never been to Mongolia (yet) but sure the 10 year thing has nothing to do with riders crossing back and forth if not selling the bike/car

Thanks a lot for all the info. Can you recommend a good agency to deal with for the visas? I am living in the uk but I'm an Australian citizen (not sure if that will be an issue)! How easy is it to get kazakstani and Mongolian visas?
Thanks again!

Hi, I can recommand Stantours. Contact David Berghof. They are in Almaty, Kazakhstan.

STANTOURS - Central Asia Travel Resources

They organised all my visas in 2011, 1 year for russia, mongolia, kazakhstan double entry, tadjikistan, uzbekistan and kyrgyztan.

Hi Sarz

I rode into Mongolia last year in June with my buddy Ulf. He lives in Switzerland and his XT600 was also a 2002 I believe. We had absolutely no problems entering Mongolia from the north (Ulan Ude). ....Just be prepared to ride your bike through a disenfectant wash for a fee. All in all they were a very friendly and helpful border crossing there.

You can follow our blog in English or German at Round the World 2013 on motorbikes if you're interested
I have also uploaded my blog to MotoExped - Home if you have any trouble with the previous website.

Kindest regards

Nevil

Thanks Zimi & Nevil! That's really helpful!

Nevil - We are thinking of going via Turkey instead of the Ukraine. Is there a reason why you chose to stay primarily in russia instead of crossing mongolia? Just curious as I'd be looking at choosing the more scenic route.

Also, did Ulf have any problems with his XT600? We did a trip through the americas in 2011 and I had a 2006 DR650. I would have loved to use the same bike but there are very few DRs in the UK of a similar age. I'm curious to know how the XT compared to the DR in terms of performance and reliability?

Could you please clarify the 180 day rule. I am hoping to go to Magadan this year going via Ukraine, Kazakstan and Mongolia. By the time I am exiting north east Mongolia I will only have spent 10-14 days in Russia. When returning from Magadan will do the full trip back to Ukraine in Russia. How is the 90 days calculated. Does it start afresh once you re-enter Russia. The registration within 7 days, does that have to happen each time you enter the country and can it done at Police stations as well as some hotels. Thanks in advance.
Boycie

Hi Sarz,

We decided to ride from Ulf's home in Switzerland in May and elected to cross the Ukraine as it was the most direct route to Russia. Turkey would have been a lovely ride but was a little out of our way at that juncture. Our aim was to enter western Mongolia from the Altai region and we did in fact ride through Altai in order to do this. Sadly we were made fully aware at the time that we were going to struggle in this area due to the large amounts of rain that had hit in that part of June. This, coupled with the need to get Ulf a new air filter for his XT forced our decision to ride back to Barnaul and continue accross Russia to Ulan Ude where we then were able to enter Mongolia.
Ulf's XT did not fair as well as my DR650 on this trip sadly. In fact it was almost a daily occurrence at this point where we had to nurse his bike or repair a cracked rack, deal with a bent rim or try to figure out how to make it breathe better. Please note folks, I'm not anti XT600. In fact I think they are a solid bike bike but now that I have worked on both marques, i can state that the DR is much easier to maintain. Saying this, the XT has a proven track record in Europe and is much more readily available on the market and has a good base there for spare parts and aftermarket accessories so this may be your best choice. please PM me if you want details on prepping a DR650 though.
Safe and happy travels to you all.

Nevil

Well this is how i undertsand it but maybe i am wrong

Ok so say your visa was issued today then you can stay 90 days maxium in the first 180 day period and no more and for the next 180 days its the same 90 day rule

Yes you have to register each time you enter within 7 days also, best to plan your route so within the first 7 days you can get it done.

Hotels sometimes take 2 days to register.

I am no expert on this matter as i only ever stay for 1 or 2 weeks when i go to Russia so maybe others on this site can give a better answer

As far as i know you only have to register, when you stay more than 6 days on one spot.

If you travel, and you keep your gas bills and everything, than it should be OK.

I registered twice, just to had it done, took just the night…..

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Hey Sarz,

Keep in mind that as of 8 of April 2014 (or so) everybody needs a visa for Turkey. The visa is an online one and cheap and easy but should not be forgotten.
Cheers,
Noel