Aussies - Vladivostok to Amsterdam 2016.
 

Adventure riding is addictive. Must be the fresh air. Do it.
('Cause we all have wings, but some of us don't know why." INXS)

I got back from Morocco last week, and next week fly Adelaide to Busan, South Korea, to pick up my KLR650 which currently sailing on the vessel Xin Yang to Busan.

The plan is to ride Russia, East to West. Not sure how that will work with the sun, but maybe we will need to start the day early and finish when the sun get below the visor.

This all happened because I was surfing the HUBB and came across Neil's post in Travelers Seeking Travelers of his plan to ride Vladivostok to London in May/Jun this year. He was hoping not to ride alone all the way. Perfect. Just what I needed for after Morocco. So, introductions and coffee at Macca's and we started to plan.

Ivan from Bikes Abroad has done all the work to get the bike shipped. All I had to do was pack it and get it to the local Honda dealer for crating. Wendy will assist us with clearances in Busan.

Mick from TEXVISAS has organised my LOI, Russian Letter of Invitation, and 90 day Russian Visa. (When getting an LOI, don't forget to ask for Multiply Entry LOI, if you also want to ride Mongolia and the Stans.)

From Busan we will ride north to Donghae, and catch the DBS Ferry (23hours) to Vladivostok.

Anyway, this is the start of my Russian Ride.

I look forward to keeping an eye on your journey..it looks like a goodin...I leave in A week from Sydney to the UK for a 5 month stint around Europe...I would love to tackle a trip like yours next year....I hope you keep the posts coming.... Cheers Phil

Lou,

Good on you mate, will be following you with interest as I want to do the same in a couple of years.

Take care and enjoy.

Josh

Thanks for your support Josh. We lived in Darwin for 15 years. Still call it home.

Well, I've been a bit bad with my posts at the HUBB.
It's funny that when you are adventuring on a bike, there aren't enough hours in a day.
To save me a lot of time, I post to my family and friends on Facebook. Just search WombatBikes if you like.

I think that for HU, I will list my do's & don'ts. That will be more valuable to others, I hope.

I am now in Listvyanka, Lake Baikal, enjoying a hotel room (Hotel Priboy) with a view of the lake. Luxury. Although the hostels and truck stops have been good. Secure parking for the KLR is always the first priority.

Attachment 17736

Shipping AUS to S KOREA then RUSSIA
 

What worked for me and us.

1. Russian LOI and Visa: When you apply for a Letter of Invitation (LOI) make sure it's a "Multi Entry". You can not get a Multi Entry Visa for Russia with Single Entry LOI. My LOI got messed-up, so I only have a single entry for 3 months. Now I can't visit Mongolia or ride the Pamir Highway, but worse, I can't duck home to AUS in an emergency. (I didn't have time to get it corrected.)
The Visa process was straight forward but took a long time as I needed lots of info about myself. Only use the approved form from the web. I used a Visa Agent (TEX) to help me as they know what info to include. A 3 month trip requires a Business Visa, even though I am a Tourist.!! (My Agent got my passport in Sydney at 3pm, and I had it in my hand at 8pm. Great stuff)
==== Costs AUD 1400 (short notice) Check with agent and Russian Visa charges.

2. Bike Shipping: When transporting your bike consider "Bikes Abroad". Ivan knows what to do. If using a vessel get a direct port to port sailing. Hotels are expensive and frustrating, if waiting for your ship to come in. We shipped direct and it came in on time. (Fly there, ship home is best, if time is tight. I did that last time.)
==== Shipping costs: AUD 1,572 (2016) inc crating in Adelaide, truck to Melbourne and ship to Busan.
==== Insurance costs: AUD 350. I didn't get it. (No damage to bike occurred)

3. Insurance. I got a GreenCard, Third Party Liability, from Maria at Alessie Insurance in Netherlands. alessie@alessie.com All done via the internet. Policy covers Russia and all Europe. Not the 'Stans. Not S Korea.
==== Costs: 469 Euros for 3 months. for a 650cc bike values at 4,000 Euros.

4. Bike Insurance: Nil. I didn't think it was worth doing.

5. Busan Agent: In Busan, local agent Wendy Choi helped. Ivan will give you her details. We cleared the bikes ourselves with advice from Wendy. The bikes arrived at the Busan Port Authority, Room 1A07, north-side of the ground floor car park. Lyly at Customs was a big help: Ph: 070 7725 6039. About 2 hours, plus un-crating and assembling the bike. ALL you luggage gets scanned when exiting the Port Gate. ("No Boom Boom in luggage" said the man with a laugh.)
==== Customs charges: 160,000 Won. for a 650cc. !!
==== Insurance: 78,000 Won. You must have this. No choice. Keep the Yellow Sticker, as it's required when you exit SK.

6. Busan Motel: In Busan we stayed at the Busan Special Motel, near the Station and the Port (walking distance). They have undercover secure parking. Great to prepare and pack the bike, out of the sun or rain. Bookings.com will help.

7. Ride Busan to DongHae: This will take most of the day. No motorbikes on Tollways! Motorbikes on Motorways were OK!

8. DBS Ferry: Wendy organised tickets and paperwork for the DBS Ferry for us and the bikes from DongHae, SK to Vladivostok, RU. Not cheap, but a good 23 hour overnight voyage. The "cattleclass" bedspaces are very good. Big enough for you to sleep with your luggage, and comfortable. No internet on-board.
==== Costs: Pax 158,000 Won.
==== Costs: Bike 601,000 Won.

9. Russian customs: This clearance was easy too. Links Ltd International Moving, Yuri and Svetlana. Links Ltd ymelnik@links-ltd.com Yuri picked us up from the ferry and drove us around. Yuri and Svetlana did all the paperwork, then picked us up to go and collect the bikes the next day. If possible, get Svetlana to do a guided tour of Vladivostok for a few hours. Much easier than walking around. She's good.
==== Costs: Fee for Customs Clearance USD 150, plus Port Charges USD 25. (In USD preferred)
==== Costs: Insurance USD 20, if you don't have a GreenCard.

Most of this was done with emails, but you will still collect a truck load papers.

That will do today.
LL

Thanks for posting the details on how you got this sorted Lou.:thumbup: It's difficult to get reliable info, this detailed on shipping AU to Vladivostok (via Korea in this case). I assume it was more economical to go via Korea. Those prices seem pretty good to me.
Am considering the same next year, though not sure which way yet (E or W).
Do you have a spot tracker with you? Any way we can follow your route progress besides the ride report?

BTW: I liked your article in the current issue of Adventure Rider Magazine (AU). Recognized that dayglo KLR immediately. :)