He's got his facts straight.

I did this trip in 2006, and I got myself a Norwegian carnet because the Norwegian Automotive organization didn't know they weren't allowed to issue one for the bike in India. Now every country in Europe knows (don't know to which extent they care).

Apparently, if you're not an Indian resident (don't pay tax in India), you are not allowed to own an indian vehicle. What happens when you buy one locally, is that the name of the original owner is still in the papers. You just make sure you get a purchase certificate. You can not (as far as I know), get a carnet issued in another mans name.

If you really want to do the trip, don't give up hope by these words. Search different travel forums and you might come across someone who found another way of getting through. I was offered to bribe custom officials to get through '..because you don't have a Carnet' (they got a bit dissapointed when it turned out that I had done my homework and had my papers in order).

By the way; Lalli Singh is the Man to talk to in Delhi - stay clear of Madaan Motors.

Also: don't bother planning a return trip from India to Europe lasting only 6 weeks. Waste of time - Pakistan and Iran were GREAT countries to travel through - you should plan for at least three months.

regards,
Max

You can see pics from the trip at Max Knutsen worldwide web trip 2005 - 2006