Howdy all,

After completing my first ADV ride, a short one by some standard, San Diego- Bocas, Pan, I'm joansing for another!

What is the best way to get across the pond and what is the best way to have a scooter ready over there?

I have visions of wandering the continents over there, europe, asia, russia and maybe the middle east, africa. ??

I was thinking it would be cheaper to buy a ride in europe. Can a US dude buy a scoot in say Germany, Spain.... ??

I know the aussie mate I rode with had no problem buying a bike here!

Where could I buy? I ride a Vstrom DL and like the bigger bike. Thinking 850 GS?? My strom kinda sucks on dirt, hopeful for better suspension / handling w/ gear. I was thinking shipping might be more expensive than buying over there.??

Would there be any complications carrying foreign docs ( title - reg. ) through the mid - far east ??

Say I did Europe and headed south east. What is the best way to get down India way and into the far east? I'd love to see Iran but I think my chances of getting a visa would be slim - nill ( 50yo white american).

What kinda dough ($$) could we be talking about? For sure camping and Hostels, street food.

Kinda foot loose and fancy free, underemployed contractor w/ a little $$ in the bank. This trip I'm hopeful my rotor doesn't loose a magnet like the panama trip, major downtime!

Allot to ponder AND research. Thanks in advance!

Or...... maybe Japan and headed west ?? To buy the bike that is.

I am not sure of the price of shipping your own bike, but if you do it might be easier to ship to the UK simply because of language, I am asuming you only speak English. It should be possible to buy and register in the UK, you will need an accommodation address to have the docs sent to.
If you want to ride to India do you know about things like a carnet de passage?
http://www.horizonsunlimited.com/hub...eed-know-39204
I think these are cheaper in Germany than the UK so might be something to think about if buying in Europe.
Petrol is nearly $2 a litre, $8 US gallon in Europe, if you do get to Iran it is only about 5 cents a litre, campsites and backpackers hostels are $10-20 a night in western Europe, food is best bought in supermarkets, the cheapest meal which in the UK would actually be in a supermarket restaurant will set you back $8 upwards, not sure about other countries.
You could head off across central Asia to Vladivostok and get the ferry to Japan, thus avoiding Iran, or ship/fly your bike across if you particularly want to get to India.
There should be accounts of trips in all these directions somewhere on this site, alternatively here is a friend's central Asia trip, amongst other destinations.
Mongolian Mayhem | Tiffany Coates Travels the World

This should give you an idea of what a bike will cost in the UK.
Used Motorbikes & Motorcycles For Sale | MCN

Bon voyage

I wish I had some advice for you, but alas, I don't. Just wanted to chime in and say "good on ya!" Have a great ride!

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Motorcycle Mexico - The easiest way to prepare for your first ride south of the border.
USA to TDF Blog

Have a look at this. By the way I posted it. The problem is I have a trip this year on the book's.

One crazey idea ... - ADVrider

John933

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To buy petrol in Europe. Pull up at station. Wait. Get out a 20 Euro note, then ask someone to fill up the bike. Give person money. Ride away. Simple.

There´s no one definite answer for that, as it´ll depend on a long list of things. Like how much time you´ve got, and where do you plan to start, and then go where.

Sure it´s possible to ship your bike from the US to Europe and back. Across the Atlantic by sea (Eastern US to Europe West coast), I´d budget somewhere around 500-700 euros (for a mid-sized bike - and that´ll also be a factor). But remember, that the pick-up costs at the receiving end can be substantial, and they might not get mentioned at all, when you´re sending the thing. By air, I´d roughly double that figure, but then the costs at the other end tend to be lower, and processing in general is faster&smoother. And then there are some ´readymade´ packages for sending both by air and by sea, which would be easier, as the companies will handle the paperwork, but they´ll cost you more.

Then there is the possibility of renting a bike, or buying one, and possibly even selling after the trip. Once again, the selection, prices & paperwork will depend totally on where you plan to do this. In Europe both would be quite easy, but not necessarily cheap (especially renting will be expensive, and with a rental bike, you´d probably have to stay inside the EU).

I went the other way in 2009 (Western US) and in the end, decided I´m not gonna ship my own bike over, but the main reason was that my trip was only 6 weeks. Had it been around 10 weeks or more, then surely I´d have done that. If you plan to make a long overland-trip, like several months, and also many countries, then having your own bike does have certain benefits, even if shipping it is always a bit of a pain!