I'm planning a trip from Chennai in South India to Kendal in the UK on a Royal Enfield Bullet 350 and would appreciate ANY advice you experienced tourers can give me. This will be my first tour and yes it's a biggie, but its been a dream for about 20 years.

My plan is to buy a new Bullet and ride it home over 4 potentially gruelling months starting in April and all being well, finishing at the end of July 2024. I'm up for sharing part or all of the trip. I'm a seasoned traveller but as mentioned I am an absolute bike rookie and after any advice I can get on route and also visas and where a Carnet de Passage might be needed.

My Plan A route is;
Fly to Chennai and buy the bike of my dreams. Drive up to Siriguri and in to Bhutan for 3-4 days ( As far as I can tell this has to be with an organised tour and is expensive for a non-Indian, but should be worth it)
From Bhutan head for Kathmandu and on to Lhasa (I'm struggling to get beyond and organised return trip to Kathmandu).
Lhasa - Kashgar - Samarkand - Ashgabat - Turkmenbasy - Caspian Sea - Baku - tour Geogria, Turkey and easy about route across Europe but taking in the Alps somehow, back to UK and Kendal.

But I'm open to any suggestions, as long as they're about this trip!

Thanks,

Pablo

Welcome to The HUBB. Sounds like a fun, ambitious first trip.

I gather you're researching Bhutan, but it's not clear whether you've looked into the awkward and expensive issues riding through China (including Tibet), or the famously unpredictable Turkmenistan visa, or land entry into Azerbaijan, or even the near-impossibility of non-Indian nationals purchasing a bike in India.

I'm no expert, but I'm aware of all these issues being addressed relatively recently on The HUBB, so you might start with site searching and/or methodical reading of posts and trip reports. It's all here, and the more foundational knowledge you have, the better you'll be able to formulate specific questions. Asking for "any advice I can get on...visas," for example, is a bit vague.

Hope that's helpful.

Mark

1. Have you researched if its possible for a non native indian without recidency to buy a bike in India and get it plated and insured in your name? And how to getting a Carnet for it?

2. Yes getting into Bhutan as a foreigner and especially on a vehicle requires guides and permits and are indeed quite expensive. And yes I know because I have done it (as a part of an organised bike trip)

3. Going through China - and Tibet is occupied by China btw requires recognised guides and permits arranged well in advance. Especially if youre going through such sensitive areas as China and Xinjang (Kashgar). To get the costs down its usually better to join a group or organise a group yourself….

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Thanks for the reply and guidance.
I am reading in HUBB and elsewhere that I can get a new bike in India BUT it must be bought by an Indian National and that an affidavit must be prepared by a notary to say it is mine.
Does anyone have recent experience of this?

I will require a CDP to cross in to Pakistan. What's not clear is will I be able to get a CPD in my name if I have proof of ownership via the affidavit?

Thanks

I have done this and taken it into Nepal but nobody asked to see the document at any time including re-entering India, my international driving permit on the other hand was looked at several times so make sure you have one.
There was a member who bought one in India on here last year, an American I think but he did not give details of how he did it so it could be worth trawling through posts in trip paperwork and the South Asia threads to try and find it and perhaps messaging him.

«Natethenomad» (on Instagram) is the american who bought a bike in India last year. Might be good to get in touch with him to maybe get some guidance on how to purchase a bike in India as a foreigner…

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In the end everything will be fine. If its not fine its not the end....