hi all,
this is my first post i read horizons unlimted web site every day for hours and basically just want to share my plans with you all and ask for any advice on places to see along the way or preparation for my bike.

so my aim is to travel from uk through europe russia kazakhstan mongolia then fly my bike from russia to alaska then travel to south argentina through americas maybe along the pan american highway then back up the west side of south america and make my way to new york and fly my bike home from there.

my bike of choise is a yamaha xt600e the reason are i want some thing low maintence although i am quite good with fixing bike and things and good mpg and is good off road and i dont mind plodding along at 60mph as i have no time limit. i am currently saving between £500 to £700 a month and hoping £10,000 to £12,000 should be enough if not credit cards and im planing on camping as much as possible as i enjoy camping.
any thoughts on what you guys and gals would change about the trip or bike or any thing

thanks

Getting the bike from Russia to Alaska may be a problem - think you'd need to research that before relying on it!
Sounds like a great trip - have fun!

how long do you have for your trip ? i am doing a similar trip now on the same bike and can recomend it for the trip.getting out of russia you have 2 main options .a shipping container from vladivostok to seattle or take the bike on the ferry to korea or japan and then fly the bike to canada or usa .if you have time and can get a few bikes in the container this is the cheepest option .about half the price .takes about 3 weeks .good luck with the trip .when do you leave?

sorry for the long awaited reply have not being able to access the internet. Another good thing about work they have said i can go for aslong as i want and still have a job when i get back so there is no time limit . i'll be sure to check out the japan route as that is some were i would like to visit. have no set date yet for leaving hopefully wont be to long now tho.

I've heard of fairly high costs shipping out of Russia or Japan to Canada or USA. I would research this, try to find the best deals. But I'm thinking there is NO CHEAP WAY.

I would think about doing what Greg Frasier does: Two Trips.

Trip One:
Do a big EU, Eastern EU, Stans, Russia, Mongolia loop. Take six months or so. Loop back around and ride home. Sell off bike. Go back to work, re-fill bank account a bit, then set off again.

Trip Two:
Fly into USA, buy a bike locally (very cheap). Bring your own luggage and stuff with. Set up bike and go. Do Alaska, USA and head South from there. Sell off bike in Argentina or ride back North to USA ... or ship to S. Africa and ride home. The Mex., Cent. America, S. America trip can easily take a year (if you do it right). Have fun!

now you've got me thinking lol, this would be better then i would not need to save as much in one go. i will have a look into this and is it easy to get insurance sorted for the bike with having no fixed address in usa? and shipping the bike to s. africa sounds a great idea i wounder how much that would cost. thanks for you input i will be sure to look into this.

I think you're going to come up short on funds. Shipping alone (yourself and bike Asia to America, the Darien, America to Europe) will account for a couple of thousand, parts (notably tires) another thousand plus, gasoline at least a couple of thousand more. And few riders love camping sufficiently to sleep outside through Latin America, although it can be done. Credit cards will cut you off for nonpayment long before your trip ends.

But then again maybe you're one of those people who travel, so they claim, for $5 per day. If so, your budget is fine.

Mark

(from suddenly-sunny Panama City)

You will need a local address in the USA to buy a bike here. Should be no problem at all to find someone to help out. Insurance is available for non residents, but a bit expensive.

If you are pulled you need to show cops you've got insurance. Read up on other threads for speicific info. Many Brits, Aussies, Kiwi's and Euros have come in, bought bikes and insurance and did fine. Most re-sell in S. America.

Down south you buy insurance as you go, sometimes required, sometimes not. In Mexico it is "officially" required but almost NO Mexicans have insurance and its never checked at check points or by Policia. BUT ... Most experts suggest buying insurance for Mexico. I do. Read basic guide books to find out why.

Cent. Am. is a mixed bag and I don't know currently the story. Others here will know. In S. America some countries require insurance, others not.

If you plan to do your first leg in EU, Russia, Mongolia, Stans ... et al ... then I would focus on this region first. Plan and budget just for that. Make every mile count. Avoid the ugly, boring bits when possible.

You could then shift focus to Africa (or S. America) Come home, rebuild bike, work, save, then ride down to Spain, Ferry to Maroc and away you go. Maybe ship from S. Africa to Argentina? or work your way up north? Options Options Options

Seems to me £12K ukp is plenty to start off with .... jesus ... that's like nearly $18,000 USD! I could live for two years on that!

Shipping really does suck up a lot of funds ... hence the suggestion of the Greg Frasier style trip ... Greg keeps bikes all over the planet and flys in and rides as needed. With shipping costs so outrageous now, this makes more and more sense. Given bikes in the USA are half the cost (or even cheaper) than the UK, buying a bike in the USA for north and south America travel makes sense to me.

You can string out a credit card for years by paying "minimum payment".
This is, IMO, a really bad idea, and one that will cost you HUGE later ... unless you go bankrupt ... which is now quasi illegal in the USA! (except for the banks of course!) Have fun with the planning ... save save save!

I don't think the proposed trip will happen for US$18,000. Other shorter or simpler trips certainly might. I'm happy to be proven wrong, here as elsewhere.

It never occurred to me that the OP might be thinking of making minimum payments on credit cards, but I suppose maybe he was. This is such a transparently bad idea that it's almost not worthy of response....but unless planning to spend a loooooonnnngggg time digging out of the ensuing hole, best find another way to fund a trip.

The exception, of course, is for true emergencies....or the final month or two of an extended trip.

Mark