UK to Thailand can it be done
 

As it says really can you ride overland from the UK to Thailand ive done a search and most of the posts are quite old. Has anyone done this trip and what sort of costs would be involved ??????

Many have completed similar trips but you cannot ride through Burma, so you must ship from India to Thailand. There is an alternative if you consider the stans and China, but you must have a guide in China which makes the trip very expensive.

As for costs it depends on how long you intend this trip to take, what bike you are using, if there are one or two of you and would you be camping whenever possible to are you the type who likes to sample 4/5 star hotels. If you outline your ideas more fully I'm sure people will give you a rough idea of the possible costs.

Enjoy

Joyce

Uk >Thailand
 

HI, As someone who has looked at this route over the last two years...There is no reason why it cannot be done, however you have two options.
1. Overland which means you will have China forced on you since Burma, is as far as I am aware is impossible. China is viewed on here as too expensive by many, it will cost in the region of $100 per day to travel through China and the minimum number of days seems to be 20 ishh and that doesn't leave a lot of free time if any. The $100 is for the guide and does not include your expenses..hotels fuel etc.
2. Fly or ship the bike from India to Thailand. The costs for this will be less than transit costs for China, an airfare for yourself and shipping for your bike ( I would advise that Sea and air freight costs are not that far apart when all the costs are added together). You will spend days in various offices arranging paperwork and getting forms stamped etc...

My take on it is.... the transit of China has a value as an experience far above the shipping and flying. This is a personal thing and only you can decide if the extra cost to transit China is offset by the trip.

Total costs...hmm how long is a piece of string..I am sure the whole journey could be done in 7 weeks Uk to Khazak China border 3 weeks, Transit China 3 weeks, Loas to Thailand 1 week. Fuel,food,visa fees,accommodation and China guide. 49 days at an average of ??? put your best guess here lol. I would estimate £100 per day.

No doubt someone will have a different view on the costs, each to their own. I travelled UK to Vladivostok and on to South Korea and camped for only three nights on the entire trip, but I was short on time, I did the trip in 7 weeks and camping eats an extra hour or two a day. Adds up to 500 600 miles less travelled in a week, so by not camping I did the journey in the time I had available, not ideal but it was the only way I could do it.

I still want to travel UK to Thailand through China.... 1 other rider and a 4x4 would be the ideal group to share the costs, anyone?.


Jimmy

Costs can vary a lot, I am not sure $100 is right, I would have thought a lot less than that, $60 might be closer. (a wage is only $450 a month) I am working on getting my Chinese driving licence.
I just can't drive crazy enough yet though !! Every city is different, some cities, are sedate drivers, some are drive by the seat of their pants.

I have lived in China, and there is just so much to see and do,it is beyond what many will imagine China to be, and the more you are here, the more you will like it. I think.

Depends if you are willing to pay more, I very rarely go shopping by myself, {foreigner = price rises}
You can stand back in amazement and see the prices tumble when it is negotiated in Chinese.

That's an ideal situation, a group is great, I spend most of my time in far east coast of China, Yantai, Shandong province, and I have considered a drive the full width of China.
Trouble is, I know so many very nice places to visit, crossing China would take me a year.
Some of the highways here are better than world class.
Another thing to remember is, trucks over a certain size are not allowed on the road during daylight hours.
They are confined to night time driving, some thing I thing UK should follow up on.





'vette

overland through China
 

As a matter of interest what time of year would be best to travel through china??
Andy :mchappy:

Hi Andy,

Well China is so huge, the climate is different all over China.
Up in Harbin, (North East) is the Ice Sculpture Capital of the World.
but it is very cold as you would expect.
Today about minus 30 deg.

Harbin Ice and Snow Festival Takes International Stage


Or take yourself along the southern China, Guangzhou area, and have plus 20 deg. Guangzhou, is just north of Hong Kong.
Pearl River Scenery, Night Cruise, Guangzhou

Winter time here coincides with winter in Europe.

So the best time is March April May, then September October, November.
Outside that it is too hot, or too cold.
Depending what you like, perhaps Gobi desert is ok for some, but far too much for me
Gobi Desert - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Taklamaken desert
Taklamakan Desert - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

If you are interested in good places to visit, just shout up.

'vette

thanks for the replies ive only just started looking into the idea. There will be two of us traveling on two bikes (unsure what bikes yet) leaving from south east of the uk, from then on im unsure of what route would be best.

Ill take the advise and ask some more specific questions as I begin to become more aware of the trip ahead.

1st question would have to be will i need a bike with off road ability as the other half is quite short and may struggle on a high off roader.

Uk Thailand
 

Hi Trix, If you did not want to go offroad I am sure a route can be planned to avoid almost all off roading. I believe most of the main routes through China are sealed roads. If you entered China at the China Khazak border I believe the main roads through Khazak are sealed. Uk to the Russian Khazak border can be done on sealed roads. Out of interest how tall is you partner?. I am only 5'6" 29 inside leg and have lowered my xt with a kedo kit and shaved the seat, I can get both feet flat on the floor when the bike is loaded for travelling.

Regards jimmy

she says she is 5'4 but im sure she is a little shorter she is very confident on a bike but does like to be able to get her feet down.

just a thought does it affect the handling much now its lowered her 650 bandit is lowered (too much really) and its made the bike feel completely different as you would expect when altering the rake and trail, just wondered how much you feel these affects.

Uk Thailand
 

Hi Trix, the Kedo kit lowers the front and rear and includes a weld in piece for the side stand to make that adjustable. The bike feels the same, I rode over 10,000 miles across Europe and Russia on and off road never any problems. I have an unused Kedo kit for an XT600 ( i believe it fits from 97 onwards but would have to check) With the pound haven fallen through the floor since i boiught it. It would offer a saving on current prices.Its a bottom Y link plus tubes for front forks plus a side stand piece. If you are interested in Transiting China what is your time plan?.

Jimmy

Lowered bike
 

Hi Trix,

I am a 5'4'' short arse. 27'' inside leg.
I too ride a lowered bandit with shaved seat.
I bought a BMW F650GS (08' twin) with factory lowered suspension and seat to do a RTW trip this year.
I find the bike just about right. Can get the ball of my feet on the ground with no luggage or weight on the bike.

Cheers.
George.

P.s. When are you planning to go to Thailand. I hope to be there around October.

thailand
 

hi my wife and i are planning a trip to thailand in 2011 are you going then or this year ??? any info you gather would be of interest to us please, if you are planning through china we could meet up and share costs also if anyone else out there planning similar please let me know :thumbup1:

Hi KeithGreen
Ive really only just started looking into the trip so im also just starting to get the info. It appears that most people ship from Kathmandu to Bangkok or so im told ill look into the costs for that next and come back to you. Have you planned a route yet???


Hi George
Ive been chatting to old swiver from this site via pm's he's currently in Thailand on a f650 (800cc) and he also says the bike is ideal for the vertically challenged, it also appears that the mpg is very good. Never been a fan of BMW but it does appear to be a good bike for the job.

Hi Jimmy
What sort of MPG do you get from the XT??

Uk to Thailand
 

Hi Trix, Re MPG, I have an Acerbis 25 litre plastic tank fitted and for safetys sake work on 250 miles per tank. In practice in remoter parts I fill up at any opportunity...It was never a problem in Russia, fill up first thing and again lunch time. Have you abandoned the idea of China?.

Regards Jimmy

Hi Trix,
The bike is great for the vertically challenged, my bike is factory lowered but it has a load rating well below the standard bike.I think this was the main cause of my problem with the rear shock which packed it in at 6200 klms.There are a range of other potential problems with the bike, rear wheel bearings being one. Perhaps the 2010 model might be worth a look at. Get onto UKgsers website and checkout what they have to say about the new model.
While the bike is great on the open road, its a bugger to get up and down the very narrow streets in towns, especially with panniers. You realy have to heave it around at times.
Regards John

Not abandoned any ideas yet as really just starting out on the plans....
On that basis the xt does 45mpg and the BMW around 60-70 i guess speeds and roads make a difference and also the XT purchase price will be far less ummmmm more thinking........

Uk Thailand
 

Hi Trix, My reason for the XT was its very rugged reputation along with its simple mechanics, no fuel injection, no water cooling, no pipes, water pumps, no raidiators,no electronics,weight and of course purchase price. I bought an 03 with 3000 miles on for £1300. An acerbis tank will give you a 250 plus range at 100kph with panniers and because the models been around a while you can pickup second hand tanks, luggage racks, pannier racks etc. Not sure how big the bmw tank is and the range, BMW weight ?.

Regards jimmy

Main concern with the XT is getting the ride height down but ive found a site that does a 65mm lowering kit for xt660r which would bring the seat height down to 810mm and being as it has a slim seat i think this would be ok. The lower price is a big factor as I need a his and hers, so with a bit of searching id proberbly get two XT's for the price of the BMW. (still looking at the older xt600e as well)

'
'
The choice between XT and BMW,,,,
Well there is no choice.
XT every time.
The BMW is fine if you have regular back up, and technicians, and ECU analysers, but in the real world, it's just you on your own that need to sort it to fix.
XT for the win.

'vette

Hi Trix, Good advice from Jimmy46 and UK-vette. You can't beat the KIS principle, Keep it Simple. As I said in my pm the bikes great for us shorties BUT it needs backup, if anything go's wrong they are a bugger to get sorted.The bike is great in the US, Europe and Oz but once away from a dealer you are realy on your own. If you can sort out your seat height problem with a Jap bike go for it.
Best of luck John.
Hope this won't start another BMW/ Jap bike fight.