Questions a plenty...
 

Ive been reading articles, forums, emails and skyping people untill my eyes go square so Im sorry if this is in the wrong place or has been asked before, but in just over 6 weeks the Bonnie is going into the garage as I begin living the dream and fly to Kathmandu, stay in Pokhara for a month, then ride home (the uk) over 4 months on a RX135.

I feel fairly on top of things but I still havent quite cracked what to wear,

As it stands im going with:

Half height Puma boots (comfy, moulded angles and pretty inconspicuous)
Two pairs of gloves, one medium and one ultra light
Something like the Klim Dakar pant,
Jacket - Textile, lightweight, big pockets,

And Either an eduro helmet or and open face old trails style helmet + goggles and scarf/buff.

Any advice/is anything on this list a particularly stupid idea?

As departure day gets closer the list of thing to do and buy is getting bigger and bigger!


Thanks

And I know i should be more prepaired at this point!

Welcome to the hubb.

You need to worry less about clothes and more about paperwork.

Have a read up on "carnet de passage" and that you won't be able to ride a Nepal (or Indian) registered bike through Iran and Pakistan (can you even get a visa for yourself for these 2 countries?) without one and the difficulty (impossibility?) in arranging one.

If you make it as far as a border with the EU you'll have to pay import tax and in the UK it'll probably fail an MOT emissions test, hence you would also never be able to register it (and even if you could, what are the costs?).

Sorry to rain on your parade.

I would not buy the 135 simply because with a 125, the Honda that is so popular in India for instance, you will be covered by the much cheaper standard backpacker travel insurance, those who head off on anything bigger have a limited choice of much more expensive specialist travel insurance without the 125 cc limit, if you need to claim having had an accident they will ask and won't pay up if riding anything bigger including a 135. Also check that the policy covers for continuous motorcycle travel, some do some don't.

Chris,


With regards to the carnet, I am not totaly unprepaired, it is a nepali registered bike which will be registered in my own name, Hearts and Tears motorcycle club, who are helping build the bike, are overseeing the process as they have done this for many people before, its kinda of there 'thing' (hence the month in Pokhara). The idea of a RX being that the market value can be dramaticaly unwritten thus making the deposit (5 times the value?) small enough to be possible.

As for visas, well I am certainly nervous, however this journey has been made (but the other way around), by a UK passport holder only a few months ago. Visas for pakistan and Iran was going to be the next thing i was going to ask for up to date advice about.

As for EU import tax, well, this is somthing I definatley didnt see (stupidly), I didnt plan on registering it back in the UK though, I think ill be happy to be on my big bike again.


Ive just realised truley how ignorant I must appear (actualy be?).

The Eu import tax with exception of entering the UK is something I would not have thought of thats for sure! Chris has, and does travel extensively and is a useful guy to bounce questions off.:wub:
:welcome: to the HUBB.

Well im glad its not just me then!


I think this thread should be renamed; Help, ive been stupid.

However the fact somone did this trip, be it backwards, finishing only a month ago gives me faith, now all I need its wisdom.

The owner of the Hearts and Tears business (Pokhara Royal Enfield hire etc) was taken ill with cancer a while ago and returned to the UK for treatment.
In May 2012 the place was closed and up for sale, so it's good to hear that it is a "going concern" again.

It was taken over by a Austrialian chap named Matt, who has been very helpful, although i didnt realise that was why, I wish him a speedy recovery.

Mark,


Thanks for the reply, there is 100cc version so you may be onto something there.

Not sure on the accuracy of this.

Don't see you having to pay import duty at the edge of the EU, because you aren't importing it into whatever country that is. Might be some form filling, but you're in that country temporarily. Have you actually done this before - I haven't, this is just based on looking up some of the rules, so happy for practical experience to trump this.

You will have to pay duty and possibly VAT in the UK if you want to be able to register it here. You'll have to declare the bike at Dover, but I'm not sure if they'll actually empty your wallet there or just give you an invoice.

There is no emissions test in the UK Motorcycle MOT.

If you ended up having to put it through MSVA to get it registered, the only test is for CO, and the limit is about double what my 1989 (pre-cat, so comparable) VW Transporter gets tested to at MOT, so I'd be surprised if you couldn't get through that.

Whether it's worth paying 10% duty plus 20% VAT on the price you paid for it (although presumably this isn't actually that much buying over there) plus £75 for an MSVA, plus something like £100 assorted reg fees, up to you. Few hundred quid extra on what sounds like a pretty cool trip, and you get to keep the bike.

Plenty of people have done this, some on 'old tech' small bikes - Nathan Millward springs to mind.

Dash,

Thanks for that, I hope your right! Also your van sounds mega, any pics? The thing that I'm scared is going to stop me on my tracks is the pakistan visa, is Nathan Millward on the Hubb?

And as helpful as everyone has been I was hoping for a bit if advice regarding clothing, particularly whether an open face helmet would be wise and keep me cool(er) or if I would just end up being blasted in the face with grit on the Indian roads until I was spectacularly annoyed!

I think he is, but might be more effective to contact him through his website...

Contact me | The Postman - Sydney to London on a moped

First-hand experience is always better ;). As I said, I've not tried this personally.

Truck:

http://sphotos-g.ak.fbcdn.net/hphoto..._5217689_n.jpg

Nice one,


Truck looks good btw, taken it far?

Not yet - mostly been using it as a bike hauler for rallying since we bought it 18 months ago, so it's spent a lot of time in Welsh forests, but not much further afield. My immediate travel plans (three months in the US this summer) are bike based as well.

However that won't always be the case, and when I get back from the US I'll be getting stuck into setting it up properly for camping - living area in the double-cab, hard top on the back for kitchen and storage of toys.

If you've got an organisation to issue you a Carnet, then you're all sorted. You've also thought about likelihood/logistics of getting visas for Iran and Pakistan, so that base is covered too.

I assumed you wanted to (legally) use the bike once you returned to the UK. If not, then taxes/mots/insurance aren't applicable either.

As far as clothing goes, check the expected weather en route at that time of year and plan accordingly. What's your route/itinerary?