Vladivostok to EU mid 2014

[Richard Wolters]

Hi all,
I am thinking of doing a trip from Vladivostok to Europe mid 2014. From Australia it would be best to travel via South Korea and than take the ferry to Vlad. However, after just watching The long way Round, once again I noticed that the camera man had to buy a new Russian bike for which they paid something like $1200. This would possibly be cheaper than freighting my own bike to Russia. In that case it would be just a matter of going to Vlad. with some throwover panniers and riding gear and start the journey. Local bikes can be fixed easily and cheap. I don't know if it is possible to ride out of Russia into Europe. If not...even if the bike is dumped it is still a lot cheaper than crating your own bike back to Aus.

Anyone out there with any experience in this. anyone interested? Riding buddies? I have placed message on the hub to the Vladivostok members but without any reply. I have no idea if how many members there are over there if any.
cheers
Richard

[colebatch]

Hey Richard ... long time no speak.

No one in Russia rides Russian bikes except old farmers - usually with side cars attached, and with a dog or the wife in the rig. Russians don't consider them to be "bikers".

All the russian bikers ride either Japanese, European or US bikes. You MAY be able to buy cheap chinese bikes in Russia.

You can buy an Izh planeta 5 (as per LWR) if you really want, but it will break down every 300 km (also as per LWR) and use 2-3 times as much fuel as a modern bike. It may, or may not start for you each morning.

Any bike can be fixed easy and cheap in Russia. All mechanics seem happy to take on a broken bike and work till they fix it, often without charge for foreign bikers. The only question is do you want that happening once in your trip, or 30 times?

If you are cool with breaking down 30 times in 30 days, then the Izh is a possibility for you. Otherwise, save yourself the grief. Its an all asphalt highway across Russia now. You can take a goldwing a ZZR1400 or an R1 on that highway. LWR is a decade old. Its completely out of date in terms of info and ideas.

You cant permanently take vehicles across customs borders unless you pay import duty. So bringing a Russian registered bike to Europe will mean you either have to import it, and pay all the import duty (I doubt you would get an Izh into the EU as an import because of its emissions), or you have to take it back to Russia.

I would guess your best bet is to freight it to South Korea and then ferry to Vladivostok.

[Richard Wolters]

Hi Walter, Good to hear from you again and thanks for your input. I got a message from the Moscow community who directed me to a bikes sales site and you are right. Mostly western bikes and at he same price level as here or Europe. I Visited Russia and Mongolia this year and loved it. This trip was the first ever without my own bike. I started in Singapore traveling by train/bus to northern Thailand and rented a Kawasaki there , later I ended up in Saigon and bought a small Honda which I sold a month later in Hanoi. Then train into China and the Trans-Mongolian to Irkutsk-Moscow- st Petersburg and on to Amsterdam where I collected my other bike which is always parked there. Did a Euro trip before retuning to Aus. We need to catch up next time. Cheers Richard

[colebatch]

Richard,

Have a look at my website (below) and FB page (in my footer) for more info on riding across Russia. I am still doing it almost annually. Then drop me an email (if you still have it) and I will advise you on travel there. There is great adventure to gbe had, but you do have to get off the trans siberian highway.

[url=http://www.sibirskyextreme.com/]Sibirsky Extreme

[Richard Wolters]

Thanks Walter, I emailed you back but it ended up in the general HU mail. next week I will be getting a F650 GS and sell my 1150GS. If nothing comes out of it I will use that bike. Perhaps change later to a good Dakar version.
I studied your site and most of the links. a lot of good advise.
where are you residing at present.
regards richard

[7days1shower]

I am also looking at getting into Vladivostok however, from Japan. (Would send my bike from Sydney)

Are there any key benefits/disadvantages between Japan or S.Korea as the ferry point?

[Richard Wolters]

Originally Posted by colebatch

Richard,

Have a look at my website (below) and FB page (in my footer) for more info on riding across Russia. I am still doing it almost annually. Then drop me an email (if you still have it) and I will advise you on travel there. There is great adventure to gbe had, but you do have to get off the trans siberian highway.

[url=http://www.sibirskyextreme.com/]Sibirsky Extreme

Hi Walter
What is a good source for getting some maps for the route Vlad-Moscow?
cheers Richard

[mark k]

For Russia all you need is your passport, visa and bike documents (v5) you get a temporary import document when you enter and hand it back in when you leave, I think it lasts for 3 months before you either have to renew it or leave the country. Also you should get insurance when you enter, although when we did it last year we did not and only asked once through your the trip for it ( gave the guy our English insurance details and after a while he got bored and moved us on ).
There is no stamp in your passport that links to the bike details, no carnet needed either.
This is the same for Mongolia if you are going to travel through it on the way.

Cheers


Mark
www.bamriders.com

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[Daze55556]

Mark, thanks for that.

Richard - I'm am told the bike can be registered in my name at his address in Ireland. This can also be done in the UK.

I will be putting my name on a spread sheet located on post number 29 here...
http://www.horizonsunlimited.com/hub...2014-a-70639-2

Lots of people heading that way next year.

Tom.