I still have not decided if I wil go north or south of the Caspian sea. Going south trough Iran is my favourite option but I don't know the price of a Carnet de Passage in Belgium.

If I decide to get a Carnet and cross Iran, I will probably visit Japan and ship my bike back from there.
By the way, does anyone knows how much money I should expect to pay to ship a bike from Japan to Europe ? I can't find anything on the HUBB and I feel that it's to soon to request a quote from a shipping company.


There are a some places that I really want to visit, apart from that I can adapt my route : the Caucasus (Georgia and Armenia), Aral sea (if that sea still exists in 2 years), Samarkand and Bukkhara, Kyrgyzstan, Mongolia and the lake Baïkal.


Maybe another point should be considered : how do you plan to travel ; mainly camping or mainly hotels ?

For me, it's mainly camping as I will try to keep the costs low.

Ted,

I'm feeling this thread .... with a caveat, the cost of a carnet for Iran is prohibitive.

I read Leonardo's post. I tried to get into Iran last year via all 3 borders with Turkey and a Carnet is a MUST. No question, no negotiation, no baksheesh, no way without one. The cost of a carnet for Iran for a UK registered bike (Leonardo's bike is not a UK bike) is a multiple of the bike's value. At present it's 500% for UK bikes. http://www.rac.co.uk/pdfs/driving-ab...formation.aspx. So, if your bike's 'deemed value' is £4,000 ... you must deposit £20,000 with your bank (tied until they release it), or take Davison's insurance which will cost you a pleasant amount resembling a bathroom renovation.

Iran would be a fabulous ride, but don't under-estimate the cost.

On that note ... count me in!!!!!!!!!!

It is as Nino suggested also possible to go over the Caspian sea by Ferry.
(Ferry from Azerbaijan (city Baku) to Turkmenistan)

Seems a good alternative.
Visa in this region seem to require thorough preparation: The Complete Guide to Central Asian Visas | Caravanistan

Does anyone know the best time of year to cross Mongolia, eastern Russia and Siberia ?? Considering the weather, temperature, river heights etc ???

www.touringted.com

__________________
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I highly recommend doing it in the summer...

hah absolutely... I was just wondering what the 'Window' was !!

I'd want to spend a decent bit of time getting there. Enjoying Eastern Europe, Turkey and the stans before getting into Mongolia and the further wilds.....

I'm trying to work out a start date really. If it's early 2014 then I doubt my finances will be in place. I'd be better off waiting until 2015 in that case.

HOWEVER !!

What's the weather like South of the Black sea and in Azerbaijan in November/December ??

I'm guessing that if I want to cross Mongolia/Siberia in Summer, with only a 5-6 month time period, Id be leaving the UK sometime in Early May. Sound about right ???

That's about 12 months from now !!!

How much would this trip cost, spanning six months ? I'm guessing about £7000 with flights and shipping.

I might even just put my feet up in Turkey for the winter. However, this is pretty unlikely with a girlfriend waiting at home, sticking pins in a voodoo doll.

__________________
Did some trips.
Rode some bikes.
Fix them for a living.
Can't say anymore.

Don't you dare hang up that helmet...

There's plenty of devilishness left in you....

__________________
Did some trips.
Rode some bikes.
Fix them for a living.
Can't say anymore.

Hi everyone!!!
Just to drop few words/thoughts.
Watching DVD’s from people who done this sort of trip, one thing is common, they all start mid April. Mondo Enduro, charley and Ewan, kev sanders, that Irish guy oisin huges......all of them leave UK around second half of April, and all had dry and good rides..(More/less...more more than les)
Money is issue, but ask Austin Vince (mondo enduro) what he think about it, and i believe him, money is not that all important, it helps but going to unknown and overcoming obstacles is what is all about, and will always stay in the memories, tarmac and hotels are all the same.
I agree that £7000 should be enough perhaps £1000 per month, but i am afraid that means no Iran (carnet) and china (guide). I don’t think i will have more than that...For everything else there is mastercard....
My idea of the route is based on Kevin Sanders ride from London to Beijing (if someone wants to see DVD let me know), that part of their ride from turkey till entering to china.
Would love to spend time in Turkey, Pamir highway, all this STANS(kaza,taji, kyrgy....unameitstan) and Mongolia, road of bones and back to Vladivostok at late July or august, ready for shipping...
On this forum is few other guys planning similar route at the same time so maybe all link together and this trip may happen.
Today i started my new job and i hate it, and only thinking (daydreaming) about this trip will keep me going till next spring...
Thanks and Keep it real...

Talked yesterday on the German HU meeting with a Belgian guy going to Iran - Pakistan - India who first tried to get a Carnet in Belgium and had to deposit over 20.000 Euro for his bike.
He went to the ADAC in Germany and got a Carnet there for less than 200 Euro and a deposit of 3000 Euro (value bike < 15000 Euro).


I know that if I order a carnet from the Dutch automobile club it will be ordered from the German ADAC anyway. Seems to me all countries are getting the Carnet from Germany. Think you Brits can do the same.

Best,
Leo




http://www.adac.de/_mmm/pdf/Carnet%2...isch_18337.pdf

Carnets aren't as difficult or expensive as people think...

The trick is having a CHEAP bike.

I have a carnet for Egypt and it was 800%.. My bike was valued (LIE), at £1000 so my carnet amount was £8000.

I got a bank guarantee from Barclays and it cost me about £250 in charges. The carnet document was another £200 or something.

That's about 450 in total...

The bank guarantee is by far the cheapest but you need a good relationship with you bank and it helps to have all your money with them.

I borrowed £6000 off my mum six weeks before I applied and they were happy with that. As soon as I got the carnet I gave it back to her.

__________________
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Rode some bikes.
Fix them for a living.
Can't say anymore.

I'm a little confused about carnets. I thought as a UK resident i could apply for one that was a %age of the value of the bike(mine cost £2000) and that would cover the international journey and border crossings ??

I haven't read anything about going to my bank until now?


ninothedude - there is a thread here regarding a trip through China that is looking to share the cost of a Chinese guide.. UK to Thailand

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Mark
http://chasingdreams2014.blogspot.co.uk/

Hi guys, been reading this with interest and have a couple of questions, how long is a carnet valid for also if it costs a percentage of the bikes value what's to stop people from making a 4grand bike or whatever look like a 500quid rat? Who decides the value of your pride and joy?

Carnets...............


A carnet is a security deposit for the value of your bike...

It is designed to stop people illegally importing vehicles in to a county. You risk losing your security deposit if you do.

The carnet is a big book. Each page represents a country that you might visit.

When you enter a country, the official stamps it. When you leave, it's also stamped. that way you can prove you have LEFT the country WITH your vehicle. That's the important part. If you don't get your exit stamp, that country will assume the bike hasn't left and has been imported so they will make a claim against whoever issued the carnet for their % amount.

Now, each country sets it's own percentage. Most are 100%, 200% .. Crazy places like Egypt are 800%. Which is ludicrous.

To get the carnet book you have to leave the said deposit with a trusted organisation. In the UK it's the RAC.

SOOOOOOOOOOOOOO !!

Let's imagine you have a bike which is worth £4000 and you want to go to Kenya which might have a 200% carnet.

You need to leave £8000 deposit with the RAC before they will issue you that carnet. If you want to go to Egypt which is 800% you would have to leave 8x£4000 which is £24000..

CRAZY HUH !!!


Now this is how you make it affordable.

1) You get someone to guarantee payment for that amount of money. A 'bank guarantee' is in affect is a giant loan with your bank that they will chase you for if a country can prove that you didn't remove your vehicle (no stamp) and makes a claim against you.

A bank will usually charge you about £300 for this but they can be tricky to obtain unless you have a good credit history and some money tucked away.

2) You can an insurance policy for the amount of money. Just like any insurance, they take a premium against the risk that you might or might not have a country claim against you. This is the most common. Expect to pay about £800 for a £8000 carnet value.

3) You get a CHEAP bike. The lower the value of the bike, the lower the value of the deposit. A £1000 bike in Egypt needs a £8000 deposit. A £10,000 bike needs a £80,000 deposit. Egypt is 800% remember. In ALL cases, the cheaper the bike, the lower the cost.

Most people will undervalue their bike when filling in the forms. The RAC are Okay with this as long as it is realistic and believable. They will never believe a brand new 1200GS is worth £500.

They will believe that a ten year old DRZ400 is worth £800 instead of £3000.


Get it ????



To anser simenus's question specifically...... YOU tell the RAC the value of your bike and hope that they believe you. They ARE NOT stupid though. If they smell a rat, they will just go on autotrader and check.

My DRZ400 was worth about £2500 with all the mods. I claimed it was worth £1000 because an old battered DRZ400 'could' be worth £1000. It's up to you to put in a realistic amount and be able to prove it if required.

__________________
Did some trips.
Rode some bikes.
Fix them for a living.
Can't say anymore.

Thanx Ted, thats the info i was looking for! Thinking about doing a decent sized trip in the next couple of years, been wanting to for a long time now so no point thinking about it any longer going to take final leap and go for it!

just bumped into simon and lisa thomas over the weekend (2Ride The World) they have been on the road for 10 years and obviously had a carnet and renewed in multiple times, lisa was saying there are going to be some changes by the RAC...

have you heard anything about this, she didn't elaborate too much as it was an American audience so too relevent as most riders here get their carnet from canada, but as i have dual citizenship i'll alway look for the cheapest way, besides devaluing the bike of course

and based on that sentence anyone else reading this have you found other places to get them for international riders that offer better deals? i have heard other countries car clubs can get them and prices vary a lot

IMO i just wish most countries did it like Mexico at the border, that way there is no possibility of not getting stamped out incorrectly and you don't have to carry a book