Dude, I suppose we all have this dream, but unless you have very deep pockets or are lucky enough to find another group of overlanders going the same direction at the same time you probably have to bite the bullet.
It was still possible to go from Laos into China and exit to any other country in spring this year, but only with a Chinese travel agency and - to my knowledge - absolutely impossible without it. I received a quote of over 10.000$ from Navo (China Driving Tour; drive your vehicle to China, 4X4 Silk Road - NAVO) for a route from Laos to Kazakhstan in about 25 days.
In the end, I drove from Pakistan (KKH-Khunjerab Pass) through Xinjiang (China) into Kazakhstan, organized by Wayne from Xinjiang & Tibet Expeditions and his local coordinators (Drive into China : Drive your motorcycle or foreign licensed motor vehicle into China : permit and license requirements) for 2000$ (for all the paperwork). I had an official time frame of 15 days (date to date). Except for the first 2 days (arriving at Tashkurgan and then going to Kashgar together) and the last day (crossing at Korgos into KZ) I was without a guide and was free to ride anywhere within Xinjiang. I haven't taken any exam but received a temporary driver's license and license plate (laminated pieces of paper ;-). But I was told by Wayne's local coordinator that it's a lot of hassle so they usually don't get them. In fact, I met two other overlanders who entered from Kyrgyzstan, stayed only about 5 days and then went back there. They used the same agency as I did, but never got any driver's licenses or license plates. I guess it depends on how many days you're in the country. Cross province traveling on my own was a big no-no: This is where the guide usually comes in because there are allegedly military checkpoints which you can't pass by yourself. There was actually one on the way from Tashkurgan to Kashgar so that's why the guide had to be with me that day.
So you could contact the various agencies (there are a few more than the two mentioned above) and ask them about the current situation re cross-province driving. It changes so quickly in China, like the ridiculous "5 people of same nationality"-regulation for foreigners going to Tibet the authorities introduced in May/June this year...

One last well-intentioned advice: don't ship your bike to India, better to Kathmandu. I've heard lots of bad stories about the first one, where in contrast Kathmandu is quite OK. Clearance and various service fees were some 30-40 $ (60 $ the highest I've heard) earlier this year.

I hope that helps you a bit on the issues re planning your itinerary.

Cheers,
Kevin