Decision Time!
 

Hello All

well as the title says, its time to make a decision
Currently a corporate slave, and now thinking that there is a bit more than being tied up to the desk.

A brit, but living in Asia for the last 15 years.. (mid aged ;-)

Now i am trying to decide:
1 firstly to hit the global road, and give up everything.
2. where!? and by which way, start in Thailand then head.....?
3 Back home for a while then leave UK to..?
4. What bike for a global trip (budget is ok)

Its a tough one, so any answer will be much appreciated..?c?
Thanks all

Hi djays

Welcome to HU I hope that you are well. There are some broad questions but I will try and give the short answers for now.

1 firstly to hit the global road, and give up everything.
2. where!? and by which way, start in Thailand then head.....?
3 Back home for a while then leave UK to..?
4. What bike for a global trip (budget is ok)

1. Hell Yeah!!! Read Mark Twain's quote on regret
2&3. Work out what you want to see work out a route. You may want to finish where you started. Be careful of going to the UK "for a while" you may get stuck.
4. How long is a piece of string. There are great adventure bikes of all types and sizes. Pick one that you are most comfortable on and like. There are people going round the world on everything from 1290cc to 90cc, from purpose build to postman's bikes. Good luck and enjoy the planning it's part of the trip IMO :mchappy:

Hi 7800..

Thanks for the welcome.. yes they are broad, and that is my dilemma.

1.True, i've done many things.. but this would top them all..

2/3..Route- either head to India then upwards through Central Asia work through Europe..
or
Head East up through Vietnam/China/- Trans Siberian


4. I'm debating on the Africa Twin, or Multistrada at this time... but will also look at the Tenere

Planning for sure is exciting, just trying to get my thinking cap on it straight!

cheers!

The route through Myanmar and Bangladesh to India looks great. You could go right round India including Sri lanka and Nepal then up through Pakistan and "the Stans" to europe. You could then drop into Africa............

I'm more of a small bike man but love Hondas so the Africa Twin would be my choice. There are a lot of people on here more qualified than me to talk bikes.

One of the benefits of starting in the UK is it will probably be easier to get a carnet de passage for a UK registered bike than one from SE Asia and the bike will possibly be cheaper as well.

Hi
I used to think that one day I’d do a RTW trip - I still might :mchappy:
More and more though, for me, there are 3 big bike trips I’d like to do and I think they will be on different bikes. I’m UK based.
1 - The Americas - probably on a 1200gs.
2 - Africa down the west to Cape Town then up the east side as far as I can go - on a 250.
3 - Overland to Mongolia - bike undecided as yet.

As far as India and south east Asia are concerned I would probably back-pack picking up the odd 2 wheeled transport as I went along.

Good luck with your decision and trip, don’t forget the RR bier

Hello Flipflop
Yes it’s a commitment to go ahead with a RTW;)

Why do you think of changing bikes for specific areas then?
RR??

Cheers I’m still working on it and the plan, so many things... :funmeteryes:

Hi Mark

Yes actually correct the bikes are considerably cheaper in Europe than in Thailand, by multiple thousands..,

This has also added a spanner to the works now:oops2:

RR = ride report :thumbup1:

I am going around the world now, and have been gone a year. A Suzuki DL650 is ideal, bulletproof, servicing everywhere and 260 mile range. You can get an early one in the UK for around £1500 probably with some luggage already on. Carnet cost is based on the value of your bike so get a HPi report which has a valuation from the bike trade to keep costs down. Also a U.K. bike will have for now, EU cover for insurance so you wont need to shop around until you get near Turkey.

It's a very romantic and tempting notion to give up everything, hit the road and never think of the consequences.

I would suggest having an exit plan though. Maybe long term travel isn't for you. Maybe something (god forbid) happens and your trip is cut short. The list goes on and on.

The reality is that for 99.9% of us, the trip eventually comes to an end.

Don't leave yourself with nothing for when this time comes. Don't dramatically burn your bridges or leave yourself penniless for a romantic notion.

If you're smart, you can do both. A wise man once told me that travel is like a long game of Chess. Get all your pieces in place before you make your move and make sure you can wriggle out of a bad decision if you have to.

Get out there and explore the world. It's great bier

Hi djays

I am going from the UK to Cape Town next year on a crf250l. I have bought it and really like it but I would consider the crf450l if one comes up at the right price. Even tough the Chinese have paved a lot of the roads through West Africa I feel a lot more comfortable with a smaller bike. For the section from Guinea to Namibia which will be the most challenging a small bike is better IMO. There are 3 of us planning to go but if I end up doing it solo I think lighter is better for me. I did have a mad thought the other day of doing it on a Monkey Bike!! an idea that is still making me smile.

Even though America is small compared to Africa and the USA actually fits into the Sahara desert. It seems like a place for bigger bikes I don't know why. Maybe its all of the freeways and my perception of it. For a whole RWT I would probably look at something in the 400 to 650cc bracket but that's just me. There is no right or wrong with bikes its down to what you feel comfortable on and what you like. You can't get to some of the places on a big bike that you can on a smaller one but do you want to. Bigger is more suited to long stretches of freeway but again do you want to.

Having ridden the 450L recently my feeling is that the 250L is much more suited to travel and road use. The 450 was buzzy, seat was dreadful and it's top speed was actually slightly lower than the 250 (due to gearing I presume). The extra torque was nice and the suspension better (stiffer, more suited to trail riding at a reasonable pace). The maintenance intervals are pretty drastic compared to the 250 also. Bear in mind also that the euro 450 is significantly down on power compared to the US model due to emissions regs.



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Dear Touring Ted

As always, you speak a lot of sense. I don't live a million miles from you (Northwich). If you fancy a swift half(or twenty) please let me know.

Best regards

baluchiman

Thank you for the words.. this is in where lies the decision and all the complexities than goes along with it.

I fully agree with you, but being a corporate slave doesn't always float peoples boat.. yes the money can be good, but sometimes the work is tedious. ;)

I am trying to pace myself a bit, but i know soon it will be make or break time!:scooter: