Gents, I'm an Australian who has done extensive international motorcycle touring over the last 30+ years and am now able to tackle the final frontiers - China and Russia.

I had originally hoped to be able to ship my bike to Vietnam then ride through China, Mongolia, Russia, the Stans etc., then up into Finland before heading south to Italy. However, all my reading suggests that China is a no-goer for importing and I am now considering 2 options.

1. Ship my bike to Vladivostok, fly to Vietnam, cross border to China and buy a smallish bike in Nanning ride up to Mongolia, sell it and then take the trans Siberian to Vladivostok to pick up my own bike (or possbly ride across to Harbin and sell the bike there;

or

2. Buy a decent sized bike (400cc+) in China and use it for the whole journey.

I'm planning to arrive in China in mid - late April but I am struggling to find out details of what I can buy in China and how much I will pay.

For a small bike the Qinqi 200 looks to be the go, but they also have 250 twins (old GSX250s I understand) which might be more suited.

On the other hand, Qingqi seems to build a 400cc scooter for Peugeot (Satelis) but I don't know if this can be purchased locally in China.

Alternatively, are there any used larger capacity Japanese bikes which may be available? I'm not keen on the ex PLA outfits but may consider a solo unit.

I do need to act quickly as I hope to be there in mid-late April.

I'm not averse to "taking risks" but I do need an appreciation of what I can and can't buy. One risk I'm not prepared to take is to get to China expecting to buy a bike suitable to ride to Europe on and then find they are not available, just about anything else goes though.

Any and all information regarding bike choices, companies/dealers to contact, sample pricing, buying new vs. used, etc. is much appreciated.

Garry from Oz.

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Garry from Oz - powered by Burgman

The China problem...

It is not 'just' a matter of the bike ... rego, insurance

There is also your licence. When I wnet there in '88 as part of a motorcycle tour group we had licences issued to us .. part of that was a complete medical .. in china. I belive this is somewhat simpler now, but it still needs some paprework. An IDP .. I don't think that works in China...

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Starting in Vladivostok is doable .. and more realist given your start time. Got your paperwork sorted, bike shippment sorted?

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Regards Frank Warner
motorcycles BMW R80 G/S 1981, BMW K11LT 1993, BMW K75 G/S

Hi Frank, I'm in the process of getting sorted for Russia -

Business visa invitation applied for. Once received I will apply for visa.
Shipping company arranged - will crate and arrange pickup form my home the week before I ship.

China visa received.
Vietnam visa currently being processed.
Will apply for Mongolian and Kazakhstan visas in Beijing.

IDP in hand, is there anything else I need to consider for Russia?

As far as China goes I recognise that I wil probably have to go "ïllegal" re licence, insurance etc., but I'm prepared to take that risk.

I've had a fair bit of experience bluffing my way across borders in the past, and have previously travelled by motorcycle for over 3 years without any form of vehicle insurance, so that risk is par for the course.

Right now I'm seriously considering buying a new (or demo) Jialing JH600. The only question marks are availability of dealerships in Nanning, reliability and spares availability.

Garry from Oz.

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Garry from Oz - powered by Burgman

G'Day,

you can always buy a Harley-Davidson or BMW from the official importers (shops) in Shanghai + Beijing.

I have a modified HD 1200cc Sportster 1991 with a lot of spares for sale in Shanghai. the bike will be sold without rego.

Just hope you do not have an incident or accident with locals while riding a motorbike in China. FYI: China does not recognize overseas or international driving license.

In Shanghai they detain Foreigners riding motorcycles without proper documents for up to ten days. Shanghai Detention Center - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

never seen a Jialing JH600 available in shops in China.

Best Regards, Ride Safe, BUTCH

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Somewhere down the road in China since '89 ~ along the route I've learned the hard way that pleasing everyone is impossible, but pissing everybody off is a piece of cake....TBR

Garry,

Finding parts for a JH600 in Russia, Mongolia or Europe may be a bit difficult. Franki is the man to talk to about that but I expect you've contacted him already.

I support your idea of riding with a dual sport or dirt type bike, if you don't you'll be in deep sheit somewhere down the road. If you keep it small, a new bike with regz shouldn't cost you more than 2k USD when all said and done. A JH600 would of course be about double that. There is also a side-car version ("B" variant?) of the JH600 which could be fun.

CC

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JH600 is marketed as direct sales from factory. There are only 5-6 dealers in China that sell this bike but mostly on order basis. I would suggest that you go to the factory direct or try with their closest dealer in Mianyang. With the bike registered, taxed and insured, you should be looking at about 36,000 RMB. Bike comes in red, blue and black colour. Factory offers courier service directly deliver parts to owners in need (in China only). Normal transit time is about 2-3 days.

I will be off to ride my JH600 Mar. 21 from Chengdu to Yunnan. So if you need any more help from me, you must do it in a timely manner.

Franki