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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