Hey guys,

I plan to go to Tibet - Nepal - north India - Pakistan - KKH to XinJiang,China by motorcycle

The activities in Nepal shall mainly be trekking and I think a motorcycle is not necessary for the tour there. So I don't plan to buy a motorcycle until the start of the trip in India.

What I'd like to ask advice for is that, should I buy the motorcycle in Nepal or India, or even Tibet? My main concern is the budget. I plan to buy one for less than 500USD (is it reasonable?). I don't know the market there very well and is afraid that the price will differ a lot due to some factors like the transmission cost or the tax of different countries. I would appreciate your advice on this.

Also, if I bought the motorcycle before entering India, will there be any trouble crossing the Tibet-Nepal or Nepal-India border being with a motorcycle? I've heard from one of my friend saying that he was unable to enter India from Nepal with his motorcycle because the Indian authority required to see a leaving flight ticket before allowing him to enter. I can't find any official information about this at all. And even applying for the visa to India does not require such document. Does anyone know about this?

One last question.. Is it possible to complete the tour on a bicycle within 2 months under a flexible, not-so-pushing schedule? I'm afraid the distance is more than 3000km and those bleak, high-altitude districts will make it even harder to bear all the gears on a bicycle. That is why I think a motorcycle is preferred.

appreciate any info and help!



Wayne

Welcome. Please take so time here to find stuff... it takes a long while but it is worth it

Riding a motorcycle in China?
Extremely expensive - you pay for a guide - in another vehicle - to escort you .. probably with a separate driver.... Alternative - put the motorcycle in a truck and transport across China that way - can be cheaper! At least that is what it was like the last time I looked ... and I don't think things have changed much.

Indian motorcycle ... do you need a cartnet? see Paperwork | Horizons Unlimited (you need to spend some days reading the stuff here ... not just the HUBB but the FAQ I call it ... most of the general stuff is already on the top GET READY , GEAR UP, ON THE ROAD pull down thingys above. Could be impossible to get from the Indians. That is why people by bikes in Nepal and use those for their trips.

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The bicycle would be a lot slower than the motor cycle say 1/10 the travel distance per day. But a lot easier to put on a bus and go through the hard/boring bits. Like borders...

Thanks Warin, I'll look into those info.
Fortunately, since I'm a HK citizen, troublesome issues related to China are solved.I've been wandering around other forums and found that it is hardly possible to buy a motorcycle(not a local) or ride one to cross the border(can't get a CPD). I suppose that means I need to give up anything related to motorcycles. Perhaps I'll try bicycle but I'm really not sure if I can survive the high-altitude and the long-distance. I think, under a flexible schedule, riding a bike can cover about 100km per day. So to complete the trip, it will certainly take a long time. But with a bicycle, getting across the border will no longer be a problem, right?


Thank you


Wayne

Ahh well China is no problem for you then

For bicycle travel I'd suggest you look at what others have done in terms of distances where you'd like to travel. You can look here on this site, but there is a lot move over on crazyguyonabike

The bicycle should be no problem ..compared to a motorcycle.

Thanks man. appreciate your help

I've just completed a similar trip, only without China/Tibet. The only way to do this is on a Nepali bike. It is impossible to get a CDP for an Indian bike. You can, however, get a CDP for a Nepal bike (which is what I did), but due to the 3oo% import duty on vehicles in Nepal, you are not going to find anything suitable on your budget and even if you could, you would need at least another £1000 for the CDP. It is doable, but not on the cheap !
UB.

Useless Baba,

Your saying that a CDP is absolutely required to enter pakistan, from India, on a Indian bike, even if you plan on returning to India on the same bike?

If so, what is the reselling situation like with a nepali bike?

Cheers!

The carnet is simply a guarantee that you won't leave the bike behind.

See the FAQ thingys at the top - in blue? read through those for more info .. link to the carnet Paperwork | Horizons Unlimited

READ the Indian section ...


you could buy a bike in India - ride it around .. then sell it before you leave the country .. do the same in the next country and so on - avoids carnet .. but you may well lose on the resales.

In India no problem,but if you want all information go to
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India information

Buying a motorcycle in India

US$500 will buy you a decent local 150ccm motorcycle in India. I've just been through it and travelled through southern India on a 4 year old Bajaj Pulsar. Also there is a decent market for 2nd hand bikes so you get most of your money back when you sell the bike. BUT, and that is a big BUT, you can only sell the bike in the one state in India where you bought it. Changing registration from one state in India to another is incredibly difficult and no one will buy from you for a decent price if the bike is registered in another state. Apart from that buying and selling is surprisingly un-bureaucratic. You will receive a chipcard which is the registration. And usually the bike comes with current 3rd party insurance - so get the certificate. As a foreigner you can not register the bike to your name. But you will get a transfer certificate where the previous owner signs that the ownership of the bike was transferred to you, even though registration remains with the previous name.
And another thing: foreigners can only own used vehicles, not brand new ones.
How you get the bike across international borders - I don't know.

__________________
no risk - no fun

Well, personally, when I have bought Indian bikes I have allways got the seller to fill in the transfer form and leave the buyer section blank. This means that when you sell the bike on, the purchaser ( if he has Indian residency ) can fill in the buyer section himself and the name of the seller matches the name of the registered owner. Makes things a lot easier !
UB.