We are currently travelling with Clive and Denise who are two up on a 1954 Triumph Thunderbird 650. He has worked on, collected and sold Triumphs for more than 30 years. They don't have a website or mobile or anything like that so you will just have to bump into them one day when they get back to Coventry some time in the future.

India--->UK by Bullet
 

As I can read this is a feasible thing to ride a classic bike around the world. I'm planning to ride a Bullet from India to UK. Can anyone give me an idea of the budget? Do I need a Carnet? Apart the Visa, how can cost a normal ride day in India/Pakistan/Iran/Turkey?

That's an awful lot of question you are asking there. I suggest about a month of searching the forums here to get all your answers.

He is currently riding around the world on a 62 panhead chopper that he built himself. Hardtail springer! He goes by RTWdoug now and the story is on ADVrider.com Great stuff.

There are a couple of Danes riding around the world for the second time on Nimbus with sidecar rigs. Sheer madness and I love it! Also at ADV there is a guy called Natethepostman riding an old CT110 from Sydney to London via central Asia. He's almost done, simply because he had no idea that it was impossible:thumbup1:

That to me is the key to any bike, new or old. I have a mate who runs a 1950's Norton. Bruce thinks nothing of riding from the UK to Switzerland for the simple reason he knows every parts source in Europe, has contacts in dozens of owners clubs and with the loan of a covered workspace and the odd bigger tool could probably rebuild the bike. He's owned that bike for about 40 years.

I have a similar relationship with MZ's. I use one every day and given the right trip would take one over my Triumph. Supply of two stroke oil, decokes, the odd sieze and a 50-60 mph cruising speed doesn't worry me.

You really need to match the bike to your trip though. Taking an Enfield because you know them is a good idea. Taking one because you like the noise they make is just as crazy as picking up a brand new, new model, first production year BMW on your way to the ferry, or something you just bought on e-bay.

The Iron Engine Enfield lubrication thing is a popular topic amongst the mechano brigade they attract (look at how many 5000 mile 3 year old Bullets with Samrat rockers, Mikuni carbs, Goldstar exhausts and high capacity oil pumps you can pick up on e-bay from guys who really wanted a new Bonneville and some Lego). The standard oil pumps are fine if you ride a mix of A and B roads and do the maintenance every 2000 miles. If you want a bike that'll stand the odd stretch of motorway upgrades help. If you tune the thing for 35 HP and ride it like a Honda it WILL destroy itself regardless, it'll just fail at the bottom end or elsewhere. If you want more HP it's way easier to buy a Triumph/Kawasaki/New Enfield/Honda etc. where all the parts are designed for that output than constantly chase the next bit that the old Enfield will eat.

Take a classic because that's what you ride, not because that's what you want to ride.

Andy

A Bullet to Europe
 

Taking a Classic for a drive
Ignore the advice on above threads at peril to your life and wallet. The classic bike people really can fix, or have the network, to fix nearly anything. Unless you are really competent you will have a lot of breakdowns, and most of your solutions will involve a lot of money changing hands. On the plus side, you will meet a lot of people who would otherwise never meet, and stay in a lot of places you probably would never have stayed, for longer than you want.
My own experience along these lines, with a single sylinder BMW, an R26, around the Mediterranean in ’72 was rough, nearly every day something fell off, broke, stopped working or malfunctioned. Yes, I made it, and I had a lot of help, but I don’t think the world is so forgiving today. Of course the rosy light of retrospect helps, and I have lots of tall stories, but the simple truth is that I spent so much time, energy and money on the bike that I had very little off-bike experiences. This I do regret.
Just read some of the blog from these two lunatics, http://www.kccd.no/home_no.html, it is enough to make a grown man weep. Should you decide to make the trip, take your time, and take time to look around you. Get the paperwork organised, visas issued, and a good Insurance with ‘medical repatriation’......what can go wrong?
Peter, in Oslo

In the distantish future I want to take a classic Brit single lump and gearbox and stick them in a vaguely modern off-road frame.

I wouldn't be happy doing a big trip on a bike that can't be thoroughly abused chassis wise, unless I knew I was riding only on tarmac. I'd rather be limited speed wise by my motor than worries about my suspension or bits of my frame braking, or just getting thrown off the bike by roads.

Nath - Metisse in Oxfordshire are restoring a 1960s Rickman Metisse competition frame for me, a guy in Cheshire is building a low-compression 650 twin for me and I'm putting new electrics, suspension and disc brakes on it (sacriligous?). I've just sold my house and plan to leave early Seetember and be on the road for about 5 years- so I hope it can be done!

I still think that a 66-70 Thunderbird or Trophy 650 Pre oil in frame makes the best touring bike ever made. Mine was even better than the 1961 500 I had for 90K miles without a breakdown. It never occurred to me it might fail. All I carried was a spare bulb or two, split link, a set of control cables and a pair of old plugs removed at the last service. In those days I was in the services and rode home to deepest Cornwall from Norfolk (435 miles each way) most weekends.

I might take a few more spares than that but am aiming for under 50 pounds of luggage so not much more.....

With the Enfield, I also carry a spare chain as it gets through the indian made ones very quickly. the Elite chains last twice as long when I can get them.