You have to weigh up if you prefer to spend time buying and selling/renting motorbikes v the shipping/carnet aspect of using one bike. Can you potentially afford to wait for a bike to sell before you start the next leg of your journey?, not a problem if you are always renting though, but you will end up having to do a loop if you rent and drop the bike back off at the start point.

There are good and bad aspects of both, buying/renting gives you flexibility to change your plans but I prefer to have a bike I know well and fly it or ship it. Realistically if you start in North America, you have to cross the Darian Gap, ship from Buenos Aires to Durban, ride back to Europe if you want to - and ride to Asia, ship to to Aus and back to North America, which really is not that much actual shipping to complete a RTW

I would not hesitate to do a RTW on a CRF250L, great bikes, cheap to run, fix and cheap carnet.

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Cheers
Grif

'11 KTM 450 EXC
'09 Suzuki DR650
'00 Discovery Series 2 V8
'95 Defender 90 300 Tdi Overlander
http://gipperstravels.blogspot.ca

Some really good points!

All good, fair points. I would counter with:
How long can you afford to wait until your ship or plane comes in with your bike?

And how much running around might you have to do to get your bike "free' of the port? Document hurdles and delays can be substantial. We've all read the nightmare stories NUMEROUS times.

Selling could be difficult, true enough. But many outfits offer "Buy Back" schemes. Also, in, for example, Vietnam, you can rent (or buy) a bike in either Hanoi or Saigon .... ride all the way North or South ... and drop the bike off ... as several rental/sales companies have offices in both North and South. Some also have buy back arrangements.

Not sure about India, maybe others have experiences on this????

This is all good ... and basically what I already detailed in my post above. From reading reports, shipping from Buenos Aires to Durban is no piece of cake. Flying by far the best method paperwork wise but expensive as HELL.

But certainly possible and many do it.

Not sure how one might Ride from EU to Asia. ??? Some shipping required along the way, not to mention Carnet issues, war zones and political road blocks too.

I'd not be too excited about riding through most of the Middle East currently ... but hey, terror is what 'adventure" is all about, right?
(just kidding!)

I would love to be on my own bike the whole ride too, but have less tolerance for tin pot paper pushers having all the power ... would rather just walk away.

This also is about what is important ... is it about the bike (your bike!) or is it about the ride (on any bike), the people you meet and places you see?

It's all very personal. For me, I have NO INTEREST in doing continuous long journeys that go on for years. Prefer shorter jaunts into one area, do some exploring, then return. Regroup, plan and do it again someplace else.

Back to school Molly! From the EU we just cross the Bosporus (bridge) and we are on the Asian continent. To continue to South-East Asia no war zones, depending on the route, only pain in the ass paperwork and guided tours through China, Myanmar and Thailand.

I agree on airfreight being the best shipping method. In the end it's not that much more expensive than airfreight. You can fly your bike from one continent to another between us$1000 and $2000 depending on the weight. When they charge more you have to continue searching....

Ofcourse you can buy a Chinese or second hand bike for this money in most parts of the world, this will work out cheaper. Personally I liked doing it all on one trusty bike. Future far away trips to single countries/continents I would consider buying there.

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www.amsterdamtoanywhere.nl

That's it! Simple as!


Once upon a time, in June 2009 if I recall correctly, I asked Peter Forwood - of 'The World's Most Traveled Motorcycle' fame - this question:

"Why challenge yourself with all the hassles associated with riding this one solitary 'tank' of a motorcycle continuously 'round the world Peter?"

"Because it's the bike's journey too mate" was his reply.

That made sense to me.

Reminder:
Aussie Peter - out from northern Queensland - along with his good lady wife and pillion, Kay Forwood: from 1996 to 2011, rode their 1994 Harley-Davison Electraglide Classic, epically RTW, visiting 193 countries in the process. Awesome!

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Right Way Round ...

The best bike to take is the one you already have. I would also let you know that just crossing the border doesn't turn roads in to dirt and make speeds of 70+ mph history. I rode with some guys on 250s in Patagonia but I had to leave them because I never got out of 4th gear.

Lots of ways now to go about RTW travel. Like I said ... it's personal.
I met Peter Forwood at a HUBB event in BC, Canada in around 2003 or 4. Saw his whole presentation. Impressive for sure.

That's one way to go about RTW or MC travel ... but not mine. I love the fact that Harley took his bike in and totally re-built it from the ground up at the H-D factory in Wisconsin. All NO CHARGE. Maybe that's why Peter is so wedded to that "tank" of a bike?

It's a different strokes thing. I like freedom and flexibility regards travel on bikes. And I try not to become too attached to ANY bike I own.

They are just machines made on an assembly line. Lots more like 'em. Get over the absurd sentimentality I see amongst some riders.

A bike is mostly what you make it. If one is good on mods, maintenance and service, then most bikes will be reasonably reliable. Don't get attached ... be prepared to just grab you kit off it and walk away if it dies.
As always ... YMMV.

Most riders doing RTW or equivalent long journeys use a single bike.

That must mean something. I'd be cautious about accepting advice from people here or elsewhere who haven't, or don't currently, make such journeys.

From my perspective, I've found it pretty easy and reasonably rewarding to ship my own bike from one continent to another. Considering what a pain in the butt it can be just finding tires and parts in an unfamiliar country, I shudder to think of the time and effort involved in buying and selling, then outfitting and maintaining, whole motorbikes. I'd rather take my non-infinite free time and go riding.

Hope that's helpful.

Mark

I would compare this to having one wife vs many - just freaking too expensive
and too much headache plus you never know what to expect...

Yes, there is advantage to having your own bike that you know and trust. But to me it really depends WHERE you are going ... and for HOW LONG.

For Mexico, Cent. America and S. America I would take my own bike... because I can RIDE THERE! No shipping! I might even ship to Africa ... or maybe sell off in Chile or Argentina if good offer made?

I've been to Asia 3 times but only riding bikes on two trips. In both cases I rented bikes and was TOTALLY happy to do that. I would never ship my bike there. To cheap and easy to get rentals. Mine was BRAND NEW! (300 km on the clock?)

But I wasn't going RTW, just did a few weeks there, which is fine for me.

I have yet to do a tour of Vietnam even though been there twice but only rental bikes for day or two. (working trip)

For me, same goes for India. Seems quite difficult to import your own bike into India. Rather buy or rent a bike there. Been to India twice but never rode bikes there.

For EU and heading out to Mongolia or something, I would do what I've already done on previous trip. BUY A BIKE IN UK. Good used deals there.

I toured around some of the EU but went no further, but could have. Re-sold the bike 3 years later and only lost 800 Pounds after 22K miles of use. Re-selling easy. I did nothing, consigned to friendly shop, they wired funds to me. Job done.

So lots of way to Skin this Cat. No right or wrong way. Like I said above, I now prefer shorter trips confined to one continent or even smaller area.

Africa I would do in bits and pieces. I'd love to do a S. Africa tour. I'd rent or buy and just do 3 or 4 countries for month or two. Fly home.

I've been to Sudan, Ethiopia, Ghana and Maroc. Only rode a bit in Morroco.
Some day ....