RTW: 1 bike vs many
 

Hello everyone,

I'm looking to depart from Texas on a RTW August 2018. The amount of time I am spending agonizing over bike selection really seems to come down to agonizing about trip philosophy: precision vs incognito, performance vs experiences, minimalist vs optimized etc.

Anyway, my main issue is trying to decide between a multi-bike or single bike approach. i.e. one for the whole trip or roughly one per continent?


It seems like shipping the bike is a tremendous expense (not to mention the complexity) that could be avoided by buying multiple bikes in addition to having smaller, less complicated bikes for places like South America and Africa. If I kept the same bike, I like the idea of doing the ferry from SA to Europe but I would prefer to ride from Cape Town to Europe vs other way round.

I used to live in Germany, so I'm thinking it would be pretty easy to pick up a bike there or elsewhere in Europe, no experience buying and selling elsewhere. Right now I'm planning to use a Mosko Moto Reckless 80 (reckless) so swapping luggage shouldn't be too difficult and I'm going to try to carry as little as possible.

I'm thinking maybe....
Buy Texas, Sell Paraguay (or other tax free zone)
Buy South Africa, Sell? (ideas appreciated)
Buy Europe, Sell Australia or Ship home?

Thoughts? apologies if this has been discussed at length already

I have a 2001 F650gs Dakar in the garage right now but I am considering replacing it with a CRF250L, Super Sherpa etc for South America

My opinion would be to stick with one bike, buying and selling at each end of a continent can be a problem starting with registering in your name and more if a carnet de passage is involved. There are plenty of bikes which are suitable for the whole trip, take a look at the Honda CB500X adventure for a mid sized trusty all rounder.

forget about selling in Australia, your MC will be temporarily imported there with Carnet, and you´re looking at paying full taxes & duties, and you are naturally in violation of your Carnet agreement if you sell it in a Carnet country, so you won´t get your bond back from the issuer.

Of course you go for a CRF250L haha. We are currently traveling around the world on them. Ride 60.000 km now and still going strong, just changed the clutch pads from 1 of the bikes that's all big maintenance we did so far..

Sent from my WAS-LX1A using Tapatalk

Harsh realities of today means travelers may be hard pressed to go RTW on one bike without considerable extra expense and hassle. Lots of good alternatives however. :thumbup1:

Not only is crating and shipping a bike expensive but can be stressful, a major hassle with endless document nightmares, insane invented fees and corruption.

You may also encounter massive unexplained delays waiting WEEKS to get your bike free of the port ... IMO, all this can ruin your whole trip and ramp up your expenses .... a lot!

PLUS ... you still have the Carnet to buy $$$$ in some regions (not S. America) get stamped in/out and if you screw it up you can lose a BIG chunk of deposit money ($thousands$).

The good news is you can ride your current BMW F650GS all the way South, then either sell it off, ship to S. Africa ... or ride it back to USA and sell it legally there. Or ... leave it, come back in a year or two and continue your trip.

If you do S.America as a loop you may even be able to do some "new" countries on your way back North, see parts of countries you did not see on your way South. (like Caribe side of Cent. America, East side of Mexico)

ROUTE:
On your way South stay West through Mexico and Central America, then stick to Colombia, Ecuador, Peru' and Chile. Then, if you decide to ride back, head North, do Argentina, Uruguay, Paraguay, Bolivia, Venezuela and Brazil. You could spend a year in Brazil alone.

Perhaps ship to Miami from Colombia?? ... or take another two weeks and ride to USA. Sell off that bike once back in USA. You got your money's worth! :D

If you ship your bike to Africa then you're good to go for ALL of Africa and EU and beyond. You will have Carnet issues to deal with in certain countries.

If you fly to S. Africa and buy a bike there, I think Carnet is not required for most other African countries with S. African plates (not sure on this, look into it). It's not cheap for bikes there but not that much more than US or EU, AFAIK.
Asia- India
Most Moto-Queros don't ride into China and it's impossible to legally bring your own bike into China. So, that's another part of the world you have to buy (or rent) another bike.

Another challenge area for bringing your own bike into is India and most of Asia. India make it nearly impossible to temp import a bike and the Asian countries also can be a major hassle. Rentals or buying your own bike is THE WAY to go for both of those regions.

Cheap and easy to buy or rent bikes there. No point bringing in your own bike. Would be a HUGE hassle and expense.

You could also leave your bike behind once you get to Chile or Argentina. I hear it' quite easy to do this in Uruguay. No hassle with TIP. They love BMW in Argentina and Chile ... so you may get an offer you can't refuse. Let the buyer worry about registering the bike.

You're so lucky to be able to take off and travel!
!Que le via muy bien! bier

Nah - not quite right Molly. You can bring foreign vehicles into and through China, travellers do that all the time. But its expensive as you need guides and permits and a major PITA when it comes to paperwork and buraucrasy.
India - not s problem to get into as long as you have a Carnet. The traffic there might scare the shit out of you though.

I would say that if youre goal is to do a RTW-trip, then do it on one bike. Research its weak spots etc and set it up and equip it well.

But if your attitude is more of a traveller who want to see parts of the world, several bikes, renting or buying locally might be a better option.

Some countries and areas are difficult and or expensive to get axcess to such as Vietnam, so if you want to go there its probably better to hore or buy locally. New Zealand - quite expensive to ship both to and from and a country very easy to buy a bike as a foreigner, so thats definetively an option worth thinking of.

Its not possible for anyone to import a vehicle older than 2 years old in Chile except in the two Zollfrei regions.
It is also supposed to be a basically new car, not something with 20k miles.
We had a friend who owed a customs brokerage, even though my KLR650 was just 18 months old it was a hassle that a mere mortal would have given up with. For him it was a gauntlet thrown down!!My wifes F650 was 30 months old, we had to ship it out of the country.
Another little know fact is that when you get a TIP in Chile its for 3 months. Theoretically you cannot get another one for 12 months. We lived there for 2 years and only once did we get turned back after going out of the country with her bike.
We waited until the next day and a different time and person and got thru.

Uruguay on the other hand is relatively easy, but as said, leave it up to the buyer to figure it out.
Michael

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.

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? :smartass:
(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.
:D:D:D

Back to school Molly![emoji38] 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....[emoji6]

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.

That's it! Simple as! :thumbup1:


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!

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. :D 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. bier

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 .... :D:D:D:D:D

It is way more intelligent to use different bikes on different countrys insted of wasting money for shiping exotic bikes around the globe.
Riding the same bike as the locals all parts are easy to get if needet and one does not lool and will be treated as money on legs. I road around Europa and Africa with a Bike from Europa, bought a 125cc Bike for South America and rented many bikes to get around Asia and India: Offroad Motorrad Weltreisen - das letzte Abenteuer

Thanks for all the replies!


I've decided to move ahead with just using the 2001 F650gs Dakar that I've already got (though I'm still open to other options). Just bought some used Jesse Luggage for it and a new seat. The only issue now is the surging between 3-4k rpm (seems to be common) is what I'm trying to sort out now.

sounds great but
 

Hi, sounds like a great idea but just thinking about the extra hassle of shopping and buying then selling plus the extra paperwork makes me shudder, Then there's the bike preparation including bike spares and tools to take etc would kill this option for me.
You have easy access to a bike I went to great expense to import to the UK from Texas, namely the DR650 and now ProCycle have waved their magic catalog over it I have what for me is the perfect travel bike. Just my 2pence

Good luck with your BMW! Might consider packing a few spares that tend to fail on that bike. Keep an eye on the water pump, head gasket. If your bike has never had a problem then it's probably OK.

Still, a water pump kit and head gasket not hard to pack. Also, fuel pump and F.I. filters and such may act up. Lots of info on Chain Gang and other owner forums on these issues.

Wheel Bearings another item I might carry on board. I think the '01 F650 uses a 520 size chain/sprocket?? I would consider upgrading to a 525 size chain.
In any case, get a DID X ring chain no matter what pitch size. Carry spare front sprocket ... swap it out about 8K to 10K miles. Will extend chain life.

Also, pay close attention to electrics and adding accessories. All the good info is out there, still plenty of these bikes out riding around.

I considered the beautiful F650 Dakars myself, but the extra weight over my DR650 put me off. The BMW is beautiful compared to my Ugly Duckling Suzuki, but the Suzuki is easy to maintain and has few problems ... ever.

Good luck! Where are you starting out your travels? bier

Could be true but depends where you travel and how long you intend to spend in that region.
If you buy or rent a bike in India, you'll be able to get the bike in your name or can rent a bike cheaply too. With both Enfield and Hero Honda ... and several newer Chinese bikes, repair shops and parts are nationwide in India.

Even the smallest village will have a Moto shop to fix common (and uncommon) problems. So doable. If you buy, some dealers offer buy back or just sell it off cheap. May still be less dear than renting, depending on bike.

Parts of Asia you can buy a bike and cross several borders ...(not all borders). Getting bike in your name is doable if you know the steps. Yes, bit of a hassle.
Or rent a bike in each country you go to. If you're staying a long time in either country then you won't spend a lot of time dealing with the bike relative to travel time. If you're in for just a week or two, then yes, and in that case rental is preferable.

You won't be able to custom outfit your bikes in either of above examples, so just use commonly available soft throw over panniers and be happy. No, won't be luxurious and over time you may adapt. bier

Well if that doesn't just read like a recommendation to buy a disposable bike locally... :D

:rofl:
Well, you could read it either way. That generation of F650 GS Dakar are beautiful bikes, fun to ride and work great if well set up and maintained. But of course the OP's bike is now 17 years old. :innocent:

So ... measures must be taken! Nothing lasts forever, not even a BMW!
(don't believe the HYPE!)

But overall, that F650 may not be my first choice as a RTW travel bike. But if an owner knows his bike well, has done important upgrades and maintenance ... then ... WHY NOT? (Bring the spares ... and GO!)

But in some regions I prefer buying or renting a bike locally to avoid:
1. Import Paperwork hassles 2. border crossings 3. shipping costs (a big one)
4. Obtaining parts if riding NON local bike or exotic bike.

Being in California, if I wanted to cover S. America, I'd ride my own bike and ride South the whole way. I might sell the bike in Chile? ... or? ... ride home, ship home or ship somewhere else? Options are good.

Hi All,

I prefer to write in this topic instead of creating a new one...

I had more and more difficulties to choose the bike for my RTW (1 years plan for the moment, around 50k km).

i will prefer to get a recent bike in order to be able to buy a 2nd hand without too much kilometers (I don't want to re-build the engine on the road, just normal maintenance,...)
I will also prefer 19/21 inch wheels instead of 17" for the "offroad" part even if it will be really easy offroad.

I was thinking about the africa twin (2016 model) but afraid about the weight... or a 660 XTZ but on that case afraid by the lack of confort, lack of power, bad suspensions, brake,... 50kg less but also 50 HP ...

What's your advice? opinion ?


thanks !

The curb weight of the XT660Z Tenere 2008-2017 model are 206 kilos versus on the new Africa Twin its 232 kilos. Thus the difference is not 50 kilos as you say its 26.

Im 150 000 kms into a RTW trip with a XT660Z Tenere and I have encountered numerous problems, too many to mention here. If I were to start all over again I would not ever take the Tenere again. I would take something light and easy. Just my 5 cents though...

Hi Victor!
Have you read this thread start to finish? Also, many other threads here that discuss "Which Bike" in detail.

But hard to make a helpful recommendation when you DON'T include your location, your riding experience ... and most of all, what bikes interest you most.

I'm guessing your from Northern Europe somewhere?

The other thing you left out is your budget! How much can you afford to spend on your bike?

A 21" or 19" front wheel is a good idea, IMO. If you want to save money and want to travel Mexico, Cent. America and South America, think about starting your travel here in USA.

More good travel bikes for sale here, cheaper than EU (or anywhere), and not too hard to get the bike registered in your name.

In the USA we have 3 650cc class dual sport bikes not sold in the EU. We DO NOT have the Yamaha XT660 Tenere'.

We do have:
Kawasaki KLR 650 (legendary)
Suzuki DR650 (bullet proof, lighter than most, easy to maintain)
Honda XR650L (good if modifications done, expensive)

As with EU, also plenty of BMW 650 for sale going back to the 90's, plus modern KTM's, Husqvarna, Beta and more.

But the Topic here is One Bike For RTW ... or More? Read this thread and decide which way you would like to go. Both have positive and negatives.
Good luck! bier

Thanks for your replies !

Hi Mollydog,


Effectively not a lot if information about myself.
I'm 33 yo, from France. I get my first bike when i was 15 yo, motorbike driving licence at 18yo, and i'm doing a lot of track since 5 years (french supermoto championship) , I practice also in enduro regularly with some friends.

Budget 10k is ok, so the last Africa twin fit in it. I don't want to spend more, and prefer to avoid "european" bikes because i think it will be more difficult to find some parts if needed...

this kind of bike is not sale anymore here in Europe... (even the 660XTZ stopped) , and concerning the organisation of my trip, quite difficult to start by the US due to the weather (american continent trip will start next january from patagonia to Alaska , and the weather contraint force me to start by south america)


effectively wrong topic! sorry for my mistake...


@Snakeboy, sorry for the weight, wrong information... so for 26kg, will prefer the Africa... When you talk about something light and easy , any idea?

Victor, use search or create your own topic, will be easier and cleaner - there are plenty of topics about which bike for RTW is the best. This is different topic.

e.g. Best Bike for solo riding RTW | Adventure Rider

p.s.
Tenere is excellent bike especially for RTW, just need to take care of it as goes for any other bike.
Some tend forget about that.

Not so sure that OLD ADV thread would do a guy from France much good.
There are about a million such threads on ADV Rider, most end up in pointless
pissing matches, going in circles for 2000 posts.

The advice here on HUBB is more international, more rational and not as combative. There are some GREAT riders on ADV Rider, but also hundreds of bottom feeding Trolls.

No worries! bier You only need fill in your LOCATION. Go to User Control panel.
Good to know your riding background!

The Honda Africa Twin is a great choice, IMO. :thumbup1:

NOTE: getting parts for ALL bikes not local will require a wait. For the thousands of little Chinese bikes, you may find parts in local shops. Others (Japanese, German, Austrian, American) you will have to order parts ... and, depending where you are, you wait 2 weeks ... or 2 months! Plus, you may have to pay import duty (tax) for any imported parts.

New, yes, not for sale anymore. But there are still many used ones out there for sale. And remember, Yamaha will support parts on that bike for at least 15 years in future.

You have a set "start date" for your trip? I did not see that in your post. Nearly anytime is good here in California to begin your travel. We ride year round. But November, December, January and Feb. are best to travel through Mexico and Cent. America.

I would save USA part for another trip or AFTER you finish with mex, Cent. America, S. America. Also, you want to try to reach Tierra Del Fuego by March. After that, it can get cold, maybe too cold to ride? (NOTE: November to March is best time for travel in this region)

Many riders from Europe buy bikes in USA (California, Arizona mostly) and save $2000 USD cost to ship bike from France to S.America.

Here you can also buy the Africa Twin here ... and cheaper than in France or EU.

If you want to spend less, look at bikes like: KLR650, DR650 (Suzuki) or Honda XR650L or R. All for sale here NEW or USED. Prices will range from $2500 up to about $6000 for those bikes used. New, a bit over $6000.

Used Africa Twin a bit rare, cost "around" $10,000 USD.

Also consider smaller bikes like Honda CRF250L, KLX250S and Yamaha WR250R (WR is my current favorite bike).

All these capable 250's would be GREAT for a S. America trip, not so good for FAST USA Freeways ... but fantastic on S. America dirt roads.
See above! :thumbup1:

Good luck Victor!

it was just a sample from google search, first hit :) horizon unlimited was not there :( Besides the older thread the better, most new bikes suck, big time anyway....

BTW I agree advrider is big kindergarten but not all members are like that of course. Nevertheless even here some are pushing their subjective opinions generalizing personal experience.