G'Day

Hi all,

I came across this site in the last few days and have been blow away by the wealth of information available, most of which I've struggled to find on the wider net. Respect and thanks to CrazyCarl for setting this up, am looking forward to joining in, learning and contributing.

A bit about myself, I'm from Australia, currently live in Sydney when I'm there, which in the last few years has been very on-and-off. I'm living in Kunming at the moment, got sent here by my Aus uni to study Mandarin for a year but fell in love with the place and a lovely local girl so have extended my stay for the moment.

Am in the planning stages of a MC trip, starting July, from here up through the west, Sichuan, Qinghai etc, hoping to crack in to Central Asia for a while then come back down via Inner Mongolia, Gansu, central China, possibly pop into Laos/other SE Asia for a while, who knows...

Have some experince on bikes, lived a year in far south India and spent a lot of hours on the road on my trusty Hero Honda, have zipped around through most SEA countries, mostly on mopeds and glorified scooters, and spent a month wandering the Mongolian wilderness on a Chinese-made 150cc Mustang last summer, two-up.

I've attached a couple of photos below, from the latter trip. Am going for my Chinese licence tomorrow, which, after visiting the Traffic Police Management Office today, seems like it will be surprisingly straightforward, touch wood, and after that will need a hand on selection of bike, equipment, route etc, but will post then.

If anyone wants some info on riding in Mongolia, or India even, or has any questions about Kunming, let me know!

Cheers,

Jack

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Hi Jack

Hope you can become a contributing member!

Spent nearly a year in India myself, but a pretty long time ago now. Been in China 12 years, any questions please ask.

Gidday Jack...
Another friggin Aussie... LoL.

Was riding a rented CB500X in NW Thailand (based out of Chiang Rai) for 7 weeks beginning 2014. Prince666 (MCM member) did 4 months there, the lucky sod (SOB LoL) - we rode together. While we were there we came across many many cars with China plates mainly from Yunan, & Kunming specifically during the Chinese New Year and Spring Festival week.

Prince666 is planning to ride from Hainan to Thailand via Laos, leaving in several weeks time on a YBR125. A group of us, myself included are hoping to do a ride from PRC -> Thailand end of this year or early 2015.

Would love to have a CB500X here truth be told, if they were legally available but for whatever reason only the CBR500R and CB500F are (the CB500X isn't), the CB500X would be the most suitable model given the majority of the roads here and elsewhere.

Anyway welcome onboard the MCM CRAzIeS bus...

Quote:

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Originally Posted by ZMC888

Hope you can become a contributing member!

Spent nearly a year in India myself, but a pretty long time ago now. Been in China 12 years, any questions please ask.

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Cheers ZMC， pleasure to be here. Wow over a decade, I'll definitely take you up on that offer for info in due course.

Hey there bikerdoc, yea another Ozzie, you ain't safe from us anywhere on the planet.

Nice, might send prince a PM at some stage, the YBR125 is definitely on the radar as a possible buy, reliable from what I can see, economic, a workhorse. Hoping to spend quite a bit of time up in the sky in Qinghai though, so the altitude combined with a passenger and luggage might be a limiting factor..

Haven't actually made it up north in Thailand yet, besides taking the train from Bangers to Vientiane, if we're back from the China cruise in time might join you for the ride. I chose Kunming cos it's tantalisingly close to so much of SEA (just got back from a quick pop to Nam actually, took a little 110 Honda up into the west foothills and stayed in a minority village, glorious) so would definitely like to capitalise on the location when I've got two wheels of my own. Working on the licence at them moment, that's another story tho.. :sad:

Agreed on the CB500X, lovely versatile bike, would be the duck's nuts out here

Just a quick update there foxy... Prince666 made it to Northern Thailand on the YBR125-KG without any problems. Bike went well. He's now in Chiang Kong for a few days, and probably sitting at a local cafe having coffee/latte with cake as I type this...

Quote:

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Originally Posted by bikerdoc

Just a quick update there foxy... Prince666 made it to Northern Thailand on the YBR125-KG without any problems. Bike went well. He's now in Chiang Kong for a few days, and probably sitting at a local cafe having coffee/latte with cake as I type this...

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Cheers doc, good to hear.. Prince when/if you read this how about putting down that latte for a moment and writing up a nice trip report for us bored folks back in the Medium Kingdom? :lol8:

I'm starting to think more and more lately about heading south at some stage. Should be getting the bike this week, fingers crossed, then starting from mid-July will have 4 and a half months or so to play with.. I can possibly see problems arising with China visa issues down the track, and after say three months of traversing the wild west and north , with a side of Central Asia, may well be ready to throw the bike on a train, pop back to Kunming and meander down to the Laotian jungles, Thai hinterlands and Vietnamese paddies.. Doc when are you thinking of riding down into SEA? I'm currently hosting David from Budapest in Kunming, they have already covered quite a bit of ground on their GS125, so all in all I think the YBR125 would have been a goer. Their bike is already starting to lose power though, and Kunming is not quite 1900m, so I think it'll be more comfortable on the 250.

Doc what oil would you recommend for the YBR250? I got the windscreen you recommended, seems solid, thanks for that. I've also Taobao'd a Xena disc lock, a Suolide rear chain lock with a different Xena d-lock, and am looking at a GPS tracker or two and alarm system, so she should be secure all in all :icon10:

Quote:

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Originally Posted by foxy88

Cheers doc, good to hear.. Prince when/if you read this how about putting down that latte for a moment and writing up a nice trip report for us bored folks back in the Medium Kingdom? :lol8:

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Basic RR with photos (lite on the text) will be up in the next several days. I'll be doing this for and behalf of Prince666 given his location and affliction with gramma and the sometimes unhelpful comments in that regard Prince666 gets. A condition that unfortunately can't be helped. Expect the Hainan -> Laos -> Northern Thailand RR to appear by the weeks end.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by foxy88

I'm starting to think more and more lately about heading south at some stage. Should be getting the bike this week, fingers crossed, then starting from mid-July will have 4 and a half months or so to play with.. I can possibly see problems arising with China visa issues down the track, and after say three months of traversing the wild west and north , with a side of Central Asia, may well be ready to throw the bike on a train, pop back to Kunming and meander down to the Laotian jungles, Thai hinterlands and Vietnamese paddies.. Doc when are you thinking of riding down into SEA? I'm currently hosting David from Budapest in Kunming, they have already covered quite a bit of ground on their GS125, so all in all I think the YBR125 would have been a goer. Their bike is already starting to lose power though, and Kunming is not quite 1900m, so I think it'll be more comfortable on the 250.

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I'm not sure how you will get on with Vietnam, as of last week one of the MCM members on the ground who lives there had checked out a link to a supposed DL 'agent' who claimed to be able to get A2 MC Vietnam DLs turned out to be BS. So for now doesn't seem to be an easy way to get the A2 MC V-DL. A1's yes, A2's no. Aside from that little hurdle, Loas and Thailand are fine. Make sure though that you either have a PRC MC DL and/or country of citizenship MC DL AND International Driver PERMIT (IDP). As for me, I'm looking at doing the SEA ride end of the year all going to plan. Just working my angle on what MC to ride.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by foxy88

Doc what oil would you recommend for the YBR250? I got the windscreen you recommended, seems solid, thanks for that. I've also Taobao'd a Xena disc lock, a Suolide rear chain lock with a different Xena d-lock, and am looking at a GPS tracker or two and alarm system, so she should be secure all in all :icon10:

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I have bought expensive Motul, Aimsoil and other brands at near on 100-120kuai/L or more (more fool me), but generally use Mobil and Yamalube for approx 25-30kuai/L. I currently have a box of 20 x 1L Yamahlube 10W-40 (18kuai/L) in my garage and am using this on all my rides (maxi scooters, sport touring etc) without issue. Any synthetic oil viscosity that fits the application, and environment operating temp range both of the engine and externally IMO fits the job, and the oil does NOT have to be MC specific which is covered in the link below. I prefer fully synthetic and my rationale is also well articulated in the link below. At the end of the day/night, get what you can afford, from a reliable source (less likely fake or blended with crap), IMO any API rated automotive fully synthetic oil. Aimsoil is good for extended oil drains and more so if combined with an specific extended drain oil filter (see article)

Read this oil know how

YMMV

Quote:

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Originally Posted by bikerdoc

Basic RR with photos (lite on the text) will be up in the next several days. I'll be doing this for and behalf of Prince666 given his location and affliction with gramma and the sometimes unhelpful comments in that regard Prince666 gets. A condition that unfortunately can't be helped. Expect the Hainan -> Laos -> Northern Thailand RR to appear by the weeks end.


I'm not sure how you will get on with Vietnam, as of last week one of the MCM members on the ground who lives there had checked out a link to a supposed DL 'agent' who claimed to be able to get A2 MC Vietnam DLs turned out to be BS. So for now doesn't seem to be an easy way to get the A2 MC V-DL. A1's yes, A2's no. Aside from that little hurdle, Loas and Thailand are fine. Make sure though that you either have a PRC MC DL and/or country of citizenship MC DL AND International Driver PERMIT (IDP). As for me, I'm looking at doing the SEA ride end of the year all going to plan. Just working my angle on what MC to ride.



I have bought expensive Motul, Aimsoil and other brands at near on 100-120kuai/L or more (more fool me), but generally use Mobil and Yamalube for approx 25-30kuai/L. I currently have a box of 20 x 1L Yamahlube 10W-40 (18kuai/L) in my garage and am using this on all my rides (maxi scooters, sport touring etc) without issue. Any synthetic oil viscosity that fits the application, and environment operating temp range both of the engine and externally IMO fits the job, and the oil does NOT have to be MC specific which is covered in the link below. I prefer fully synthetic and my rationale is also well articulated in the link below. At the end of the day/night, get what you can afford, from a reliable source (less likely fake or blended with crap), IMO any API rated automotive fully synthetic oil. Aimsoil is good for extended oil drains and more so if combined with an specific extended drain oil filter (see article)

Read this oil know how

YMMV

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Is it really necessary to use a Vietnamese licence for motorbiking in Vietnam? I have been there 3 times and borrowed bikes each time, there has never been anything even slightly resembling an effort to check my licence from either the rental store or the police. From what I've heard police are cautioned to NOT check foreigners? I have an IDP, I believe these aren't recognised in Nam though. It would probably only be for a couple of weeks anyway.. What about Cambodia, any idea on the requirements there? From what I can tell if you have an IDP you can apply for a Cambodian licence for $25, not sure how enforced this would be though. Once again there was no need to produce any sort of licence at any time when I was there, that was in the rural north-east though. Doc when you say end of year for the Laos-Thai trip are you talking after Christmas or earlier?

Re. oil, I had a look around at the motorcycle parts market yesterday and as far as I could see Yamalube is also a mineral oil? That would make sense, given the price-tag. After reading up on that article you linked to I am keen to get hold of a decent synthetic, after the bike has been broken in, does China have any decent offerings at a reasonable price-point? Btw does 10W-40 suffice for the hotter temperatures, say Xinjiang in summer? I'm thinking a 20W-50 would be the way to go there. But then up in the high mountains the former is probably a better option.. So maybe I should be thinking of carrying both (sigh) :confused1:

I'm still holding out for this juicy RR, got a few beers chilling in the fridge for the occasion so I can imbibe, browse and dream :lol8: Hope it's all going great guns down there in SEA prince.