GingerAdam's TransAsia Adventure!!!

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Originally Posted by chinabiker

2. Tokyokid made it across the border into Kazakhstan 2008, apparently because the bike owner was with him.

4. Two Swiss will leave to Kyrgyzstan in May on their Chinese registered bikes.

5. A German guy will leave to Vlad late June on his

From what I know, it seems you must be the owner of the bike or have a written approval from the owner to leave China and some sort of export permission.

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Hey Guys, I`m backpacking in Chengdu, I`m planning to buy a YBR 125 or a Quin Qi 200 and ride it across to Kashgar then exit hopefully to Pakistan or if not wherever will let me exit... Has anyone gone this way, and do you know if the above people made it? I'll be on tourist visas so going no license, but thinking to buy a bike with plates if possible, I want to ride it back to the UK. My buget for the bike including all initial equipment is about 1600US (the max I can walk away from if it all goes wrong).

If I can get the paperwork sorted I will want to leave in about a week... Crazy?? Any tips very much appreciated!

I can confirm that to Kazachstan it was possible in 2008 with licence & plates on the bike. They dont really have a procedure, just give you a custom paper that you take the bike out. Another german did it as us this year at the same border.
Pakistan i dont know, but i thought they require a carnet, but thats not available for chinese plates.

The two Swiss folks made it out into Kyrgyzstan sometime end of May 2009. They left via Torugart, not without problems and they were not allowed to ride but had to truck the bikes across.

http://www.gglobal.org/gg/home/home.php

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Originally Posted by tokyokid

... Pakistan i dont know, but i thought they require a carnet, but thats not available for chinese plates.

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You'll need a carnet for Pakistan, I am sure.

If you own a China plated bike as a foreigner, you can get a carnet - not easy but possible.

Andy, long time no chat,

Do you need to be a resident or can any foreigner get a carnet?

Which government department is in charge of issuing Chinese carnets?

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Originally Posted by ZMC888

Andy, long time no chat,

Do you need to be a resident or can any foreigner get a carnet?

Which government department is in charge of issuing Chinese carnets?

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You (we foreigners) can't do that in China, at least not to my knowledge.
Theoretically it is the CAA (China Automobile Association) to issue CdPs, but since China never signed the 1968 Vienna treaty, I doubt they would.

You can do that in your home country with an automobile club. I think it's the RCA in the UK. Some automobile clubs refuse to issue a CdP for a vehicle not registered in their country, some need to be convinced before they do it (I was very convincing obviously :rolleyes1:)

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Originally Posted by chinabiker

You'll need a carnet for Pakistan, I am sure.

If you own a China plated bike as a foreigner, you can get a carnet - not easy but possible.

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Thanks guys, that's really useful information. I'll find out more about the carnet, and I'm checking further routes though to Europe. If it messes up then Kyrgyzstan sounds cool anyway. CrazyCarl, do you still live in Chengdu? Do you know some bike shops here?!

Also does anyone know which agency will issue carnets, or could the bike shop sort it out? (crossed post - answerd above for me in the UK) I guess it will be useful to have for a lot of countries, I have a friend who speaks mandarin. As for Kyrgyzstan, I take it from the Swiss blog that the chinese side is more difficult - but I guess that depends on what is going on in the area at the time... :confused1: I might be going there after Iran to get north to Russia. We shall see...

I think I'm veering towards the Yamaha 125 YBR G for cheapness, reliability and availability of parts in other countries. I don't think I want to buy the cheapest Chinese bikes as I guess parts will be a big problem outside China and I don't think they'll like the roads. Correct? I'm staying with a friend in Chengdu University in Shiling village (there seems to be a big yamaha factory out here by the way, not sure if they make bikes though!!)

Thanks again guys for your help!:clap:

I took the YBR125 euro version, last all the way 26.500km in 4 month with 2 ppl up.
Parts in Russia and Europe no problem. They have Yamaha shops (just much more expensive than in China) Kazachstan has almost no motorbikes, so better take a bottle of oil with you for that part of the trip. Depending on how far you will drive, take a set of clutchplates and a new chain kit. Mine was completle fucked after that long way. Clutch needed to be changed after 19.000km but we where 2 up so a little to much for that bike. Original tires on the bike are not so good, backtire last only 9000km but front was ok all the way.

Thanks tokyokid, I checked your blog but it appears someone round here doesn't want me to see it. I tried a proxy but it didn't work. Do you have a copy you could email to adam_steinitz then it's hotmail dot com?

If Chinese shops are cheaper I might change the clutch and rear tyre in Kashgar to avoid problems. (Probably while I'm waiting for clearance! :rolleyes1:) If it's an easy job I can do it. Or buy them there to keep light through China and change them later... I'll be 1 up and traveling as light as I can, probably 30kg pack on the bike, I weigh about 80kg. I was wondering about taking a 20l fuel container too. Finally think I've located the bike market in Chengdu so I'm going down today.

By the way I can ride motorbikes but I'm pretty new to it (Only done it while travelling) As for safety gear, I'll get a a mirror helmet for sure as I have Ginger hair, but what about bike trousers/suit - I take it they'll be very useful if I low side?

the blog dont work in china and anyway has not much info, i prefer to travel instead of writing :)

extra fuel was almost not nessesary, just take one or two cola bottles in case you have to go really far. the tank of the ybr125 can hold about 13 liter

There are 2 bike markets, one in the north and one in the direction of the airport. The one in the south/west has a Yamaha store and they have the new YBR125 version with euro 3 emission standart, so you can probably register the bike in the UK after your done.

new version with euro 3
http://www.yamaha-motor.de/Images/20...m37-326252.jpg

Yeah, your pictures are good though!

Well I went down to the South West market and the QuinQi and Yamaha shops are right next door to each other so I looked at both, and a random friendly guy then took me around all the second hand shops. Second hand was expensive for what it was - I think I'm still going for the new, Yamaha prob YBR-G, even though it's not a dirt bike geom (It seems like the shocks and Geom are unchanged for the -G, they just raise the mud guards and change the fairings?!) for the and it was 8890RMB before haggling - due to the big headlamp, big comfy seat, good rack and reliable build quality (touch wood). Thanks for the info about the emissions Tokyokid, that helps swing it for the Yamaha. Is it the 09 version only? From that I guess you speak/read Chinese... How hard were you hitting the bumps on the way, and what speeds do you think you could have done 1 up?

As for the QuinQi the QM200-1 was cheaper than the YBR at 8480RMB although I was advised to take the QM200-2 at about 9000RMB. They'd probably haggle though. (By the way they quoted the Sundown at 1500RMB. The Quin Qis have about 30% more power for the same weight as the YBR, I think the chain and sproket is better and the geometry is proper off-road with much more travel. But it would be great if people Crazycarl, Forchetto, ChinaV or someone else with one can tell me how to avoid the following concerns...

Firstly the build quality. In the shop the display models had missing footrests, loose hoses, missing parts (e.g. the dirt protector for the rear shock) and cracked plastic fairings - for sales they get one from the back but it doesn't bode well for the quality control or doing 15,000kms without major problems?

One of the guys in the shop had his -2 in the back for repair; a friend had ridden it and 'broke' it. Suzuki designed Quin Qi engine but bigger than the locals have, so would parts be a problem in some places?

The rack is OK but the seat is so narrow so tying a bag (plus a coke bottle or two) to the top looks difficult - the Yamaha had an extra set of tie points for this. I guess I'd have to get a modified rack for that bike, or go with two smaller bags, one front, one back. And is the headlight on the -2 powerful enough for riding at night? Finaly, is it registerable in Europe?? Not a major concern but would be nice to know.

BTW I don't want to beat up on the Quin Qi, just work out what machine will be better/easier for crossing the continent. The final decision might depend on how well the haggling goes at the shops!!!

As for registering either bike, I need to find a Chinese friend to help me out... Hopefully at the uni I can. It costs 1200RMB to do that here in Sichuan and you can buy the bike without but I think not doing it would just create more problems later on. I'm hopeful of confusing officials in further countries with rego documents written only in Chinese!! Got to go and get a visa extension then hopfully buy the bike Tuesday or Wednesday...

Thanks!
Adam

Wishing you the best of luck on your purchase. I think the QingQi is better suited for rough roads, but tokyokid swears by the Yamaha, so I don't think you will go wrong with the YBR either. As you said, probably comes down to which shop gives you the best deal. Both of these bikes will get you there, but you're trip is going to knock a serious chunk out of their life spans. My big hang up with the YBR is the 18" tires and the tiny 125 motor. The QingQi has standard 18/21" tires (very easy to find) and these handle much better in the dirt and gravel.

I guess what you want is a QingQi 200 for the ride to Europe, and a YBR125 once you get there :rolleyes1:.

Cheers!
ChinaV

Thanks ChinaV... I noticed that you have shed light on a few different maintanence jobs with the Quin Qi on the forums - so I guess the question is what kind of stuff tends to happen in the first 15,000kms, and how many kms have you got on yours? Do you tighten the spokes much (I read every 1000km or you might damage the hub). I'll be taking it a bit easy... I'll probably do the first oil change fairly quickly on either bike too. Was it you I remember posting a picture of a fractured cam or something? That looks a bit of a problem if you can't get the part.

If I get to Europe I'll happily deal with cruising on a dirt bike. I noticed that they do get sold in the UK sometimes too, not sure if they're registerable or just as dirt bikes though. I'll also have to get a license on the way for bigger than a 125!!!

I wonder if you can "map" out Suzuki shops along the way if you went with the Qingqi? I would hesitate to try such a long ride with a 125cc engine, but that could be the 'merican in me (and how if a bike has anything less than 1200cc's I am supposed to disregard it if the US forums are any indication).

That's a thought. How many parts are directly replaceable on the Quin Qi? Is there a thread for that? And is the clutch and gearbox also Suzuki design? I'm guessing that actually the frame and shocks for either bike will probably be OK, the sprockets and chain are easy to replace so the cause of bad problems is likely to be the engine, gearbox, clutch.

I'm still new to motobikes so anything over 200cc scares me right now. I probably shouldn't have admitted that. In fact I expect I'll be scared of my wits in the built up areas of China, and then cursing the lack of power out west...

My first QM200 originally belonged to CrazyCarl and then I passed it on to Bryce, it's now in the hands of Supersignet. Bike has held up well with all the abuse, I guess about 20,000 kilometers so far. If you find a good deal on a QM200, I would suggest the following.

520 Chain and Sprockets (most stock QM200s' have 428 which is junk).
Higher handlebars.
Rubber footpegs.
Handguards.
Eternal Rise Dual-Sport tires (stock Kenda ones are junk).
Cargo Rack (some have it some don't).
Learn the correct way to tighten and check the spokes.
Adjust the valves around 1500 kilometers and every 10,000 k after.

Along with some decent tools, I would carry the following spare parts.
Clutch plates: just the cork fiber ones, the metal ones should be fine.
Spare front and rear tubes and small pump
Oil Filter
Spark Plug
Couple extra spokes
Clutch/Brake lever
Liquid Gasket / Metal Epoxy / Zip Ties

Check your chain adjustment and lubrication every day and change your oil every 3-5 thousand kilometers.

If I was headed out of China, I would probably send tires and tune up parts somewhere out west and do a major tune up before leaving. The prices for motorcycle work are only going to get more expensive as you head further west.

One other thing, learn how to change a flat tire before you go, flats don't usually happen in convenient places :rolleyes1:.

Cheers!
ChinaV

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Originally Posted by ChinaV

Both of these bikes will get you there

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Thats what i am not sure about. QingQi themself told us that there bikes are not made for long distance trips when we ask them about a trip to europe.
We talk here about a transcontinental trip, not some crusing around asia where fixing is easy and cheap. In europe no one make you a part if they dont have it, they just order it. From all the ride reports here you can see that these chinese bikes need constantly fixing and you always need to be afrait something falls off and so on. On a 20k+ trip you have better stuff to do than take care all the time about the bike.

tokyokid makes a good argument for the Yamaha, as he has done such a ride. Personally, I would go for the bigger engine YBR250. 250's are not all that much more powerful than 125's as far as learning on. have you PM'd Forchetto? I know there is a list he compiled of all the brand names that the Qingqi's go by in the world, and perhaps that could help you map out a route? The argument of dirt bike tires vs. street tires is significant, too, which would lean me towards a dirt bike.

I do think if you can take the trip at as slow pace as you can with many stops, most any bike should make it.

What about a japanese branded dirt bike vs. the Yamaha branded street bike? Are they available there?

If you went with the Qingqi, here is the thread, with the list, probably incomplete, of all the brands and model names of the 200cc dirt bike around the world, thanks to forchetto. Some of these should help you:
http://www.mychinamoto.com/forums/sh...ghlight=qingqi

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Originally Posted by ChinaV

Along with some decent tools, I would carry the following spare parts.
Clutch plates: just the cork fiber ones, the metal ones should be fine.
Spare front and rear tubes and small pump
Oil Filter
Spark Plug
Couple extra spokes
Clutch/Brake lever
Liquid Gasket / Metal Epoxy / Zip Ties

Check your chain adjustment and lubrication every day and change your oil every 3-5 thousand kilometers.

If I was headed out of China, I would probably send tires and tune up parts somewhere out west and do a major tune up before leaving. The prices for motorcycle work are only going to get more expensive as you head further west.

One other thing, learn how to change a flat tire before you go, flats don't usually happen in convenient places :rolleyes1:.

Cheers!
ChinaV

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Well I've got a new visa and found someone who can translate in the shop and (hopefully!) help me register the bike so in all likelyhood I'm going to have to put my money where my mouth is tomorrow... I'll head into both shops and haggle; the Quin Qi QM200-2 was recommended to me as they said it has the 520 chain and sprocket (and a better exhaust?!) It has a small cargo rack but I'll take my pack down and see if I think it will fit I can ask if they have a bigger rack; I test fitted it on a Yamaha-a-like so I'm confident for the YBR. As for everything else I'll probably be going in a few days so I'm not sure I'll be able to do much more than minor stuff to either bike. Maybe the shop can help though.

Then I'll go into Yamaha and see how cheap I can get a YBR125... Hondas and Suzukis like the YBR were about 6000RMB in Leshan. Jap branded bikes as opposed to the big brands sounds interesting, thanks Culcune I don't know anything about them though, quality for cheaper is great - if they're quality bikes...

I hear what you're saying about the 250, I'll check the prices when I'm there; but there is a (hopefully small) chance I'll loose the bike to the police or on a border if it all goes wrong so I do want to keep costs down.

ChinaV thanks for the repairs list; I guess it's most of it is relevant to both bikes (do both use cork clutch plates?) I'm surprised that an oil filter would be hard to come by; it is light though, I'll go with you experts. What kind of tools would you take or will a small socket set do for most field repairs. I can do flat tyres on mountain bikes with my eyes shut but I'll check I can do a moto too...:thumbsup: As well as inner tubes, do people use puncture repair patches or is it dangerous?

On the road I'll let you guys know how it's going on the reports page (thanks for all your help guys:riding:) but for until then for all the prep I'll stay on here.

Wish me luck...
Adam

:WTFamI Aaaaaaaaaaaarrrrrrrrrrrrgh!!!!

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Originally Posted by GingerAdam

:WTFamI Aaaaaaaaaaaarrrrrrrrrrrrgh!!!!

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:eekers::eekers::confused1::confused1::eek2::eek2:

Pre-ride nerves?

Ginger, where are you right now?

CC

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Originally Posted by CrazyCarl

Pre-ride nerves?

CC

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I would love to be at the pre-ride nerves stage!!! I'm still trying to work out the registration - they all seem to think that I CAN get a license and register the bike; weird as as far as I know that's not the rules... But I have to sit the driving exam. Maybe. It is a wierd kind of limbo of whether I can go fully 'legal' or just somehow get it registered... This has all only taken 2 days to work out; I think the office is shut Saturday so if I can't get it done tomorrow, then I have to wait till Monday. Time is ticking now... Thanks to tokyokid though, he had some good suggestions. I just have to hope my translation friend is in reception tomorrow. I'm going for the YBR-G, if they'll let me register the damn thing!!

:taz:

Oh man... been in those shoes before!!! If you're in Chengdu, you may want to hook up with LH1953 to :goodtime: and share some of the woes. you're both in pretty much the same stage right now only you have more pressure to get the bike and go.

Whatever you do, don't start your trip in a hurry... easy to make some costly and greatly inconvenient mistakes that way. :thumbsup:

Anyway, keep us posted on how everything is going and wish for the best!

:scooter:
CC

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Originally Posted by CrazyCarl

Oh man... been in those shoes before!!! If you're in Chengdu, you may want to hook up with LH1953 to :goodtime: and share some of the woes.

:scooter:
CC

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Well I used your map www.carlparker.com and read your description of the licensing office with trepidation... So I went yesterday, dutifully returned today prompt at 9am to find they'd shut for a meeting, until Monday. Nice! So nothing doing until then. I found a YBR-G on the street but the owner had the expensive city plates, so no go there either. Grrr.

I hear you, I'm not too keen on expensive mistakes either. Oh well, if I can't bike I can drink!! I'll PM LH195, will be good to chat.

Right on. If you guys meet up, do us a favor and snap some pics! It can be like a mini MCM-Du meeting! :clap:

CC

Well I've gone quiet for a few days, but I've finally reached the pre-ride nerves stage!! Yes!!!

I gave up on Chengdu as spending 6 hours a day on the bus between offices was driving me insane, and I was getting no answers. The guys at the Yamaha shop didn't seem at all interested and laughed at any attempts I made to ask questions about the rego, pretty rude considering I was ready to spend just under 9k with them. So I got the train to Xining, the shop had the YBR-G there and we agreed (I phoned from Chengdu first) that if I bought it they would help me register it.

This has involved them driving me round the city for 2 days 9-5 SOLID to one or another office, filling in forms, translating my license and passport etc. I don't really know what we did but I was refused annual registration for the bike （would have been RMB500 here, RMB1500 in Chengdu) as obviously as a tourist I have no pemanent address. Also they could not get me a Chinese license as the UK one isn't recognised. But they did get me temporary registration in my name for 30 days (for free!!!:deal:) which is enough to exit, and I'm hoping the bike being in my name will help. The shop here has been really friendly, even taking me their houses for lunch, and they definately earned the sale, I could never have done it myself!!

Finding someone who is prepared to register the bike for you or buying second hand would have avoided a lot of misery now, and potentially later when I am transiting other countries... We'll see... They had internet in the shop so google translate was a lifesaver, and I had a good dictornary so I could point to words to say things like 'clutch plate' or 'registration'. Google is faster though. One of the guy's girl friend's spoke English so we phoned her a lot (I used Sim's hostel Chengdu a lot for this too). I can't emphasise enough how much these guys did. :thumbsup:

Now is west to Kashgar - via the G109 and then possibly crossing to Xinjang via some small roads south of the G315. Could be a way to tibet that way according to my atlas, but I couldn't see much on Google earth. I'm meeting a local expat biker tomorrow though so I'll see what he has to say about routes. Buy the way, there's a pretty good spares/hardware market down near the railway station.

Off we go!!:riding:
Adam

Congrats! :clap::clap::clap:

Be more careful than a thousand grandmothers! Take lots of pictures and please keep us updated during your trip.

Also, if you want less traffic and more interesting scenery in XJ, take the southern route along the Takl Desert. Both routes will take you to Kashgar but the southern one has MUCH less traffic. The other option is to take the northen road, then cross the Takl Desert in the middle. The road is perfectly paved and a veyr amazing ride. Stay in TaZong if you can. Then once you reach the southern route, take that to Kgar. :thumbsup:

Ride Safe, Have fun!
CC

Thanks Carl... Although my gandmother was crazy so maybe I shouldn't follow her example. Went couchsurfing in Gonghe yesterday with some cool Germans who helped me find some warmer clothes, so today was comfy. I'm in Chakazhen now, aiming for Golmud tomorrow. Thanks for the tip, I probably will go south. All in all everything is good, the bike struggles a bit on the climbs, and especially starting hot at above 3000m but usually I can get 30-40km/h out of it uphill, I'm not revving it too much until I have broken it in properly.:scooter: