Thoughts and Ideas about a Northwestern China Tour in the summer

As always happens when you ask your wife you get and answer that will more than likely change.

I asked my wife if I should sell the Shineray GY-7 that hauled us across the south of China last summer, she looked at me and said sure, sell it why do we need two bikes.

Well here I am not even a few weeks after the sale of the bike and my wife is telling me she wants to ride across Inner Mongolia, Gansu, Qinghai, Ningxai and the place with 27 websites and chewing me out for selling the Shineray.

My wife seems serious about the trip. She was out on the Qingqi all day yesterday building her confidence. When she got back I asked her if she was still serious about the trip and she said yes. She wants to do a trip where she is in command of the bike and not just looking at the back of my helmet.

It's now time to start the prep.

I've got some bike shopping to do. Some walkie talkies to buy, some camping gear to grab, some bike upgrades to plan and some maps to look at.

Anyone have any ideas on bikes? routes? places to see etc?

:thumbsup: you are so lucky, keep that wife! :thumbsup:

Please excuse my ignorance, my long experience and grey hairs immediately putting a damper on things BUT DO NOT get her a 'bike. If you do, everything will be your fault, especially when it breaks down or her handling causes problems she cannot admit to. If you really must set off together in a mist of hope and delusion make sure SHE researches and chooses the bike with no deference to your masculine experience or superior knowledge, after all, it is a modern marriage of equals is it not and you do not wish to condescend in any way to your 'beloved'? Then if she chooses it, whatever happens to the 'bike through its inadequacies or her mishandling of it, she will put her energy into fixing it, supporting it and her decision and trying to prove herself right. You can then complacently cruise along without fear or personal trial and perhaps 'help her out' now and again to show her you love her. Like good, well tuned, well modded bikes, truly independent women are the finest partners but need very careful handling and careful running in in the early stages. Good lubrication is absolutely ESSENTIAL and no, it isn't what many with nasty minds would think, it is top-shelf single-malt whiskey kept in the workshop for you.
Make sure whatever route you take has a good hotel every few days so you can give her time out and a reward. Then when you get back, sell both the bikes, say goodbye to riding and hello to hard work and sleepless nights, get a 'people mover' because you are about to have the obligatory two children (scientifically proven that the constant vibration and thrill of a few hundred km in control on a bike will tune in a woman's fertility while smashing your gonads to bits and leaving her wiht a tendency to grab your ears at inappropriate moments) ... and having had her own bike she will expect her own car too, a little convertible with no real back seats so somehow YOU have to pick up the kids and all the sports gear in your car ... been there, done that.

you Aussies....so funny...

My wife is cool with roughing it. We've done a few trips together and she wants to try one on her own bike. She already has a bike. It is me that is bikeless.

If she wants to try I have to reson to say no.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Supersignet

She already has a bike. It is me that is bikeless.

---

... that sort of says it all mate, good luck to yer both!

Seems this thread is rapidly turning into a "bring your wife: consequenses?" or "how whipped are you?" debate.

I say go for it; you're very lucky to have found a wife who wants to ride, they're not only rare in china!

Unfortunately i don't have much advice regarding the original thread matter, though i think following the ruins of the great wall for a part of the trip or crossing the gobi desert could make for some unforgettable riding!

Xinjiang:
I know the area only by car, the trip from Urumuqi to Turpan, then further to Korla is very nice, but avoid the summer. We had around 50°C last August in the Turpan Area - not very comfortable.
There is a smaller road across the mountains, the train from Kolra to Urumuqi is running that way. They said you will need a 4-wheel drive to go that way, might be something for the bike.

Gansu:
I took the train once in Gansu along the old Silkroad from Lanzhou to Zhangye, you always have the old wall just few hundred meters south of the rail tracks, and 50km in the distance you see the mountains climbing up to the Qinghai plateau. Looked tempting, but there are no customers, so the trip ended 30km before the mointains.

Inner Mongolia:
Inner Mongolia is rather dull, at least the places I've been (Where does the job brings you anyhow???) There are only 2 month where its green, otherwise its all grey, sand, desert, same is for Gansu! Plan the time well, otherwise its all grey, sand desert and looks mostly like I imagine the moon, big empty wide world. Boring to mee, but some people like it that way.

In my opinion the time to travel need to be planned well - have it more or less green, not too hot in the deserts, but not too cold in the north.

Have Fun!

Yeah... depends on where you want to start. You wanna ride door to door or plan on shipping bikes to/from a start/end point? Also, how much time you thinking about spending on the trip in total?

CC

Hi,

Nice to hear you and your wife are taking off for an adventure in China. :riding: I came to the US from China 4 years ago and started motorcycling last year. Now my husband and I toured around California on two BMW GS. I cannot tell you how much fun we ride side-to-side all the time. There will be time of frustrations, but it all worth it when you guys share the great riding experience at the end of the day. I am here on this forum because I will have some time off at the end of the summer and looking for information to do a trip back in my home country. My husband is unlikely to join and I am also trying to find some companies as well...

Anyway, back to the topic. I highly recommend bike-to-bike communicators. we use this one http://www.motorcycle-superstore.com...-Multiset.aspx great product, battery lasted two-days riding if we are careful. We use them on our trips all the time. Make a big difference. Also, let me know if your wife needs some recommendations on gear. It always take some effort to find gears that fit women.

Enjoy China. I miss it...

Christine

i think this thread should be retitled "one-up wives", and I love it!

andre555 is correct: a wife who enjoys riding her own bike is a wife worth her weight in, um, 10W50 synthetic....

Don't know about the others but been to Gansu last year.Definitely worth a visit.Lanzhou is one of the pretty towns in China(I don't like big cities)and you can ride your motorcycle there.Just have to stay at designated foreigner hotels.http://i601.photobucket.com/albums/t...ndGansu418.jpg

http://i601.photobucket.com/albums/t...ust2009461.jpg
http://i601.photobucket.com/albums/t...ust2009455.jpg
http://i601.photobucket.com/albums/t...ust2009348.jpg

Ok these places aren't in Lanzhou there about a two hour ride away on your typical chinese back road.The motorway is probably finished now and a huge influx of tourist are coaching in stuffing it completely.If you want go there PM and I will tell you how to get there.

I want to got there but its a bit far from Australia! Great pics! Keep 'em coming. Is that a huge statue in the background of pic 1?

Um from memory they where living in there along time ago.

Heres a huge statue carved inyo the side of a mountain in Xinjiang.

http://i601.photobucket.com/albums/t...18-7-09135.jpg

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by bigdamo

Ok these places aren't in Lanzhou there about a two hour ride away on your typical chinese back road.The motorway is probably finished now and a huge influx of tourist are coaching in stuffing it completely.If you want go there PM and I will tell you how to get there.

---

I'd like some more info on this and places you stayed/would recommend to build into a future ride... cheers