Cost free ride in China? For you!

Hi everybody,

My name is Boris, from Croatia. This spring/summer me and my wife are going to ride from Zagreb to Vladivostok. As we have travelled before all the way to the Baikal lake, this time we would like to take the more southern route, partially through China. This seems to be a problem. All the agencies that we contacted gave us very expensive prices for such a service. The biggest part of those expenses are for the guide and his car.

I am wondering if I can find a Chinese motorcyclist who would like to travell with us and be our guide (not that we need one, but that seems to be the rule in China)?

We will cover all his/hers travel expenses - hotel, petrol, food, and pay him/her a reasonable amount of money that he/she needs to get back home when we he/she escorts us out of China. It will be a free trip for him/her, and we will be glad to show him/her around Croatia if he/she ever takes a long ride to west...

It would be great if such a person works, or at least have connections in a Travel agency that deals with foreign riders, as we need an agency to do the necessary papaerwork - my Chinese drivers licence, temporary import of the bike and stuff... Of course, he/she should know at least a little bit of English, or Germa, Itelian or any Slavic language. We're too old to learn Chinese now. We hope to learn a few phrases, but not much

We would like to enter China from Kyrgyzstan/Kazakhstan, and to ride all the way to the Chinese/Russian border near Vladivostok. If that is too long, we can exit into Mongolia at Ehrenhote. So anything between 10 and 30 days is possible.

We have a lot of motorcycle travel experience but we can not afford ridicoulous prices that the agencies are asking for.

If you know someone that is interestd in such a trip, please let us know. Maybe yourself? For you it will be a free of charge ride in China. Not a five star hotel ride, but we definitely shall go to a decent place with a privete bathroom every night.

I hope someone is interested, or we will not see China this June.

And that someone shall miss a nice cost free ride.

Best regards,

Boris

Sounds like a great ideal.
But I think you will find out that NOT anyone can just guide you through China who may or may not be Chinese.
These so-called Guide needs to be an approved license Guide.
Chinese Driving Licence can be pick up at Beijing or Shanghai airport.
The hard bit is to get your foreign plated bike/car into China, not easy loads of paperwork and a large deposit need to be paid before the bike/car enters China.
Sounds great but I think you will be giving China a miss.
It cost what it cost is the bottom line.
But if it is your dream to ride/drive China then the only way is to pick up the Chinese DL as mention above.
Then purchases a bike or car in China plated and legal with insurance.
Drive or ride till your heart is content, then sell the bike/car at the end of the trip.
And say bye bye China.
Can be done but you need help from within China.

Good luck and I wish you well.

P.S. Done the same ride a few years back, but you need to pick the correct route and you need to go on the TOLL roads which is another story, lol
Cars ok but cost between 1 and 1.5 RMB per KM and bikes are banned? (in most provinces)

Hi prince666

Nice to share your thoughts. Of course, I am aware that our potential guide should be someone who knows how to deal with customs, police, and all other officials. And we absolutely do need an authorised Tourist agency to prepare everything necessary. I have no problem of paying 10 - 12000 RMB for that, which is the average cost in every offer we got. But the biggest expense comes after that, car, guide fee etc. I hope to find a fellow motorcyclist who is, ideally, employed as a guide, or at least has some connections with an adequate Travell agency, and who wishes to spend a few days or weeks riding his bike with no cost for himself. If we can, we will even pay him a little bit above all the trip related expenses, but we certainly can not afford to pay the prices we got from Tourist agencies we have contacted.

The problem as I see it?
The company who sorts out all your paperwork are the people that have to pay the deposit for your bike/car.
Now if you don't leave on or before the agreed date their lose the money.
Hence that's why there tag along and you have to pay for that.
But if you can sort out all that shit give me a call, love to show you around.
Hotel, petrol and food is my cost.

From what I can remember talking to a Chinese friend who does this for a living told me its 20.000 RMB for a bike and 50.000 RMB for a car deposit needs to be paid, but this was a few years back, could be more now?
People who do this for a living in China you can count them on 1 hand.?
Not a big market.? ( Maybe only 100 bikes a year IMO)


When you consider Thailand properly rents out 100.000 a day during the high season.

Thanks for the offer:-)

But I did what I could from this side. We definitely need someone inside China. Tourist agencies will not provide the custom and police related services, like temporary bike import and registration, as well as my Chinese drivers licence if we do not have their guide. If you know an Agency willing to do that, and you have enough spare time to come to meet us at Kyrgyz or Kazakh border, accompany us at least to Ehrenhote and help us to clear the customs there we would be more than gratefull. It is also very kind that you offered to cover your expenses, but we really have no problem to cover your costs including your travel from your home to the border where we first meet and from where we part to your home. Pass theTourist Guide test and find a friend who owns an adequate Travel agency :-)

You have 1 hope.
Try this guy, he is a friend of mine does motorbike tours and can arrange all the paperwork for a Chinese DL and to get your bike into China.
He is based in Kunming Yunnan province.
His Name is Jah speaks and has good English writing skills.

Email is jah@activechina.com

Tell him you know me (Steve from Shandong) and what you want to do with me to show you around China.
He could help?

Link to my last big ride .....https://m.youku.com/video/id_XMjg3MD...rce=&ishttps=1

Good luck and keep me posted.

Steve

Just realised who you are??
You posted on the HUBB.
And a guy Called " Nuff Said " posted you a good route?
Well would you believe Prince666 AKA Nuff Said ?? lol

Double posted sorry

Thanks, will send a mail to Jah. Well, the world is not such a big place after all...