Prep Round-China Bike trip, 2-up, April-May 2012

Hey all,

While the bike is in repairs, I'm now fully focused on the route preparation for our big trip with my GF : approximately 2 months around China, around 10,000 km trip.
Fahni ride prep thread inspired me to start this one too. :icon10:


Because we will ride 2-up, we'll take it easy and have distance constraints every day (cannot ride as much as solo), I'm considering 200km/day, with an average speed of 50km/h.
So this will prevent us from doing a full "round-china" trip, as maybe T**et, Qinghai & Xinjiang will be out of question. But still, the route would take us through major sceneries. Forgot how to imbed the map, will have to do this later.

The following map is a GROSS draft of what it will look like, and is not the final one, of course.
http://maps.google.com.hk/maps?saddr=Shanghai,+China&daddr=Moganshanzhen,+Hu zhou,+Zhejiang,+China+to:Nanping,+Fujian,+China+to :Ganzhou,+Jiangxi,+China+to:Guilin,+Guangxi,+China +to:Pu'er,+Yunnan,+China+to:Dali,+Yunnan,+China+to :Lijiang,+Yunnan,+China+to:Garze+to:Golog,+Qinghai ,+China+to:Haibei+to:Lanzhou,+Gansu,+China+to:Baot ou,+Inner+Mongolia,+China+to:Datong,+Shanxi,+China +to:Beijing,+China+to:Weihai,+Shandong,+China+to:Q ingdao,+Shandong,+China+to:Nanjing,+Jiangsu,+China +to:Shanghai,+China&hl=en&ll=30.902225,115.839844& spn=27.429351,53.569336&sll=27.654338,104.0625&ssp n=7.119978,13.392334&geocode=FbmJ3AEdqIo9BykzPPWxQ HCyNTGhZMMjlBKVAg%3BFcrp0gEdKnslBynbqwNNxEVLNDEv3Y XttNvc2Q%3BFWmFlgEdrD8LByk3P7Polc84NDGSNKs17qe-sQ%3BFVkfigEdMb_ZBikXHCQgj0cYNDHQSPwFYuBm5Q%3BFd6k gQEdE-WSBikzUSF1NvSkNjHhSnAdGcGG_w%3BFaWPWwEdqK4EBimzR3u tP6HVNjHEAAYgtk0Qdw%3BFVa5hgEddvb5BSm3V9pVo7gnNzFW uNfJ9qhO3A%3BFWYbmgEd6GT5BSnp0wtA5q8gNzGoXUc9g1jUu A%3BFfCEygEdR9ITBik1-eKuQCcdNzFgHMHUI8Wshg%3BFfv-DQIdI575BSmbj4EcsKgANzF-q0GWzwb0kA%3BFaHgMwIdQ6ADBin7zXDqXF1NNjH_Tjl9OvGvw w%3BFUdAJgIdCWMwBimDOQyZtZBaNjFcJA1dLgBMkQ%3BFSdib AIdAgiMBinbGTAXIlgENjF8Xdc_PBgRmg%3BFRCGYwIdntLABi n1EWAVh9PiNTFzAh8AIIgZlg%3BFdbjYAIddTzwBim5LBTnllL wNTGKqQ-vIFZiuQ%3BFWxnPAId5GhHBylF5IGiimiaNTGaFlPufqy3cQ%3 BFZRXJgIdKOQsBylr8PiC1Q-WNTHz8kxh-oJNYQ%3BFV8z6QEdTbIUBymDzY1mm4y1NTEGG995C7b7jw%3BF bmJ3AEdqIo9BykzPPWxQHCyNTGhZMMjlBKVAg&vpsrc=6&brcu rrent=3,0x3403e2eda332980f:0xf08ab3badbeac97c,0&di rflg=ht&mra=ls&t=p&z=5

When and how : The trip will be done in April and May 2012, on the YBR 250, with saddle bags, top case (trunk) and tank bag. Total capacity in terms of volume is 110 liters.
I already have the complete check-list, with things to buy in Europe during the Christmas holiday and in China.
The trip will start in Shanghai, go South to have the better weather at the beginning of spring (April), and then North later (May) when it should be warmer than if we would start with the North in April.

Fuel : In terms of fuel autonomy, the YBR is good to go with its 19 liters tank, good for 500 to 600km on 1 tank, depending on the load and riding style.

Clothing & Protection : Both riders will have full riding equipment of course, + rain riding equipment available for both + riding winter underwear for both (Alpinestars Winter Tech gear).
We'll pack 3 days worth of clothes, no more.

No camping gear, it'll be cheap hotel (hostel) all the way.



Would you guys be kind enough to list all the tips you can think of, mainly in terms of roads, for those of you who traveled extensively in China : where MUST we go ?
All comments are welcome of course ! :goodtime:

That looks like a pretty awesome ride. You're welcome to stay with us for a couple days in Guangdong, I can also give you some route suggestions to get you from point C to point E. There are a lot of nice roads between there, as well as some nasty ones too.

Cheers!
ChinaV

Hey ChinaV, I see you as one of the most experienced rider out here, so of course I'll be honored to stay at your place if we go near, and to get all your suggestions to get from "temporary" point C to Point E !

Cheers !

I did 2.900 km in 10 days, 2-up in the north this year. I would suggest to have a back-up destination for each riding day, some place in between your starting location and your planned destination. So in case you have some trouble or get on some really bad stretch you still can call it a day earlier. I got on some 130 km stretch of road construction during my trip, which took me about 4 hours, 30 km/h average. Ask locals about the road from their place to the next on your list.

Top up your tank every 100-150 km, it will save your ass in unknown areas. I had quite a long stretch (perhaps 200 km) in Inner Mongolia with only 3 new not opened yet gas stations. Luckily I had topped up not long before. Furthermore, I drove back from Mohexiang to Mohe on reserve. Since Mohexiang doesn't have a gas station.

You will bring any spare parts?

In case you missed/forgot about this thread by our guru!

Barry, thanks for your inputs.
Yes, we know we should be flexible on the schedule/destinations, and have Plan B every day. When we'll prepare the detailed route for every day, we'll consider that for sure. Anyway, we're both already flexible persons, so we won't have problems with this I guess.

Good tip for the fuel, I already had this in mind. Take it every time you can, don't wait to hit reserve...

As for spare parts, yes I'll do, the basic things, especially as they do not weight a lot or take a lot of space :
- oil filter
- air filter
- spark plug
- throttle & clutch cables
- tubeless tyre repair kit with plugs and CO2 cartridges (tyres will also have Ride-On inside them, to prevent flats) + small hand pump + a small tyre pressure gauge
- 1 set of fuses
- 1 headlight bulb

And then the usual : tape, zip-ties (to hold anything in place), WD-40, chain lubricant, tenders, a Swiss knife and the basic tools.

I would also take a spare front brake and clutch lever.They don't take up much room but if you need them you really need them.Oh and a spare chain link.

Hello Fred,

That's an impressive tour! 200km a day is a good average if you want to enjoy the scenery and keep yourself in shape.

While in Point E (Guilin), I would suggest to spend some time up north in the Guizhou Province which is quite remote and hilly. Lot of minorities tribes as well.

150km east of points G and H, there is the Lugu lake area which is an eco reserve and a matriacal minority tribe.

Betwen Lijiang (H) and South Sichuan, you'll pass the Tiger Leaping Gorge to go to Shangri Là. Take the alternative route instead of the main route, Still a tarmac road but nicer with fantastic views of the mountains.

cheers

Thanks a lot for the tips Brice, much appreciated ! :thumbsup:
We'll definitely check those out !

Hey, sounds like it is going to be an epic trip and planning is a big part of the fun, isn't it?

Looks like your way through northern Sichuan and Qinghai is almost the same as the route I have in mind. Let's see how timimg works out, maybe we can meet up somewhere. I noticed that you want to go through Aba. As far as I have heard, the county is basically closed to foreigners because of strong teabetan protests going on in the region. Wish you luck with your preping!

Hey Fahni, yeah planning is definitely part of the fun, especially going through the bike, check-lists and maps ! :riding:

Well noted about Aba, anyway as I wrote the route will be flexible, and who knows how it'll be in Spring 2012 anyway...


About the route, one thing I notice is that we have a lot of RR and suggestions for the South of China (Zhejiang, Fujian, Yunnan, Sichuan) but not so much for the North (Ningxia, Inner Mongolia, Shandong).
My understanding is that :
1. maybe we have fewer members up north
2. we are attracted to elevation changes, mountains, landscapes so the scenery in Yunnan is better than flat Shandong or Jiangsu...
3. Climate is generally better (eternal spring in Yunnan !).

In terms of the global route, I admit that we're still pondering the way to go after the Gansu province. We tend to plan big loops because we call them round-trip, but hey, we can do what we want, where we want, we could even maybe go back South after Gansu to Hubei and Anhui, see what I mean ?

I know China is BIG, so a definitive answer is not possible, but do you guys with experience think we will miss out great things if we don't go North after Gansu ?
Difficult question, I know...