beijing to chengdu via wuhan trip in planning process, questions

Hi all,

I thought I'd post a trip that I'm planning in October.

The idea is to do 2-sides of a triangle, Beijing to Chengdu but first going through Wuhan.

I looked at Baidu maps and it seems even just Beijing to Chengdu is around 1800 km, and that would be taking the G5, which of course motorbikes are not allowed on. So either way its going to be a long trip. Something that I'd like to be prepared for, at least a little bit.

Normal preparation stuff I'm aware of, having done a trip before hand, ... and I think everything that could have gone wrong went wrong. (learnt a lot of practical lessons that long weekend)

But what I wanted to know was if anybody has done one of these long distance trips before, if there's any sort of advice they can offer?
For example, the provinces that I will go through are Beijing, Hebei, Henan, Hubei (Wuhan) & the west across to Sichuan.

Does anyone know if there are any restrictions in riding motorcycles in any of these provinces?

Plus, what would be a good recommendation for the time that this kind of trip should take? [ I would be guessing 8-10 days,, but I've underestimated the time it takes to do things before]

If anyone has ridden on these roads before,, would you be able to tell me the state of them? Anything under construction? or just generally shite?
From experience on the g102 going to Qinhuangdao, there are many trucks, very dusty, many potholes, and generally a terrible experience. The smaller offroads were even worse. 80km/h was a top speed, and some places were taken at around 10-30 because of different levels of construction.
So should I be expecting the same amount of dusty trucks?, potholes and all this kind of stuff, or was the g102 an exception? ...wishful thinking here

My bike is a 125cc Suzuki, and from what I've seen so far parts seem to be readily available around the countryside. Before I go I plan to get the suspension upgraded (its riding a bit harsh at the moment) and new clutch plates... but that's about it

Also, in terms of spare parts... what would be recommended to take? New clutch cable? a bottle of oil?

I was not planning on having any boxes on the back of the bike or anything, was just planning on taking a hiking bag, with the water proof thing on the back of it. However I see that everyone that posts pictures here on their fantastical trips, mainly has everything strapped to the bike.
Would some one be able to explain to me the advantages of this kind of set up? and how I figure out all this kind of stuff?

The other thing, I've recently seen on one of the posts someone that made their own video camera setup which looked pretty good. I was wanting to just get a gopro with the rod and attach it to the handle bars with a swivel kind of thing so I could swivel it to look forward and back.
Is there anyone that has any comments on the video quality of the gopro? as compared to a more conventional, or ..just other setup?

Thank you in advance for your comments and suggestions, I look forward to reading them

On a 125 you should be able to do 300km a day so allowing for some bad days and some rest days and some good days 8 to 10 days is about right. Some cities on your route might not allow bikes but you would want to avoid big cities if you can as they waste a lot of time . Usually you can see a bypass road around them. Carry the basic tools you need to adjust the chain and repair a puncture, no need to carry oil unless your bike is burning it but some chain lube is good to have. Take the least amount of stuffff you can

Thanks Zhu,

ok i'll get myself a type repair kit then (and get my local mechanic to teach me how to do)

Avoid Wuhan, or (like zhu said) any big city for this matter. Dont stay overnight in Shennongjia cos its restricted to laowai's ;) and you will get hotel arest. Ride around it or through cos those roads there are amazing!!! Beautiful mountain landscapes! and if you in the area go to Zhangjiajie! I guess I dont need to explain this one.
On top of what zhu said take some good rain gear and shoe dryers (I have these ones cos theyre small) and you should be good