Traveling to China

[super_strom]

Hello all.
I am an avid motorcyclist who has ridden 10s of thousands of miles over north america.

In 2014 I will be starting an asian adventure in Shanghai, China. I would love to bring my V-strom along but I feel it would be a lot of trouble and cost to bring it into china.

I am now entertaining the idea of buying a moto in china and riding it around china, vietnam, laos and thailand.

I have found this forum from a post on stromtrooper.com and thought I would see if anyone had any advice.

Is this Idea too crazy for a white american who speaks no asian languages?

Cheers,
Andy

[ZMC888]

Greets Andy,

Problem 1:China doesn't recognize foreign driving licenses or International driving permits either. So this means you have to transfer your overseas license, but you need a certain time left on your visa. This is uncertain because each area interprets/makes up their own rules as they see fit. Some time left between three to 6 months seems the norm, so this means a business visa or some other visa 6-12 months in length might be enough.

Problem 2: Big cities have English speakers and good bike availability, but bike costs especially registration are off the dial. Small cities are cheaper and easy to get the paperwork as a smile and white face can go a long way in these country areas and small cities. But the language barrier and sourcing a good bike or a warranty is a PITA.

Problem 3: V-Strom is perfect bike for China touring, but I bet they won't allow it in. You already researched this and you're correct.

Problem 4:Chinese drivers are not so good and it could be dangerous for you to adjust to this from a fairly sane American driving style.

Personally I'd suggest renting in Thailand first, then maybe try the Philippines, or buying and touring India. Then maybe try China at a later stage. In depth research is important. China is doable, it ain't easy though.

[super_strom]

Very good points ZMC.

Thanks for the heads up.
I will probably only be able to get a 1 month touring visa. I was not planning on staying in china more than a month so it would probably be unreasonable for me to attempt to ride there legally.

Would Vietnam, Laos, or Thailand recognize my US drivers license?

[Jonsims]

forget it.. Buy yourself a local legal bike and ride it with extreme care..

[super_strom]

how big is the biggest legal bike?

[ZMC888]

Strom, you should be good to go in Thailand Vietnam or Laos. IDP is fine in those countries, as far as I am aware.

1000cc bikes are legal and available but very rare. A fair few locally made 600cc bikes for a reasonable price. However if you were only in China for a month you'd be likely barely even have the plates for a new one by the time you had to leave, and have no Chinese license.

Your best bet would be to have a temporary car license and buy a 2nd hand bike, but even those are not a given.