Were going to ride the rice bowl

**cryptographicide** · 11-25-2015, 12:16 AM

As winter encroaches, I have begun plotting my next adventure through China. And I want all the input I can get. I asked before my last trip and received a small amount of help. I blame the lack of assistance upon the choice of route. Nobody lives inland. This time, I am escaping the cold a little and heading down south for the winter.

The general plan:
Jan 15th ish to Feb 15 ish, the dates are as flexible as the traffic laws.

The bike is being shipped to Hangzhou, we are taking the grand canal boat from Suzhou to Hangzhou and following the coast south...kinda. We won't be going into Yunnan. That gem is being saved for the last segment of the trilogy. We want to head north to Chongqing. Where ever we are, come time to go home, we go home. The bike gets shipped back to yantai and we head home on the train. Good riddance.

Now, almost everyone but us few Shandongers live in the area I am planning on going to. I am asking you as fellow bikers to show me your hometowns, as insane or mild as that my be. Are there secrets? Can you give me a tip. I also enjoy beer and baijiu.

I am not asking for a couch and a shower, but I will not decline one. My wife however requires certain luxuries from time to time and these may not be withheld!

So, help me plan a trip. Join me on my trip. Tell me not to go on my trip (everyone else does). Tell me how awesome it will be to describe these exotic and exquisite miseries to you when I get back.

Please do not, remind me that I haven't finished my last ride report. I have enough laobans asking me to satisfy their hysterical whims at no cost to them. Also, please do not remain silent.

**moilami** · 11-25-2015, 12:32 AM

Well, if one can go do a motorcycle trip, then one should go and do it.

**zhu** · 11-25-2015, 05:50 AM

That's gunna be quite chilly at first.

**cryptographicide** · 11-25-2015, 08:43 AM

Yeah. I have been asking around and it seems like the average temperature is about 10"C during the mid morning and afternoon on most days. This is not too cold for us. I went out last night and was able to handle an hour on the bike in 0"C. I didn't have my thermals on and wasn't wearing a good neck wrap. Those were the places that got cold. If it gets to 0'C, I know I'll be able to get at least a few hours of riding in.

I grew up in Northern Canada. Spending a day on the snowmobiles in -25'C is a fantastic activity and not one I associate with being cold. I know how to dress.

**modron** · 11-25-2015, 02:17 PM

I live a days ride south from Hangzhou. You welcome to come visit, I can show you an amazing road HZ to mine that will blow your mind

**motomeil** · 11-26-2015, 08:45 AM

it's too cool!
www.chinesemotopartsonline.com/atv-parts

**kikikillercat** · 11-26-2015, 03:25 PM

Originally Posted by modron

I live a days ride south from Hangzhou. You welcome to come visit, I can show you an amazing road HZ to mine that will blow your mind

im in ningbo, i rode from Taizhou to ningbo , but eventually jumped on the expressway to beat it back home! what is your recommended route??
thanks

**kikikillercat** · 11-26-2015, 03:35 PM

help me plan a trip. Join me on my trip. Tell me not to go on my trip (everyone else does). Tell me how awesome it will be to describe these exotic and exquisite miseries to you when I get back.

Please do not, remind me that I haven't finished my last ride report. I have enough laobans asking me to satisfy their hysterical whims at no cost to them. Also, please do not remain silent.[/QUOTE]

i dont mind the cold, but the wet!!!! adds to the danger etc.. i may drive from Ningbo to guilin at the end of the third week of jan... but i will look at the forcast etc.... but likely anything north of Guangdong except for Yunnan will be cold..... last Christmas I rode about 600 kilometers pretty much non stop all in the dark and 75 percent wet to get close to the Vietnam border from Guiiln with the assistance of the AutoBahn he he soo the roads were only occupied by large trucks and most going faster than I. cant do too many nights like that!

**bikerdoc** · 11-30-2015, 01:49 AM

Originally Posted by cryptographicide

As winter encroaches, I have begun plotting my next adventure through China. And I want all the input I can get. I asked before my last trip and received a small amount of help. I blame the lack of assistance upon the choice of route. Nobody lives inland. This time, I am escaping the cold a little and heading down south for the winter.

The general plan:
Jan 15th ish to Feb 15 ish, the dates are as flexible as the traffic laws.

The bike is being shipped to Hangzhou, we are taking the grand canal boat from Suzhou to Hangzhou and following the coast south...kinda. We won't be going into Yunnan. That gem is being saved for the last segment of the trilogy. We want to head north to Chongqing. Where ever we are, come time to go home, we go home. The bike gets shipped back to yantai and we head home on the train. Good riddance.

Now, almost everyone but us few Shandongers live in the area I am planning on going to. I am asking you as fellow bikers to show me your hometowns, as insane or mild as that my be. Are there secrets? Can you give me a tip. I also enjoy beer and baijiu.

I am not asking for a couch and a shower, but I will not decline one. My wife however requires certain luxuries from time to time and these may not be withheld!

So, help me plan a trip. Join me on my trip. Tell me not to go on my trip (everyone else does). Tell me how awesome it will be to describe these exotic and exquisite miseries to you when I get back.

Please do not, remind me that I haven't finished my last ride report. I have enough laobans asking me to satisfy their hysterical whims at no cost to them. Also, please do not remain silent.

I'm planning to ride South from Ningbo headed for Northern Thailand again. This will be my third trip, having been to Northern Thailand Jan-March 2015 and Jan-Feb 2014.

How set in 'stone' are any of you guys on travel dates. Also how about route/destination?

I'm planning to ride (again) from Ningbo-ish (from 30km outside Ningbo).

Previously I departed January 2015 on my GS headed for Thailand and made it to Chiang Rai in 3 days. I rode the Expressways mainly aside from the first 5-6 hours when I departed Ningbo (I rode through Shengzhou to Yiwu, across the ranges West of Yiwu to Tonglu and then South towards Jainde. Nearing Jiande I rode onto the Expressway and remained on it for the next 42 hours or thereabouts. I missed the Expressway/highway from Xishanuagbanna, so also rode the majority of the old old mountain road from Xishuangbanna to Boten Border Crossing (Mengla). The first 48 hours on the Expressway, I only stopped for petrol and twice I attempted to get some short 30-45 minute power naps - which was not easy as I had a serious case of monkey butt. Those first 48 hours I rode almost without sleep to get to Xishuangbanna, as I didn't want to get off the Expressway unless I had to. I have also ridden a lot of the nearby provinces previously and while there are some very interesting places to see and ride, doing so alone meant this was not a priority. This might potentially different with a group especially for those that have never ridden those locations etc.

I admittedly got lost in Kunming as both my GPS's lost satellites (I assume there are some sensitive installations located there) and ended up wasting 4 hours trying to find my way to the road/highway from Kunming to Xishuangbanna.

I rode alone the last trip and would prefer company this time round. My travel plans are not set in stone, so I'm open to allowing for a more leisurely ride - but honestly northern Thailand is a riders Mecca so my aim would be to sacrifice time spent inside the mainland in preference for more time/days inside the 'land of smiles'.

Not sure if anyone might be interested in riding together for all or part of the trip?

I am open to ideas etc.