Laos
 

Looking for anyone that has been there or is planning a trip there. I would love to email or talk on phone about it. I am planning on going in January 2009 and renting a motorcycle there. Thanks

Have been there and even blogged (a little) about it. About two years ago with motorbikes we bought in Cambodia.

Laos might be the most beautiful country you ever been to and the Ride from Vientienne to Luan Prabang ist just awesome.

Feel free to post any specific questions here, so everybody can benefit from my eternal wisdom :innocent:

Enjoy your trip!

Laos
 

Well did you rent a bike? What size? Did you have to leave your passport with them where you rented? If so how do you cross border or can you? What time of year did you go? What was the temp. How safe was it? Did you go alone or on a group?

I was there in Febuary, I spent 7 weeks, traveling from head to toe on my own bike.

The best roads and towns to visit are the smaller ones, on the local tracks. They are slightly more dangerous, but very rewarding!! the people you meet are just amazing.

Look up gt-riders.com they have the most up to date information for Laos and really good trip reports to give you an idea of where you might want to go. They also have a great map - I used this map, and harldy got lost. But then again, people just come out of nowhere that you can ask for help.

if you have any specific question, just message me.

Hi
I spent some time in Laos in October 2007; was looking into hiring a bike in Luang Prabang but told nobody does this anymore due to all the accidents with tourists falling off. Vang Vien, just north of Vientienne has several bikes for hire, although mainly of the chinese variety.
have fun
Kev

The normal procedure around these parts is for you to leave your passport with the owners if you rent a bike. If you have an accident or damage the bike, you only get your passport back if you pay up.

In this scenario you might end up paying more than the bike's worth.

Formally it's possible to cross borders with a bike that's not yours, but in reality you won't. First of all you won't have your passport. Secondly no bike rental place will get you the necessary documentation.

On the other Hand getting a bike you bought registered can take a long time too, at least in Cambodia. I had to wait for about four weeks until I had my license plates, but this might be different in Laos.

Like I stated earlier I ended up buying a 250 Suzuki Djebel in Cambodia and went to Laos with a Friend on a 250 Honda XR. Riding conditions where pretty much brilliant. It was the wet season but we head no rain. Southern Laos was pretty boring to ride so we put ourselves and the bikes on a bus to Vientienne and rode to Luam Prabang from there.

In the mountains it got cooler but with a thin jacket it was still nice to ride. I would rate security up there so-so. We saw at least some guns around (every truck driver seemed to carry a handgun) and where asked at every stop if we wanted to buy some opium. If you ventured off the beaten track and ended up in someones plantation you might have some explaining to do...

On the other hand I think there's a lot less petty crime in Laos then in the other countries around (noticeable Cambodia and Vietnam) and the risk of beeing scammed or ripped off somehow are probably less.

to book or not to book
 

Better to book a bike before hand? More expensive?

I'm spending 3 weeks there in December and plan to hire a 250cc dirt dike (XR or TTR) for most of that time. Pick up in Vientiene. I've been in touch with Jim on the site below who can help with trip planning. However looking at guidebooks, admittedly from 2007, prices seem much much lower. $28 versus $7-10. Remote Asia looks like a good outfit and for the price you get 24hr assistance, helmet hire and some other benefits.

Does anyone have up to date prices for bike hire on the ground?
Honda XR250 seems to be the most popular.

Did you come across many other bikers beubo?

Rental

gt rider
 

Ive just scanned a few threads on GT rider. This will give everything you need to know about bike hire in Laos.

The Golden Triangle Rider :: Laos