Riding a Saudi registered bike in Europe
 

I'm a British expat living in Saudi. Next year I would like to ride by Saudi registered bike in Europe or Japan. I'm trying to find the best way to get my bike over there and whether I need a Carnet. Does anybody have any experience or advice please?Attachment 15736


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Hi Nick and welcome,
I am sure you will not need a carnet for riding in Europe but you will need insurance which will be difficult or impossible to get in the UK but there should be something of use here.
http://www.horizonsunlimited.com/hub...et-cheap-34822

Thanks for the link!


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Nice picture!

I have seen Saudi registered cars in Switzerland. For Europe you dont need a carnet, but you should get a Green card third party insurance somewhere. For Japan you will maybe need a carnet.

Enjoy.
mika

Automobile Club
 

Is there an AC in Saudi?

If so they will be a good source of info. You may be able to ride to UAE and go to Iran via Sharjah to Bandar Abbas. The UAE AC was a great help to me when I drove from Dubai to UK on this route.

Also try email UAE AC direct and see what they say about help in getting a Saudi registered bike into Iran.

Hope this helpsbier

There is but they are very unhelpful, if indeed they answer emails or pick up the phone - in my recent experience anyway.


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AC Saudi
 

Yep. This was my first experience in UAE but I started going there at times when they were not busy(:oops2:) and personal contact did the trick.

I realize this may not be practical but good luck.

Can anybody recommend a good guide in Iran?


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Hi Nick

How far did you get with this?

I'm based in Yanbu and looking to ride a W800 back at some point. Unfortunately most of the overland routes are now closed (via Jordan/Syria to Turkey , or Egypt then Ferry to Cyprus or Greece)

I've been thinking whether to ship to Turkey and ride from there onwards, as Saudi registered bikes ain't a good idea in Iran..

Drop me a line if you are still planning this.

Regards

R

Hi

I stalled on this one I'm afraid. The best route I could work out was through Iran but this requires a substantial Carnet de Passage and I figured that I didn't want to post a bond for three times the cost of my bike. The ferry option to Cyprus seemed workable and cheap but there is a time issue. There are only 12 places on the ferry and Lordy drivers get priority. There is no booking system and it is first come first served. In other words there could be two week delays and I can't fit that with my schedule. Egypt doesn't seem like a viable option to me - it also requires a carnet de passage and I believe that runs at 800% of bike value.

The best option I worked out was to fly the bike to Europe. I got part way with this option then ran into roadblocks. Cost was looking at around SR8500 one way. I chatted with a Kuwaiti guy who had airfreighted his BMW last year for around SR6000 and then shipped it back in a container with 3 others for around SR2400 at the end of his trip. For a long trip in Europe this seems like a viable option.

My last two European trips, covering about 7500 miles, have been on a bike (R1200GS) I rented from a place near Malaga. Good bikes and very reasonable. This seems to be more cost effective, if less satisfying than riding from here in Saudi.

Currently I'm thinking of spending the summer exploring Saudi on my bike. Not sure if I can deal with the heat though. Mind you, in Spain last summer it was 44° in Córdoba and only 43° in al Khobar.

I'm interested to hear your plans.

Best regards
Nick




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Hi Nick

I'm looking at the Ferry option as the best route. Up the coast to the Jordan Border then into the place that shall not be named and a Ferry to Athens. My experience with Ferries is that they usually let you ride to the front and make space somewhere for the bikes. It doesn't effect the road freight capacity. As long as you have a ticket and get there early you are good to go.

Bikes in summer is a killer in KSA. We used to ride in Riyadh but in Summer it was early on a Friday morning. 6am and a 300 KM loop through the Wadis and back before the real heat came up. 40C is doable but you will risk heatstroke above 45C. I wouldn't do long road trips in Summer for that reason alone.

Regards

Richard

Hi folks. Mostly posting and following the conversation. I'm currently living here in Saudi (Thuwal/Rabigh) area and my riding partner and I are about to brave out into the exploration of Saudi. Perhaps if we get enough time it may be something to try your plan of riding all the way into the next continent. Looking for any good information on riding/camping here in Saudi and good places to ride to.