Australia to Europe - Requesting advice
 

This is my first post on the HUB. I will be retiring from the Queensland Police Service in 2008 and want ride to the UK either late 2008 or early 2009. I would welcome any advice I can get regarding all aspects of such a journey. I have not travelled any considerable distance before. I have in mind a joint venture with a like minded person on a similar bike. I have recently bought an old R80 which I really enjoy riding. I guess the things that I would like to know at the outset relate to whether or not to transport a bike from Australia to somewhere in SE Asia, or alternaterly perhaps fly to the UK and purchase a bike there and ride home. I would appreciate any corresponence and suggestions that Hubb subscribers may have.

Aus- Europe
 

G'day Terry,

It'll will cost a great deal upward of 4000 dollars to ship your bike to England or at least thats what it cost to get mine from the UK to the Gold Coast. Then you have the whole carnet saga etc etc

I'd be more inclinded to purchase a bike in Europe and take each day as it comes. When you find your feet riding around Europe you can always get more adventerous. European bike mags and bike stores have a vast array of winter/ warming devices, i.e glove warmers etc etc.

Maybe just take some nice thermals with you. Hope this helps

take care

Dealing with the European winter weather is one thing, but you would have no more than about 7-8 hours of daylight at that time; IMO, this is the limiting factor of riding in any winter. Riding in the dark is not a great thing to do for all of the obvious reasons.
When you read the various threads and forums in here, you will see the pattern - northern hemisphere riding in the northern summer and vice versa for your current neck of the woods!
Tropics; all year round, 12 hours of dark and light.

As for preparing bikes for winter riding, this has some interesting pics!
http://www.horizonsunlimited.com/hub...e-winter-29561

Hope this helps.

Hiya Terry,

I am in the middle of planning my trip. I am shipping my bike to the UK then riding back mainly because of the seasons. I figured I can follow the warmer weather better by doing it that way. Also, I will be able to miss the monsoon season in Asia. I am shipping my bike with Get Routed, a firm based in Melbourne- all up cost $2150 one way from Brisbane to Felixstowe.

If you can, get a copy of Shirley Hardy-Rix and Brian Rix' book "Two for the Road". They did the trip and the book provides some useful information even if it gets a little boring at times. And Brian Rix is a fellow policeman in the Victorian Police! It seemed to help him a bit on their travels.

There are also a few blogs in the Travellers Stories section. John and Alana Skillington( Brisbane couple) have just returned from their trip. I found their blog pretty useful as well.

Keep asking questions though mate- This site is great for gleaning information.

Yes, that's good advice: read some of the travellers' stories right here on HU.

Then ask some specific questions. This route gets done all the time in both directions. E.g., I'm coming your way, about to enter Tibet.

When you feel confident you will have read about Perkins shipping in Darwin, who will ship your bike to Dili and you can ride most of the way reasonably easily, except for Burma and China. You will probably fly from Bangkok to Kathmandu.

Terry
I'm also using Get Routed; costing about $3,200 return.
Starting in May 08. Bike gets shipped in March and pick it up on 5 May then hooking up with some others and doing a loop around Europe, Turkey, the Stans, Russia and back to the Uk to ship home by August.
When exactly are you pulling the plug?
You might want to keep in mind the HUBB meeting on the VIC border next Feb. You'll get some valuable info.
Also if you're heading down to Canberra, look me up for a beer and some war stories (NSWP '75 - '87).
Cheers
Mick

got rooted
 

I got slugged it seems. Rather than 'Get Routed' i got rooted. Mine was just under $ 4OOO return :(

Hi

Have a look at our website www.planitearth.co.uk - UK to Australia 2007 - Home Page It might give you some ideas for your up and coming travels.

We are about to look into shipping our bikes from India to either Malaysia, Thailand onto Indonesia and most probably from Dili to Darwin using Perkins as Beddhist has mentioned.

I also travelled with a guy for a while who's website is Lone Biker and again you might pick up some ideas there.

There are people going both ways on that route and as you have said you are retiring so you have all the time to to go as slowly as you want. I would take you time stop frequently and enjoy it.

Cheers

Jim

Hi,

Thanks for the nice comment Kenny, glad our blog was of some use.

Terry, not sure where you are in Qld, but if near Brisbane you should try to get along to a HU ride or get-together. Or if you want we could organise to meet up sometime and chat about our experiences. But with the HU group you will get plenty of alternative views as well!

I hope all you folk mentioning $3000 or more for shipping are talking about air freight one-way or sea freight 2-way or getting routed organising everything for you. Reason is it would have cost me $600 with basic loss insurance but I paid $1000 with optional comprehensive freight insurance in Feb 2006. I used a shipping agent for booking and waybill etc, but did everything else myself including crating and delivery to port. Still, there is big difference in cost between mine and others here! It took 8 weeks in total from leaving my hands to getting it back in London. But I have been told it is cheaper shipping Aus to UK than shipping UK to Aus.

There are lots of pro's & con's for buying in UK/EU verses shipping your own, I know I had to go through it all myself, but its easier to talk all this through rather than typing a long explanation here.

If you feel inclined to meet at some time, send me an e-mail to
john_skillo at yahoo dot com dot au (put together in normal way, helps stop spam).

Regards
John Skillington

Bike transport to Europe
 

Good luck on the trip Terry, if you haven't already been there here is the get routed link

GetRouted : Bike shipping and Tour Operator

Hope all goes well, keep us advised.

Adrian (X Navy, hopeing to do the same thing one day)

Mate, I highly recommend buying a bike in Germany. Got my Africa Twin at a fantastic price and it hasn't skipped a beat in the last 10 000 km's. Catch is of course, is a whole lot easier if you speak or know someone that speaks german.

The only other advice I could offer, is research and get a carnet if your doing middle east and India etc.

Also, I took a good book, Ted Simon's Jupiters travels, (guy rides solo around the world in 1973!) for those long waits at borders, and quiet nights in me tent. Have just read it twice and am now ordering a book bout a guy who did a similar trip to mine a few years ago without a carnet. Found it here on HUBB. The lonley road, Graham Maddern.

Have a ball, and lucky for you, you already have the most useful tool..... "Horizonsunlimited" wish I knew about it when I first started.

Thanks for all your replies
 

Thanks to everyone who replied to my post and the offers of advice ect. I really appreciate you all taking the time to respond. I am still a year or so away from realizing my dream, and, health prevailing, God willing, I will 'do it' In the mean time I will keep asking questions through the HUB and hopefully talk to some of you individually about specifics. Thanks again!

Tintaldra meeting in Feb 08
 

Terry,

Have a look elsewhere on Horizons Unlimited there is a gathering of like minded people at Tintalda, Vic border near Albury near Feb, well worth the effort if you can make it. We went this year and met some very helpful overlanders.

Cheers
Chris

HUB Meeting Tintalda
 

Chris
Thanks for the advice re: the HUB meeting at Tintalda, Vic. Unfortunately at this time I can't see myself being there, this time, but hopefully in the second half of 08 I will be able to attend a meeting. Do you know the schedule of meetings?
Anyway thanks for you reply. Regards
Terry

One a year... even teh UK one is one a year .. and they get over 500 people attending...

Join the Brisy community and hope for a mini meeting ... but I'd try for more of an effort to get to the national meeting .. more people and more talking. And more time. And it is a nice area of the world.

As for the mini meetings .. you could try to orgainise that yourself, think about what you want to know/ask and put them up as talks/conversations?