This is a very interesting and helpful thread... I am planning this trip in June 2018 on a GS1200
Shipping the bike from Darwin to Dili then Kupang to Flores, Flores to Sumbawa, to Lombok, Bali, Java, Sumatra and then into Malaysia.

The problem i have encountered is getting the bike's from Sumatra to Malaysia... I cant find a ferry??

You cannot find any ferry on that stretch because there arent any. Well - there are passanger ferries from Tanjung Balai on Sumatra to Port Klang in Malaysia. And it does take bikes, but what I have heard/read is that the entrance door/gate is not wide enough for BMW GS-es. Although I dont have any personal experience from that stretch.

The other option is to let Mr Lim freight your bike from Belawan to Penang on his vegetable boats. He has shipped hundred of bikes on that stretch so thats nothing to worry about. His contact details are somewhere around here. Search for Cakra Shipping...

West coast Malaysia!
 

West coast Malaysia - Penang will see the beginning of tithe monsoon in May but should still be ok. Penang is great for food and culture but not so much for nature.

East coast Malaysia will have the better weather. In therms of culture, it is way more Islamic than the east coast or Borneo. Taman Negara NP is the obvious choice for nature and is pretty accessible (I am looking at taking the jungle railway there and onto the Thai border later in the year.

I would take a look at Malaysian Borneo - Sabah and Sarawak which has it all and great weather in May. Some photos and detail of our time in Malaysia @ https://accidentalnomads.com/category/malaysia/

As far as Indonesia is concerned, Bali may suit but I do find it very crowded. It is however quite compact so would meet your requirements for not moving around too much.

Info on thailand
 

If you wanted to ride from Australia and go into Thailand, are there any easy ways to get your bike in (I will have a carnet).

Are there any tour companies aiding you to do this but not needing to accompany you as the new laws suggest?

I will be coming from the Malaysia side

I cant even seem to find links to companies to help.....
I wont try for Myanmar, intention is to leave the bike in Thailand and hire/ride around Myanmar then come back to Thailand and ship the bike from there

Im about to start this trip, my bike just made it to Dili from Darwin and I will be heading there in a couple of days.

I'm planning to head up to Sumatra using the local ferries then assess the options once I get there. The bike is a versys 300x so much smaller than a GS type and it would be great to put it on a local ferry.

I'd be happy to let you know how it all goes. Hopefully it doesn't rain too much!

good trip
 

let us know how you get on:scooter: