VLADIVOSTK-Mongolia-Europe June 2013
 

This thread is for riders going west from Vladivostok around early June 2013. Hopefully we can exchange information about bike shipping,ferry schedules,costs,routes,and equipment.
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I will be riding an '06 KLR650.I will ride Cincinnati to Vancouver,Then fly my bike to S Korea.Below is one quote I got.But they used 76" long instead of 86". Never asked for a new cost.

Sent: Thursday, February 21, 2013 4:28 PM

Subject: RE: ALL CARGO EXPRESS ONLINE REQUEST for Doug Lear



Hi Doug,

We are pleased to offer our competitive rate as below and advise me if you have any concern or question.

Shipment 1: From Vancouver to Incheon airport, South Korea only – CAD1,625.00 all in
Based on chargeable weight 320.00kg, 76”X44”X34”

Draining of gas tank – CAD75.00
Crating a motorcycle – CAD350.00
Air Freight – CAD1,200.00

Transit time: 3 to 4 days
I was told I could crate the bike myself & drain the tank.
There will also be terminal handling fee, customs clearance and exam fees


Shipping from Sokcho,S. Korea to Zarubino,Russia. Stena Daea Line started service March 19.The ferry is named New Blue Ocean.This is the ferry I want to use.Seouljoe of HU says half a day to go through customs in Zarubino vs 3-4 days in Vlad.Zarubino is about 2 hours south of Vlad. and 25 miles north of N.Korea.The below info is what I got from Wendy Choi:

Dear Doug Apr.18.2013 Good day
Yes You can catch Stena Ferry at Sokcho Port with your bike.
The fee for bike(over500cc), it is USD500 + Some other charge like documents fee, cfs, tec(i guess it is approx usd100)
and passenger fee(abt usd200)
You can pay to Stena Ferry directly.
______________________________________________
I haven't found a site in English I can get a schedule.
The only link I found on the new ferry is below:
Shanghai Harvest International Logistics Co., Ltd

Siberia Mongolia Russia and back home
 

Hello Doug,

I am Michael from Austria and it seems as if we are intending to do the same trip: Vladivostok, Chabarowsk, and then further on to Mongolia. I should be there in the beginning of June. I am starting with Japan first and will leave Austria tomorrow.
Would be good to stay in touch, eventually we could also do some of the roads together. I am driving an Honda Africa Twin. I have already travelled whole NOrth and South America, went from here to India, Pakistan and last year I did Asia and Australia. This year I have Japan, Siberia, Mongolia, Khazachstan and Russia on the menu and will then drive back home.

Would be great to stay in touch.
All the best from Michael

Hello, I'm Louie from New Zealand
I will arrive in Vladivostok on 2nd of June. Staying at "Optimum Hostel"
My bike should be waiting for me at the port.
I wont go to Mongolia.
I'm staying in Russia, heading west to Vladikavkaz (Ossetia) then Donetsk and Khakiv (Ukraine) Then back to Vladivostok. But there is a chance I'll get drunk the first night there and marry a stripper, then crash the bike on the second day. Riding in Russia is very enjoyable. There's loads of cafes with cheap excellent quality food.
The style of driving I can describe it as ... Aggressive and very fast mixed with awareness and courtesy. Its ok to have a bit of fun too. A burnout in front of cops will attract a crowd and applause and is not illegal. Unlike here in NZ people drive like scared rabbits, are over cautious and slow, as our police force has made persecuting motorists its top priority.
I hope everybody is using Yuri Melnikov Links Ltd, if they are receiving freight.
My trip prep ? ... Well last time I brought a ton of stuff I didn't need, so this time I have left the pannier bags at home. Just a top box and another small bag is all I will need.
louienicholson@yahoo.co.nz

http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=1621260582

I guess you aren't taking camping gear.Confident you can always get to another town.If you have traveled that route before you would know.How long are you planning to be gone?

Hi all,

Mike and I (hopefully) leave Halifax, NS, on Thursday. We think we have all the paper work sorted to get the bikes out :-)

We are then heading for Seattle where the is a RoRo that goes to Vlad. It is $880/bike, plus agent fees($290) etc. I am expecting to top out around $1500 total for Vlad.

RoRo - Fesco
Agent - GreenLine Trade

I'll fill in the HUBB trip route info when all done.

We will then hang around the US for a while, fly over to Seoul, hang out there and then fly to Vlad for around June 4th. So may see Loue ? The bikes are due on the 8th, then it is tyres and oil change and hit the road.

We are also missing Mongolia, due to time issues, but heading into Khaz and Uzbek before returning to Europe.

Horizons Unlimited Motorcycle Travellers' Stories - Bruce Porter and Mike Speechley

Hi Bruce, Yes I am taking a tent. I don't want to seem unadventurous but I think its a good decision to skip Mongolia. Its hard enough just doing Russia. Breaking down in the middle of Mongolia is a certainty. Really its a trip on its own requiring extra ordinary, or specific planning.
I see... Halifax NS = Nova Scotia. A New Zealander will think Halifax in Yorkshire.
And I assume you quote $CAD
My freight costs total in $US ... about $1200. funny when the original figure is half that ...but there's all the add-ons
Yes I may see you around that date it will be a pleasure to meet. I don't know if my bike will be early or late. Its supposed to be there on the 30th of May then its a 2 - 4 day battle for my agent to get it released, there's virtually no hope of going through the Russian customs process by one's self.
Keep in touch :)
Regards
Louie

Skip through this lot and thank fate ... you didn't have time for Mongolia :)

Oisin Hughes - YouTube

Hello here is Teo.

Im currently in Japan.
I did already, Europe and west Russia, central asia, all caucasian countries, Iraq,Iran , Pakistan , India Nepal all the south east Asia, Australia, south korea and now in Japan.

From here i dont go to Vladivostock, i will take a ferry from Hokkaido to Sahkalin then go to Vanino and going on the way to europe.

I ship the bike from Australia and on road here in Japan with 550 usd ...i did everything...paperworks,crate and so on .... i will put on the record here on hubb shipping

Now stuck here for license...should solve in few days ...

I never sleep in hotels and i never eat in the restourant as im in low budget

See u on the road guys

Im riding a kawa er5 ..AH AH nothing is impossible :DDD

ps i don't know if i will have time for Mongolia or not but i met already 2 bikers (one japanese and one Korean) that went there alone with suzuki dr650 ...no problem at all

I think is luck but most important is condiction of bike and style of driving.

I did pamir in a week with no rush with mine and a crazy of road in Georgia took 4 days to do 120km... not easy but possible

:scooter:

I have a list of 12 riders going west from Vladivostok around early June. I have some other info for some -bike.nationality,countries traveling,app arrival time in Vlad,HU or ADVrider name. If you PM me your email,I will send it to you. I don't know how or if it is possible to send the attachment through PM's.

Doug

Doug,

How is your shipping going from Vancouver ? We have just been told our RoRo will be delayed, now leaving Seattle June 4th and arriving Vlad 15th.

So we are revisiting other options, I have sent a rate request to LEI. but am interested in how you are progressing with them.

Now we just have to decide what sights we will see in our spare 2 weeks in North America... dodging snow, rain and tornadoes ;-)

I have not communicated with them since my initial quote (above). I guess I need to update with them soon. I should send a new request to All Cargo Express and LEI.If I do,I'll send you what I get.You will probably get info before I do.

Doug

Are All Cargo Express doing the crating ? We just had a quote back saying crating will be approx $800/bike and that we should go and see bike dealers in Vancouver too try and get a crate.

Any names we can try ?

And has anyone got a link for the Stena ferry ? I can't get a google hit :-(

This is what I got from them yesterday:
Hi Doug,

We are pleased to offer our competitive rate as below and advise me if you have any concern or question.

Air shipment from Vancouver to Incheon airport, South Korea only – CAD2,280.00 all in
Based on chargeable weight 370.00kg, 84" x 44" x 36"

Draining of gas tank – CAD75.00
Crating a motorcycle – CAD350.00
Handling fee – CAD55.00
Air Freight – CAD1,800.00

Transit time: 3 to 4 days

Above rate excludes:

- Destination terminal handling
- Destination duties, and taxes
- Delays due to weather/road condition
- Storage-in-transit, demurrage, and detention (if any)
- Customs examination/inspection (if any)
- Insurance – available upon your request.

All Risks Insurance can be offered @ 2.5% of C & F value + 10%, minimum $ 75.00, excludes mechanical/electrical derangement, subject to 1.0% deductible amount, minimum $ 500.00 each claim.

** Motorcycle needs to be drop it at AllCargo Express Inc. in Richmond, BC
** Validity of quote: 30 days, subject to change with or without notice

Young sil Kim
Import/Export Coordinator/Inside Sales
http://www.horizonsunlimited.com/hub...E4CA1.E724B030
200 - 2251 No.5 Rd.
Richmond, BC
V6X 2S8
Tel: 604 606-0633
Fax: 604 232-4544

e-mail: young@allcargoexpress.com

Ah, I see that you have gone through All Cargo Express, we went straight to LEI. They have quoted us as Dangerous Goods, so no tank drain. And 2 bikes as $3100 CAD to Incheon. Just the crating to do. Strange the price difference.

I'll PM you our full quote to save clogging up the thread

Bruce,this is the only link I could find.And it was hard to find.

Google Translate

It isn't easy to navigate.And a lot is still under construction.I used translate Korean to English.Then if you place the cursor over "New Blue Ocean" you will see some English options to choose.They usually take you to more Korean stuff.I think patkoj was going to have someone translate it.Never heard back from him about it.It's something you can look at.I gave up and decided I'll wait till I get there and do what I have to do.

This is a file I saved from SeanF and what he did:

From Vancouver, Canada to Incheon, Korea (South) - August, 2010
Contact person name: Marshalla Hung
Company name: Locher Evers
Company web page: Locher Evers International
Contact person email: Mars...@lei.ca
Locher Evers Int'l 109D - 4871 Miller Road Richmond, BC Ph: 604-270-4631
Shipping Method: Air
Shipping date: August, 2010
Cost Paid at Start CAD $1,326.64

My Suzuki DR650 was crated at Richmond Motorsports in Vancouver. Free crate, only charged for labor and tie-down straps. LEI sent a truck and the crate was wrapped in plastic and fork-lifted onto the truck. From Richmond Motorsports you can get a taxi to an airport hotel, or to a rail station where you can easily get down town to more lodging options. There are a few hostels on Main street near the rail station stop. The people at Richmond Motorsports were top-notch and took great care of me.

Later at Vancouver Int'l Airport (YVR) I visited the offices of LEI, an easy walk from the passenger terminal if you aren't lugging anything, but can be difficult to find among the dozens of offices. A taxi can take you there as well, you just have to get picked up from the Arrivals terminal. I filled out a few more forms and paid with a credit card. Marshalla handled everything very professionally.

Thanks, can't understand why google did not throw that up when I tried "stena daea".

We need to get over to Vlad as quick as possible to keep our visas lined up, and our 91 day target. So, asuming we can get on the Sunday 2nd ferry from Dong Hoe we are back on track. All we need to do is work out how to get from Incheon to the ferry -)

Crates sorted, Pacific Motorsports are sorting us out.

Right, now where is Hubb page about riding bikes in South Korea :-)

Ferry details (the new one)

I have had the following info from heungjae.lee@stenadaea.com

Thang you for your mail.
We are under the construction of English web site. Sorry to give you inconviniences.
NBO(New Blue Ocean) Schedule to Vladivostok
May 1-Oct. 31(2013) : Dep. Sokcho every Fri. 16:00 hours (local time)
Arr. Vladi Sat. 17:00 hours (local time)
Nov. 1-Apr.30(2014) : Dep. Sokcho every Sat. 14:00 hours (local time)
Arr. Vladi Sun. 15:00 hours (local time)

Freight Charge : USD 500 (round) - USD 250 (single)
Room Charge : Eco.- USD 336 (round) - single (half of round)
Biz.- USD 390 (round)
Dlx.- USD 455
Suite-USD 863 / USD 2,636

I think I am using them also. Evidently Richmond Mototsports closed up.

Here is some info I got from 2 riders going through last year.Hope they don't mind.This sounds way easier than I anticipated.If so,riding across Korea would be a lot cheaper than the bonded truck.

We entered South Korea from Russia on the ferry. When we arrived at Donghae we were taken into customs where we sorted out all the paperwork. We had to pay an 'entry fee' which was about $200. Although you don't need a carnet for SK, if you have one, use it, as this will get you off paying this charge. We got off the ferry with a guy who had one and he didn't need to pay this. The customs guy then gave us a price for insurance. You can pick the one that covers your time there - we stayed 4 weeks - and that cost us about $150. The customs at Donghae have a deal with an insurance company but he did say we were free to get it ourselves when we left the port if we liked. From arriving at the port, getting through customs, to riding out the gate took us about 1 hour.

This is a post from Seouljoe's thread.I thought a lot of you might want to use this ferry.
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx xxxxxxxxxxxxx


Posted by: seouljoe
On: 13 May 2013 22:41

Dae Ah Ferry

Every Tuesday 13:00 Hrs depart Sok Cho ,, arrives Zarubino 11AM on Wednesday.

Every Friday 16:00 Hrs to Vladivistok to arrive Saturday 17:00 Hrs

DBS Ferry

Dong Hae to Vadivostok only
Every Sunday 14:00 Hrs to arrive Vladivistok on Monday 15:00 Hrs

Just remember,, if you go to Vladiviostok ,, your bike will be stuck in bond for three days.
Zarubino ,, you can clear in two - three hours.
Good luck!

Just saw in the news today-there is a race of older cars from Peking to Paris.There are 96 teams starting May 28th and going for 33 days to finish in Paris.It looks like they go to UlaanBaatar,then west on a northern route.Looks like a lot of their route will be on my route.Read about it at the below site and expect company on your trip.

Delhi duo embarks on 7,610-mile road rally | Cincinnati Breaking News

Right, we have a great 2 days, we crated the bikes at Pacific Moto, took us about 5 hours including an oil change. Paid a bit for labour as Rusty helped out. They will normally supply the crate for $100 (they use Triumph ones).

LEI picked them up this morning and they arrived a few mins after we did in their offices. The paperwork and final price went through. Our overall dimensions reduced due to removing the panniers to fit in the crates. We weighed in at 319kg and 325kg (inc pallet weight). Then the fuel cost went down. We are 2 happy bunnies :-).

All in $2900 CAD for 2 bikes to Seoul.

Doug, shave some weight, save a fortune :-)

We will be in Incheon on the 28th, hopefully sorting the bikes o the 29th and then a couple of days riding before getting the Ferry on the 2nd to Vlad.

Yes, we know the Zubrino ferry is quick to get off, but that does not go until Tuesdday and we want to move forward.

I leave Ohio in the morning.Pacific Moto should crate me the 29th or 30th .And LEI probably ship on the 31st.

Did you decide to ride in Korea ? We wanted to but screwed up the paper work, we put both bikes on one AWB to save money. Wendy Choi had said it was OK, but she had missed the bit about us wanting to ride. :-(

Now we are hoping to catch a ride with the truck to the ferry.

She gave quotes for trucking that were pretty high.Hope you can find something reasonable.

Im Leaving Zew Zealand in the morning. May be see you in Vladivostok on the 2nd 3rd 4th or however long it takes to get my bike from customs.

Penny and I are slowly making our way up to Sokcho in time for the ferry on Tuesday.

Just stayed in a pensian on the coast, north of Pohang. Looks like we're in a little fishing village.

Back roads so far are slow, but scenic. Worth it though to be away from city and motorway traffic.

She is a lovely lady, and needs to make a living :-). She did well for us, both bikes to the ferry for $800. We were also able to travel on the truck.

We would have preferred to ride, especially as we have now seen how beautiful the whole country is. But that is the breaks when you make a mistake.

In Donghae now, trying to get the bikes uncrated at this end (we think it will be easier than in Vlad). But are having problems with the port being on a high security alert.

We will arrive in Vlad on Monday, and are booked into the Optimum hostel. Yuri has confirmed that it takes 3 days to clear the bikes.

Ferry arrives Monday afternoon.

They unload Tuesday

Paperwork Wednesday

Thursday cleared.

(Yes we know we could have gone to Zubrino but as we were not riding the bikes we saw little point of trying to organise our time in SK differently).

Rub in what we are missing :-(

Fantastic! I'm glad you're having a good time there.
I look forward to seeing you.

I'm watching this thread closely, as I'm about 10-15 days behind you all.

I'm flying out of Vancouver thursday 13th, and will be using LEI to fly the bike.

Am still hunting for a crate - i cant get ahold of Pacific Motorsports.
Anyone else find another place?

I should get to Russia around the 20th June. Any stragglers will be there then?


Thanks
NYlon

Penny and I are in Khabarovsk with Doogle.

A little embarrassed by the hospitality we're being shown by locals. Not sure how we deserve it or how we can ever repay it. But incredibly grateful all the same.

May spend the day sightseeing after a long ride yesterday.

Hopefully we'll find out what Bruce and Mike are up to. You guys nearby?

Our Spot tracker is here if you wanna stalk us: http://share.findmespot.com/shared/f...K1rTdQCtRLmnTf

Hello my name is Patryk Koj and I'm also going around the world. I have been meaning to post on here sooner but been busy riding with family and friends around the US for the past two weeks. Finally today I'm on my own and have time to do so. I'm currently in San Francisco and heading out to Vancouver tomorrow. I'm meeting Philip James in Vancouver whom I'll be riding across asia with. We are flying out on the 14th and the bikes should be doing the same around the same time. We are little behind you all. Any usefully pointer you can pass our way would be greatly appreciated. I have my own personal website which also includes a link to my Spot Tracker if anyone would like to see where we are. www.patkoj.com Safe riding everyone!

im am so far behind... still stuck here in hong kong, i will be lucky if im in vlad for beginning of july......

ferry from korea to Russia:

which ferry did you take?
Vladivostok or Zarubino, how was it?
costs?
time table?
broker?

We took the ferry from Sokcho to Zarubino.
Cost about the same as to Vlad.
Leaves once a week on a Tuesday.
Wendy Choi booked for us and started the customs process.
We did the Russian side ourselves. Took about 4 hours from arrival till we rode away. There were only 9 other passengers on the ferry!
Zarubino is pretty isolated though, so think about where you're going to next.

Penny and I are currently in Chita. Said goodbye to Doogle a couple of days ago. I think he's probably a day ahead of us now.

Anyone else checking in? Bruce and Mike?

hi guys im coming the other way from london in kevi heading to kuznetsk hows the weather over there.which way are you going

West of Irkutsk now..... some place in the middle of nowhere, the 1st Hotel we have seen since there. About 550k west on the M53. Big truck stop, 90k after Tayshet.

<waves>

See above :-)

Sometimes the sun shines, sometimes it rains. Right now it is shining, tomorrow it may not. It is weather after all :-)

Hey all

Patryk and I are in Seoul, waiting to get our bikes and ride across. Being a few days behind you all is helping us - as we can learn and avoid the same issues.

Marshalla told us about the problem with 2 bikes and 1 airway bill. We're using Wendy as well, and should be able to ride cross Korea this week.

Had wanted to go from Sokchu to Zarubino, but couldn't understand the ferry website. Now its in English i see that on Fridays it only goes to Vlad, and not to Zarubino (thats Tuesdays).

So, looks like we have to do Vlad, and the slow clearing process!

Who's Yuri, and how does he help? And can someone PM me his contact details?

And, once in Russia, have you guys been camping at all? And whats the road condition like - smooth pavement, or can i use my knobbly tires at all? ;)

Thanks

Yuri is the man Contact | Links Ltd , he will sort out all the paper work and running around $150. Worth it. I can see why Zub is favoured.
It is 3 days clearance in Vlad. *Sometimes* it can be done in 2 if all the people are in the right place.

Not camped at all, in Vlad get yourself noticed by the Iron Angels or Folks Russia and they will arrange all sorts for you. Camping is not recommended between Kharborosk and Chita.

Mogocha is a good stop, 11k off the road, take the left fork into the town and an Iron Eagle should spot you.

Roads are a mix, we are on nobblies and as some roadworks can be 20k of sandy stuff (mud when raining) they are a good idea.

Perfect. Thanks. He and I are in touch now.

Also, how many other bikers / tourists are you seeing on the road?

Zarubino, can you do the customs by yourself? or do you need a broker? if so, who?

and for those who have driven across korea, please would you shed some light.. what did it cost to drive vs. bonded truck?

thank you

Edd - i replied to your PM about the costs to get the bike out of customs and to ride it across South Korea.

Having made some less than optimal decisions myself, I'd recommend riding it, and going to Zarubino, as you can self clear there.

For reference to other readers, here's the cost breakdown:

Service fee (Wendy): $100
Motorcycle Insurance (mandatory, but in theory you could have your own already): $70. Probably also duration dependent
Customs clearance fee: $200 (probably motorcycle dependent)
Carnet bond insurance: $120 (motorcycle value dependent, and I presume you could use an actual carnet to avoid it. or you can leave a large cash deposit, which is 100% returnable. We had so little warning for this, we didn't have the $2k in cash at the time).

Total for me was $490

Truck bike $400 (but that was 2 in 1 truck, so $800)

I'd say drive, it looks a beautiful country

About 6 or 7 going West to East. Only 1 has stopped to talk (Nick the Greek). Met Doug, been in touch with Penny/Igor but not met. Louie is 1 step ahead of us.

Also met 1 man walking from Tallinn to Vlad, keep an eye out for him and stop for a chat. He was between Chita and Mogocha.

"Camping is not recommended between Kharborosk and Chita"

Read that in a prior post. Why is that?

Bears? Bugs? Or bandits?

Just left a pretty good Heidenau K60 21 inch tyre in Irkutsk. Might be able to grab it if you're nearby. N 52.30620 E 104.24068
Ph 95 76 21
ek-shin@mail.ru

Super nice guys. Two new tyres mounted for 150 rub!

Sent from my GT-I9100T using Tapatalk 4 Beta

Bandits, apparently. There was a Japanese scooter rider killed recently, his scooter is now in the clubhouse in Mogocha. All locals say it is not safe, you can stay at the truck stops for around 500-750R.

The HA club in Vlad gave us pepper spray as a gift when we said we did not carry knives or guns :-)

Your Milage May Vary.

between you and me we have left a trail of part used tyres across Siberia :-)

You going into Mongolia or Khaz ?

We will be in Barnaul tomorrow and then Khaz in about 3 days.

Is this the story of the japanese biker who was killed "recently"?

http://www.horizonsunlimited.com/hub...-siberia-44143

and here:
http://www.horizonsunlimited.com/hub...d-news-64424-2

It was May 2012, and from reading the story, seems a freak occurrence (30 stab wounds!), where the perpetrators were soon caught.

It may or may not be a dangerous area, but i dont think this sad event proves it either way.

In Vlad, they call the area Mordor :-)