Bali to Belgium
 

Has anyone been successful in traveling by motorcycle recently through Myanmar? I am interested in overland route options from Indonesia and if there are still no borders open from from Myanmar to India, will consider flying the bike from Thailand. Lots of posts by riders coming from India - would like to hear from anyone who has gone in the opposite direction with good contacts for shipping if necessary.
I plan to ride Bali to Belgium on 1910 FN (Fabrique Nationale) - not the most comfortable saddle I know, but hey at my age any ride is worth doing! Any information greatly appreciated.

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Hey there I live in Bali too. Let's get together and talk it over , over a cpl of Bintangs call me on 0811 544 451
Cheers
Dingo

About when for the trip ?
 

Hi fella's,

The trip sounds pretty interesting, a friend tried to cross from Thai to Myanmar late last year - sadly no-go, and he tried in a few places.

If you have any luck please keep us in touch on this one, as I'd like to know of a 'fall-back' route in case I have problems in our Vietnam to China leg for our trip next year.

BTW when will you be leaving ?

Cheers and happy riding !

By searching this and other similar forums you may get a bit of an idea about how small the possibility of getting your own vehicle into Burma really is... nevermind crossing through Burma from Thailand to India or vice versa, which I believe would require yet another miracle! Sure you´re free to try, but I certainly would not count on succeeding. Besides, the easternmost parts of India are not trouble-free either.

Entering Vietnam with your own, non Vietnamese-plated vehicle also seems pretty complicated. I´ve actually tried several times (from Cambodia and Laos, with a 115cc scooter, and still no success). Could be just a bit easier than Burma, but once again, would be a good idea to have a solid plan B, in case they wont let you enter.

And China is no piece of cake, either. Good to keep in mind, when you do the planning, that these are probably the three most complicated countries in that region to do with your own vehicle. Thailand, Cambodia, Laos & Malaysia are relatively easy to enter, and Indonesia is do-able, but you´ll need the carnet.

I second Pecha's opinion: personally, I wouldn't try Myanmar. Just fly from Bangkok to Kathmandu, or ship from Bangkok to Chennai.

Indonesia, Malaysia, Laos, Thailand, Cambodia: all easy. Carnet for Indonesia, though I heard about people doing it without a carnet (a bit sketchy though).

Bali to Belgium
 

Thanks guys for all your advice. It was a long shot but I guess I will opt to fly from Thailand to India and take it from there. I currently live in Bali so will be getting the carnet in Jakarta. I have completely built this bike from scratch so it has never been registered or ridden except in its previous life. Thirty years ago I was given part of the engine and a small portion of the frame, but up until a few years ago it sat in my workshop waiting to be restored as I had other journeys to do.

Ninety percent of the nifty four cylinder bike has been made on my lathe from pictures and with the kind assistance of other FN owners around the world. I will be leaving here early 2010 with the intention of riding to Belgium to celebrate the motorcycle's 100th birthday.

This week I've had the bike fired up for the first time..it's an awesome sound. The seat leaves much to be desired in terms of comfort and the pedal assistance will be challenging, given my last major journey was back in the early 80's when my wife and I did 200,000kms on a Honda Goldwing from the top of the world to the bottom. At that time we were towing a fully equipped camper trailer - no such luxury this time unfortunately. I smile when I read about GPS, laptops and etc. Back then we just had to remember to keep the volcano on our left!

Dingo, we will get together for that Bintang soon I promise! Cheers, Ron