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West and South Asia From Turkey to Iran, Iraq, Pakistan, India, Nepal, Ladakh and Bangladesh
Photo by Stephan Hahnel, Kradwanderer, in Northern Argentina

I haven't been everywhere...
but it's on my list!


Photo by Stephan Hahnel,
www.krad-wanderer.de,
in Northern Argentina



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  #16  
Old 26 Oct 2005
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We're in Vietnam now after spending a month and "heaps of cash" to get customs clearance to bring our bikes into the country.
We're working with a charity (SOS Children's Villages) and were it not for this we wouldn't have had a chance, but the people who helped us get our papers believe they can do it again. We have been given Vietnamese license plates and so far(Haiphong to Da Lat) haven't had a sniff from the plod.
Basically you need a sponsor in Vietnam, a "non-government organisation" and authorisation from the top. We got approval from the vice-primeminister!
We're on the road now, but when i get chance to properly discuss the situation regarding other foreigners with our helpers i'll post the results on the HUBB.
So it is possible, but will not be "cheap".
Vietnam is a mad place to ride a (big) motorbike though.......
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  #17  
Old 27 Oct 2005
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Wonky

After gritting my teath and muttering "lucky bastard", I thought of squillions of questions: how much money, what point of entry, what size bike, etc, etc.

Please let us know full details as many of us would also like to try.

(Just trying to keep a straight face thinking how the in-laws deep down in the Mekong delta would react to my canary-yellow 1150GS).

John
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  #18  
Old 5 Nov 2005
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yeah, what does it mean big bikes? upto how many cc are restricted? can you enter with a 250 cc?
greetz
niels
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  #19  
Old 7 Nov 2005
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Quote:
Originally posted by niels:
yeah, what does it mean big bikes? upto how many cc are restricted? can you enter with a 250 cc?
greetz
niels

Niels

I have been quoted 175cc and 200cc (I have not checked to see which is correct) as the maximum engine size permitted, however, the biggest I saw in reasonably regular use (in the South) was a 125 Bonus, with 110 being the norm. You see the occasional Honda cruiser that is bigger, but I have been told they are a hangover from before the max engine size (and that the owners have "connections").

Based on this, anything from 225 and upwards would be big.

John


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  #20  
Old 9 Nov 2005
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175cc is the legal limit. There are a lot of 150cc scooters and i saw 1 Yamaha DT175. There are a few big bikes kicking around, but as posted above, they're older bikes from before the limit. The guys who ride them have a deal with the government, most of them have police style lights on their bikes and do escorts for big official parades etc.
I heard of a few 250s getting in but they're few and far between. The ex-pat bikers we met in Cambodia said they'd only ever met 1 guy who got in on a 250 in 7 years!
We were lucky and now we're skint!
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  #21  
Old 17 Dec 2005
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there are some bigger bikes smuggled into Vietnam as well. Mostly Virago's that come via Cambodia.

My question is the following: Did anyone try to take a bike out of vietnam?
We've bought a Minsk here in Hanoi and we want to take it to Laos and back into Vietnam (Ho Chi Min City anbd Mekong delta) Even the locals are rather vague about it. So did anyone try?
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  #22  
Old 23 Dec 2005
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Location: Chiang Mai. Thailand.
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Quote:
Originally posted by Mingh:
there are some bigger bikes smuggled into Vietnam as well. Mostly Virago's that come via Cambodia.

My question is the following: Did anyone try to take a bike out of vietnam?
We've bought a Minsk here in Hanoi and we want to take it to Laos and back into Vietnam (Ho Chi Min City anbd Mekong delta) Even the locals are rather vague about it. So did anyone try?
Yep its's been done a few times.
http://board.gt-rider.com/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=635
and
http://board.gt-rider.com/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=306
and
http://board.gt-rider.com/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=1013
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