Kazakhstan, China and Russia

Quickly · Crazy Courier Joined: 29 Apr 2008 Karma :

In June I'm heading over to Kazakhstan for England's World Cup qualifier. I've been considering doing a leg of the journey by bike, and wondered if anyone had any advice/comments etc...

At present it hasn't been announced where the game will be played, but it's between Almaty and Astana. I'm therefore currently putting together outline plans for both cities. I don't have the time, money, experience or confidence to do a great part of the journey by bike. I'm currently thinking about 800 - 1000 miles at most.

For Astana I'm looking at flying into Moscow and then doing an onward journey (either by plane or train) to Novosidirsk. From there I'll head down south by bike through Siberia and onto Astana. I reckon this will take around 2-3 days, and will take in the start/finish cities, a few smaller towns and a lot of countryside.

The game is on a Saturday and I like to get to the city a day beforehand anyway, so I'd look at getting into Novosidirsk on the Tuesday, set off Wednesday and arrive into Astana around Friday lunchtime/early afternoon.

For Almaty I'm not entirely sure where I'd fly to. I'm currently thinking Urumqi in China, but that would allow me only to see two countries. Instead, I'm thinking of flying direct into Uzbekistan and heading east into Kyrzygstan, before going north past lake Issyk Kul, stopping in Bishkek for the night and then on to Almaty.

I'm not sure how long this would take - it's a smaller distance than Novosibirsk to Astana - but the condition of the roads is somewhat variable. I'd probably allocate three days to the journey, so again I'd aim to land in Tashkent on the Tuesday.

So - has anyone any initial thoughts or advice? Are the journeys do-able? Would you do it the same way and/or what would you change? Anything in particular I should know? Also, I only plan on going one way... is it possible to rent a bike in one city and drop it off in another?

Cheers folks,
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rusty_bawz · Scooby Slapper Joined: 28 Oct 2008 Karma :

is siberia not kinda covered in snow???
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Itchy · Super Spammer Joined: 07 Apr 2005 Karma :

No can do with China, firstly China does not recognise driving licences from anywhere else in the world.... you have to take the driving test there , though its not difficult.

Also many cities motorbikes are not allowed....

Also in many parts of China motorbikes are not allowed to travel between cities , the excuse was a cop riding in flip flops died , in reality its a control issue can't have absolute freedom of movement can we.

Thus in the Muslim areas of China near Afganistan and what not you can get away with it, using fat bribes, but anywhere vaguely industrialised no can do.

Yes you will see the odd young person in Chinese cities riding things like fireblades, but they are children of very powerful businessmen there or sons and daughters of communist party officials
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Quickly · Crazy Courier Joined: 29 Apr 2008 Karma :

niff5855 · Sausage Boy Joined: 09 Aug 2004 Karma :

niff5855 · Sausage Boy Joined: 09 Aug 2004 Karma :

In saying that you dont see bikes on the motorways so you're probably right about the city-city thing.

Cheers
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Itchy · Super Spammer Joined: 07 Apr 2005 Karma :

You can ride any bike in China you want on a non China licence....

the catch is you need a $100 a day police escort and you need to approve your itinary before hand and you are not allowed to stray from the police car / bike that follows you.And they will treat you like a wallet on wheels ie a normal run of the mill tourist.

The main road route between huangshan and hangzho had a big sign on it no motorcycles which is easy to read in chinese.

Q a girlie I know who lived all over Chins states that each city has different regs , quite common is the ring system whereby bikes with numberplates of a certain colour are only allowed in certain zones.

Trust me I know people who live there.

Also motorbikes are seen as an inferior form of transport and thus the communists are attempting to phase them out completely in the next couple of years (first announced in 2005).

It was semi possible according to a polish bloke who went there in 2008 , but his visa was cancelled at the border just before the Olympics.
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Spain 2008France 2007Big one 2009 We all die. The goal isn't to live forever, the goal is to create something that will. In the end, your life will flash before your eyes. Make sure it is worth watching.

Faldo · World Chat Champion Joined: 05 Aug 2007 Karma :

I was reading this thread sometime ago:

https://www.advrider.com/forums/showthread.php?t=371656

The author suggests that bikes aren't allowed into some cities and that the city he bought his bike from limited capacity to 200cc. Also no motorcycles are allowed on highways, so pretty much motorcycling is only an option in rural areas.
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Itchy · Super Spammer Joined: 07 Apr 2005 Karma :

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niff5855 · Sausage Boy Joined: 09 Aug 2004 Karma :

Itchy · Super Spammer Joined: 07 Apr 2005 Karma :

niff5855 · Sausage Boy Joined: 09 Aug 2004 Karma :

hahaha yeh. I would never even consider driving in China, car, bike or anything else, and I drove every day in the middle east where the roads are hardly safe (not to mention Llanell). I just about had the balls to pilot a pushbike, very very slowly there. They are all fucking nuts, for me it was the biggest culture shock. It was quite amusing seeing visitors twitching and shouting in terror the fist few weeks there until they aclimatise to the nutiness of the roads hahahaha.

I love those countdown lights, but yeh, even truck drivers accelerate to crazy speeds in a vain effort to beat the count dont they?

The busses are death traps and the drivers complete loons. The (western) company I was working for actually banned all ex-pats from taking busses it was that bad.

Whenever we get misty eyed and start looking through rose-tited spectacles about our time there, the gf and I remember the wankerishness of the driving (and the stink i the local supermarket) and it reminds us that there were reasons we came back. (The grass is always greener isnt it??)

Cheers
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