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Post a picture of your Oilhead

...near the Chinese border.

And here I was wondering how you toured China solo and un-guided...till I went to your last link.

Seems that it still isn't possible to do so. What is the issue with the Chinese...do they think that have all these top secret secrets we are going to steal and copy? :rolleyes
 
Solo? No. Guiding? Yes

And here I was wondering how you toured China solo and un-guided...till I went to your last link.

Seems that it still isn't possible to do so. What is the issue with the Chinese...do they think that have all these top secret secrets we are going to steal and copy? :rolleyes

China is China, and they do not like people wandering around their country unescorted. We did meet two riders (Americans) in Uzbekistan who actually did fly their own bikes into China, ride west thru China, and were on their way to Istanbul. Both were wealthy beyond my understanding, and had spend years and tens of thousands of dollars to find the right Chinese agent who could get the correct approvals for import. Each had to post almost $25,000 cash bond for their bike, and then they still were required to hire a government "guide", and driver/car for escort. They had to pay $100 a day for the service, and pay their (guide and driver) room and board for each day on the road. That is just not cost effective for less than large groups, unless you have deep pockets.

Oh well. I'm not ashamed to say that I've ridden to some incredible parts of the world as a guide for others. I didn't mention it because I didn't want people to think I was shilling for a particular company. That's why I never mention who I worked for. This website is for sharing the joy of traveling/riding, and not for commercial exploitation. :)

And this forum was supposed to be about posting a pic of your oilhead, not about trips. I apologize to everyone for the hijack.

jeff
 
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A Pass

I can really only speak for myself, but I would imagine most everyone would be willing to give you a pass for posting here, because like most, I have been given the opportunity to enjoy, although vicariously, your travels....THANKS!

I think these would make great reading in the ON.
 
I can really only speak for myself, but I would imagine most everyone would be willing to give you a pass for posting here, because like most, I have been given the opportunity to enjoy, although vicariously, your travels....THANKS!

I think these would make great reading in the ON.

Ditto
 
I can really only speak for myself, but I would imagine most everyone would be willing to give you a pass for posting here, because like most, I have been given the opportunity to enjoy, although vicariously, your travels....THANKS!

I think these would make great reading in the ON.
+1
It should have it's own thread.
Hate to see it get mixed up in the other great shots...
 
Each had to post almost $25,000 cash bond for their bike, and then they still were required to hire a government "guide", and driver/car for escort.

jeff

Thats basically what my friend did back in 1999 when he drove through China entering at Vladivostok and exiting at the Pakastani border. He had two students with a VW Jetta sort of escort him. I say "sort of", because he was given quite a few liberties and drove around on his own as well. They took care of the hotels, would enter the kitchens and make sure the food was good, etc.

He got to keep his Chinese licence plate.

I come across the odd China tour report on a forum, but riders are reluctant to admit it wasn't a solo unguided tour...I'm always hoping though. Maybe some day.

Thanks for the info!
 
Newbie

Howdy - a newbie here. I just bought my first Beemer, an '03RT and joined this site a day later. Some great information here! I found this bike for sale locally and bought it about a week ago. I had the 36K service done this week. I'm lucky to have a small, independent BMW shop nearby and I plan to spend quite a bit of time (and money!) there.

Anyway, howdy!
 

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GREAT TO HAVE YOU ON BOARD! I think you'll enjoy the MOA...a great bunch of folks!

I've had two RTs, a '96 - same color as yours and now an '04 that's blue. I think the RT is one of the best touring/sport bikes available...light and comfortable for long trips. If you plan to do any distance riding at all (and with that factory seat, that means more than a 200 miles a day), I strongly encourage you to invest in a good seat. I purchased a Rick Mayer custom seat last fall while he had a sale. I'm very happy with my purchase. Also, watch out for the linked brakes, they can be kinda squirrely if you're used to using your front and rear independantly. I adjusted my rear brake back to where it takes a little more effort to engage it...that helped a lot...too grabby before.

Anyway...stay safe and have fun with your new ride!:dance
 
Thanks, guys! I don't think you can tell from the picture, but I have a Sergeant seat thatt seems pretty comfortable so far. I'm going to look around the site but any suggestions for a GPS mount for the RT?
 
Thanks, guys! I don't think you can tell from the picture, but I have a Sergeant seat thatt seems pretty comfortable so far. I'm going to look around the site but any suggestions for a GPS mount for the RT?

I had a Sergeant seat on my 02 RT for 7 years (right after I bought it) and it was great!:dance
 
Just picked it up in december an have not been off it :dance
 

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hopefully doing an off road ride though the Blue Mountians West of Sydney on Sunday, if i remember the camera it post some pics.
 
Here is my 04 R1100S
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