San Francisco to Pakistan

[khan46]

although with my limited experience i really want to do this. San Francisco California to Lahore Pakistan.

i graduate on 20th may less than 14 days and after that ill take a month to plan this out and leave.

i have done several small trips,
i didnt a 3 day 1400 miles last week here in california.

3rd day i rode 710 miles, 15 hours non stop.

and i ride a sport bike,
2002 Honda CBR600 F4i

so the passion is there, all i need is help planning..

first of all do you think i need more experience for such a long trip?
should i wait or should i just go?

how do i start the planning,
what are the things very essential for a trip like this?

i have US passport and Pakistani so that will help me getting into countries.
i speak mulitple languages as well.

how do i plan the route, and the costs?

also is there even tarmac all the way?
i have no dirt experience and would like to go all tarmac from SF to Pak.
anyone has done it on a sport bike?

its up to you Advriders, if you can help me plan this ill go, otherwise ill just fly back home and cry for the rest of my life :P

[srileo]

PM sent. I am in SF, originally from India and have toured around a bit.

[FrankS]

Originally Posted by khan46

...would like to go all tarmac from SF to Pak...

you realize you have to cross an ocean one way or the other ?

are you thinking about the long way (US East coast --> Europe --> Pak) or the 'short' one across the Pacific?

I don't really have anything helpful to add but I'd be interested what others say and hope you will be making the trip

regards

Frank

[khan46]

Originally Posted by FrankS

you realize you have to cross an ocean one way or the other ?

are you thinking about the long way (US East coast --> Europe --> Pak) or the 'short' one across the Pacific?

I don't really have anything helpful to add but I'd be interested what others say and hope you will be making the trip

regards

Frank

plan is to go east.

go to only the countries which have tarmac.
with the f4i i cant go to Russia, or Alaska or Africa.

sf to NY
NY to London ship, its about $600-$800
London to France through the English Chanel tunnel
France to Germany
Germany to Austria then on to hungry then to Romania and Bulgaria and into turkey
turkey to Iran and into Pakistan.

its a rough sketch.

a friend traveled from London to Pakistan by road. buses, trains and walking.
wherever a buss can go, my bike can go im guessing...

ideas?

[Kjharn]

Originally Posted by khan46

wherever a buss can go, my bike can go im guessing...

Dude, have you seen some of the bus routes in Mexico?

[khan46]

Originally Posted by Kjharn

Dude, have you seen some of the bus routes in Mexico?

europe and mexico are two complete opposites, but i get ur point that even some buss routes are pathetic.
any experience as to buss travel within Europe?
my friend who traveled from London to Pakistan said the road conditions were pretty good all through the way, except part of Iran and part of Pakistan that borders with Iran and Afghanistan.

[khan46]

how do i start applying for visas, and carnies. do need carnie for canada?

[Zibou]

Hi,

First thing, as long as you know how to drive and have some journey experience, there is no need to wait, YES YOU CAN GO! (or should, maybe)

Going the eastern route sounds just great, but:
- 1.It will be very long
- it might cost quite an amount of money
=> 2. because life in western Europe is expensive (I know, I'm French) so everything like gas, hotel, food, drinks... will be expensive
=> 3. Doing a lot of miles, you will have to maintain your bike (oil, filters, tires, brake pads, chain...)

for 2. Start looking for hosting options, people you know, mates from high school / college, couch surfing...

for 1. and 3., I think your bike is not a good option for that kind of trip:
- sporty bikes are rather expensive to maintain (eat a lot of tires, chain, pads...), fairing is exposed in case of dropping the bike
- sporty are not comfortable for long rides
- sporty are not designed to be easily loaded with a lot of stuff.

Then my advise would be to sell your current bike and look for something more suitable for your plan: maybe a bit cheaper so you have extra money for the trip.
You won't have much road issues while you are in the US and western Europe, but after that, you want to have either a dual sport or a light street bike.

For duals, you could look for
- a KLR or a DR 650, they will not be fast in motorway but they are good mules.
- a vstrom 650 if you have the money or something similar.

For street bike, I would recommend something between 400 and 650cc in good mechanical shape and with few miles.

For the road book,
- try to read as much feed back thread as you can (again, you will find plenty for the US, quite a lot for Europe, a lot less for eastern Europe and Asia)
- define the countries, cities you want to go through
- define the route to take between every stops thanks to google maps or other soft of your choice
- Put everything in an Excel file with number of days and KM/miles
- Get an idea of where you should stop for bike maintenance depending on Kilometres and availability
- make a rough budget
- multiple your budget by 1.5 or 2 depending on how rough it is.
- Don't listen your Mum / grand mother / girlfriend who will try to discourage you

[khan46]

it is going to be long, and expensive going east, but do i have an option?
landing in thailand and then through india into pakistan, the road condition isnt the best..
about staying, it will only have to be free thourgh couchsurfing and adv tent space, i have some experince with that so should not be a problem.
most of the maintenance i do myself, but of course the parts will be expensive.
also i still have to buy the tire patch kit and learn how to use it :/
the bike is not the best option for this trip i understand but i really dont have an option right now. i hardly have money for the trip. selling and buying another one seems impossible.
what im thinking *If i can plan out the trip on all tarmac, my bike would be just fine* i hope
for protection, ill have a crash cage around. the kind stunters use.
i can sel this for maybe 3500, what can i get for that much?
and mom girlfriend or grandmother wont knw untill i get to pakistan ;)

Originally Posted by Zibou

Hi,

First thing, as long as you know how to drive and have some journey experience, there is no need to wait, YES YOU CAN GO! (or should, maybe)

Going the eastern route sounds just great, but:
- 1.It will be very long
- it might cost quite an amount of money
=> 2. because life in western Europe is expensive (I know, I'm French) so everything like gas, hotel, food, drinks... will be expensive
=> 3. Doing a lot of miles, you will have to maintain your bike (oil, filters, tires, brake pads, chain...)

for 2. Start looking for hosting options, people you know, mates from high school / college, couch surfing...

for 1. and 3., I think your bike is not a good option for that kind of trip:
- sporty bikes are rather expensive to maintain (eat a lot of tires, chain, pads...), fairing is exposed in case of dropping the bike
- sporty are not comfortable for long rides
- sporty are not designed to be easily loaded with a lot of stuff.

Then my advise would be to sell your current bike and look for something more suitable for your plan: maybe a bit cheaper so you have extra money for the trip.
You won't have much road issues while you are in the US and western Europe, but after that, you want to have either a dual sport or a light street bike.

For duals, you could look for
- a KLR or a DR 650, they will not be fast in motorway but they are good mules.
- a vstrom 650 if you have the money or something similar.

For street bike, I would recommend something between 400 and 650cc in good mechanical shape and with few miles.

For the road book,
- try to read as much feed back thread as you can (again, you will find plenty for the US, quite a lot for Europe, a lot less for eastern Europe and Asia)
- define the countries, cities you want to go through
- define the route to take between every stops thanks to google maps or other soft of your choice
- Put everything in an Excel file with number of days and KM/miles
- Get an idea of where you should stop for bike maintenance depending on Kilometres and availability
- make a rough budget
- multiple your budget by 1.5 or 2 depending on how rough it is.
- Don't listen your Mum / grand mother / girlfriend who will try to discourage you

[thetourist]

Good luck, take lots of pictures. That area is always fascinating.

Do you still need a carnet to get a vehicle thru India? If so check Horizons Unlimited for the info on how to do all the paperwork.

[khan46]

Originally Posted by thetourist

Good luck, take lots of pictures. That area is always fascinating.

Do you still need a carnet to get a vehicle thru India? If so check Horizons Unlimited for the info on how to do all the paperwork.

im not going to inda.
if i head east from sf, ill go through turkey, iran and into pakistan my final destination.

[Zibou]

If you have no money, I guess selling your bike for 3500 bucks and buying some kind of old but in good shape road bike from the late 90's might be a good option to have some 1500 extra bucks on your budget. (I bought a 96 600 bandit in L.A. for 1500 buck in 2007, according to my standards, it's a nicer bike for long riding)
Think that something like a KLR or any less powerful 4 cylinders will use less tire. Looking at such a big trip with small budget, it's a factor I would take into account, if you can divide your tire consumption by 2, you will save important money you can then spend on beers and girls...

Nevertheless, if you know your bike is in good shape and is able to make a 30000/ 40000 km trip with no major operation on it, it is also an important factor that you might not have on a new to you bike.

Put a new chain and new sprockets
get the bike a good service with a valve check and adjustment
new tires
change brake pads if they are old, take spare with you if not.
and you should be good to go!

[khan46]

Originally Posted by Zibou

If you have no money, I guess selling your bike for 3500 bucks and buying some kind of old but in good shape road bike from the late 90's might be a good option to have some 1500 extra bucks on your budget. (I bought a 96 600 bandit in L.A. for 1500 buck in 2007, according to my standards, it's a nicer bike for long riding)
Think that something like a KLR or any less powerful 4 cylinders will use less tire. Looking at such a big trip with small budget, it's a factor I would take into account, if you can divide your tire consumption by 2, you will save important money you can then spend on beers and girls...

Nevertheless, if you know your bike is in good shape and is able to make a 30000/ 40000 km trip with no major operation on it, it is also an important factor that you might not have on a new to you bike.

Put a new chain and new sprockets
get the bike a good service with a valve check and adjustment
new tires
change brake pads if they are old, take spare with you if not.
and you should be good to go!

i dont drink so a chunk of money is saved right there :P

im very comfortable on the bike i have right now, i changed chain sprocket less than 3 weeks ago, with new tires and an oil change.
and i feel if i just get valve check and adjustment and some more overall tuneup, my bike should be read for a lot of miles to come.
i knw its in perfect shape and has never given me any problem.
for the age 2002, it has only 16,500 miles, it had 11,000 2 months ago :P

selling and then buying an old used bike, will just take time for me to get comfortable on it and then the issue of reliability.

anyone has done something similar? any budget ideas what should be a ball park figure, any guesses?

[Zibou]

Ok, then go with your bike and enjoy it!!!
Budget will depend a lot on all the extra, restaurant, hotels... So I am not sure you can really compare with someone else's budget.
Bettter take the Excel option and some time to fill it ;-)

[wheatwhacker]

Exel???? He's planning a motorcycle trip, not doing a business plan.
Europe can be cheap if you buy food in grocery stores and stay away from tourist traps. You will find it's gets cheaper as you head east.
Gas is expensive so a fuel efficent bike is a must.
I would buy one over there and forget about shipping.