6 Months in SE Asia

[MAX]

Hey there!

Me and my girlfriend are planning a motorbike trip in south east asia.

we are flying from Germany to Malaysia on 8. of april this year. we will buy a bike there and then ride for 6 months.

we want to go to thailand, laos, kambodia. if possible, myanmar and vietnam.
then go back all the way down and spend the last 2 months in indonesia, ride from sumatra to flores.

i´ve been looking at this forum before and it seems there are some true experts in here.
Therefore i really hope you can give me some advise regarding:

Can i get visa on arrival in every country or do I have to get one beforehand?
When entering thailand, is there a chance to get something better than the 14-day visa?
and lastly: when going to indonesia, would you reccomend to sell the bike in malayisa and rent a new one in ID? or try to get a Carnet in malaysia and then take the bike to ID?

oh and lastly, we are on a budget. we´re looking into kakawasi kls 150 or kkr 150. any advise? (i know its going to be rain season up north.)

see you on the road,
Max and Theresa

 

[Faz Harris]

Hi, I think it is safer to get a Visa beforehand, as sometimes u might get caught in certain bereaucracy in Malaysia.
Buying a bike in Malaysia would be very expensive. A KLX 150 in Malaysia would cost about RM9,000/- (USD3k). However that will allow you to be able to bring the bike to Thailand and Northwards. We do not have KLS or KLR 150. Indonesia does have the KLX 140, not the KLX 150...don't ask me why....hehe.
About bringing the bike in Indonesia, is not a problem, but again, bereuacracy is another thing....like....shipping it there, paper work etc. And you can't sell a Malaysian bike in Indonesia as you will lose a lot of money. You might have to come back to Malaysia and sell the bikes here, resulting in losing big time.

My advice, is ...fly into Thailand, buy a Thai bike....ride it...as its cheaper there.....and its nearer to ride back to Thailand to sell it off.
Then take a ferry to Indonesia, and rent a bike there... However this could also be a problem for you, as Indonesia is made up of several large Islands.....

Rgds,
Faz.

 

[LivinLOS]

Indo is brutally hard to get in, even with carnets they can make problems.. If your trying this the way to go is Mr Lims service using the onion boats from Penang. My brother has a home on Bali and we looked into this a bunch of times as Indo is truly spectacular country (with sometimes anti western locals it has to be said) but decided unless you have a carnet to forget it and even then the hassle factor and problems mean its probably easier to look at just getting a Indo Kawasaki (they have a decent d-tracker 150 or 250's) and do your trips from there.

The other idea would be to get the Indo bike, and use it for the trip that way, as Malaysia is less of a problem to enter I understand, and you could I am sure realize a sale on a 150 d-tracker here as the 150 carb engine is one we dont have. You wont get great value but it could be one bike for the entire trip.

Otherwise I would say start in Thai or Malaysia, do a circular trip, sell the bike in the country you bought it in, and continue to Indo for the end. Burma is currently a no go (sometimes but way to much effort) and Vietnam is similar, as far as bikes entry is concerned.

 

[Faz Harris]

Well said LivinLos....u might finish touring Malaysia in 3 weeks, and spend 4 months in Thailand...as Thailand has more area to cover.. I am a Malaysian, but do have a place in Bangkok, and I find myself touring Thai often.......

 

[MAX]

thanks alot livinlos, thats exaktly what we are planning atm, buy the bike in malaysia, do the circular trip, sell it and fly to indonesia.



fazharris, we looked into flying into thailand, but buying a motorcycle there and bringing it to other counrtrys seems really difficult.

now regarding the visa thing, has anybody further information regarding a thai visa?
it seems i can only get a one month visa if i have proof of exit beforehand, e.g. a plane or a bus ticket. but as we will be crossing the border with our motorbikes, i´m not sure what to do. any advice?
`
and the last thing, does anybody know about laos and kambodia visa on arrival? or should i get the visa beforehand?

thanks, max and theresa

 

[KTMphil]

thanks alot livinlos, thats exaktly what we are planning atm, buy the bike in malaysia, do the circular trip, sell it and fly to indonesia.



fazharris, we looked into flying into thailand, but buying a motorcycle there and bringing it to other counrtrys seems really difficult.

now regarding the visa thing, has anybody further information regarding a thai visa?
it seems i can only get a one month visa if i have proof of exit beforehand, e.g. a plane or a bus ticket. but as we will be crossing the border with our motorbikes, i´m not sure what to do. any advice?
`
and the last thing, does anybody know about laos and kambodia visa on arrival? or should i get the visa beforehand?

thanks, max and theresa

Thailand immigration visa on arrival:

Arrival by air 30 days - not extendable

Arrival by land 14 days - not extendable


Laos immigration visa on arrival - 30 days



Cambodia immigration visa on arrival - 30 days

 

[LivinLOS]

thanks alot livinlos, thats exaktly what we are planning atm, buy the bike in malaysia, do the circular trip, sell it and fly to indonesia.

I still think to go directional and have a decentish machine a Indo d-tracker does one of the best jobs..

fazharris, we looked into flying into thailand, but buying a motorcycle there and bringing it to other counrtrys seems really difficult.

No moreso than having any other countries bike in Asia ??

now regarding the visa thing, has anybody further information regarding a thai visa?
it seems i can only get a one month visa if i have proof of exit beforehand, e.g. a plane or a bus ticket. but as we will be crossing the border with our motorbikes, i´m not sure what to do. any advice?

`
Get a double or triple entry tourist visa to save headaches.. A single is good to enter thailand from 3 months of the date of issue, a double is good for 6 months from date of issue. Each 'entry' to thailand is good for 60 days and can be extended for 30 more at a local incountry immigration. So really each one can get 90 days / nearly 3 months.

Sure maybe you dont need it or both, but also isnt a 100 bucks or so application fee well worth not having to worry about it or leave before your ready.

 

[MAX]

thanks ktm phil, that really helps.

livinlos, what do you consider a decentish bike? we were looking at either a new kls 150 or kkr 150.
indo d-tracker? the ones i googled come up at 5000€, that is too munch for us. can you show me a link to what you mean?
i´ll open a new thread in the motorbike section regarding what to get.

regarding the visa, according to this: http://unleashyouradventure.com/buying- ... -east-asia it seems that malaysia is way easier than any other country.

regarding the double or triple entry, it seems impossible to get as we have to get a proof that we are going to leave the country. like airline ticket or else. and we want to leave by motorbike!

the plan atm would be: buy the bike in malayisa, go to thailand for 14 days, then cambodia for a month, laos for a month, back to thailand for 14 days and then sell the bike in malaysia. then fly to indo and rent a bike there for the last 2 months.

 

[robert]

how about vietnam? the northern part is beautiful...the best..buy one in vietnam and tour vietnam, laos, cambodia, thailand and malaysia...and go back to sell it in thailand and fly to indo...

 

[LivinLOS]

thanks ktm phil, that really helps.

livinlos, what do you consider a decentish bike? we were looking at either a new kls 150 or kkr 150.
indo d-tracker? the ones i googled come up at 5000€, that is too munch for us. can you show me a link to what you mean?
i´ll open a new thread in the motorbike section regarding what to get.

I thought the indo 150's were 3k ish usd but I will get a firm price in a day or two. I thought the 250s were around the price you say.

I have no idea what kind of budget your talking, or if you intend to be touring via a scooterish bike or a 'real' bike.. I would think the 150 d-trackers a little on the light side for touring but almost anything can be made to do the distance.

regarding the visa, according to this: http://unleashyouradventure.com/buying- ... -east-asia it seems that malaysia is way easier than any other country.

Not sure I understand, which ever country you go to you need a visa, so starting in malaysia still means you need a thai visa later as the 14 days you get at the border isnt enough IMO.

regarding the double or triple entry, it seems impossible to get as we have to get a proof that we are going to leave the country. like airline ticket or else. and we want to leave by motorbike!

Not sure what country your coming from. Most consuls do not need to see the exit flight for a tourist visa, not all consuls apply the same rules. Even if they do, you can get flights for dirt cheap, or get a changeable flight that fits your plan.

the plan atm would be: buy the bike in malayisa, go to thailand for 14 days, then cambodia for a month, laos for a month, back to thailand for 14 days and then sell the bike in malaysia. then fly to indo and rent a bike there for the last 2 months.

I would think 2x 14 day stints, to travel north south in Thailand is WAY to short. Would reduce the country to a fly by.

 

[LivinLOS]

how about vietnam? the northern part is beautiful...the best..buy one in vietnam and tour vietnam, laos, cambodia, thailand and malaysia...and go back to sell it in thailand and fly to indo...

Very limited supply of ok bikes in vietnam tho.

 

[LivinLOS]

Just got email back..

From (his) memory the Indo Kwak 150 was 22 - 23 mil Rupes.. With the 250 being +- 55 million rupes..

With a Mil being +-110 USD thats brings them out at ballpark 2.5k usd and 6k usd new.. Second hand values very unappealing.

 

[madjbs]

Get a Thai double or triple entry tourist visa, you will regret only having 14 days each time for sure.

 

[KTMphil]

It "is" possible to to get one-time, 60 day medical extension currently in Chiang Mai for 4,900 Bht total cost, using right immigration lawyer...... Only 1 time though, Thai immigration will not do it again.