The plan.

OK. After years (decades?) of wanting to ride in China independently; free of guides and strict itineraries.......it is now possible (possibly?!?). It would appear that you can now acquire a Chinese licence and rent a bike in China and ride legally as you wish (with the exception of Tibet, which is still a big no no). 

A few companies "allegedly" offer this service, including Jah at Ride China, who I have used twice before. However at $80 a day for a Kove 525X it was a pricey option (they would do the licence for free though!)

Another company (Drive China) was way cheaper. I nearly used them before for the 2023 crossing but hesitated due to it being a relatively new company with a paucity of reviews. I have since heard nothing but praise for them.

For comparison, I also contacted "China Road Trips", but they were not particularly helpful; focusing on, as they said, "self drive by guests with own vehicle". They could sort the licence, but I would have to sort the rental bike myself (they were unwilling or unable to point me in the direction of a company that rented bikes). 

Road Pioneer was another company I tried. However, while very quick and responsive, they wanted more than $100 a day!!

So, Drive China was the only realistic choice. 3 weeks or so on a Honda NX400 at $40 a day (with a 5% discount for rentals over 20 days). It was another $105 for the licence, but for a 3 week + trip, that worked out cheap enough.

The actual bike I've booked (apparently). Ooh....shiny!

My current thinking is head north from Chengdu via Jiuzhaigou, Songpan and Xiahe (Labrang monastery) towards Lanzhou before looping south through the Eastern Himalayas through Qinghai and Sichuan Provinces to Yunnan before heading back up to Chengdu via Lugu lake and Le Shan to complete the loop. All dependent on the weather conditions. This will be in October/November 2026; after the chaos of "Golden Week". Could be epic!

Booking the plane ticket was odd. China Air (the cheapest option) flies direct from London to Chengdu, BUT don't fly direct the other way?!?! A stopover in Beijing is therefore on the cards on the return journey.  The visa is another issue. UK passport holders can now get 30 days visa free. BUT, if I apply for a visa, it is a 2 year multi entry (90 days per visit).......a much more appealing option. So I had to (HAD TO!!) book the plane ticket so I am in China more than 30 days 😜

Meanwhile..........with a heavy heart, I finally sold my much loved Yamaha XT660Z. The bike that took me from London to KL in 2012 and around South America in 2015 (amongst other, shorter trips). 3 bikes is too many for me, no chance to ride them all as they deserve. So bye bye XT, hello 2.5K (fair price I thought).

I'm not one to anthropomorphise motorbikes, but I'm sure she gave me a reproachful look over her shoulder as she was loaded into the van. Had to retire to a local hostelry to recover!🥹

Farewell to the mighty XT!

Soundtrack: "Travelling Light" - Tindersticks