Cheers all, now I have some bikes to look into. Too many choices......must have been easier back in the Soviet era when you had one choice..."U WANT BIKE OR NOT BIKE....U CHOOSE, IF U WANT BIKE, WAIT 3 YEARS (said with a Russian accent) . Still love the idea to feck off to India and get a Himalayan there, but that makes me miss out on travelling from Sweden to India. But with that said, I've done most of that journey in car anyway. Would be lovely to travel some more in Iran though and see the Shiraz area. I did find Iran amazing with very friendly, funny and curious people. But, starting from India would save me some hassle getting Visa to Iran and and Pakistan.
@Tiglet Not a massive wine connoisseur myself but it would be fun to try it in Iran where it seems to originate from (could be totally wrong here), if its possible to get hold of. Remember talking to a former workmate that were brought up in Iran and he said they were a decent wine producing country before the revolution in 1979.
I'd go with a CB500X fitted with Rally Raid mods. The motor is strong enough to cruise tarmac at decent speed all day but only sips fuel. Rally raid mods include spoked wheels and uprated suspension as well. Thing with spoked wheels is if you bash a rock the rim might buckle - on a tubeless bike you are then screwed as it will not hold air. Spoked wheel allows you to carry on and bash out the dent at a more convenient moment. This begs the question why you would have spoked, tubeless wheels. Unless it is a fashion statement on your coffee shop tourer. The other things about the Honda are total reliability and every mechanic on planet Earth knows how to fix one if it does go wrong.
If you are thinking of buying a bike in India, check carefully as I believe you need to be resident to buy one in your own name. Itchyboots had to buy hers in her friends name, and travelling with a bike that is not in your name can cause problems at border crossings.
@SuperHans, have you watched "The Long Way Round" with Charlie Boorman and Ewan McGregor? Your posts made me this of this documentary series. It's quite an enjoyable watch plus may contain a few ideas related to your planning. If you enjoy it, there's a second adventure, too called "The Long Way Down".
I completely forgot about these series, remember having it on my "to watch" list years ago. Wasn't aware they made a second series. Cheers, will deffo have a look at this.
Yes, Tiglet, I'm certain the backup crew made it easier. Plus the two of them rode with a third person (can't remember his name offhand) who was the videographer. When Mr. Sandi and I first started watching Long Way Round, we commented that Charlie and Ewan were a bit wimpy to have that backup crew. But after watching the whole series, we definitely changed our tune! It was still an incredible--and incredibly difficult--journey even with the backup crew. Who, interestingly, were sometimes nowhere to be seen. One of the things I found fascinating was that the riders as well as the backup crew essentially had local "fixers" at most border crossings to facilitate into (and perhaps out of?) various countries.
If I remember correctly the guy who did the filming only past his motorcycle test a day or so before they departed London. Now that’s more of an achievement in my eyes.
Yes, there was definitely an issue with the cameraman and his motorcycle test. What I remember is that he hadn't even passed his test before they departed and had to stay behind and catch up later after he did finally pass.. I think he actually failed it a time or two, also. Word was that he was a very good rider but had never taken a licensure test until he was hired for the trip. Maybe Mr. Sandi and I will rewatch the series--it was certainly a fun watch!
Right, I remembered there was an issue from when I watch the series when it was first shown here in the UK.
