Essentials & pointers for Indians to rent & do motorbike trips abroad

I have been wanting to put up such a thread since a few months now, but had decided I will do so after completing, god willing, a few more of my dream trips around the globe so as to give a wider perspective on this subject. However, since a related query came up on the forum, I left my office work for today and decided to sit & finish this thread as much as I can remember from my head. Lets make a start here & hope more inputs come in from other tourers for the benefit of everybody.

I am sincerely hoping that the time I spent putting this together will be worthwhile if many of you start taking the plunge and do bike trips abroad. Its really not as difficult as some of you may think.


LICENSE, INSURANCE & OTHER REQUIREMENTS
First & foremost if you are on a business/visit/tourist visa you need an International Driving Permit-IDP in ALMOST ALL COUNTRIES where you can legally rent a bike (some states in USA make an exception for a specific period of time as long as your country’s license is in English). But my suggestion is you carry an IDP & have peace of mind. Normally here in Saudi Arabia, most travel agents issue the IDP for us within 24 hours and its valid for 1 year, but the issuing authority is the local automobile association. So in India you will have to find out who makes the IDP. To make a start ask reputed travel agents for directions on this.

Health Insurance:
Health insurance is compulsory in Europe for visitors but in general I would recommend taking it for any foreign travel for the period of your visit just in case of any medical health emergencies such as sickness etc. Don’t mistake this insurance with accident injury as some health insurance policies in their fine print may consider motorcycle riding as dangerous activity, which is not covered. Many of the Indian Insurance companies do health insurance for foreign trips at a reasonable premium.

Accident Insurance:
This is compulsory everywhere and normally included in the bike rental, but the level of coverage could vary and IMPORTANTLY, most bike rental companies will take upfront a refundable deposit of anything from equivalent of US$ 1000 to US$ 3000 as insurance deposit depending on the length of rental period. In some accident cases, they take away an insurance excess of US$ 1000 etc for the bike damage repair, but otherwise they just take the ‘replacement value’ of that item you broke. Also god forbid, in the event of personal injury, the hospitalization is covered by this insurance.


RENTING & TOURING OPTIONS
As for renting a bike & doing the trip: There are 3 main options:

• Rent only the bike & plan your trip, route, stopovers, accommodation etc by yourself. This is normally the cheapest. I personally prefer this option simply coz it gives you more flexibility, you ride at your pace, stay in places you like and decide everything by yourself. Also, for me planning the trip and doing all the research on places, accommodation options, local cultures, food etc is part of the adventure and gives me a wider knowledge of what to expect from the trip. If you remember, we never made any room reservations on our Europe trip. Every evening we just went & searched for a suitable bed & breakfast accommodation.
• Renting the bike on a self-guided trip organized by a bike touring company. This is a little more costlier, but here they rent the bike and also give you the options of a few pre-determined scenic routes to select from and you ride by yourself. They make the hotel reservations based on your budget. Here about 60% of the main headaches are taken care of by the tour company and ofcourse, he takes a small profit for that.
• Doing a fully guided trip as a group of 8-10 bikes, with a guide lead-rider and a chase van behind to carry luggage/ spare bike etc. This is the most costliest as they normally use premium late model bikes, stay in luxurious hotels and take care of almost all your needs. Some even have a lavish BBQ dinners etc every night and also have a professional photo/video grapher documenting the ride so you have a CD at the end of the ride. You will be met at the airport and after the trip dropped back to the airport. Ofcourse, all included in the bill you pay for…. all First Class! But here, your expectations from a trip may be different than whats provided. Maybe you are not keen on spending one off day in a spa or going on some traditional wine tasting spree etc. Sometimes, group riding could take away some of the fun as you get engrossed on staying within the group rather than enjoying the scenery. And if it’s a fast group, you will be doing a catching up act half the time!- so there are some factors to be considered, but overall it’s a nice experience since everything is taken care of by the tour company- you only need to keep your credit card or cash ready!

Be aware that option 2 & 3 are mostly done by bike tour companies (such as Edelweiss, Ayres Adventures, Admotours, IMTBike etc) and most of them DON’T own the motorcycles but rent them from renting companies and put their mark-up. So if you are going with option 1, then search & rent from the actual renting source rather than the tour company. Also, if you are renting for more days, then the kms is unlimited.

Here is an interesting site that will give you some insights into doing your own tour versus a fully guided premium tour:

Sport-Touring.Net - Alps Motorcycle Tours - Priced Right

As for choice of bikes, I am not an off-road adventurer and prefer all my touring on well paved tarmac esp since I carry a very important parcel on my back- my wife. I generally prefer BMW bikes not for their prestige value, but simply for their functional value in touring. Everything is well thought of on that bike. Mostly renters offer the R1200GS, R1200RT, R1200R, F800GS, F650GS. Less expensive but adequately capable touring options from japan also include the Suzuki DL650/DL1000, Bandit 1250, Honda ST1300, Varadero, Transalp, Yamaha FJR1300, Super-Tenere, TDM-900, Kawasaki GTR1400, KLR650 etc. Here you have to decide on bike based on solo or 2-up riding. Most of the 650s/800s are suitable for solo riding with luggage while few rental companies may not even permit 2-up riding on a 650 bike. Whereas if you have a pillion & luggage, plus all the steep climbs on an alps trip, you definitely need a more powerful bike. I like removable hard luggage cases coz they can be locked & left on the parked bike when you go sight-seeing and its also convenient to pack stuff into hard cases. Nothing against Harleys, but my personal opinion is on the flat long interstate highways in US, they may be fine, but with never ending twisties & hairpins like the European alps etc, Harleys need a lot of work from you, but if you are up to it, they are also fine for touring, but you may need to get used to their forward foot controls and I don’t know how comfortable that seating position is for your lower back on long rides.

While taking delivery of the bike there is a special excitement & tickling in your stomach about the dream ride, your bike etc, but VERY IMPORTANT, to make sure you take your time & inspect the bike thoroughly for all damages, scratches or other suspect things and convey it to the renter to put it in writing as these things suddenly get visible the day you are returning the bike & you may end up with a hefty bill for damages.



ACCOMMODATIONS
For basic accommodation, you can carry your tent-pack/sleeping bag and use camping sites. In Europe, US, Australia etc, they have a proper set-up for camping sites with provisions for running water, electricity (charging your mobiles, cameras etc) and common toilets etc. It works out very cheap as well and definitely adds to the whole adventure experience, but somehow that’s not for me!

However, for those like me, I like a proper bed, pillow and probably heating/air-conditioning for a good nights sleep at the end of a days tiring ride so I can get up fresh for the next days ride rather than setting up my tent each day and making a fire, fighting off mosquitoes etc. I don’t need fancy hotels, but budget ones with clean sheets, clean attached toilet and if possible a secure place to park the bike for the night. For those with deeper pockets, 3 or 5 star hotels make the experience more……oomph!

Europe has Bed & Breakfast(B&B) and they locally call them by various names like Gusthof, Pension, Zimmer Frei etc. This I think is an excellent accommodation option for bikers. I went with that. Its basically the house of a person, where lets say his family lives on the ground floor, while they rent out 5-6 rooms on the first floor. They will have a separate guest dining room with an attached pantry and they serve you breakfast there. Wi-fi internet is also normally available free of cost but may only work in the dining room. The price is indicated outside on the main door written with chalk (Euro 12 or 15 or 20 per person). These are clean & homely places, but they mostly only accept cash, no credit cards. In the smaller towns & villages, you can almost knock on any door and politely ask if they have rooms and they will tell you if they have a B&B or guide you to the nearest B&B. Hotels will be definitely costlier and you don’t find too many in the remote alpine towns & villages. Interestingly, on the way to Salzburg city, we were advised by a local at the petrol station to take a B&B about 30kms before Salzburg and the cost savings were substantial when compared to the hotel prices in Salzburg.



FOOD
I always consider the local food to be a major part of the bike touring experience as that is one of the elements to taste & absorb the local cultures of that place. So even if I have an Indian restaurant at arms distance in a foreign city, I always try & avoid it for 2 basic reasons- Firstly, Indian food may be a delicacy there and you pay exhorbitant prices and second a dosa or murg tikka masala that you have in Salzburg or Paris is not going to taste anywhere close to the authentic stuff that you will have in Chennai or Delhi. Ofcourse, as Indians, we may have a few more problems on the selection of foreign foods- for example vegetarians will find it tough in Europe and will have to make do with cheese, bread & fruits, or muslims like me have a problem in Bavaria which is traditionally famous for a lot of pork dishes. But anyway, you have to find the right mix, but make sure you ask in advance what are the general lunch timings in each country (we had that problem on our first day in the Alps!). Also, after our experience in the Italian alps, on future trips to non-english speaking countries I plan to carry pics of chicken, fish, lamb etc!!! BTW, one good thing in western Europe is that most of the tap water is of drinking quality & the locals drink from it (mineral water is expensive). So do I need to say more for we empty bottle carrying Indians….

Me & wife as tea addicted Indians know you don’t get strong tea with milk in most western countries and hence on our bike or other trips we carry few tea bags, some sugar/milk powder sachets, spoon and a tiny electric hot water kettle. Works perfect for us as good tea is always welcome at any time of the day.


MAPS & GPS
My trip plans always start with a conventional map (google maps come in later). Atleast you can actually see what roads are there, which cities along the way and physically look at the approx distances etc. (then you can search on google maps about the distances etc). Once a rough route is charted, then googling for the importance/history of the places and touristic attractions, other bikers who have ridden on this route etc. Michellin maps also show ‘scenic routes’ with a green line along the road, so you can make your selection there. Again, I color-photocopied the specific parts of the large michellin map for each day’s ride, so I can easily fold it & place it in the map pouch of my tank bag (rather than folding in all combinations the huge original map & damaging it). The next day the next page replaces that.

GPS are getting more & more important for trips, but even now you can manage most of your trips without it, but sure a GPS is useful esp in big cities, as it will give you an easy way out searching for hotels, restaurants, tour sites etc.

I use a combination of map & GPS for the ride so I basically follow the map and know my exact location by a mere glance on the map rather than pressing buttons on the GPS to get other vital information (I am not flying a Boeing 747!). So the GPS is more of a back-up so I don’t get lost and waste time going in circles. In the cities, I blindly follow the GPS instructions as that takes away a lot of the stress of looking at street signs & other landmarks to reach your destination with all the traffic etc. This is not fool-proof (like my Munich experience on the first day), but it’s a good option.


ROUTE SELECTION
A secret formula for this is to first check out some of the routes done on premium fully guided tours by the famous tour operators on their website. Here you will get a general idea of what all places/routes are covered, distances, time & days taken etc. After that you decide on the no of days you want to ride. Then set a daily minimum/maximum distance you want to ride (my personal choice is 250-300kms per day as I have found that as a optimal mix together with my wife for riding fun as well as sight-seeing stops/food stops etc). Then you can decide based on your personal choice of how much mountain passes, coastal rides, historic sites, deserts, forests, lakes, tarmac, off-road etc you want to do. Then start googling with relevant search topics and also peep into some international touring websites or even maybe put up queries there (below I have listed some of those resourceful websites as well). This way you will know what to expect from the trip and will not keep your expectations higher than required! Lastly, my self-imposed rule for international bike touring- NO RIDING AFTER SUNSET IN AN UNFAMILIAR PLACE. Its not just the safety aspect, but road/driving conditions at night and especially dangers from wild/stray animals crossing the road or mechanical break-downs in a non-english speaking country etc.


WEATHER
Its important to decide what time of the year you want to tour in a particular country. Although we cant dictate to the weather gods, we can surely plan the trip in climates that we like. Ofcourse if the unexpected downpour comes, we have to be prepared. For example in South Africa or Australia or New Zealand, the summer is in December, so you dont have to go with heavy winter riding gear and then end up like a pressure cooker! Also, once you have selected your route, I would suggest to drop into the websites like www.weather.com & others to find out the present climate in those places (min/max temps, rains, fog, snow etc). Similarly, many of the Alpine passes are closed during certain months of the year due to snow, landslide conditions etc, so you have to check in advance when they open.



ESSENTIAL LIST OF ITEMS
Again this can vary from person to person, but my check-list has the following items for an overseas bike trip:

• Passport
• International Driving Permit & Indian license
• Medical Insurance policy
• Mobile phone
• Helmets, Jackets, Pants, Boots, Gloves
• Light packing raingear
  
• T-Shirts
• Jeans
• Undergarments & socks
• Thermal innerwear top & bottom
• Mittens, wollen gloves, wollen cap
• Pullover jacket & track pants (for evening strolls on foot)
• Casual sports shoes/keds
• Eyeglasses (extra pair also), sunglasses, contact lenses
• Toothbrush, Toothpaste, Shaving gel, Blade
• Tablets for Vomitting, Lose-motion, Gastric probs
• Creams for Itching, Cuts & Dry skin
• Small pack of wet-tissues
• NEW! Preventive Homeo medicines (against common Flu, Swine flu…)
• Puncture Kit, Mini-air compressor, masking tape
• Maps & GPS
• Laptop, Charger, External Drive, Pendrive
• Camera Still, Camera Video, Chargers, mini-Tripod
• Tea-bag, sugar, milkpowder sachet, spoon, dry fruits
• Bike Intercom, charger & attachments
• Notepad & pen
• Mini-Electric Kettle & mini-hair dryer (for fast drying of rain soaked clothes)
• Electrical extension cord (suitable for Euro or US plugs)
• ‘Empty’ small plastic water bottle (if you ask why? well toilets in the west only have tissue paper...!)

OTHER COMPULSORY, RECOMMENDED & FORBIDDEN REQUIREMENTS (COUNTRY SPECIFIC)
Some countries will require you to compulsorily carry some things, which I suggest you always check in advance from the place where you rent the bike. For example in Austria it is compulsory to carry a first-aid kit on your bike, they also require a special highway permit sticker affixed on your bike for the duration of your ride. Similarly, some other European country requires a reflective vest to be put on if you are stopped on the side of the highway. And yes there is a rule in Europe your helmet must be a CE certified helmet, although they may rarely check. BTW, in Italy it is illegal to ride even with one hand on the handlebar!! Similarly malaria vaccination in Africa etc. Here below is a chart I found on a british site pertaining to Europe.







BIKE TOURING RESOURCES
I always peep into the following websites to get info on TRIP PLANNING as well as review trips of other riders that have done such trips in the RIDE REPORTS. There is a wealth of bike touring information there & if you put your query there, lots of like minded bikers who are always eager to answer your silliest of silliest questions.


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If anybody has more some more pertinent information, please edo chip in.


These are all the points I can think of for now. If anything else comes up later, I shall keep editing & adding within this post itself.


Ride safe
Haroon

Actually, validity of an international driving permit depends on the state in the US of A. If you can access the Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) website(s) outside USA, lets look at Wisconsin and California. Wisconsin (where I currently live) is pretty straightforward:

Driving in Wisconsin with a foreign driver's license - Wisconsin Department of Transportation

So, in Wisconsin, you can drive/ride for up to one year with your Indian driving LICENSE. Note that your license is different from the International driving PERMIT, as the Wisconsin DMV website clearly explains. Also the DMV website above says "visitors are advised to carry an International Driving Permit obtained in their home country...". But for Indian driving licenses this may not be necessary since the indian license is in english. However I used to have an international driving permit, just to avoid bureaucracy.

California (where I used to live) is, as usual, very confusing:

Driver License and Identification (ID) Card Information

Basically, you can drive/ride with your valid Indian driving license (California DOES NOT recognize your International Driving Permit). Note that the link above does not state how long you can drive/ride with your valid Indian driving license.If you go through the dl600 handbook from the California DMV, there is actually NO time limit to how long you can drive/ride in California with your Indian driving license (AS LONG AS YOU ARE JUST VISITING ).

Bottomline: just do a quick research of licensing requirements in the states and/or countries you are going to be riding through. Know the rules, you want to be ready IF you get pulled over.

Ride safe, later.

Bartman

These are the steps I followed to ride a motorcycle in Italy for one week:

1. When I applied for the schengen visa, I asked the local embassy officials about riding in Italy. They gave me the necessary information. For Italy, I had to get an international driving permit based on my US driving license.

2. I found a couple of reliable motorcycle rentals in Italy via some contacts I had. NOTE: This step may be difficult depending on whom you know. However, planning ahead (like you are doing now) should alleviate a lot of stress here. I would NOT recommend going to the country and "trying to figure it out".

3. I ended up paying 140 euros/day for a Ducati 749. NOTE: Insurance (medical) was INCLUDED in this price.

Ride safe, later.

Bartman

@mbharat - I should've clarified in my previous post on short visit basis. Sry about that.

Thread Approved

Great piece of information Haroon, this will surely help a lot of members who planning for abroad road trips.

Thread made sticky

Thanks Haroon. This was much needed.
Appreciate if someone could throw more info on IDP. This is what I got from an Indian Govt website:

The motor licensing authority also issues International Driving Licence to the citizens of India. Application for the International Driving Licence can be made to the licensing authority having jurisdiction over the area in which the holder of the driving licence ordinarily resides or carries on business, along with relevant documents. Citizens of India may drive in foreign countries with an International Driving Licence, which has the maximum validity of one year. Citizens are required to get their licence from the country they're visiting within one year period. Following documents are to be produced at the time of applying for an International Driving Permit :-
Valid driving licence
Attested copy of address proof
Attested copy of Birth Certificate
Valid passport
Valid Visa
Required Fees
Two passport size photograph

INTERNATIONAL DRIVING PERMIT (IDP) Info

First of Haroon , great thread ... was looking forward to something like this abt International bike rides and its pre-requisites.Will go through the link in-detail later in leisure.

For a start, I was basically looking forward to more on IDP as I am in a process where I will be applying for one myself. Here is what I found out so far..

Contacted my Local RTO (where my DL was issued )and here is the list of what docs are required.

1. Application for IDP
2. Copy of Valid DL
3. Copy of Valid Passport( DOB and Address proof )
4. Copy of Valid VISA
5. Copy of your Flight ticket ( this was something new , anyhow do confirm with your local RTO on the requirement)
6. Fee of INR 500
7. 4 Passport Sized recent photographs
8. Medical Fitness certificate from a Govt doctor only

Now for the Category of Vehicle for which the Permit is applied for. For most of us its Motorcyles and LMVs. Suitable options are
(A)L1 and L2 of which L1 is the Motorcycle Category, L2 is a three wheeler category
(B) (4 wheeler- category M) M1 - viz motor-vehicles other than (A) with weight <3500kgs and capacity < 8 persons.

As per description, L1 and L2 are no where near even beginners/ under 18 Motorcycles in most of the countries.(L1 and L2 are < 50cc and 2 and 3 wheelers respectively)

{I am considering Europe for a start and since I will be heading there soon
Transport: Vehicle categories - European commission }

For most of us planning to hire/buy anything aboard, the category which suits us is L3e- i.e. Two-wheel vehicles without a sidecar fitted with an engine having a cylinder capacity of more than 50 cm3 of the internal combustion type and/or having a maximum design speed of more than 45 km/h. This option in not present on IDP application form. So does that mean to hire a motorcycle in Europe , IDP + DL is useless. Does one need to get L3e License to ride higher capacity >50cc in and around the European union for the first year along side IDP+DL?

Anyhow, once you get all the above docs ready, You need to pay the fee, get app form signed from the RTO himself, he verifies all the copies with the original you have and that's it-DONE. (You need not stand in the queue like we did for all our LL/DL). Now you submit that to the concerned IDP person.

If you submit the app in the morning, the IDP will be issued the very same day ...unbelievable isnt it ? For the first time in my life I have come across something which the Govt office is getting it done the very same day lol.. There is still some hope left

Excellent piece of info there Haroon. Thanks for sharing!

Thanks guys. I am always ready to share any biking wisdom

Its very strange that the IDP is such a long & complicated process in India. Besides, the different IDPs that I have seen so far from other countries are NEVER issued by the regular licensing authorities (I mean the RTO equivalent in that country). They are issued by the local automobile association which is affiliated to the International Automobile Federation or whatever.
Here in the Gulf, we submit our documents to a regular travel agent (the only doc required are copy of our regular license, 2 photos, copy of our passport) and receive it the next day.

BTW, I found a mention of the IDP in the following indian website for its 'life members'. I am sure somebody there can guide/help, if there is another easier way to get the IDP.

Automobile Association of Southern India - AASI Services

@Haroon
Can you share some info on the class of vehicles which one can ride with Indian motorcycle License?

Like I mentioned above, L1 and L2 really doesn't allow us to ride motorcycles (Luna would be more in that category of L1 which I guess are extinct species now... atleast for me they are and cant think of anything in L2 other than tricycle <50cc and three wheels). What makes sense is L3 but that's not in the list. What do people traveling abroad normally have?

Cars- No issues since the category issued fulfills the criteria for Cars.

5 stars to this wonderful and informative thread.
Sooner or later Im planning such trips and this info would be invaluable.
Then I'd probably call u and get even more specific info

Honestly, Roshan, I am not aware of the eligibility of the various category of vehicles, since I stick to the IDP and that means, I can rent anything from a 150cc vespa scooter to a 2300cc Triumph Rocket III with the IDP. So I avoid a gamble with how far the Indian license can take me. As for renting bikes, the other main criteria is you have to be normally above 25 yrs of age. Otherwise in more than 10 years of researching & talking to bike rental people I have not come across any rental places around the world that does not accept a simple IDP. Just as a reference I have attached herewith my IDP which to me looks like a vague document but it has been accepted where I used it. Besides, here in Saudi I only asked for motorcycle & car, but they have stamped everything. Recently I helped another friend here to get an IDP and even though he did not have a car license, his IDP said bike & car!






Thanks bikefreak. Anytime my doors are open

Wonderful subject there, Haroon! This thread 'd definitely be very useful for many in the community.

Dear Haroon,

Wonderful Post indeed. Thanks for taking out the time (a day off office, phew!!) and posting.. This will surely be of great help to me and a lot of riders planning to ride abroad....

Cheers
MK

Now you are lucky ... My IDP doesn't state motorcycles of all shapes and sizes < 400 kgs ... It states L1 and L2 only and yeah cars .

You got your IDP at Jeddah whereas your DL is from India. I was of the impression that both should be from the same country .

@People who got their IDP+DL done in INDIA and done a few rides abroad like Sunny/Sunilg/anybody can clear these doubts on the useability of IDP issued in INDIA by our RTOs.