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**xBhp** · 03-22-2019, 11:21 AM

Re: Motorcycle trip from Bengaluru to Singapore

Thread approved and apologies for the delay.
A very detailed and thorough start to the travelogue. Your descriptive write-up might help many a riders planning something similar, kudos.
Can't wait for the travelogue so let 'dem pictures and words flow!

**Kapil Kumar** · 03-22-2019, 02:26 PM

Re: Motorcycle trip from Bengaluru to Singapore

Awesome, its my bucket list Blr->Bkk

(though been to thailand 5 times but always flying

)

**krishna77** · 03-22-2019, 08:17 PM

Re: Motorcycle trip from Bengaluru to Singapore

The introduction itself is very informative!
Bring up the full story.

**akshay** · 03-23-2019, 07:21 PM

Re: Motorcycle trip from Bengaluru to Singapore

Wow! Epic stuff indeed...

**pavanshetty76** · 03-24-2019, 01:11 PM

Re: Motorcycle trip from Bengaluru to Singapore

Journey in January 2019

Day 1 : Sun 06 Jan – Bengaluru to Hyderabad

With barely few hours of sleep the previous night, started by 4:45am. Met up point was at Esteem mall (on route to the Bengaluru International Airport) at 6am. Vish had reached there to see us off. Riyaz and Kiran reached there too and we set out by 7am. On Google maps, the shortest route to Siliguri shows via Nellore – Vijayawada, but we decided to opt for the route via Hyderabad – Vijayawada for the roads are far better with the difference between the two routes was a mere 190 km. Reached Hyderabad by 5pm and checked in to the prior booked hotel.

Meetup point at 6am, Esteem Mall, Bengaluru

Starting from the hotel at Hyderabad. Photo with self, Riyaz and Kiran ( Photo came out well though

)
[ Note the KTM Duke 390 evidently small for me (being 5'11" tall) and when in comparison to the other two bikes in the picture ]

Day 2 : Mon 07 Jan – Hyderabad to Vishakapatnam (Vizag)

Started at 7:30am and reached Vijaywada by 1am. There was a time delay due to traffic pile up in the city of Vijaywada. Riyaz rode to the Triumph showroom to fix some minor issues on the Tiger. Kiran and I head on, informing Riyaz to catch up with us. We stopped to refuel at a small town called Tanaku. Here’s where Google map showed wrong info of Riyaz’s location and with respect to directions onwards. It showed a shorter route off the highway when the highway was little longer but much better. After a little discussion, we decided to stick to the highway.
We reached Rajamundry by 8pm. Kiran wasn’t keeping well and not keen on riding at night. Riyaz was ahead and so told him to go ahead stay at Vizag while we stop over at Rajamundry. We searched but there were no hotels on the highway. Didn’t want to enter the city and so we rode on slowly. Ended up riding all the way to reach Vizag by 1am. Riyaz had checked into the hotel that was booked earlier on. Tried booking again for same hotel but was sold out. So looked for the closest hotel and checked in there.

Day 3 : Tue 08 Jan – Vizag to Bhubaneswar

We were up by 7am. Riyaz checked out from his hotel (which he wasn’t happy with) and joined us at our hotel of stay for breakfast. The Tiger still had issues to be sorted and so decided to get to the Triumph service centre in Bhubaneshwar (as suggested by biker friends Vinayaka and Preethamfrom the bikers group – The Kriegers). Started out at 11am and reached Bhubaneshwar by 7pm. We got to the Triumph showroom but they were closing for the day so we related the problem and were asked to come the following morning. Got back to hotel, freshened up, had dinner at the restaurant close-by and later on retired for the night.

Sweet stall on the highway at Bhubaneshwar

Day 4 : Wed 09 Jan – Bhubaneswar to Howrah

We got to the Triumph Service center in the morning and the Tiger motorcycle got fixed by 2:30pm. Got back to the hotel, checked out and started by 3:30pm. On the road, we realised there was an All India fuel strike and so most fuel stations remained closed for the day. I needed fuel for my bike. Fortunately, one small fuel station on the highway was selling fuel. Fueled up and continued on. Somewhere along the way, we changed our plan of riding to Howrah instead of Asansol. We had got used to the practice of not having our mid-day meal – this is just so we don’t feel sleepy while riding. Stopped for tea break. Next stop was for refuel. Later at 9pm we stopped for dinner, about 74km before Howrah. As we neared the city, Kiran searched for hotels closeby and booked online the closest hotel available on the highway. We needed to catch up on sleep. Got to the hotel, checked in at 2:30am and crashed for the night.

At a toll booth near Howrah

Tea break with the local folk at a small town - Chatra

Day 5 : Thu 10 Jan – Howrah to Malda

Woke up by 9am. Freshened up and checked out by 11am. Got several inputs about the road ahead and which routes to take and which to avoid. Long day ahead. Plan was to ride till Panagarh and decide which route to take. As we neared Bardhaman, I stopped to fuel up. At 2:20pm little further on route we stopped at Cafe Coffee Day for snacks and coffee. Here, we decided to take the Panagarh, Dubrajpur, Suri, Rampurhat, Farrakha, Malda onwards to Siliguri. At Farakkha, one section of the roads were blocked by lorries and goods carrier vans for over 2km or so, due to the fuel strike. We had to ride on the opposite side of the road to get past the long chain of lorries. It was about 7pm and we had to have tea before we proceed on. We stopped at a small tea stall in the small town of Chatra. The local men folk gathered around intrigued with our motorcycles. Some of them took selfies with the motorbikes. Interacted with some of them and it felt good. We continued on and two hours later, we stopped at a fuel station to refuel. It was getting chilly. The guys at the station offered us tea in little mud cups. Took pictures with them and continued on.
By the time we got to Farakkha barrage it was 10:20pm. By 11pm, we reached a restaurant at Malda and stopped to have dinner. Continued to ride slowly and carefully in the cold and dense fog with visibility barely upto 5 feet. Riyaz let the way for the Tiger motorcycle had fog lamps. Followed by Kiran and then me. We both had just visibility of red tail light and a faint silhouette of the motorcycle ahead of us. Occasionally, there were these goods lorries along the way. We had to be extra careful, so we don’t collide. Its was cold. I was cursing for having got the Rynox AIR GT riding jacket for this trip. Even with its inner rain liner and thermal liner on, it was pretty much useless and I was shaking like a leaf (metaphorically speaking ofcourse), firmly holding onto my motorcycle handlebars.

With the side stand on, we sat on our bikes to get a short nap

Day 6 : Fri 11 Jan – Malda to Siliguri

We were sleep deprived and was getting the better of us. We had to stop somewhere and take rest but where on this highway? At about 6am, we stopped by this little shrine to the side of the road. Didnt get off the bike. Put on the side stand and just slept on the bike. Here’s the only time I thanked myself for having my tank bag on the motorcycle to rest my head on. Half hour later, rode on until next HP fuel station to refuel my bike. By 8am, we reached the hotel where Vish came out to greet us. Rested for a few hours. Riyaz was to take the evening flight back to Bengaluru. By 3pm, we took a taxi for the airport to drop and see off Riyaz. Got back, relaxed and later went out for a quick snack.

Photo of Self, Kiran and Vish (who had reached Siliguri by flight)

Day 7 : Sat 12 Jan – Siliguri to Shillong

Today’s stopover was scheduled for Gauhati. However, Riyaz had earlier on suggested that we skip Gauhati (Assam) and go to Shillong (Meghalaya) instead. Shillong was just 99km further from Gauhati and this was okay by us. We took his advice. It was 5pm, when we reached the town of Guwahati, once a serene hill station but now commecialized and packed with people / vehicles. We had to get out of there. As we neared Shillong the roads were superb. It was nightfall but that didn’t perturb me. I thoroughly enjoyed banking my motorcycle on the curvy roads. We reached the hotel by about 8pm and checked in. The hotel is located on the highway route.

Somewhere along the route

Day 8 : Sun 13 Jan – Shillong to Jiribam

Started from hotel by about 9am. 2 fuel stops and 2 chai stops on route. Roads were good with lots of curves initially. Got into part of Assam again. As we rode through the hilly sections, there was a long traffic pile up of lorries and jam at Lakhicherra Khasia Punjee, Assam. At some point we had to carefully ride on the narrow concrete footpath to get past the huge trucks and lorries that had blocked the movement of vehicle movement. Further on, there was this side walk passage on the bridge that helped us finally get past the jam. Reached Silchar by 2:30pm. Heavy traffic in the town main road which we had to ride through. Thought we would halt here but there was nothing much in this small town. Vish searched for a hotel online and found one. We continued on and crossed over into the state of Manipur. Reached the hotel (probably the only hotel around) located in the small town of there by 5pm. Dinner done by 9pm having decided to start early tomorrow morning.

The long pile up of trucks on the route we had past through, can be seen on the hill

Day 9 : Mon 14 Jan – Jiribam to Moreh

Had to fill petrol and bunk was 4km other way. By about 7:30am, we filled up full tank and started onwards to Imphal with lots of curvy roads for 200km. Here we rode through a good variety of terrain with road quality from nea roads to rocky and muddy surfaces. Stopped midway just past a bridge to have a quick tea break. Next 13km to Imphal city was good. Filled in fuel. We had to get to the border in time else we would have to turn back and return the next day early morning. Got to the 1st checkpoint at Tengnoupal to make entry and get token to pass the second checkpoint at Khudengthabi. Note that checkpoint entry/exit closes by 4:30pm. Had tea and some biscuits at the small market at the border village Moreh (India). Reached the hotel Elora (best in the area) by about 6pm. We were just 900 meters from the Myanmar border. Freshened up, dinner and bed.

Early morning riding from Jiribam towards Imphal

View on route to Imphal to Moreh

Tea break at market, Moreh

Total distance covered in India (Bengaluru to Moreh) : 3900km (approx.)

Day 10 : Tue 15 Jan – Moreh (India) to Gangaw (Myanmar)

We got to the Indian border by 8am and met the other overland travellers who were to be travelling with us through Myanmar. We got our passport, visa and carnet stamped. Got to the Myanmar side and had our passport stamped. Traffic lane direction switches to right hand side as in US. For carnet stamping, the office was a bit further. We rode for a few kilometers to realise something was amiss and turned back to the border. We were directed to the office that was in fact just a few meters from the border, on the left. Got our carnet stamped. The temperatures during the day was high and stayed that way till Singapore. From here on, I just loved my Rynox riding jacket for it was a mesh textile jacket that provided for lots of ventilation and air-circulation.
Back at the customs office, we met our designated local guide, a friendly young chap in his mid-twenties who was fluent in English. He gave a quick run-down of the schedule, some basic do’s and dont’s and a local sim card with 180gb of data (to communicate on a WhatApp group). Took a group photo and headed to stop next at a eating joint for a quick lunch. Here we met the Russian couple who were travelling in their four-wheel drive semi-trailer pickup and they also part of the same group we were in. The guide directed / helped us to the nearby ATM to withdraw some local currency which is required as there aren’t many places that accept card transactions. Filled up fuel at the nearest fuel station and continued on.
Next stop was at a place called Gangaw. Vish led the way as he had the mobile (to show directions) held firmly on the Quadlock case handlebar mount (no, not the popular RAM mount). We rode for several hours until sunset. On the way, Kiran had a fall with uneven road surface and rail tracks on road. He had mild impact on the lower side abdomen area. His bike’s handlebar and left footrest got a slight bend besides the light scratches. Fortunately nothing serious. We continued to ride on carefully. Reached hotel at Gangaw by 9pm. Dinner and beer to end the day.

India - Myanmar border bridge

The travelers (with us) who were to cross into Myanmar along with the local guide from Myanmar

Day 11 : Wed 16 Jan – Gangaw to Bagan (Myanmar)

Up early by 6am. Started by 8am. Filled fuel. Stopped at 10: 30am for a tea break. 160km more to reach Bagan. Reached hotel at 3:05pm. Snacks and beer by the pool. Vish sends details to rep in Thailand to get us local motorcycle insurance. We were supposed to exit the country and cross over into Thailand at the Mae Sot border point, South of Myanmar. However, we got information that we were to head eastwards and enter Thailand from its the North border point at Tachileik.

Tea break on the way to Bagan, Myanmar

Buddist temple on route to Bagan

One of the many famous Pagodas at Bagan, Myanmar

Day 12 : Thu 17 Jan – Bagan to Kalaw (Myanmar)

Breakfast by 8:30am. We stopped to refuel our bikes on the way. Stopped at Power Cafe for tea break. Tea make with milkmaid. Not to my liking. Continued on till we later climbed up a hill. Road widening work going on for trucks. Reached hotel by 5pm and freshened up. We get information about getting Thai vehicle insurance. Vish’s wasn’t feeling too good. At 7:30pm, Kiran and I stepped out for dinner as this hotel didn’t have a restaurant. We walked 350mts to a restaurant with outdoor seating that served very tasty food.

Day 13 : Fri 18 Jan – Kalaw to Loilem (Myanmar)

Started to ride by 9:30am. Lovely scenic route going through curvy roads up and down several hills. Had a fall trying to corner on the uneven road curve. Stupid of me. Gear shift foot lever broke away. Fortunately, I carried a spare. Fixed it up in 10 minutes (thanks to Aditya for the lesson). There was 64km more to go. Stopped by a small shop for coffee break. 22 km to go. Got to hotel by 4:45pm. Rest of the group turned up with many others on their motorcycles and so did a German speaking family (from Switzerland) in their stationwagon for a caravan. Had a late lunch. Not so good. Hand-washed my innerwears (had to be done). Relaxed rest of what was left of the day. The hotel was like a homestay. Food though was not so great though.

Starting out from the hotel at Kalaw, Myanmar

Day 14 : Sat 19 Jan – Loilem to Keng Tung (Myanmar)

Started at 7:30am. 9am coffee break opposite fuel station where we filled fuel near Kun Hing. Numerous ups and downs over several mountain ranges. 1km before Mong Ping, we stopped for lunch by the road turning downhill. Next short stop was 22km before the town of Keng Tung. Reached hotel by 6:15pm. Strange hotel for it had all its doors and windows with metal grill work for added security. Had dinner+beer at a place that was 5 minutes walking distance away.

Day 15 : Sun 20 Jan – Keng Tung (Myanmar) to Pong Nham (Thailand)

Start by 7:30am. Returned back a short distance to take right to the border. Filled fuel on the way. Short coffee break at small town named Tarlay. 45km more to Tachileik town. Reached the border by 11:30am. The traffic direction switches here back to as in India – to drive on the left side of the road. Passport cleared. Carnet clearance was delayed as there were several other bikers who turned up at the border. A good no. of them were from Malaysia and Singapore. Customs cleared finally by 3pm. Vish booked hotel but couldn’t find it, so booked another at Pong Nham. Had lunch at 4pm. Sky had a white full moon. Went out for a walk later on and back to relax rest of what’s left of the day.

View on route to Mong Ping, Myanmar

Lunch on route with this sweet family hosts, Myanmar

View on route to Keng Tung, Myanmar

At the Myanmar border to cross and to go to Thailand

Total distance covered in Myanmar (Moreh to Tachileik) : 1500km (approx.)

**krishna77** · 03-25-2019, 12:21 PM

Re: Motorcycle trip from Bengaluru to Singapore

Great going!
Bring on the rest!

**rajpal** · 03-26-2019, 07:43 AM

Re: Motorcycle trip from Bengaluru to Singapore

WOW!!

That's what I call a REAL ROAD Trip! What an adventure.

**pavanshetty76** · 03-26-2019, 03:15 PM

Re: Motorcycle trip from Bengaluru to Singapore

Thank you Kapil Kumar, Krishna77, Akshay, Rajpal

... And now for details on the rest of our trip.

----consecutive posts auto-merged-----

Day 16 : Mon 21 Jan – Pong Nham to Kamphaeng Phet (Thailand)
Up early and ready by 6:45am. Fuel stop for 8.85 ltrs of 95 octane (27.20 baht / litre). Scheduled to ride to Lampang via Chiang Mai to BMW motors for Kiran’s bike fix. Reached BMW Barcelona Motors(on Google Maps), Chiang Mai by 11:30am. They didn’t have any spare parts for the bike. Covered 232 km so far. Continued on by about 3pm. On the highway from Lamphun to Lampang, we passed the Thai Elephant Conservation Center. On route, at an intersection at Lampang, due to the road work going on there was heavy traffic on narrowed road, I missed Vish and Kiran. Didn’t know where to go, so logically rode in the South direction towards Tak. Ended up riding in reserve to nearing empty tank with no fuel station in sight.
Finally, at about 4pm and 98km to Tak, stopped at PT fuel station and fueled up full tank. Lots of local super bikers on road – mostly BMW and Kawasaki. 4 wheelers were mostly Toyota, Honda sedans and pickup trucks. At nearby Punthai coffee shop (on Google Map) (Lampang), ordered for latte. Got to know they didn’t have free WiFi and I had no way to contact either Vish or Kiran. Requested one of the lady staff of coffee shop to share her phone WiFi for a bit and she obliged. They had shared their location and they were way behind as they had stopped at a fuel station to fuel up and wait for some update from me. Shared my location and stayed put till they turned up. Reached place of stay by 8pm. We had dinner with beer. Vish got a small cupcake, and with a lit candle on it, they wished my birthday. The moon in the clear night sky appeared larger than usual and from being bright white (previous night) had changed color to dark orange. This night happened to be a Lunar eclipse – Super Blood Wolf Moon.

At the resort of stay, Pong Nham, Thailand

Day 17 : Tue 22 Jan – Kamphaeng Phet to Kloug Wan (Thailand)
Up by 6am ready by 7:30am. Started out. Filled up full tank fuel at Shell petrol bunk at the main road. Little further, on the service lane, got my bike chain lag fixed at a small mechanic shop. Cleaned sprocket and chain of my bike and that of Kiran’s bike myself. 12:20pm reached PTT station for a break at Amazon cafe. 390km / 6.5 hours more to go. Stopped at PFF station for a break. 271 km/4.5 hrs. more to go. Vish filled up fuel here. Stopped little after Phetchaburi at 5:50pm to refuel and coffee at Inthanin Garden. Later a stop at fuel station. By 8:20pm, we reached the changed place of stay. Dinner at restaurant close by.

Dinner at a restaurant close by, Kloug Wan, Thailand

Day 18 : Wed 23 Jan – Kloug Wan – Ko Lanta (Thailand)
Up by 6am. Start by 7:15am. First filled fuel. Next stop at 10:30am where refueled and had a coffee break. 312km/5hrs. more to go. up to Hua Hin Pier from where we need to take a ferry across to the Ko Lanta island and resort Lanta Casa Blanca. One stop for refuel for Kiran and Vish. Later at 1:30pm, a stop at PTT for fuel. 102km/1:50hrs more to go.
Reached the ferry boat by 3:30pm. Got to the resort by 4pm. By this time (after several days of riding motorcycles so far) my butt cheeks started to hurt. Let’s face it. It is bound to happen, even more so, considering the Duke’s seat isn’t the comfiest for long distance travel. Quickly freshened up, rented 2 scooters and rode out with our dirty laundry to the laundry store. Vish relaxed back at the hotel while Kiran and I explored the road that had just about every kind of store possible… Mostly restaurants. Got back with our washed laundry by 8pm and relaxed.

At the resort of stay, Ko Lanta Island, Thailand

Day 19 : Thu 24 Jan – Ko Lanta (Thailand)
Easy day off. Good breakfast. Kiran and Vish went out to the market on the scooter for some shopping. They got the chain lubricant and later we went out for lunch at the nearby restaurant. Went to the beach at 5:30pm and back by 7pm. Had dinner back at the resort and tried to work out alternatives for getting into Singapore with motorcycles. My schoolmate Srinivas who resides in Singapore got in touch and having known about my trip, he connected with two of his friends Naveen and Panduranga, both of whom have done a similar trip in the past. Just as the other biker friends has advised, these two also suggested that we do NOT attempt getting into Singapore as it would extremely difficult and not worth the effort, time and money. However, with all his prior planning, Vish was determined to follow it through and made sure we ride into Singapore.

Even connected with another friend Sushil, who has done a similar trip on his Triumph Bonnieville, just a month back. Spoke with Jayanth (ex-collegue, friend and guitarist in the metal music band Neolithic Silence) who resides / works in Malaysia. They provided with a lot of useful information, advice, suggestions that helped us figure out our next course of action.

View from beach at resort, Ko Lanta island, Thailand

Day 20 : Fri 25 Jan – Ko Lanta (Thailand)
Up and breakfast done by 9am. Lunch at Ni restaurant close by. Chill out the entire day exploring the town a bit, lunch outside at closeby restaurant and later chilling by the beach. Dinner and early to bed.

Total distance covered in Thailand – Tachileik to Bukit Kayu Hitam : 2100km (approx.)

Day 21 : Sat 26 Jan – Ko Lanta (Thailand) to Bukit Kayu Hitam (Malaysia)
Ready by 8am. Fuel at 9: 15am on main land PT fuel bunk of 5.14 ltrs. for 140 bahts. No sooner after fuel bunk, I crashed into a moped ridden by a local teenager who came onto the road sudden without looking back for oncoming traffic. Right foot brake lever broke. The kid had two lightly bleeding fingers. Gave him medical aid. By which time Kiran returned. The kid’s mother came over. Finished dressing his wound. By then Vish returned. The kid and his mother thanked and left. Parked my bike to the side of the road under shade of tree and fixed my bike. Started from there. Nearing Phatthalung, roads get superb and so does the hilly landscape. Pass the Phatthalung Wildlife Breeding center.

On the highway, not to take flyover but take a right below flyover going towards Sadao. Ride a few kms past the town of Hat Yai, when Vish’s bike gives problem. Figured its the rear wheel ball bearings gone bad. Inquired with local mechanic shops for big bike repair shop and they direct us to Hat Yai. Slowly rode back to find ‘Hard Bike‘ Service and Accessories shop (on Google Map). The bike’s rear wheel ball bearings were disintegrated. The mechanic arranges to procure the needed ball bearings. Kiran and I walk down to the ‘Central Festival‘ mall (on Google Maps) in Hat Yai (650 mtrs. away). Picked up coffee and Chicken Satay parcel. We walk back. Bike gets fixed by 6:30pm.

At 7pm, stopped at PTT to refuel fuel full tank. We had cold coffee. Not wanting to do night riding in through Malaysia for it being a new country and searching for good/safe accomodation would be time consuming and difficult. So to stay at Sadao was the plan but when we got there, we decided to go through the border. At Bukit Kayu Hitam, the border crossing was serpentine line ways with no clear directions. Staff were helpful though. Couldn’t get vehicle insurance as it was 9pm and late. Took the required form to submit per person. So we rode into Malaysia to find closest good hotel to stay for the night. In the midst of searching for the hotel, removing / putting on my (recently purchased Rynox Scout) gloves was getting annoying, so tucked it away into the tank bag handle that was in front of me. Reached the hotel to realize that somewhere along the way, the gloves fell out. There was no point going back to look for it. It’s gone. Checked into the hotel to freshen up. We were hungry and on checking with hotel staff, he said… ‘No food now. Order tomorrow morning’. Damn it! So we ate bread that we had on us and slept.

View of Central Festival Mall from the road cross over bridge, Hat Yai, Thailand

Day 22 : Sun 27 Jan – Bukit Kayu Hitam to Putrajaya (Malaysia)
Up and breakfast at 8:30am. Returned back to the border to get vehicle insurance, stamping of carnet and ICP. At the JPJ ofice, we were now told that we would have to get the insurance in the city. So we had to get out again to get Insurance. It’s just a kilometer away from the border, take the first left and the building is on the right. Took us nearly an hour here to get the Insurance. One hour! Why? Kiran’s bike number plate was different. It had the IN sticker to the left of the vehicle registration number. His vehicle registration plate was visually different from Vish’s and my motorbike’s registration plate, hence the problem which we had to clarify.

For Malaysia, one would need the below additional documents / permits that can be obtained at / near the border.

Malaysia vehicle insurance (Got in Malaysia, 1 km from the border. Minimum validity is for 1 month)
Malaysia International Circulation Permit (ICP) (Got from JPJ office at border customs. Valid until declared date of departure)

Returned back again to JPJ for ICP. The documentation and border crossing is pretty straight forward, however there being no clear sign boards for directions to assist and getting through each section is like trying to get your way up the snake & ladder board game. We were finally done with the customs stamping the carnet and getting the ICP by 12:50pm. Continued to ride till we stopped at Petronas fuel station for some quick snack and soft drink at Mesra store. By 1:30pm we started out towards Putrajaya bypassing KL. Next stop at Petron Station at Penang. Just before the petrol station was Benelli CK Motorworld (on Google Maps) service center and so I got my bike’s chain tension fixed here from the helpful staff there. Rode on until the next Petron fuel station. Fuel tank was near empty. Filled 9.5 ltrs of fuel. Some soft drinks and wafers at Treats store. Reached hotel of stay by 9pm. After freshening up and dinner, we got talking with the head of security (retired air force personnel) and he was kind enough to show us the beautiful view of the city from the top floor of hotel.

Helpful and friendly guys from the Benelli CK Motorworld showroom / service centre, Penang, Malaysia

Beautiful view of the city from the top floor of hotel, Putrajaya, Malaysia

Total distance covered in Malaysia – Bukit Kayu Hitam to Woodlands Checkpoint : 820km (approx.)

Day 23 : Mon 28 Jan – Putrajaya (Malaysia) to Singapore
Up by 5am and started out by 5:45am. Decided to hold back and ride at Kiran’s riding pace of 80-90km/hr and this happened to be a good decision. At Pagoh, 2km before fuel station, my bike went dry. Kiran informed Vish who was much ahead. Strapped the Btwin straps (that I had bought along with me) onto my bike’s handlebar and the other end to Kiran’s bike’s rear carrier. Towed along slowly and carefully so neither of us don’t loose balance. Reached Pretron fuel station by 8:45am where Vish was waiting by the side of the road. He emptied his can of fuel into my bike. We all then fuelled up full tank and had a short break for tea/coffee. 150km more to go for Johar Bahru city – (South border of Malaysia). 9:15am we started out. 40km before reaching Johar Baru it started to rain. So we put on our rain gear and continued on. At about 11:30am reached woodlands border and exit Malaysia stamped passport. Carnet emigration next a little further. Distance covered 336km. Average speed 85km.
Now besides the Passport, Visa and Carnet, there are additional documents and permits required to enter Singapore in self owned vehicle. We got to understand in due course of time that Singapore don’t encourage outside vehicles coming in and even more so if they are motorcycles (bikers/biker group seem to have a bad image built up for them). The roads and public transport system within Singapore is so good that one wouldn’t need their own vehicle at all. That apart, there is the toll fees system for personal vehicles plying within Singapore that will make it expensive.

At the border check & customs, Woodlands, Singapore

Below is the list of the required additional documents / permits.

Singapore vehicle insurance – obtained from within Singapore and is valid through the period of travel.
Singapore International Circulation Permit (ICP), AAA – obtained from within Singapore and is valid until declared date of departure.
Singapore AutoPass Card (Vehicle entry/permission into Singapore) – S$10/- minimum.
Singapore Electronic Road Pricing (ERP) (required on vehicle for toll fees when driving / riding within Singapore

Note – Be warned that the process to get these is arduous, cumbersome, time consuming and not worth the time / money spent on. It will be beneficial if person (family / relative / friend) living in Singapore can help quicken the process physically. No influence will work. Bribe is a definite NO NO.

After speaking to the ICA officer and the Road Transport Officer for nearly an hour conveying our best of intentions, that we had only one entry visa and that we needed to just get our motorcycles dropped off to the shipping warehouse in Singapore, Vish got permission to go to city by train to the AAS office (which is in the city) to get carnet stamped and the ICP. Meanwhile, the officers check our luggage. We then fill up the AutoPass forms. Nearing 4:30pm and Vish returns with ICP and carnet. With these documents in hand, getting the AutoPass was next which we got in stort time. The officers there were very helpful. We were then escorted to the customs office to get our Carnet stamped. Finally, we ride out into the city. Dropped bikes by 7pm at the shipyard.

Near the shipyard, Jurong, Singapore

We extended our stay in Singapore (as flight tickets were close to double the regular fare) for a week more to explore but that’s another story.

Meanwhile, the shipping of the motorcycles from Singapore took about a month to land at the Chennai port where it is kept at the Warehouse awaiting custom clearance. The cost of shipping works out to about Rs.70,000/- per motorcycle. Unloading of container takes about a week, so we wait for further information. The shipper logistics guys arrange for a temporary ICE form (valid for few days) wherein the authorization letter and all original documents of carnet, vehicle and vehicle owner/s (that includes the passport) have to be presented for duty-free clearance at the customs. This takes 2-3 days to process. A week later, we are informed to go to the Ennore Cargo Container Terminal (ECCT) at Chennai and be present for inspection of the goods (in this case …our vehicles) and finally get our motorcycles out from there only to be back out to riding through horn-blarrring, traffic heavy, speed breaker/pot-holes filled roads in India.

Some Do’s and Dont’s
Below are few things to consider and keep in mind when doing such a trip.

Did NOT use the horn on my motorcycle (never had to) during the entire trip in India and out through the various countries we crossed. This is something I wanted to prove is possible to anyone who thinks otherwise. Honking is rude and extremely annoying. So no matter what your gender, age, experience and know-how, social and monetary status, if you still use the horn you have much to learn, my friend!
When you step outside your home, you need to be mindful so as to not dirty the public surrounding. Even more so when outside your country for you are representing your people. This applies even when in a hotel / homestay. The hosts take the effort to provide for a neat room, so as a guest the least one can do is when checking out is to not leave the room messy but orderly and clean as much as possible. Giving a good impression matters.
Following the previous point, a good impression of self also makes a difference, even more so at border crossings. Being well groomed with clean non-flashy clothing, being polite in conversations and a genuine smile takes the tensions off and gets you much further with ease.
If you have fancy preferences or ‘addictions’ to cigarettes, vapor cigarettes/ e cigarettes, chewing gum, cigars, gutka (chewing tobacco), alcohol or any other such items, please leave them back at your home and do NOT bring them along. They are not welcome and even banned in certain countries and so will be confiscated and disposed off at the custom check during border crossings. Chewing gum is banned. (For eg. Possession of drugs is punishable by death in Singapore).
If you own / ride a motorcycle with aloud exhaust such as the RE Bullet, kindly leave that noise machine tractor on 2 wheels behind. Instead, take an audio clip recording of that bike’s exhaust sound and listen to it using headphones for your personal pleasure. Consider a reliable motorcycle with a mild exhaust instead.
There is no need for a mammoth sized expensive 600-1200cc “adventure” motorcycle unless you are wanting to do extensive off-roading (which there isn’t much of on this route) or just that you can afford one or more. For such a trip, a 250-300cc motorcycle with a little bit off-road capability will suffice, both practically and monetarily. Recommend any motorcycle of Japanese make.
For those of you who are considering driving/riding your own vehicle all the way into Singapore. DON’T! It’s just not worth the time and effort. Keep Malaysia as the end point or consider doing a loop via Cambodia, Vietnam and Laos. Even better option would be to rent or buy a vehicle in each of the country travelling into and surrender/sell it on your way out.

Of the countries we traveled on this trip, Myanmar unexpectedly turned out to be our favorite – simple, sweet and not commercialized. But then, this is my personal opinion. Hope this experience and information here comes of some use to anyone wanting to do something similar.

The most frequently asked pertinent question for a trip such as this would be…
How much did this trip cost per person?
Taking into account visas, permits, carnet, flight tickets, shipping charges, hotel stay, fuel, food besides other small impulsive purchases during the trip, it costed us close to INR 3 lakhs. Of this, 2/3rd went out just for carnet, permits and shipping. That’s how impractical and illogical it is to take your own vehicle for such a trip. The cost for such a trip will vary depending on various factors such as the number of people travelling together, kind of hotel stay booked, motorcycle fuel economy, kind of expenditure on food and extras.

In our case, we were time bound and on a tight schedule to do this trip which shouldn’t be the case. If this trip were to be done any differently, then the first thing would be to take twice the time/no. of days i.e., 2 months at the least to cover the same distance but in a more relaxed pace thereby getting to see more of each country as much as possible.

This trip was done with our money and for our interest in travel on motorcycles. We were not sponsored by anyone or company. We had no social/economic/political cause to promote. Links shared herein have no affiliations and we have no monetary profit to gain from it.

**Rajesh_Ravi** · 03-26-2019, 04:09 PM

Re: Motorcycle trip from Bengaluru to Singapore

Quite an amazing ride...the travelogue is also crisp and clear with the required information.

**rajpal** · 03-27-2019, 06:44 AM

Re: Motorcycle trip from Bengaluru to Singapore

Amazing stuff!

I love these sort of road trips/journeys/adventures. Be it a car or a bike - they are always awesome! Especially on bikes.

Thanks for taking the time out to catalogue this amazing journey and share it with us!

What's next?

**vinayjos** · 03-27-2019, 10:18 PM

Re: Motorcycle trip from Bengaluru to Singapore

Amazing trip Pavan. Very informative. I am planning a similar trip this Dec with a few of my friends. Would like to pick your brains for the planning. Thank you for sharing your experience.

**Rituraj_singh** · 03-28-2019, 01:33 PM

Re: Motorcycle trip from Bengaluru to Singapore

just one word ... awesome!

**praholla** · 03-29-2019, 01:54 PM

Re: Motorcycle trip from Bengaluru to Singapore

That was a very nicely written piece of travelogue. Enjoyed it. I feel this being a forum for motorcycle travellers it would be really helpful if you can specifically tabulate expenditure. I had done a pan india trip and my tabulation of expenditure had evidently helped a few. This being a trip in other countries it would be much more helpful. Thanks for sharing your experience..

**J42** · 03-30-2019, 11:34 AM

Re: Motorcycle trip from Bengaluru to Singapore

Excellent sir.
The Introduction of preparation is one of the most detailed and informative.
Waiting for the complete story.

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Motorcycle trip from Bengaluru to Singapore

Motorcycle trip from Bengaluru to Singapore

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