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**krishna77** · 04-02-2019, 08:12 PM

Re: Motorcycle trip from Bengaluru to Singapore

A superb read!

**pavanshetty76** · 04-02-2019, 09:33 PM

Re: Motorcycle trip from Bengaluru to Singapore

Thank you rajpal. So true. Such trips on two wheels is most invigorating for both the mind and body. Next would likely be to cover the North East of India as much as possible.

Thank you vinayjos. The very best of wishes on your forthcoming trip in Dec. I will be glad to be of help so do keep in touch.

Rituraj_singh Thank you

praholla Thank you and fully agree with your input w.r.t. expenditure. Unfortunately, I was not able to keep a detailed tab on it during the trip. However I am working on it and will share it here soon enough.

J42 Thank you. I have covered the entire trip and posted it here too. Quite likely you might have missed it. Please go over it again.

krishna77 Thank you so much.

Meanwhile. my friend Vish has taken the time and effort to put together a video using some of the video clips / pictures taken by us during our trip. Please click on the link below to view the video.

https://www.facebook.com/vish.sambai...1386269570198/

**shreyashuilgol** · 04-06-2019, 05:19 AM

Re: Motorcycle trip from Bengaluru to Singapore

Man, you are an absolute legend. If someone wants to do this trip, then your travelogue is all they need. They can just have it in hand and start off blindly.
Kudos!

**vinayjos** · 04-12-2019, 07:11 PM

Re: Motorcycle trip from Bengaluru to Singapore

Pavan, have sent you a PM please respond when you get a chance.

**Aswinlogi** · 04-13-2019, 08:53 AM

Re: Motorcycle trip from Bengaluru to Singapore

Wow , Amazing travelogue which isn't an easy feat to be done. Definitely it's inspiring one and helpful for all xbhpians !

Thanks a lot for sharing your experiences in detail [MENTION=75572]pavanshetty76[/MENTION]

**pavanshetty76** · 04-24-2019, 02:29 PM

Re: Motorcycle trip from Bengaluru to Singapore

[MENTION=98539]shreyashuilgol[/MENTION] : Thank you so much

[MENTION=102219]vinayjos[/MENTION] : Sorry about the delay. I have replied to your PM
[MENTION=100055]Aswinlogi[/MENTION] : Thank you so much

**Narendra Mohanan** · 04-01-2020, 03:55 PM

Re: Motorcycle trip from Bengaluru to Singapore

Originally posted by pavanshetty76 View Post

Motorcycle trip done from Bengaluru (India) to Singapore covering a little over 7000km in 23 days, in the month of January 2019. This was done by us three friends on our motorcycles - Vish on his Triumph Tiger XRX, Kiran on his new BMW G310GS and myself on my KTM Duke 390. Have tried by best to put in words and with pictures taken during the trip, the experience that we had having done this trip.
So here goes...

[ATTACH]248532[/ATTACH]

Over a year back, my friend Vish had made a casual mention of wanting to do at trip on a motorcycle from India to Singapore. In October 2018, he put it forward again and this time Kiran too was excited to join in. I was still being skeptical about confirming as I had gathered from other friends that it would would out to be very expensive. Having discussed with Kiran, he said... "this opportunity comes once in a lifetime, maga".

Vish's company Beaux Adventures' motto - "One life, One chance" came to mind. Vish reassured me that the trip should be around the budget of 2 lakhs. Thought to myself - life is running out and am not getting any younger. It's now or maybe never. I gave in. The trip was planned for the month of January 2019. We were stoked about doing this trip for real. In November 2018, we started out with Preparations.

Preparations in December 2018
Preparations comprised of preparing our motorcycles, setting aside our riding gear, packing our luggage that goes on on our respective motorcycles and finally the most important part - documentation. By the end of November 2018, Vish had already planned out the entire trip itenary, hotel bookings and even managed to get the permit through Myanmar which included 5 Days/4 Nights package. We even got our Visas for Myanmar and Malaysia online.

By the mid of December 2018, we had collated all the required documents to get Carnet - the permit required for our respective motorcycles to exit India, travel through various countries and then re-enter back into India. As per advice from fellow biker friends, we got ours done from Western India Automobile Association (WIAA) office at Mumbai. The documents were couriered to me the following day. Kiran and I submitted our passport, a copy of Carnet along with other documents at the VFS office to get the Thailand Visa.

So the initial plan was to ship our three motorcycles to Siliguri and start the trip from there. Kiran and I decided to start riding from Bengaluru while Vish would start with us in Siliguri, for he still had work to finish up. Our bikes were given for service. Unfortunately, Vish's bike was not ready in due time to be transported (via truck) to Siliguri which would require 14-15 days. The only option was for someone to ride it along with us upto Siliguri. So, I checked with my friends and my childhood friend Riyaz agreed to ride with us.

The due date was closing in and I still had not got back my Passport from VFS with the Thailand visa. So, I requested my friend Pramod to pick it up on my behalf from the VFS office and hand it over to Vish, who would bring it along when he takes a flight directly to Siliguri.

Riding Gear

Vish > Helmet – Schuberth, Gear – BMW, Boots – Gearne, Luggage – Wolfman
Kiran > Helmet – MT, Gear – Rynox, Boots – Falco, Luggage – Rynox & Decathlon bag
Riyaz > Helmet – HJC, Gear – Triumph, Boots – Sketchers, Luggage – Triumph
Pavan > Helmet – Kranos, Gear – Rynox, Boots – Buse, Luggage – Wolfman & Viaterra

My Riding Gear in detail

Kranos full face helmet (matt black) (discontinued model) = Rs.3350/-
Mototech Storm balaclava (black) = Rs.350/-
Rynox Air GT v2.0 L2 textile mesh riding jacket (black/orange) = Rs.5999/- (Won at Rynox online contest)
Rynox Advento textile mesh riding pant = Rs.7850/-
Rynox Scout Gloves cuff length leather gloves (black) = Rs.1950/-
Decathlon arpenaz hiking socks (grey) = Rs.199/-
Buse waterproof riding boots (black) = Rs.13,000/-

My Luggage in detail
Tail bag – Wolfman Expedition

First-aid medical kit
Toiletry kit
Electronics kit (power bank, cables, universal plug, sim card adaptors)
Laptop (ASUS 11″ netbook)
Nokia 105 Dual SIM (Black) basic mobile phone + charger = Rs.1280/-
Plastic folder for documents = Rs.150/-
Cotton T-shirts (6 nos.) = Rs.800/-
Cotton harem pant = Rs.299/-
Long swim shorts
Decathlon quick dry underwear (6 nos.) (discontinued model)
Decathlon quick dry hiking pants (2 nos.) (discontinued model)= Rs.599/- each
Decathlon cycling shorts (2 nos.) = Rs.699/-
Decathlon cycling long sleeve base layer (2 nos.) = Rs.599/- each
Decathlon ultra compact microfibre towel quick dry (black) (2 nos.) = Rs.599/- each
Decathlon ski base layer top (2 nos.) = Rs.399/- each
Decathlon ski base layer bottom (2 nos.) = Rs.399/- each
Decathlon ski gloves warm gloves (black) = Rs.399/-
Rynox riding jacket & pant thermal liners

Saddle bags – Viaterra Velox

KTM Duke 390 motorcycle spares (cables, levers, shift lever linkage, spark plug, head bulb, filters)
KTM Duke 390 motorcycle basic tools
Tubeless type punchure repair kit + ResQTech tyre inflator = Rs.200/- + Rs.999/-
Motul C1 chain clean (150ml) + Motul C2 chain lube (400ml) = Rs.198/- + Rs.560/-
Aspida Ares full gauntlet leather gloves (black) = Rs.3825/-
MotoJack motorcycle rear wheel paddock stand = Rs.1399/- (Didn’t use it) (As Kiran had brought along the Groller + chain cleaning kit for Rs.1699/-, which was compact.)
Clothes line + wooden pegs (set of 20) = Rs.128/- + Rs.85/-
Steel saucepan (handle removed) & strainer + small cutting board & parring knife (Not used during trip)
Spices, oil, tea powder & sugar in small food-grade plastic air-tight containers (Didn’t use much during trip)
Rubber gloves (large) + old tooth brushes + cleaning cloth
Mototech flexi hook bungee net = Rs.450/-
Gorilla strong tape (grey) & zip-ties
Slip-on walking shoes
Decathlon cotton socks (black) (3 pairs) = Rs.149/-
Decathlon men flip-flops (rubber slippers) = Rs.199/-
Decathlon airplane bag transport cover = Rs.1299/-
Decathlon transport straps = Rs.1199/-
Decathlon cable locks (2 nos.) = Rs.199/- each
Decathlon rain coat + rain pant (discontinued model) (5 year old)

Tank bag – Viaterra Fly

Wallet
Android dual sim 4G smart phone + charger
EDC kit
Hand sanitizer (50ml) = Rs.45/-
Stanley 12-in-1 Multitool = Rs.767/-
Enduristan ROK straps = Rs.1600/-
Bolt smart phone charger for motorcycle = Rs.1947/-
Decathlon reflective velcro arm bands (discontinued model)
Decathlon reflective trouser clip = Rs.149/-
Decathlon head lamp (discontinued model) + 3 AAA batteries = Rs.999/-
Decathlon waterproof cover for smart phone = Rs.129/-
Primus expedition omni-fuel stove (comes in a soft case) $169.95

Documentation

Passport (at least six months validity) + Photocopies
Passport size photographs (45mm x 35mm, 1 set of 8 x 2 = 16 nos.)
Aadhaar card + Photocopy (required only within India)
PAN card + Photocopy (required only for Thailand visa)
Proof of current employment / Employee ID (required only for Thailand visa) (Don’t have one so Not Applicable to me)
Credit card statement attested by bank officer (required only for Thailand visa) (Don’t have one so Not Applicable to me)
Bank statement attested by bank officer (required only for Thailand visa)
Recent six months, personal savings account should have minimum of Rs.50,000/-
Hotel booking confirmations (for every country visiting / travelling through) + Photocopies
Driving license (at least six months validity) + Photocopies
International Driving Permit (IDP) (valid for one year from date of issue) + Photocopy [ Can be procured either at local RTO for Rs.1000/- (takes minimum 6 working days) or at Automobile Associations of India for Rs.1700/- ]
Carnet De Passages En Douane (CPD) (in short known as Carnet, pronounced car-nay) (valid for one year from date of issue) [ From Automobile Associations in India. Fees of Rs.1lakh + 1lakh (refundable) is the norm in India. We got ours from WIAA, Mumbai. Membership entrance fees Rs.590/-]
Vehicle registration certificate (RC) + Photocopies
Vehicle tax invoice (Bill of vehicle purchase) + Photocopies
Vehicle insurance (Valid through the period of travel) + Photocopies
Vehicle photos (front, rear, left side, right side) + Photocopy (required when applying for Myanmar permit & Thailand Visa)
Vehicle photo with owner / rider (required only for Myanmar permit)
Vehicle pollution certificate + Photocopy
Myanmar Visa (online visa) + Photocopy
Myanmar permits, guide, hotel stay package (From a Myanmar government affiliated travel agency)
Thailand Visa via VFS Global from Thai Embassy, Chennai (takes about 6 working days) + Photocopy
Malaysia Visa (online eNTRI visa) + Photocopy
For Malaysia, there’s the vehicle insurance and ICP that is required. Details of which is listed in Part 2 – Day 22
Singapore Visa (via local/sponsor residing in the country) + Photocopy
For Singapore, there’s lots more documentation/permits. Details of which is listed in Part 2 – Day 23

Note : It's ideal if the person travelling / holder's Passport, DL, IDP, RC, Vehicle Insurance & Carnet has the full name, DOB and residential address that matches up identical. This is to avoid any hazzles / delays, reason to doubt by any person of authority at borders, customs, police and/or any pvt. / govt. office when approached for permits or otherwise. It's also a good idea to keep soft copies of all documents stored in your smart phone (for quick access) besides in either one or all of - Dropbox, Google Drive, Email or any other cloud based online service (as backup).

Will add in journey details shortly.

Wow, a great write up! Very inspiring! I too have been planning for a while now for an international ride. However I heard that we need to pay 3.5 times the cost of vehicles to get a carnet in India. This is the major reason why I have been putting off the ride. But looking at your info, you have paid only 1 lakh as deposit. I am quite confused. How was it only 1 lakh deposit? Also I am based in chennai, can I apply at the WIAA as well?

**Ballistic Rider** · 05-28-2020, 01:05 PM

Re: Motorcycle trip from Bengaluru to Singapore

Originally posted by pavanshetty76 View Post

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.

Crisp and clear travelogue. Well done mate. Let me do trips within the country first before embarking on cross country trips (maybe 20 years from now)

**pavanshetty76** · 05-28-2020, 06:50 PM

Re: Motorcycle trip from Bengaluru to Singapore

Originally posted by Narendra Mohanan View Post

Wow, a great write up! Very inspiring! I too have been planning for a while now for an international ride. However I heard that we need to pay 3.5 times the cost of vehicles to get a carnet in India. This is the major reason why I have been putting off the ride. But looking at your info, you have paid only 1 lakh as deposit. I am quite confused. How was it only 1 lakh deposit? Also I am based in chennai, can I apply at the WIAA as well?

Thank you Narendra Mohanan
Sorry for the late reply.
You can apply at the WIAA as well, when the current global pandemic situation is resolved and things are back to normal.
3.5 times the cost of vehicles is NOT to get a carnet in India. It's usually a lakh that is asked for as deposit AFAIK.
WIAA will clarify your doubts and provide the necessary information.

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Originally posted by Ballistic Rider View Post

Crisp and clear travelogue. Well done mate. Let me do trips within the country first before embarking on cross country trips (maybe 20 years from now)

Thank you Ballistic Rider

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Motorcycle trip from Bengaluru to Singapore

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