Thanks mate, even watching back I forgot how beautiful the start of China was. We were probably too tired and stressed to remember haha. PT1 Kyrgyzstan will be out this week and it's where everything starts to kick off haha. Feel free to share our channel with mates or groups as it would really help us out. Thanks, James

Thanks mate. It was annoying at the time but at least we were fortunate enough to be able to go to these countries. Kyrgyzstan vid should be out later in the week and that country in general was highly eventful for us. Feel free to share our channel and vids with people you think would enjoy them too as that would really help us out.

Kyrgyzstan pt1 is out this week mate, get ready haha

Thanks mate. comments like these really motivate us to put more time into the edits. appreciate it.

Just done exactly the same 😀 great footage, presentation and information. Well done lads 👍

@@Northandleftabit Well, I'm trying to eke them out by only watching 1 per day. This is 'hands down' the best motorcycle travel series I've watched. As of today ( 26th Feb 2022 ) I've only got one more to watch, so - GET A MOVE ON WITH THE EDITING, AND DON'T CUT TOO MUCH OUT. Planning a long trip from the UK, myself but, what with the RUSSIA/UKRAINE thing and COVID + other borders being closed, it's getting very frustrating.

Thankyou mate, our part 1 of Kyrgyzstan will be out this week. Thanks for your support Feel free to share our videos with friends or groups who you think might enjoy them

Yeah it's quite sad really, I have been to China before and had a great time. Unfortunately in the part we were in it's heavily restricted, I'm sure the locals were nice but we were not really able to meet many

Thanks Dewey, the good news is the next episode is out later in the week and it's where the real adventure starts to kick off in Kyrgyzstan. If you want to do us a favour please share the video/channel with any mates or groups who you think might like it. We're really struggling to work out the KZfaq algorithm and get infront of new people.

@@Northandleftabit - I'll try to find some places to share it. Your vids deserve to be seen. Do you have a thread on ADVRider? If you don't, I would start a thread there in epic ride reports, and start posting 1 video every few days there so it keeps it at the top. I am not a huge fan of ADV anymore, but it will get eyes on your videos.

@@DeweyRides hi mate do you mean Adv rider a group on Facebook or is it a website/forum? In short I don't think we're on it so thanks for the advice haha

Haha thanks mate, I wouldn't recommend it but at the time we felt like we had no option

Cheers Nick, yeah for now they don't make it easy and I got the impression the govt didn't want us or anyone else there. The area we were in is in a similar position as Tibet so it's all very odd and not a very nice environment for people living there. Shame because as you said it's stunning and would be fascinating to explore and meet the real locals. We have the next few videos out very soon and Kyrgyzstan is a real adventure for us where it all kicks off. Feel to share the channel with friends or groups, we really struggling to get our vids to new people and God knows how the KZfaq algorithm works haha Cheers, James

This side of the border is the China's anti-terrorist frontline. That's why China is very strict with the checking in this area.

@@user-dj3lo4iw2f China is a Dictatorship, that's the reason.

Chinese products might be cheap but cost of vacation is really high. I searched for cheapest hotel in china & it's 500 yuan 😞. I can't afford that so im planning sleeping on the streets but you can buy a bun for 1 yuan I can survive on 3bun per day. So make a good budget before entering china .

If your a tourist on a bike defo no way. But if your in a luxury car then they will treat you nice because its seen as you have a high important rank.

Thankyou im glad youre enjoying it. Thats amazing, i love the Honda clubs those little bikes really can do anything. Our next episode will be out in a few hours.

Cheers micheal I'm glad you're enjoying it. Please feel free to share our channel/vids with mates or groups you think might like them as well. Kyrgyzstan video out this week. Thanks, James

Haha thanks Steven, I'm glad you're enjoying it and you're an absolute legend for sharing our channel with friends, we need all the help we can get.

@@Northandleftabit I've now got my 50 year old Honda CB750 back on the road after being dormant for 31 years. It's now 836cc and it flies. I am longing to return to Indonesia. I watched your vids from that part of the world - again! - last night. Just the best. I have made up my mind to return regardless of the monsoon. You get wet and guess what? You get dry again. Looking forward to Kyrgyzstan. One of my favourite singers - Gulzada Ryskulova - is from there.

Thanks mate, The first Kyrgyzstan video will be out this week and it's where the real adventure kicks off. Please feel free to share the channel with friends or groups you think would enjoy it, we're really struggling to get our content to new people.

Yes you were mate haha. Thankyou. I'm really happy you're enjoying them, we hope to have the next episode out soon

Cheers mate, I'm glad you're enjoying them please free to share our videos with friends or groups who you think might enjoy them. We're really struggling to get to grips with the KZfaq algorithm

Thanks mate, I'm glad you're liking the vids. Part 1 for Kyrgyzstan will be out this weekend. Feel free to share our videos with friends or groups who you think might enjoy them

Hi guys, yeah it's sad as such an incredible country and landscape with so much to explore. Let's hope one day it's more open to tourists. Kyrgyzstan videos should be out soon and that's a very cool country you should check out if you can.

China is actually wide open to tourists. Only coming on land from a highly unstable region gives them an ick, understandably.

Thanks mate, if you liked them so far I'm confident you will enjoy the next few countries as it's where the adventure really kicks off. Please feel free to share our channel/vids with mates or groups you think might like them as well as we're struggling to get I out to new people. Kyrgyzstan video out this week. Thanks, James

Hi Les, yeahbits a bloody nightmare but based on our time limit for the trip and the fact we really wanted to see the Stan's we had to bite the bullet. Eitherway we don't regret our decision and it was an experience, I'm glad you enjoyed it too. The first Kyrgyzstan video will be out this week so feel free to subscribe and share our channel with friends and groups as that would really help us

Hi Les... congrats , you have been traveling in China . From Kashgar to Laos, which route did you choose ? Southern China (along near Tibetan area) or North side of China? Could you tell what difficulties you got when passing China? And is it possible for foreigners to ride near Tibetan areas, as it is sure we are not allowed entering Tibetan by our own motorcycle, right ?

@@satriopinangit1895 Not easy to enter China. Had visa before we arrived, 8 motorbikes, but had to wait I think 3 days before bikes were allowed to continue. We had to have a Chinese guide also. Try and contact Ride China. Very good guide .

@@lesxdp Thanks for replaying. Yes , it is not easy . But someday I want to go there. If you have any other information, or things to care and prepare about entering China , please let me and others know it..

Thanks mate glad you're enjoying the vids, our next episode should be out soon.

Oh wow that sounds like a bloody nightmare but I'm glad you got through. I don't regret going through China but I'm I'm no rush to do it again haha

And how much you pay the guide , and how you find him / them ?

Haha so true, we lost the footage but we did get given a temporary Chinese driving licence which was quite cool

Hi mate, we have actually finished the trip and are catching up on editing. You will have an incredible time, let me known you have any questions about anything

Thanks mate I'm glad you're enjoying the videos. Feel free to share our videos with friends or groups who you think might enjoy them

Yeah mate it was less than ideall and probably a little stupid but at the time leaving the drone behind just wasn't an option. Next episode is nearly done and will be out later in the week

Cheers mate, next video will be out before the weekend

Yeah we were lucky but it was quite stressful at the time. We did make sure not to film anything we knew was against the rules sush as military etc

Haha yeah you get used to it don't you. In other counties along the trip we always have our chairs and cooker handy. The guards always laughed their heads off watching us set up and enjoy a meal, to be gain if they shut for a 1 hour lunch we may as well too haha

Haha well we didn't feel so at the time, in hindsight we did take some minor risks

Thanks mate. Next one out this week :)

We looked into every option. A lot of people go into Iran from Pakistan and skip China alltogether. But we couldnt go that way. At the time there was a ban on entering Iran with a motorcycle above 250cc (ours are 650) and we also really wanted to go to Kyrgystan, so unfortunately this crossing through China was our only option

Thanks Darren. Yeah the waiting around sucked but I suppose it's all part of it. I know the area we went through is in a similar situation to Tibet so they definitely don't want people going in and exploring. Put it this way to buy petrol you have to have a letter from the police.... If you liked them so far I'm confident you will enjoy the next few countries as it's where the adventure really kicks off. Please feel free to share our channel/vids with mates or groups you think might like them as well as we're struggling to get I out to new people. Kyrgyzstan video out this week. Thanks, James

@@Northandleftabit I love your experience more and more. Because of the refueling problem in Xinjiang. It is very popular for Chinese off-road vehicles to install auxiliary fuel tanks, and there is a motorcycle named "DA HAI DAO" (a place in Xinjiang). It copies the appearance of the Honda Africa Twin. It has a 39L fuel tank.

They must have hidden the memory cards someplace they knew they wouldn't search. 💩🤭

Hahah no it wasn't quite like that. We hid the files deep on our harddrive/computer. We had so much stuff in our luggage we would have been very unlucky for them to find it all. We found there were LOTS of checks but only one was in great detail. Majority were just annoying as they take everything out and just stare at it then walk off, it was a bloody nightmare especially when they unpack your tent etc roll it open on the floor and walk off then shout at you for having your items and bike in the way haha.

Pakistan doesn't share a border with Tajikistan you are right, it is only a short hop across Afghanistan, but you are not allowed to enter Afghanistan with your own vehicle so unfortunately it wasn't an option for us.

Yeah but the issue is we wouldn't have it for the second half of our trip and we were coming up to the best places. We looked into shipping it to somewhere else we might be in a future country but that became very complicated with vague timing.

Thanks mate,

Thankyou mate, to be honest in hindsight it probably wasn't a good idea but leaving the drone also w a set an option for us. Next videos for Kyrgyzstan should be out later in the week. Feel free to share our channel with friends or groups who you think might like it. Cheers James

It was around Juna and bloody freezing if you couldn't tell haha

Mostly squat toilets and some western ones. I don't remember it being a huge issue to be honest

Hi mate, yeah China wasn't our favourite country. It looked beautiful and I know would have been fascinating but unfortunately they wouldn't let us see anything. Well I wouldn't say we're experts haha. Bikes always have there compromises and both would be better and worse than the other in different circumstances. I think either bike would do the job perfectly, I say go with the bike you love, makes you happy/excited and the one you feel the most comfortable on. Hopefully that helps a little.

@@Northandleftabit Great advice! Thanks. I think you are actually officially now ‘experts’! Yeah everything is always a matter of compromise! I think you’re advice is spot on. I’ve fallen in love with my little ct. I love riding it and feel very comfortable/confident on it in any situation. I think you just sealed the deal!! Cheers Guys and congratulations again on such a great channel - I’ve actually found I have stopped watching the others I’d been following - it wasn’t a conscious decision but you’ve obviously set the bar so high I just don’t seem to be interested in following them any more!!

Thats great mate although have you watch Nathan the postman's KZfaq channel? It's a little old now but he literally rode a CT125 from Sydney to London, it should be a really good insight for you.

@@Northandleftabit Wow! No I haven’t but I definitely will. Don’t know how I’ve missed that. Sounds perfect! Thanks again! Do you guys have any more trips/adventures planned?

@@woodyfromtas8866 yeah check them out. He loves his ct125 and has done a few trips on it No major trips planned at the moment, we're both back in Sydney so will do some around here for now

Yeah Dave, all good needs must. Kyrgyzstan pt1 should be out this week and it starts to kick off

Trying to find a semi reliable shipping destination in Kyrgyzstan whilst shipping from a small village in the Pakistani mountains was proving impossible. We couldn't afford to wait around for 1 month for it to maybe arrive, I'd love to have but we didn't have unlimited time and money so decided to take the risk. It wasn't a great idea but at the time it's what we went with

Hi Mads, comments like yours are what really inspire us to keep going with our editing. You're a legend for offering us a tip but no need, if you do want to help us though we would really appreciate it if you could share out channel with friends or groups you think would enjoy it. We're failing at working out the KZfaq algorithm and are struggling to get in front of new people. Thanks again mate, the first Kyrgyzstan video will be out this week and that's when things really kick off haha

Hi mate this trip was just before covid really kicked off, catching up on editing now

Hi Sander ... hope you will succeed do your plan , and please tell how difficult to go to China via Kunjerab border. I also very want to do that by motorcycle.

@@satriopinangit1895 3 Weeks ago we made it to Khunjerab Pass! 1 Week later it was completely covered in ice and snow so we had the right timing. Hunza and Khunjerab are stunning so definitely go there if you can. But yeah actually going into China via that border requires a lot of paperwork, money and hassle so we didn't do that. Currently in Indian Himalayas. Good luck! :)

@@sanderg.3561 congrats again, you reach Kunjerab pass. Enjoy the trip. I really want to get there .. but not when it is snowy.. haha ..

@@satriopinangit1895 No don't go there now. I'd advise from April to October, but check weather conditions before you go. From June to September it should be good for 99% sure. Good luck!

@@sanderg.3561 OK ... thanks for your advice . So summer is the best time. Will keep it in my mind.. I don't want go there and then struggle with the cold ...

Hi David... I also waiting them answer your question...

Hi Victoria, it's a little sad as there's so much to explore we just didn't have the chance or money to do so in China. Who knows it could change by 2024. Very cool you're planning a trip it will be amazing

Actually Yunnan is tourist friendly. I would recommend you to avoid Tibet and Xinjiang to save money and troubles.

@@Northandleftabit请问你这是去年拍的视频吗？去年因为疫情中国不接待外国游客，商务人员进入中国都要隔离观察……今年开始就可以了！建议你去一个国家前做好调查，把原因写出来，具体什么原因不让你进入中国，中国现在很多人在新疆，西藏骑行。但如果你是加拿大，英国，美国，澳大利亚，德国人想进去新疆或西藏只能走旅行团。因为你们政府和媒体的各种造谣，抹黑中国政策，当地人非常不喜欢这些国家的人，尤其是政府官员，但也有这些国家的人证明自己和政府没关系，和各种ngo组织没关系，可以自己去旅游。这些国家以意识形态发展关系，可中国不希望，中国只想让当地人，中国人过幸福生活，嘴巴和脑袋里的意识形态工作是吃饱饭，有幸福生活再谈的问题……西方政客的虚伪，只说不做的态度中国人非常不喜欢，因为中国人崇尚实干兴邦……所以你有时间可以去中国使馆签证试试……

Yeah it wasn't our best idea in hindsight but luckily we got away with it :)

Hi mate, thanks for the comment. The trip has actually finished just before covid went crazy. We edited the first few videos on the road but it became too hard due to camping, lack of power, internet and time in general.

@@Northandleftabit ohh I see, yes covid would have been my next question hqhaha 😅 I also do moto trips with camping etc.. not this big ones yest but I will in time... qnd thought that it would be almost impossible to do qll that editing on the road.. Glad you managed to finish it before the shit hit the fan!

Thanks mate, sorry you had to wait so long ;). Yeah it was a messed up scenario but the area is in a similar situation to Tibet and clearly they don't want tourist being there which us sad. Kyrgyzstan video will be out this week and it's where the real adventure kicks off for us. Please feel free to share our channel/vids with mates or groups you think might like them as well as we're struggling to get it out to new people Thanks, James

@@Northandleftabit Hey James, sure i will share your stuff! 🤙🏻 It's fantastic to watch your videos while being caught in the "system". As a motorcycle traveller myself i wanna go to asia one day as well. You guys catch the momentum of being there so well i can imagine how wonderful your experience is. I am a bit sad u missed out Nepal though.. wich is on my list. But for now.. back to kyrgyzstan - i am excited to see new footage!! By the way i couldn't get a Schuberth E1 anymore anywhere, so i went for a Nexx Vilijord in white. Pretty much similar.. Think it's worth the money. Maybe u have heard of it. Cheers and safe ride! Nils

@@nils_on_wheels yeah I have thats meant to be a cracking helmet, to be fair the E1 is really old now so not surprised you couldn't find it. Funny you say that as I have been to Nepal twice and both times hired and old Royal Enfield to explore, I wouldn't say I did "adventure riding" but it was still amazing amazing experience

@@Northandleftabit so maybe it will be your next model if the schuberth won't survive the last 10.000 km of rough riding ^^ Just heard that the visor of the the e5 is bit shitty cause it is wobbling on higher speed. But.. u guys mostly ride average so who cares.. Jealous on you for Nepal! I hope i will reach it with my own bike one day! It needs some nuts to do that..haha

@@nils_on_wheels haha I'm happy to say we got much quicker towards the end. Neither of us had really ridden offroad before we left haha Yeah Nepal is awesome the whole region is amazing

Posting it was definitely an option, and one we considered. Although we weren't too sure on the reliability of the postal service in this part of the world. We would also probably have had to mail it to Bishkek, which would mean we wouldnt have had it for the majority of our time in Kyrgyzstan. And lastly... if it took longer than expected, we would have had to wait for it to arrive and unfortunately time was not a luxury we had on this trip.

Yeah it's fairly complicated situation over there

That would beva brave options, If we didnt have to have a chinese guide with us we probably would have considered it

Hi mate, I'm afraid I don't know the rules for Indian riders. I think your first issue could be entering Pakistan as I know there is some tension between your countries. I'd look at each countries websites as a good starting point.

@@Northandleftabit Yes you're rit from Ind to Pak not possible. But we have another border cross option Butan to China. Upto Butan we don't have any issues i know. Thats why i asking India and China, i don't know. China Country accept Indians or not. Can you check with anyone from there itself. If you're in China now. If possible it will hreat help for me any friends or travel tourism companies. Any issues border cross for Indians in China

@@shan.bikeriders2002 sorry we're no longer in China this video is from a few years back. I'm sure the Chinese embassy has a website which could help you. Sorry I can't do more

@@Northandleftabit ok Bro thanks Last 1 year back some Indians gone China people border cross all other check post very nice people i saw some Indians Vlog video good people there. But now situations I don't know that's why i ask you. Anyway thanks and nice to meet you guys👍🏻

Haha you raise some good points. It looked extremely dodgy haha

we couldn't understand why there were so many checkpoints either. It really doesnt make sense. They try to justify the price because it includes a temporary chinese drivers license and vehicle registration. But it still seems incredibly excessive

@@Northandleftabit Seriously ? So you practically had a China Driver license? Well, that's interesting ...

@@aldyanimayazar7804 its a very sensitive and closed region in china

The reason is because the area shown in the video is part of the only region in China not under direct civil government control but a civil-military coalition government (same communist party, same people, but much stricter rules). The region have 25 million in population, but was always a hotspot for terrorism and drug trafficking in China due to the proximity to the borders, poor locals (underdeveloped region) and high Muslim population (more than 10 million). After 2 terrorist attacks (around 10 years ago) that caused dozens of casualties, police checkpoints began to be added everywhere. Imagine going to your local gas station in the suburbs or even within the CBD and requiring to provide your national id card and allow the gas station to take a picture of you or use facial recognition software to ensure your not on any black list, because this is what’s happening there nowadays. It’s a place where all knives including kitchen knives are to be engraved (laser) with a QR code that links to the initial buyer’s National ID (no such restrictions exists in any other Chinese region). All these occurred in the past 15 years. These larger checkpoints are also actually cheaper in the sense that they work as a ‘police station’ as well, which allows the region to steadily decrease the number of officers needed year by year (peak was around 2 years after the last major terrorist attack).

Yeah we loved Pakistan so much, it's a beautiful place for scenery and people. Feel free to share our videos with any friends or groups you think would also enjoy them

@@Northandleftabit next time do a long trip

@@ziaahmad3429 yeah we had 9months to get from Sydney to London. It sounds like a long time but we were very rushed

Yeah it's true although it was really all just the government and police I'm sure the locals would have been lovely if we were around to mix with them

Yeah not much we could do about it but at least we were able to get through and as you said hopefully one day in the future we can all travel more freely:)

You already can! I traveled through China on my own for 3 months in 2016. The problem is mainly Western-China (Tibet and Xinjiang); they're very strict there. They don't want any peeping toms there and I don't think that's because it's all fun and games. 😬

@@sanderg.3561 hi brother.. did you travel in China by motorcycle too? How was that ? Did you go to Tibet ?

@@satriopinangit1895 I was just backpacking through China, without motorcycle. Traveled by train/bus/hitchhiking. Tibet is pretty much off-limits unless you can get a special permit. However there are multiple definitions of Tibet; you can go to West Sichuan which is actually very similar to Tibet.

@@sanderg.3561 thanks for your infos, brother... I hope someday will travel to western China ...

Hi Andrew, that's awesome you went all the way from Laos. Did you need a guide? It must have cost you a fortune haha. With the drone we had heard stories of some getting through and some getting it detroyed so we decided to try hide it just incase. The area we went through is particularly tense at the moment (similar to Tibet) so maybe that's why it can be more strict.

Oh and i didn't find out till much later but they installed a bloody app on my phone, God knows what it didn't but guessing tracking me and my messages, it's messed up

Unfortunately at the time you could only take bikes into Iran which were under 250cc (ours are 650cc) so we didn't have much of an option. Yeah the drone box did well, I wouldn't recommend it however it worked for us

@@Northandleftabit I follow you from the beautiful country of Iran. This law is for motorcycles with a volume of more than 250 for Iranians themselves, but this law has been lifted for tourists for about two years, and many motorcyclists have visited Iran with high-volume motorcycles. .. Be sure that you will not see a country with the hospitality and warmth of the Iranian people ... Iran is extremely safe and beautiful and the people are very hospitable ... Be sure you have no problem entering, come and enjoy this country four beautiful seasons

Haha, we really should have been more worried. They looked so dodgy in those silver packets, thankgod we got through

@@Northandleftabit glad that everything went better than expected! Keep up the good content :)

Love your videos man! Been following you when you were in iran going to mecca And yes China is the worse country for motorbike travelers, you need special guides who are very expensive, for motorbikes its impossible to ride in China even though China have really breath-taking scenery and places to visit its so unfortunate.

Lmao

At the time it was impossible for us to take our bikes into Afghanistan. We really wanted to go.

Thanks mate we loved Pakistan it's an incredible country. Feel free to share our videos with friends or groups who you think might enjoy them