The perfect motorbike for a trip through China

The vacation is planned, the route is set and the flights are booked – the only thing missing is the right motorbike. “Who seeks finds!” But it’s not that simple.

If you want to buy a motorbike you not only have to consider a few things you also have to accept some things such as registering the vehicle. In addition to the formalities that arise, you still have to adjust the purchase. In meantime many chinese motorbike manufacturer build many new motorbikes by their own but equipping them with engines from Suzuki or Honda, for example. There are also definitely less quality motorcycles with more of a means to an end. They have already overtaken the rest of the world in quantitative terms. BMW, Suzuki, Yamaha, Honda or Harley – all wants be a partner of the chinese market and a of course a part of this big cake. And this cake is big, because the future will have more than 1 million motorbikes here – crazy!

Of course, there is not only the possibility of buying a motorbike locally, you can also bring your motorbike from your home country. However, this is associated with a big effort. If you want to travel to China overland, we will be happy to help you with all other formalities. You can find more information about our overland offer here.

But about what I have to think highly in buying a motorbike?

And above all – what is the perfect motorbike for a trip through China?

We definitely don’t want you to buy the pig in a poke, nor do we advise any brands to you which we have no personal experience with but we like to show you few criteria for how to find your perfect motorbike for a trip through China:

Planning is everything! Think about which provinces you want to travel to and research exactly what the routes or the road conditions look like. You need a motorbike that can easily handle the planned route. Every gram counts on bad tracks and it is a great feeling to control the bike and not to be controlled by it.
Less is more! If you have a light motorcycle and travel light, you will have a lot more fun even on bad roads. There are motorbikes of course which are not designed to transport a lot of weight.
One of many! You should choose a motorcycle that has been sold many times because then the probability is very high that you will find a lot of information, used parts and accessories of your bike. There are also various blogs and internet forums that give you various information of your motorbike.
Know your ability! The more driving experience you have, the greater the range of motorbikes to choose from for the trip. With your experience you can, for example compensate for the disadvantages of a heavy motorcycle. If you have little driving experience, you should take the lightest possible motorbike with you on your trip through China.
It should be reliable! The most important criteria is definitely that the bike is reliable that you don’t have to spend much time on screwing and tinkering. It should be able to forgive one or the other fall and cope with bad fuels.
Don’t make it heavier than it is! A lightweight motorbike gives you a lot more options. You will also dare to tackle more difficult routes if you ride a motorbike that you can pick up on your own.
Speed is not everything! The longer the trip, the more motor power becomes less important for many. Often off-road experiences come to the fore for many. And especially in China you will find the perfect off-road conditions. However, powerful motorcycles are more comfortable to ride on long road trips.
Long range! In Europe with its dense network of filling stations, a large tank volume is pleasant but not particularly important. On routes in the rural areas of China you can often have problems finding petrol stations or even getting petrol handed out (Tibetan regions). Everyone with a long range or large tank volume will be happy.
The feel-good factor! In addition to the technical equipment you must of course not forget your personal requirements. Remember that the motorcycle should of course also suits you and make you feel comfortable especially over several hours. Many (especially tall) people like to underestimate the seat height and saddle. Many modern and comfortable motorcycles are often heavy and unwieldy. You can find more tips and tricks to prepare your motorcycle to make your trip as relaxed as possible here.

Your perfect China travel motorbike is in any case the one that gives you the most fun and the less stress. One way or another compromise has to be found in order to cover all the criteria. Unfortunately we cannot make the decision about ‘the perfect motorbike’ for you. But we are happy to provide you with one of our reliable motorbikes in combination with a China motorbike tour with us. This saves you a lot of stress – because we take care of all the formalities and a save riding experience through China. All of our motorcycles are in excellent quality and regularly controlled. They are also equipped with two aluminum cases on the sides in which all the utensils you need for day trips. The volume per box is around 40 liters.

In addition to a professional tour guide and an experienced mechanic plus support vehicle & second motorbike we offer you three different motorcycles for (most) tours with Tibetmoto: