Dong Phu Vieng Trek Cheaper Starting in Sepon or Muang Phin?

Premade rack is indeed better if you plan to resell. If it carries 3 cases of beer Lao even better!!!

There is premade little racks for between the legs as well. Maybe that can be used as the 'ready rack' for a few bottles...

;-)

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@ tools: Probably about 5-6 weeks and we were thinking of taking the bike with us over land into northern vietnam for a week or to and then back into laos again??? can only stay in laos for 30 days at a time so we would have to leave and come back, haven't really looked that far into it but from what I understand, you cant drive in vietnam w/out a viet? license so...yeah, gotta work out that kink somehow. I have read many blogs of people who traveled vietnam on motorbikes that they bought so the enforcement may be kind of lax but I am sure it would be another story if you tried to cross the border. Unless we could park it somewhere and come back to it but I don't know if i trust that...

@ nabanga: sounds useful, wonder if savannakhet has many places like these. don't remember seeing them when i was there but then again i wasn't really looking for that kind of thing...

on a side note, if we plan on going up to northern laos, do you think 110cc would work for us? Considering there will be two of us riding the bike with a total of 310lbs (~140 kilos) + 2 backpacks between the two of us? or should we get something better

Haha, yeah. Rack between the legs would be perfect for some beerlao. Or a car seat for a little lao child if we try to smuggle one and bring it back to the US (jk...)

Bonsai - In savannakhet there is a row of about 6 motorbike spares shops opposite the main entrance to the main town market(next to the bus station). They will be able to sort you out.
140kg plus 2 rucksacks might be a little slow going up the hills particularly if the bike you get isn't in the best condition. I travel with me + girlfriend at 140kg plus a 10kg bag on a 110cc Kolao and its OK but can't get much above 25kph up the hills - but thats OK if theres no hurry. Still cruises at 50-60kph on the flat with that weight. (We're riding up to vangvieng this afternoon and it doesn't take much longer than the bus normally).
Re Vietnam - I owned & rode a bike there for a year and was told by the police (in central Vietnam) not to bother about a license as they only enforce the rule in heavily touristed towns like Hanoi, Na Trang & Muine- they said outside of these areas the cops wouldn't stop a foreigner as they don't speak english. I guess it is a risk though, as if you are stopped the fines are large by all accounts.

I don't know too much about bikes, is there one that is between 110cc and 125cc that might offer a little more power?

Vietnam: how difficult would it be to border cross with the bike?

Thanks so much for all the feedback!

Bonsa you can stay longer than 30 days by getting a visa exension in Vientiane at around $2 per day. I have a freind who bought a Kaolao (Korean assembled in Laos) bike for around $550 and drove himself, bags, one medium sized Lao University student, and her bags, all over Northern Laos for a couple of months.

we are working out all the kinks right now. you can definitely extend your visa for 2usd a day but i would rather not do that as is it more expensive than just getting another visa at 30usd (or 35?, cant remember) for 30 days, also we will be reentering laos so we would end up having to get another visa anyway. I am just trying to save time by not having to backtrack... it seems as though no matter how much time you have in a country, you always want more...like you're not getting to do everything that you want or something... i almost feel spoiled but it makes me wonder how people can be satisfied with just a long weekend in another country you know?

anyway, sorry for getting off track, it wouldn't cost that much to extend the visa by a week ($14) but at that price, you might as well just exit and reenter to get 30 days for $35usd... i don't know, I will have to fiddle around with the route I have planned for a bit... or i could just suck it up and stay in vinh no? it's only for a night! i don't know why i am fretting so much!

• on a side note, if we plan on going up to northern laos, do you think 110cc would work for us? Considering there will be two of us riding the bike with a total of 310lbs (~140 kilos) + 2 backpacks between the two of us? or should we get something better

The German couple I met told me that occasionally she had to walk when the slopes got to steep...

Getting the bike across to Vietnam might be difficult. Might ask GT riders, they should know more about that kind of stuff. Think it will be more of an import/export problem as drivers licence.
Another option would be to cross over to Thailand at Huay Xai and com e beack same day getting new Lao visa.
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Good story, I think we will go for something with a little more power! Or we might just rent here and there. Its looking like its going to be more trouble than its worth!

We will eventually exit laos through huay xai and travel norther thailand but that is planned for then end of our trip so that we can make our way to bkk to fly to india. We were going to have a two week break from laos in northern vietnam.

#4 - just had a look at your coordinates.
I've ridden in this area a few times - the main road south from Phin before you turn off to the river is the old Saravan road. Its a clay/dirt road and very slippy and muddy in the wet season. Its fairly well used with local traffic, a truck or bike passing every 2 minutes or so. If you head down the main dirt (Saravan) road without turning off, you get to an old iron bridge that was bombed in the war.
Where the smaller road you describe meets the Xe Banghiang river there is a restaurant with a dozen bamboo huts, very popular with Phin District residents over PiMai. You can't see it on google earth becasue it has full tree cover but its been there at least 4 years. (Theres an old sign advertising it where the Saravan road leaves the main Route 7 near Phin market.) The river is very stony at this point and creates lots of pools for bathing during the dry season. The fording/boat crossing for the area is a little further north at
16deg26'40.91N
106deg09'00.58E

Its a nice area to explore. Just when you think you're away in the bush, you turn a corner and theres a little shop with cold drinks.