nepal by motorcycle

hey road-runners,
i'm planning to drive a motorbike over to nepal to renew my visa. i'd like to cross over the banbasa mahendranagar way. just wondering if anyone has done that lately??? any tips and tricks???
like what do you do about 3rd party insurance? do you need to do anything with your license plate?? any recommended places on the drive to kathmandu? also i've heard about petrol problems in maoist nepal... is it possible to enter the country with spare petrol? is it the kind of trip you'd venture on alone?
well, ANY info is most welcome...
thanx
d

hello??? anybody??? please???
oh and can you recommend a guest house in kathmandu with SAFE parking???
thanx,
d

8i8 I've done this in Feb 2006 - entering from Banbasa & leaving from Kakrbhitta border (other end on Nepal crossing into W.Bengal nr. Bagdogra)...you can enter with spare petrol (in your M.cycle),you need to get permit for your vehicle while entering @ Banbasa border you need to specify for how many days you'll be staying in Nepal(accordingly they will charge you for permit) though for 4-wheeler vehicles they give temp reg. no. ...they didn't gave me any new license plate/reg. no ..only advised me to always keep permit with me while driving & show it in Nepal whenever I been asked , also Indian (currency) notes of Rs. 500 & 1000 not accepted (officially) in Nepal so avoid carrying Rs. 500 & 1000 notes.
...I'll recommend route Mahendranagar - Tamghas -Tansen - Pokhara - Kathmandu . There are plenty of guest house/hotels in Kathmandu/Pokhara with safe parking ( many tourist prefer staying in Thamel area of Kathmandu).
my pics : http://protrek.multiply.com/photos/a...rip_Feb_-_2006

hey Swapnil,
that's great. thanx for the info.. in your photos it looks like a great trip you made. i especially like the ones with the bike parked in the bedroom
even though there are many pix of over-turned trucks and buses, the roads in your photos look pretty good!!! is it so???
when you say ."..you can enter with spare petrol (in your M.cycle)," does that mean only in your tank, or can i have extra containers???
what happens if i overstay my estimation??? big fine???
ride on,
d

8i8, Mahendranagar highway is pretty good road...it runs parallel to Himalaya mountain range across Nepal...so if you take left turn anywhere on highway (assuming you entering from Banbasa border)you will be climbing uphill in Mountain & those roads will be in bad shape (except road going towards pokhara & Kathmandu)
while entering border you can carry petrol only in your tank....I guess this shouldn't be big problem as many petrol pumps are there in Nepal (at least every 100 km you'll find one on highway)
...if you going to overstay you can extend your permit at any border point or by going to international airport in Nepal (Tribhuvan airport - Kathmandu ,but this should be done before expiry of your current permit)...but I'll suggest to take permit for longer duration while entering border itself ...this will save much hassle later on ...& permit is quite cheap too.

Does anyone know the maximum length of stay for an Indian registered motorcycle in Nepal? Is it possible to stay for more than a month or two? Or get a planned three week stay extended for another month?

I believe as long as you can stay in Nepal ... your motorcycle can too ! If needed you can extend your motorcycle permit from locations I mentioned above.