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Heard a story last night
One of my mates got his motorbike taken off last week. He has a license so handed over his details. Went to collect his bike and he got hit with a 2000-3000 fine. They also charge him 20 rmb everyday the bike stays there. His bike was worth 500!
I know the fella it happened to so I’ll post a more accurate story after I talk to him.
Quote:One of my mates got his motorbike taken off last week. He has a license so handed over his details. Went to collect his bike and he got hit with a 2000-3000 fine. They also charge him 20 rmb everyday the bike stays there. His bike was worth 500!Wow, what a waste. For 500 you might as well be on an electric scooter, right? Gas scooters are way more fun but is the risk worth it for driving a motorcycle <1,000 yuan?
Quote:I know the fella it happened to so I’ll post a more accurate story after I talk to him.Great.
Regarding the riding license you can convert yours into a chinese on, of course you have to pay around 1,500 or more anyway. Everything legit, and its a good idea to have one, my friend had an accident and broke his leg, the guy who hit him will pay him 200,000 rmb, where as if he didnt have the license it would be different.
You can also get registration for your bike. I got all the registration because I just fear if I hit a pedestrian then I can stop my self from falling into some deep trouble. I paid alot for it but it’s worth it.
Just buy the bike, I have been riding a kawasaki ninja for the past year and had other bikes before that, all 600cc and above and never had a problem. The cops are really ok, I mean you can talk and reason with them if anything happens, but you should not ride it in the day time (often). My new bike is legally registered although it cost a lot to get the plates but they are worth it, and I ride everyday with all my friends who have sport bikes.
I mean if you go to tianfu square around 5pm on monday and stop at a red light there is 30% chance that a cop might stop you (only traffic police can ask for your driving license) and there is still 80% chance you can talk your way out of it, and you should have never stay there if you see them coming towards you anyway.
Quote:Just buy the bike, I have been riding a kawasaki ninja for the past year and had other bikes before that, all 600cc and above and never had a problem.Wow, you have a 600cc Kawasaki Ninja in Chengdu? That is a special motorcycle to have here, congrats.
I had a 600cc Suzuki in the US but in China I’ve never had anything above 250cc.
Chengdu has a good race track and a lot of races, I’ll tell you guys guys when the next race is due. But generally the traffic cops go home after 7 pm so there is no risk even if you don’t have the documents, and the 110 police don’t care about the bikes, but its a hustle since the car drivers really don’t know how to drive and I can’t ride on the bike line doing 30kph.
If anyone wants a heavy duty bike I’ll be more than happy to help them out, there are many shops where you can buy such bikes and many repair shops. I read that in america a bike rider is 49 times more like to have a serious injury, so I would guess in china it’s 490 times more likely for that to happen. It also sucks that in the summer it’s always raining and the winter is so cold, and roads lately are a mess, I think 80% of my friends have sold their bikes since last year due the road conditions. Also the hellaflush cars are becoming the new trend.
Helloo people, first time poster on ChengduLiving, though I lurked a lot on this thread during the planning stages of moving here.
Now, I think Hamid is certainly right about the cops not giving too much of a toss about the “no bikes in the city without special license” policy. Just look at all the wee 125 and 150 bikes zooming around inside both the Second and Third Ringroads.
I’ve also recently bought a 320cc Regal Raptor cruiser, and have used it both on the Third Ring, and even a couple of times inside the Second Ring when no other option presente itself.
I also spoke to a guy in the local Harley Davidson dealership and he told me the cops often don’t stop that kind of bike since they presume them all to be Harleys and so, logically and wrongly, think the riders must be rich.
In addition the cops here are a suprisingly easy going and polite bunch. Not just to foreigners, either. Most of the time you can talk your way out of trouble, if you’re not in too deep, that is, like an unregistered bike, no license and being in the city centre. That situation would see you royally buggered.
Quote:I’ve also recently bought a 320cc Regal Raptor cruiser, and have used it both on the Third Ring, and even a couple of times inside the Second Ring when no other option presente itself.Nice! Where’d you get the bike? Did you buy it second hand at one of the local markets?
Your username and avatar are outstanding, btw
Bought the bike directly from the old owner, no market or middle man required.
It hasn’t gone too many kilometres, but I can’t remember the exact figure off the top of my head, anyway, what this did was pretty much halve the price from new if I was to include all the paperwork and registration which now came included in the price.
What I did, though, was bring a Chinese petrolhead friend along with me and have him do the negotiations as well. That’s a good way to make sure the seller doesn’t try to shaft you as a gullible laowai, and that you don’t automatically presume that this is going to be the case.
Hehe, thanks. Am I guessing right that we have another Pratchett fan here?
Quote:Hehe, thanks. Am I guessing right that we have another Pratchett fan here?Indeed – grew up on Discworld!
Fantastick (snicker). Never discovered Pterry until I was doing the compulsory service, at which time he helped me through some pretty dreary, and some downright horrible months, but I’ve been a stalwart ever since.
I’m awaiting my copy of Dogder from UK Amazon! Can’t wait for a new one from the Man With The Hat.
A bit more on topic, and (probaly) important: I forgot to mention about something regarding heavier bikes: I originally looked at an 800cc Honda Magna at the Chengdu Superbike Club (Have the Chinese name somewhere, but a google search isnea much help) located at one of the bike markets just south of the Third Ring. 25 (and a bit) 0000 if I remember right, and it’s gone s fair few KMs, but it looked to be in very good repair. I decided it was above my budget at the time (especially considering the prospect of it being confiscated) and that I didn’t need a bike that big right now. That’s my next step!
Quote:That’s my next step!Have you taken any long range motorcycle trips in China? I got into motorcycling in China about 5-6 years ago when I met Carl of MyChinaMoto who lived in Chengdu for years. He went on a few long range trips, one to Tibet on a 200cc dual sport which he filmed and made a documentary out of (called The Return).
Anyway, that kind of trip is what I aspired to do. I was thinking either ride to Tibet (more difficult now), or go to Xinjiang or the Laotian or Vietnamese border. I got a bike with that trip in mind, a 200cc Jialing, but the bike was very unreliable. It required constant maintenance. And then I went on a trip to Qingcheng Shan with two other motorcyclists and we got hit by a magnitude 8 earthquake and nearly died (The Ace of Spades). After that, I sold the bike with the intention of getting a better one the next season so I could take that trip, but it never happened. One day I’d still like to do that.
Quote:One of my mates got his motorbike taken off last week. He has a license so handed over his details. Went to collect his bike and he got hit with a 2000-3000 fine. They also charge him 20 rmb everyday the bike stays there. His bike was worth 500!I know the fella it happened to so I’ll post a more accurate story after I talk to him.
I know it’s a bit late but here’s what happened…
His friend knew someone at the police station. He paid 300 and got his bike back.
Also just to add to this thread,
The 2nd ring road is making my life a fucking misery at the moment. I have to drive from yulin nan lu to wanda plaza each day. In 8 years of riding bikes these are the worst conditions I’ve experienced. Random holes in the road, dry dirt, patches of gravel, lumps of mud and wet mud all over the road, yet still nobody drives more carefully.
I’ve came off my bike twice in the past two months because of the conditions, nearly did again today when a taxi drove up the wrong side (of the 2nd ring road!) and I had to brake sharply on wet mud.
Quote:The 2nd ring road is making my life a fucking misery at the moment.Can’t say the same, but totally sympathise after riding out on the North East section of it 3-4 weeks back. Insanely dangerous if you’re a cyclist, suffice to say I haven’t been back on it. Chengdu’s roads are already a joke overall, and the way the viaduct construction is being (mis)managed is probably going to leave the roads in dire condition for a while. I imagine there’s been astronomical amounts of money spent on the project, but just how much ends up as concrete/tarmac is anyone’s guess.
Quote:I’ve came off my bike twice in the past two months because of the conditions, nearly did again today when a taxi drove up the wrong side (of the 2nd ring road!) and I had to brake sharply on wet mud.I don’t even go near second ring road when cycling, it’s dangerous and all-around terrible. Even before this construction second ring road was bad though with so much traffic and pollution on that road in particular. I pretty much exclusively cycle on side streets. When I’m in Yulin I stick to alleys only. My favorite place to cycle by far since I know all of the alleys there.
Quote:I got this little 98cc last May brand new for 2000.Where’d you get that? Looks like the scooters that are everywhere in Thailand.
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