Go Back   Horizons Unlimited - The HUBB > Regional Forums > West and South Asia
West and South Asia From Turkey to Iran, Iraq, Pakistan, India, Nepal, Ladakh and Bangladesh
Photo by Danielle Murdoch, riding to Uganda - Kenya border

The only impossible journey
is the one
you never begin

Photo by Danielle Murdoch,
riding to Uganda - Kenya border



Reply
 
LinkBack Thread Tools Display Modes
  #1  
Old 16 May 2010
Registered Users
Veteran HUBBer
 
Join Date: Feb 2002
Location: Wessex, UK
Posts: 2,136
buying bike in China

I am curious to know if anybody has bought a bike in China and either ridden it within the borders or ridden it out and back to Europe.
Is this a good way of getting around the usual expense and hastle of trying to motorcycle there?
Reply With Quote
  #2  
Old 16 May 2010
Redboots's Avatar
Registered Users
Veteran HUBBer
 
Join Date: Feb 2006
Location: On the border - NE FR
Posts: 865
Quote:
Originally Posted by mark manley View Post
I am curious to know if anybody has bought a bike in China and either ridden it within the borders or ridden it out and back to Europe.
Is this a good way of getting around the usual expense and hastle of trying to motorcycle there?
Mark, its the only way impo

This guy did it a few years ago: Journey Shanghai->Vlijmen
I have seen others since then but cannot find the links at the moment. On guy found a bike he fancied, parked on the street and just waited for the owner to return and kept putting $'s down until he said yes

Have a good read in this forum. Its all in there somewhere.

This is my plan for my next trip in a year or 2.

Good luck,
John
__________________
Nostradamus Ate My Hamster
Reply With Quote
  #3  
Old 16 May 2010
Registered Users
HUBB regular
 
Join Date: Dec 2008
Posts: 49
Quote:
if anybody has bought a bike in China and either ridden it within the borders or ridden it out and back to Europe.
Yes, it's been done. Although you can't register a bike in your name unless you are a resident (are Chinese or live in China). You probably can't get out of China easily unless the person whose name the bike is in is with the bike. Although border crossings differ in their opinions about whether or not to allow bikes to leave, Laos border seems more likely than most.

China does not usually issue carnets, so getting through other countries could be a hassle.

Also unless you are on a tour you can't get a Chinese temporary motorcycle license, and you can't get a six year license unless you are a resident, so you'd end up riding technically speaking illegally. China does not officially recognize licenses from other countries or International Driving Permits, although they have made exceptions in the past. In most areas that are not big cities or sensitive in terms of their security (western and Tibetan minority areas) you'd probably be OK. But that is a probably not a certainly. Most likely if you were in a rural area and you had an accident and it was thought to be your fault, not having a Chinese license would mean you'd pay more in compensation, but some other kind of license would be better than nothing in most situations.

-In short you can be on a legal bike, registered and insured (but not in your name, but the bike would still be legal) but there could be questions about your legality...

Check out some more on mychinamoto.com, some useful threads:
Shanghai to Berlin on YBR125
Final Ride Report: Yunnan, Laos, Cambodia, Thailand - 12,000 kms.
Getting your Motorbike registered (in Kunming/Yunnan)
Getting a Chinese Motorcycle License
Riding Safe in China - New Rider Guide

Quote:
Is this a good way of getting around the usual expense and hassle of trying to motorcycle there?
It is a good way to avoid the expense, but you still really need to consider the legal/safety/and other hassle risks. If you were an experienced rider who had researched fully into what they were doing, and had even studied a little Chinese and was happy to visit beautiful mountainous and rural non-politically sensitive areas, probably on a modest sized bike 125-250cc, then you would have a very high chance of a successful trip. Inexperienced riders and poorly prepared/researched folks could get into difficulties though.
__________________
National Motorcycle Club in China: http://www.the-fmcc.co.cc
Reply With Quote
  #4  
Old 22 May 2010
Registered Users
HUBB regular
 
Join Date: Sep 2007
Posts: 79
China

Hi Mark,

I bought a second hand 125cc bike for approx $900 in Kashgar last June and spent approx 2 weeks travelling east towards Beijing. When i reached there i sold it for $400 to the guy who helped me buy it in Kashgar. He had it transported back to Kashgar.
I was tempted to buy a new bike for about the same price but i could not get the registration documents. For a couple of days it proved frustrating to only see high mileage (about 10,000- 15,000 km) bikes for sale, and the owners wanted about $900 for them. The bikes looked rather worn. Eventually a guy came along and had pretty much a brand new bike with all the documentation for $900.
With all the documentation in hand, AND a chinese translation of my passport AND driving licence in selophaned in my passport, with a couple of 'official looking' stamps on them, stuck on the pages adjacent to my passport, I set off. Eventually you come across police, and generally they wave you on. If they do stop you they'll check your documents and may or may not log your details in their books. Sometimes they may make an issue of the fact that you are driving a 'Xinjiang' registered bike in a different province, but more often than not, they let you pass.
I had an accident just north of Xian, heading towards Beijing. This is when the police started to scutinise my documents and repeatedly asked me for my chinses driving licence. Because it was the other guys fault, they eventually let me go on my way, but if it were MY fault, then things could have been MUCH worse.
The bike i chose was ideal for the job, travelling on the so-called B-roads, which follow alongside the highway 75% of the way. Occassionally I would sneak onto the highway and make 'significant' coverage in a couple of hours and then exit at one of the toll booths, to get some fuel. The bike had an approx 10 litre tank which was good for 200-230 km ride. I had a set of crash bars fixed, and a rear top box to store my camera and laptop. Also i bought a 5-litre hite plastic fuel can that i strapped to the crash bar.
I have pics if the bike, please send me your email and i'll mail them to you.
Travelling across China was difficult, but overall left a fantastic impression. I am glad i did it, but not sure if I'd do it again that unofficial way. The people were amazing and generlly very friendly and helpful (once you get past the language barrier).

Hope this helps,
Good luck
H A
Reply With Quote
  #5  
Old 4 Jul 2010
Registered Users
HUBB regular
 
Join Date: Aug 2007
Location: USA
Posts: 68
Awesome info guys, thanks a TON! I'm going to be studying in Xi'An for the next month and then after my classes have an extra month to travel around. I want to buy a bike while in Xi'An and then travel on it before I head back into the states. If anyone has been near Xi'An or has any additional recomendations I'm ALL EARS!

I also wanted to ask if I should bring any of my own gear? Should I bring my helmet (full faced), jacket etc? I'm thinking I probably should but its a bit of a hassle if they are readily available.
Reply With Quote
  #6  
Old 5 Jul 2010
Registered Users
Veteran HUBBer
 
Join Date: Apr 2007
Location: Helsinki
Posts: 1,731
Quote:
Originally Posted by Tybalt View Post
I also wanted to ask if I should bring any of my own gear? Should I bring my helmet (full faced), jacket etc? I'm thinking I probably should but its a bit of a hassle if they are readily available.
If you want a good helmet, bring your own. More or less the same goes for the rest of the gear - there may be stuff available, but quality differs (cheap ones are often useless & good ones could be surprisingly expensive) plus it´s usually a pain to go look around for them (unless you´ve got lots of time). Also large sizes may be unavailable in Asia. This is something that you can sort out, while you´re still at home, so one thing less to worry about, when you start off. They are a bit tough to carry around with your other luggage, but its still worth it IMO.
Reply With Quote
  #7  
Old 11 Jul 2010
Registered Users
HUBB regular
 
Join Date: Dec 2008
Posts: 49
Quote:
Originally Posted by Tybalt
I also wanted to ask if I should bring any of my own gear? Should I bring my helmet (full faced), jacket etc? I'm thinking I probably should but its a bit of a hassle if they are readily available.
China is swamped with fakes. Sometimes things look real but don't function in a real manner (eg northface jackets with zippers that break and don't have breathable fabrics). Some folks think this stuff is from the factory backdoor, or is 'cabbage' (more made for an order than needed by an overseas company and the excess/seconds sold on the Chinese domestic market my the Chinese factory). The reality is IMHO it is actually nearly all (98%) fake stuff, some it looks absolutely 100% real in the shop, even with the owner adamant that his stuff is real and asking for inflated imported prices, sometimes with no idea his stuff is fake, other times fully aware. With riding motorcycles and safety being paramount especially with the local driving style it is better not to take the risk and just bring your own kit.
__________________
National Motorcycle Club in China: http://www.the-fmcc.co.cc
Reply With Quote
  #8  
Old 13 Jul 2010
Registered Users
HUBB regular
 
Join Date: Jan 2009
Posts: 58
Quote:
Originally Posted by ZMC888 View Post
China is swamped with fakes. Sometimes things look real but don't function in a real manner (eg northface jackets with zippers that break and don't have breathable fabrics). Some folks think this stuff is from the factory backdoor, or is 'cabbage' (more made for an order than needed by an overseas company and the excess/seconds sold on the Chinese domestic market my the Chinese factory). The reality is IMHO it is actually nearly all (98%) fake stuff, some it looks absolutely 100% real in the shop, even with the owner adamant that his stuff is real and asking for inflated imported prices, sometimes with no idea his stuff is fake, other times fully aware. With riding motorcycles and safety being paramount especially with the local driving style it is better not to take the risk and just bring your own kit.
My fake Northface goretex jacket works just fine.

To bring all my touring motorcycle gear over to China would take up all my baggage space and send me over the weight limit.

Taobao has some good stuff on it.But you have to look carefully just like Ebay.

Reply With Quote
  #9  
Old 14 Jul 2010
Registered Users
HUBB regular
 
Join Date: Dec 2008
Posts: 49
Quote:
Originally Posted by bigdamo
To bring all my touring motorcycle gear over to China would take up all my baggage space and send me over the weight limit.
My motorcycle kit weighs 5KG, which is about 25% of the most measly international flight luggage allowance. If people have good stuff in their home country they'll be buying it twice, that is if they can decipher Taobao or find a decent motorcycle shop, and mostly all that is available is that Duhan and Scoyco stuff that isn't really up to the job.

Quote:
Originally Posted by bigdamo
Taobao has some good stuff on it.But you have to look carefully just like Ebay.
Not everyone likes Taobao, giving credit/debit card numbers out in China and using a Chinese website in Chinese is not to everyone's taste, especially for someone unfamiliar with China.

Quote:
Originally Posted by bigdamo
My fake Northface goretex jacket works just fine.
My fake Northface jacket had a non-breathable fabric, so it was damp and uncomfortable even in the winter, and the zipper broke in a week, so I chucked it. Maybe yours is great, but there is no 100% guarantee of being lucky.
__________________
National Motorcycle Club in China: http://www.the-fmcc.co.cc
Reply With Quote
Reply


Currently Active Users Viewing This Thread: 1 (0 Registered Users and/or Members and 1 guests)
 
Thread Tools
Display Modes

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off
Trackbacks are On
Pingbacks are On
Refbacks are On


Similar Threads
Thread Thread Starter Forum Replies Last Post
Q: Buying a bike in China chris_otwell West and South Asia 35 23 Jun 2009 19:28
Urgent help needed buying bike in Nanning China. farqhuar West and South Asia 26 11 Nov 2008 01:33
buying/renting in china-pakistan-kyrygzstan niels West and South Asia 2 17 Jul 2006 10:09
buying and driving in China? globalkoster Trip Paperwork 0 10 May 2005 15:24
Bike renting or buying in China Fury West and South Asia 2 30 Nov 2004 06:57

 
 

Announcements

Thinking about traveling? Not sure about the whole thing? Watch the HU Achievable Dream Video Trailers and then get ALL the information you need to get inspired and learn how to travel anywhere in the world!

Have YOU ever wondered who has ridden around the world? We did too - and now here's the list of Circumnavigators!
Check it out now
, and add your information if we didn't find you.

Next HU Eventscalendar

HU Event and other updates on the HUBB Forum "Traveller's Advisories" thread.
ALL Dates subject to change.

2024:

Add yourself to the Updates List for each event!

Questions about an event? Ask here

HUBBUK: info

See all event details

 
World's most listened to Adventure Motorbike Show!
Check the RAW segments; Grant, your HU host is on every month!
Episodes below to listen to while you, err, pretend to do something or other...

2020 Edition of Chris Scott's Adventure Motorcycling Handbook.

2020 Edition of Chris Scott's Adventure Motorcycling Handbook.

"Ultimate global guide for red-blooded bikers planning overseas exploration. Covers choice & preparation of best bike, shipping overseas, baggage design, riding techniques, travel health, visas, documentation, safety and useful addresses." Recommended. (Grant)



Ripcord Rescue Travel Insurance.

Ripcord Rescue Travel Insurance™ combines into a single integrated program the best evacuation and rescue with the premier travel insurance coverages designed for adventurers.

Led by special operations veterans, Stanford Medicine affiliated physicians, paramedics and other travel experts, Ripcord is perfect for adventure seekers, climbers, skiers, sports enthusiasts, hunters, international travelers, humanitarian efforts, expeditions and more.

Ripcord travel protection is now available for ALL nationalities, and travel is covered on motorcycles of all sizes!


 

What others say about HU...

"This site is the BIBLE for international bike travelers." Greg, Australia

"Thank you! The web site, The travels, The insight, The inspiration, Everything, just thanks." Colin, UK

"My friend and I are planning a trip from Singapore to England... We found (the HU) site invaluable as an aid to planning and have based a lot of our purchases (bikes, riding gear, etc.) on what we have learned from this site." Phil, Australia

"I for one always had an adventurous spirit, but you and Susan lit the fire for my trip and I'll be forever grateful for what you two do to inspire others to just do it." Brent, USA

"Your website is a mecca of valuable information and the (video) series is informative, entertaining, and inspiring!" Jennifer, Canada

"Your worldwide organisation and events are the Go To places to for all serious touring and aspiring touring bikers." Trevor, South Africa

"This is the answer to all my questions." Haydn, Australia

"Keep going the excellent work you are doing for Horizons Unlimited - I love it!" Thomas, Germany

Lots more comments here!



Five books by Graham Field!

Diaries of a compulsive traveller
by Graham Field
Book, eBook, Audiobook

"A compelling, honest, inspiring and entertaining writing style with a built-in feel-good factor" Get them NOW from the authors' website and Amazon.com, Amazon.ca, Amazon.co.uk.



Back Road Map Books and Backroad GPS Maps for all of Canada - a must have!

New to Horizons Unlimited?

New to motorcycle travelling? New to the HU site? Confused? Too many options? It's really very simple - just 4 easy steps!

Horizons Unlimited was founded in 1997 by Grant and Susan Johnson following their journey around the world on a BMW R80G/S.

Susan and Grant Johnson Read more about Grant & Susan's story

Membership - help keep us going!

Horizons Unlimited is not a big multi-national company, just two people who love motorcycle travel and have grown what started as a hobby in 1997 into a full time job (usually 8-10 hours per day and 7 days a week) and a labour of love. To keep it going and a roof over our heads, we run events all over the world with the help of volunteers; we sell inspirational and informative DVDs; we have a few selected advertisers; and we make a small amount from memberships.

You don't have to be a Member to come to an HU meeting, access the website, or ask questions on the HUBB. What you get for your membership contribution is our sincere gratitude, good karma and knowing that you're helping to keep the motorcycle travel dream alive. Contributing Members and Gold Members do get additional features on the HUBB. Here's a list of all the Member benefits on the HUBB.




All times are GMT +1. The time now is 04:17.