Renting a motorcycle in Shanghai? Good rides in the area?
 

I'm going to be in Shanghai for a week or so in early November and when I travel I like to rent a bike for one to three days and do some exploring on my own.

Not looking for aynthing fancy, maybe a 250 enduro or something of that nature.

Anybody know what the motorcycle rental scene is like in Shanghai?

I've rented bikes in places like Nepal and Cambodia before and it was pretty simple in those places. Give somebody your passport to hold as collateral and give them some money for the bike rental. No special license or anything required. Is it more complicated in China?

If I do rent one, can anybody suggest some worthwhile routes for sightseeing in the area?

G'Day,

there are no motorbikes for rent in Shanghai. you need a Chinese Driving License to ride motorcycles in China (they do not accept overseas / international DL here). last 6-8 months foreigners (expats) have been detained for up to 10 days for driving without the proper documents and driving license.

adventure trip detention center Shanghai: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shanghai_Detention_center had a mate in there for 2x10 days (2 different charges) and his PRC resident permit was revoked after his release and he had to leave Mainland China within 5 days. not allowed to return to ML China on any type of visa for 5 years. he looked like real shite and was in bad condition when we picked him up after his 20 days detention.

nearest mountains: 3 hours ride as motorbikes are not allowed on highways (expressways), everything around Shanghai is flat as a pool table.

FYI! big bikes are banned in Shanghai municipality.... except the Chang-Jiang 750cc sidecars.

best regards from Shanghai, Butch

ps: you can buy my last Harley-Davidson in Shanghai... comes without registration and license plates......

As I have no desire to visit a detention center in China or anywhere else, I guess I'll nix the notion of renting a motorcycle in China. Thanks for the reply.