Where to buy bike in China
 

After reading post after post it's pretty clear to me that importing your own motor bike into China is as good as impossible (unless your willing to pay a lot of money for taxes and documents).

So... i was thinking of selling my Enfield before i cross the border and buying myself a chinese version once i am in China.

Does anybody know the price of a good second hand motor bike and a place where somebody can help me with this? I would like the purchase one in Tibet but i know that might be a little difficult so... if anybody knows somebody who can help me just let me know.

Thanx

Hi Dutchie, dependent on which province you buy your bike you will be limited inthe capacity you can purchase. I bought my Haobon 125 road bike brand new in Qinzhou (Guangxi province on the border of Vietnam) for US$500 (3,500 yuan) in April this year. In Guangxi you cannot buy bikes larger than 150cc.

A 200cc offroader would be at least double this price. I didn't bother with rego plates or insurance - just rode from Qinzhou north to Xian, north east to Beijing, north west to Mongolia, and south east to Shanghai - 7,500kms in 30 days and average fuel consumption of 2.5l/10km and average speed of 40kmh (mainly due to quality of roads, bikes are not allowed on freeways in MOST provinces so average speeds are very low).

Garry from Oz.

CalRider knows alot about this, I have read his ride reports, maybe search for him. Try to get a QingQi, it's the DR200 copy.

What about a Chang Jiang?

cj750.net ::: about us

I saw VERY few CJ750s in China, and everyone I did see had a chair attached. To be honest, none of them looked to be in what I would call "healthy" shape, and let's face it they were never reliable even when new. I spoke to the mob who are exporting CJs (and you can buy one in China from them for export) and these babies are NOT cheap from them.

If it were my choice, I'd stay a minimum of a bargepole's distance away from any CJ.

Garry from Oz.

G'Day,

Chang-Jiang sidecar bikes are fine and work well with a bit of TLC. Riding them beasts since 1989....

Best regards, ride safe! BUTCH

Thanx for the reply guys... im a little wiser now

I'm on the fourth week of a trip across South West and South China.

I'm riding a QingQi QM200GY formely owned by Crazycarl and ChinaV. Both of them have added few improvments to the bike before I bougth it.

The bike is really fine and the engine runs great. It can be repaired by any local mechanic.

In 4000km, half of it dirt or bad roads, I changed the clutch plates and both tires. The seals of the front and rear suspension and the gear foot lever leak. Everyday you have to check nuts and bolts because of the vibrations.

I have to remove the airbox cover when riding on the Tibet-Qinghai plateau (3000m+) to allow the engine to breath.

One point is to ride legally (driver license, bike registration and insurance). I got involved in a light hit with a little girl. She was technically responsible but the police holds my bike and the way they write their accident report for 4 days until I settle a deal with the family (hospital fees). If I was not legal, Today I will be in deep trouble.

http://lh5.ggpht.com/_pSocT5D2pnE/SS...0/IMG_0631.JPG

I'm also looking at buying a bike in China, but am surprised, as from what I've read thus far, it seemed almost impossible for a foreigner. To those who have bought bikes previously, where there any legal hurdles to jump? Did/do you have Chinese driver's licenses? What did you have to do as far as registration and insurance was concerned at the time of purchase?

Thanks,

Jimmy

Jimmy, I suggest you PM me directly. In short, I broke every rule (no licence/rego/insurance as foreign visitors are not allowed to purchase or drive vehicles in China) but was warmly welcomed and assisted by local police at every interaction - at least 4 to 5 times daily as I had to keep asking them for assistance with directions.

Garry from Oz.

Thanks for your prompt reply Garry. Unfortunately, I can't PM you - cause I haven't made enough posts on HUBB to qualify for PMs yet!

In short, I guess I'd like to know how you went about achieving what you did. I've seen your posts pop up in various spots on the HUBB, and it seems like you had quite an adventure! Where did you buy your bike? From a dealership, or privately? How did you negotiate at the point of sale - given your lack of license and insurance (and everything else!). Were you ever threatened by the authorities when/if found to be riding illegally? Did you do all of this with any local language skills (ie - do you speak Chinese)? Were you just travelling on a tourist visa? What did you do with your bike once you'd finished your ride?

Sorry to bombard you with questions - and I really appreciate your time!

Jimmy

You should be able to buy a used bike with a plate and some papers.

Since you won't get a local driver license you will still be illegal but unless you are involved in an accident it should be ok. In case of police checkpoints, they will be more interested to see the bike papers than your driver license and you call always show your international/country driver license even it have no real value here.

For the insurance, since you won't have a valid driver license, there is big risk that they won't cover you anyway.

If you come in China in the Macau area before July, I can drive you to a local bike shop and help you find a bike. You will have a used local 125/150cc for 3000 to 5000 RMB. If you want to land in another region, go to MyChinaMoto.com - Chinese Motorcycle Community and Resources, a forum used by many riders across China.

Brice, thanks for your reply - I do greatly appreciate it. And thanks very much for the offer to take me to a local store - it's very generous of you! At this stage though, it looks like I'll be landing in Shanghai. I will definitely check out the link that you posted though.

I have not been to China before, so am in the dark a little as to the political situation there. Like India, if you're involved in an accident, is it possible to settle the matter on the spot with cash, in order to avoid both the police and insurance companies?

Also, how often are you likely to encounter border crossings and police checks? Daily? Only in certain areas? Only when crossing provincial borders? I'd love to make my way towards Lhasa - is this unrealistic, given the political sensitivity of the region?

Your time, and knowledge is greatly appreciated!

PS. Wuming - I replied to your question on the other thread here. I am not looking to take the bike out of China.

This happened to me. See my ride report here Few weeks in South West China - MyChinaMoto.
I settled by paying the family and got reimbursed partly by the bike insurance. You won't avoid the Police but they will help/force you to settle as they did with me.

Police/military checkpoints are seldom. They don't really care about bikes unless there is an accident.
Riding to Lhassa, you will certainly meet some checkpoints and if they stop you, they will ask you to got back if you don't have the special visa needed for Tibet.

In Shanghai, there are many western riders and some of them could help you for the bike.

James / Wuming, drop me an email at farqhuarforever@yahoo.com.au and I'll try and answer your questions.

In essence, I took a laisse faire attitude towards achieving my objectives (as Nike is wont to say "just do it!").

Brice and others were of invaluable asistance in helping me purchase my bike.

As far as local officials being an obstacle, the reverse was true, although I do NOT recommend Shanghai as the best place in which to attempt to perform all the illegalities I did.

Garry from Oz.