Riding in Xinxiang with no license....how stupid would this be?

Momo

Xinjiang has always been a rather somewhat difficult place to travel in. Since the start of the year it has got harder in the last month it has become even harder.

" We actually are in contact with several locals in Urumqi since yesterday, all of which have told us they think exploring the area by motorcycle is a great idea (and said the motorcycle ban only applies for the center of the city, a small area) and seem to think that the risks are not so great (of some hassles perhaps, but nothing too bad)"

Emm at present the locals that I know aren't saying anything or say "yeah everything's good. Can't talk now looking forward to speaking to you when you get here"

Now is not the time to do anything in the big X anything vaguely outside the law.If it ever was at all.

I just told you that you can and are allowed to apply for a legal 90 day license - but your extent of wanting to do things correctly is not showing up very well
Xinjiang is a dangerous place to piss about in and playing dumb doesn't wash with cops if he so chooses and then you will be eating maybe a little rice for two weeks in the Chinese jail palace
Get your ducks lined up do it correctly and then you eliminate that risk
But seems you're a hippie and feel self entitled to do what ever you like in an undeveloped country yet the most strict province shows a level of mentality of............
I showed you my old provisional license that clearly states that I was allowed to ride a motorcycle and I was checked by local cops in Yunnan and there was nothing he could do cause I wasn't doing anything illegal in any way shape or form
I had my brain in check n papers in order without the hippie idea of, I can do what ever the fark I wanted.

My opinion if you're too lazy to do it right stay home
If you are smarter then be legal and if really smart you could get bikes before you come like another member did and they can be legal and plated ready to ride before you arrive
They could then be sold after you leave
Way way way more is possible
A guy in Chengdu has 2 Italians doing it this way - he supplied 2 legal bikes plated in his name the tourists are getting their licenses and setting off
Your case is the same but your mind set isn't
I can easily supply cheaper bikes plated legal and get you a provisional license in Chengdu all for a reasonable fee and I'll buy the bikes back when you ship them to Chengdu
All things possible


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There you have it NZB can sort yon out with a legal plated insured bike and sort out the DL you need for a small fee.
It cost what it cost so listen to his advise but IMO his post is a bit condescending.
But help from guys like him is what you need.
And to start of in Chengdu you can't find a better place.

Good luck.

Again, thanks for the advice Prince666, That is cool that you can get a license while at the airport in Beijing, Maybe we can make it so we fly through Beijing, and thanks for the offer to help if we were to pass through your neighborhood. Problem is we are just short on time. My girlfriend can only get 30 days with her passport and we had carved out 30 days for our china/xinjiang time with an outward flight already booked. But we were denied our China visa last week due to having lots of strange stamps in our passports (they particularly didnt like that we had been to Tajikistan), we re-applied but and got it the second time with the help of an agent, but we lost 5 days, so now we only have 25 days. Needless to say it's not much time to do everything right. But the Beijing airport idea could be do-able.

To add to all the complications of this I am realizing that it would be very hard to see much in Xinjiang in such a short time without using the toll roads, which apparently isn't possible on a bike. It is all getting a bit tricky, we are still considering options but starting to include defeat as one potential option (which would mean using public transport). We'll see.

And yes, BidDano, I agree, just cause a local says it doesnt mean its true, half the time they have no idea what the real situation is, but it was just one bit of info to add pile to be digested.

And NZBrake....lets see, so far since I posted this you have called me an idiot, a self-entitled hippie, and lazy, all because I asked for some information and advice. Thank you for your offer to help in Chengdu. I will pass. I would like to say "I will take all the help I can get", but I have self respect and limitations.

Hi MoMo
You can ride on the toll roads in Xinjiang province ?
Well let's say when I entered China from Kazashan I needed to go to Chengdu and like I always do it just skip on and try to skip around all the other toll booths.
It's wasn't till I got caught in a big line of cars at 1 toll booth when a police officer told me a can just ride through this gate ok ?
So maybe bikes are allowed on the toll roads.

NZB means well so don't be too hard on him IMO , we just get a lot of nobs come on MCM taking about I am going to do this and that and I don't care a shit.?

Take it from me the best riding in the whole of China is Yunnan and Schiuan province.
Why do all the bike tours who ride up from Thailand only stay in these areas ?
Because it the best.
On my way back to Ya'an which is 200km south of Chengdu for more riding .
This time I am leaving my over weight CFmoto 650 TR-G and just ordered a new Honda CRF Rally from a dealer in Chengdu.
Hope to be around that area from mid July till the end off October.
If you are about drop me a PM
Good luck with your trip I am sure you will be fine.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by momo034

Again, thanks for the advice Prince666, That is cool that you can get a license while at the airport in Beijing, Maybe we can make it so we fly through Beijing, and thanks for the offer to help if we were to pass through your neighborhood. Problem is we are just short on time. My girlfriend can only get 30 days with her passport and we had carved out 30 days for our china/xinjiang time with an outward flight already booked. But we were denied our China visa last week due to having lots of strange stamps in our passports (they particularly didnt like that we had been to Tajikistan), we re-applied but and got it the second time with the help of an agent, but we lost 5 days, so now we only have 25 days. Needless to say it's not much time to do everything right. But the Beijing airport idea could be do-able.

To add to all the complications of this I am realizing that it would be very hard to see much in Xinjiang in such a short time without using the toll roads, which apparently isn't possible on a bike. It is all getting a bit tricky, we are still considering options but starting to include defeat as one potential option (which would mean using public transport). We'll see.

And yes, BidDano, I agree, just cause a local says it doesnt mean its true, half the time they have no idea what the real situation is, but it was just one bit of info to add pile to be digested.

And NZBrake....lets see, so far since I posted this you have called me an idiot, a self-entitled hippie, and lazy, all because I asked for some information and advice. Thank you for your offer to help in Chengdu. I will pass. I would like to say "I will take all the help I can get", but I have self respect and limitations.

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Respect would begin not starting a thread talking and harping about illegal
One thing I hate is self centered know alls that know nothing and run by the seat of their pants when all it would have taken is a better more respectful beginning.


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Quote:

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Originally Posted by prince666

Hi MoMo
You can ride on the toll roads in Xinjiang province ?
Well let's say when I entered China from Kazashan I needed to go to Chengdu and like I always do it just skip on and try to skip around all the other toll booths.
It's wasn't till I got caught in a big line of cars at 1 toll booth when a police officer told me a can just ride through this gate ok ?
So maybe bikes are allowed on the toll roads.

NZB means well so don't be too hard on him IMO , we just get a lot of nobs come on MCM taking about I am going to do this and that and I don't care a shit.?

Take it from me the best riding in the whole of China is Yunnan and Schiuan province.
Why do all the bike tours who ride up from Thailand only stay in these areas ?
Because it the best.
On my way back to Ya'an which is 200km south of Chengdu for more riding .
This time I am leaving my over weight CFmoto 650 TR-G and just ordered a new Honda CRF Rally from a dealer in Chengdu.
Hope to be around that area from mid July till the end off October.
If you are about drop me a PM
Good luck with your trip I am sure you will be fine.

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I
Live near the airport and my little X5 was a YaAn bike and that's a bit yucky road at the moment
CRF are not legal from what I can gather - who's the dealer?
I am starting some industry based businesses but rather complex on several front
I've got a few good dealers that are major brands in my network too
Solved plenty bike issues and stuff locals can't seem to do including legal things


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Quote:

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Originally Posted by prince666

Hi MoMo
You can ride on the toll roads in Xinjiang province ?
Well let's say when I entered China from Kazashan I needed to go to Chengdu and like I always do it just skip on and try to skip around all the other toll booths.
It's wasn't till I got caught in a big line of cars at 1 toll booth when a police officer told me a can just ride through this gate ok ?
So maybe bikes are allowed on the toll roads.

NZB means well so don't be too hard on him IMO , we just get a lot of nobs come on MCM taking about I am going to do this and that and I don't care a shit.?

Take it from me the best riding in the whole of China is Yunnan and Schiuan province.
Why do all the bike tours who ride up from Thailand only stay in these areas ?
Because it the best.
On my way back to Ya'an which is 200km south of Chengdu for more riding .
This time I am leaving my over weight CFmoto 650 TR-G and just ordered a new Honda CRF Rally from a dealer in Chengdu.
Hope to be around that area from mid July till the end off October.
If you are about drop me a PM
Good luck with your trip I am sure you will be fine.

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Thanks, I think we decided to just go and see how things are. We are staying with some locals through couchsurfing, we will ask questions and get a feel for the lay of the land best we can and just play it by ear. But more and more we are thinking it might not be worth it all. If we had more time Im sure we could figure something out, but time is not on our side.

I was actually already in Sichiuan province some years ago, and rented a motorcycle way up in Litang. AMAZING place. We roda from Kyrgyzstan to Spain some years ago though and so this time around we are quite keen to see Kashgar and around just because it kindof picks up the silk road before where we started on it. And I think its a good move to leave the 650 for something smaller. I have been on a steady downsizing mission for many years realizing more and more that smaller is better. Thanks again for the help, I will post here if/when I have anything interesting to say. Love the quote

Ride safe

Anyway it's clear you can if you plan to ride and you have a license back home that you are able to get a temp license with the right planning etc etc
Seems I was one of the first in Chengdu to get this only cause that all they would give me on a 60 day per stay visa
90 days or more you must do a full Chinese license and requires all the same paper work plus the computer test
This far I've not got a solution for no license at all and in Chengdu there are many if not 90% without any bike license - we've contacts the relevant departments but you get the Chinese run around circles and more circles of..... yeah basically they don't actually know how to solve it
But I'll get to that point and look do be an agent should such time arise!



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"The plan was to buy two 50cc bikes (we heard that for those you dont need a license or papers). The alternative would be to buy a 125cc and ride two up, but then there is the issue with license plates and registration etc. The problem with the 50cc idea is the minimum speed limit...or is that a problem?"

You can ride on the toll roads( well depends what's happening and who you come across and what sort of day they are having)with a big M/C in Xinjiang. Small M/C no. Why would you. Most are vehicles are doing 120kmh + on the toll roads. You don't see much on the toll roads and on a small bike all you would be doing is looking in your mirrors for that dimwit texting while driving at warp speed who couldn't give a dam about you. Back roads are the go you will see more but it will easily double triple your travelling time. Xinjiang is a huge one of the biggest provinces or in this case autonomous regions in China. The problem being there are vast distances to travel between the sights you want to see.

"Another problem is that I read on a post here that there are no motorcycles in Urumqi? Is that right? That was where we planned to buy the bike.i n contact with several locals in Urumqi since yesterday, all of which have told us they think exploring the area by motorcycle is a great idea (and said the motorcycle ban only applies for the center of the city, a small area"

True Motorcycles are banned in Urumqi not true that it is a small area. Urumqi is a real big city. Of all the places I wouldn't go to in Xinjiang Urumqi is on the top of the list. The road out is the only good thing about that place.There is a used vehicle market in Urumqi however and you could pick up a MC there. Take a local with you otherwise you'll be paying more than double and they will tell you what you want to hear ie do I need rego,insurance and license. No you'll be good to go as they take your money with a smile.

"So, thoughts on all this? Are there lots of police checking documents? Is it true with a 50cc we would be in the clear? Any reports on riding in Xinxiang? Any ideas at all how we could have some sort of a quasi-legal moto adventure in any part of China?"

Yep check points all over the place especially now. 50cc probably denote within a week being Chinese and all. Don't know about the rest of China but quasi-legal moto adventure in Xinjiang you have picked the wrong time

" I wouldnt be surprised if most provincial police dont even know that an international license is not valid in China)"

You wouldn't be the first westerner to pull out a international driver license and plead ignorance. They mighten know what it is but they know that the only legal car/M/C license in China is a Chinese one.

"By the way, for anyone reading this post who might be interested, there is a great blog about a couple traversing China on a little toy motorcycle, flying under the radar. Its a fun read: "

Yep people ride or try to ride through under the radar quite abit just don't hear much about the ones who don't make it.

"So basically, seems I could buy a bike that is new and be legal on it for 30 days"

Basically that's for the Chinese to say purchase a vehicle from one area and transport it back to there home. It's a rather grey area and I wouldn't be testing it in XInjiang but hey up to you.

" But I was thinking I might even look in to getting a license if it is not so hard. "

I wouldn't bother trying to get it in Xinjiang.

Xinjiang is a special place and it is unique with vast mountain ranges with peaks in the 7000mtr(many haven't been summited) range and two of the largest deserts in the world with at least 13 ethnic minorities groups the culture and food you won't find anywhere else in China it's well worth a visit but.Attachment 19339