That bike and that babe are making me want to reevaluate my life.
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That bike and that babe are making me want to reevaluate my life.
see you guys on the road.Quote:
Originally Posted by felix
my 250tr no license no plate no helmet
Was what was said Felix, once again someone jumping in and saying they are going to disregard Chinese law and culture and go on the road, no helmet, no plates, no license.
I take moderation seriously because the members don't just consist of a 'happy go lucky' like you and a DGAF like me. I get emails and PM's from people and I listen to them, and this matter of young idiots thinking it is cool to flaunt illegality across these forum pages, showing off their disregard and ill-manners is one of the subjects most often raised. People are concerned the forum will end up being censored and rightly so.
You are not in USA or Europe at present and did you ever try riding unlicensed and unhelmeted there for a while? The forum has a number of members who don't post much but do benefit and enjoy. Others lurk and some are in touch outside of the forum too. So if we want to keep this forum going for all the members worldwide who get helpful information and even friendship we have to show some balance in this, responsibility. Publicly. I also spoke to bbc quietly by PM upon his arrival here, explaining all this and welcoming him and his sense of humour, that was the responsible thing to do.
Personally I don't give a flying fuck about licenses, don't even have one myself. I also regard it as an individual's choice. BUT a forum is NOT an individual, however 'cool' they think they are. I know the forum got by very well without me as a mod. But me or anyone, it needs a bit here and there. You want the job just say and you can have it.
Sorry Jape i didn't mean to offend, you're doing a good job moderating this place and I think we all appreciate the amount of work you put into it. I just wrote that because i've noticed that lately there's been a fair bit of bashing of new members who just write a few lines as their first post. Some of them are annoying yes, asking the same questions over and over again and then disappearing, but bbc just wanted to share a pic of his bike.
I hadn't said anything about the helmet issue but i will now. I think it's foolish not to wear one, i don't condone not wearing one, and i don't think it's cool to brag about it. That, however, doesn't make me his mum. Let's face it, about 50% of people on bikes in china don't wear a helmet. That doesn't make them clever, but it's their choice no? I tried to convince friends to wear one and in the end i just feel like their nanny.
Actually i have an honest question for you, no narky undertones intended: Should legal riders be the only ones to have a voice on this forum? We know that a massive percentage of bikers in china, be they chinese or foreign, either don't have plates or driving license or insurance or anything. We certainly don't condone or recommend that on MCM, but do we tolerate it? I would have thought that we do, to each his own and all that, but from your message above it would seem we don't want anything like that on our pages. So, what's our policy?
Good question raised.
I'm a newbie myself but i think MCM would loose much of it's appeal if it were to outcast unlicensed riders. When i found this site i was riding around Shanghai on an unplated scooter without a license, but after joining in discussions and making friends here i was inspired to to do things properly and become road legal. That's the beauty of MCM, people are more than willing to advise and share opinions.
The contrast of opinions and different schools of thought on here are the very reason why i keep coming back. People need to be warned about the risks involved of riding in China illegally, but after that they make their own decisions for better or worse. If MCM was to outlaw illegal riders then discussions would become linear and newbies wouldn't get the chance to learn from the more experienced riders.
Look Felix, I never think you are narky, and even on bad days I don't object to any sort of questioning of me or my opinions. I think that stating I don't have a license in Aus myself makes that clear. I am one of the last outlaws in my own mind, but that doesn't make me a hero even in my own dreams! Just deluded probably. I have tried to be less anti-social with some success and part of that is keeping an eye on things here. Maybe a bit too much, CC never seemed to care but in fact I don't know his views other than that he thinks I (too?) am crazy.
There is no policy. Probably never will be or should be.
I just tried to explain above, maybe badly, that it is just ME reacting as a forum observer, present daily because I am stuck in doors most of the time, not to my personal viewpoint but to a genuine fear I have had raised by other members. The fear that Nanna watches us in one way or another and is quite tolerant but would or could quickly stamp on us if we were too anti-social as a group. Unharmonious even, in talking of ways to just circumvent laws and regulations. As I always say, express your opinion, even if it is one that is rebellious or whatever - but if no-one else says anything, i just try and BALANCE that opinion or expression with the opposite, ie pointing out it is illegal and 'we' don't condone it. I do that publicly as a member in the threads and with explanation - and I usually go out of my way to have quiet contact about it by PM as well.
My own view is also that it has nothing to do with what ethnic Chinese do whatsoever, and that although I may misunderstand some of the nuances I am trying to be aware of how we all, as a group , present ourselves as foreigners to any outside observers judging us! Pretty arrogant most of the time. Me too, I am self-aware and self-critical.
There would never be any reason why MCM would outlaw any 'illegals' and I am surprised that has even been raised. If your perception is that is what is happening then you are very wrong. I would be first to leave if that happened. So debates like this are important. If you think my being the one to take it upon himself to always point out that discussion of such illegality is a negative thing for the forum, leads to that perception then I shall simply stop.
I have also tried to be sensitive to such things as unconscious or otherwise ethnic slurs. That is all. I don't care about insults or dissing or ribbing or whatever, do it myself. And again, watching for that is a role I have taken upon myself carefully as possible, to point it out when it occurs. Always publicly. I am never scared to stand up for peer review.
So keep this debate open and keep it going. Say what you think openly here and we can come to conclusions. bbc will have to put up with it for now and it can always be moved or deleted later by ChinaV or CC!
If the forum became too critical or seemed too much to offer ways to circumvent the law as arrogant foreigners, then it would be filtered or censored. Then MCM would only be available outside of China for a few blokes with chinabikes. I try and act with that in mind. It is not paranoia or fear in my mind, it is respectful! You can understand that or not, it is how I operate.
So, for me moderation means also that I try and say g'day to all new members especially when no-one else has bothered, to keep them interested and to offer them an answer of some sort. And to ask them to remember TIC. If I have go it all wrong and it isn't, it is part of USA, then I shall bugger off.
Just like Dewsnap, I also wasn't streetlegal at all before I came here. I've managed to get my Chinese driving license last december but are still driving my unplated scooter (not proud of it). However I'm in the process of trying to get a legal bike with registration. But then TIC comes in, I don't have +180 days left on my visa. Trying to put it in my gf's name the next TIC, my girlfriend tries to get her residence permit since she is not local BJ'er. So now for almost a week already she didn't manage to get it yet, due to the landlord of our apartment not doing some kind of registration for the apartment. I haven't given up yet, but all this is one of the reasons why people don't even bother to get legal!
Guys, please try your hardest to get legal. I know how easy it is to get away without being plated/licensed/insured, but I just really don't want to hear about anyone's shit getting ruined if anything like this happens:
Attachment 3373
Please ride safely and smartly. :riding::riding::riding:
I am very sorry about my post by saying NO LICENSE NO PLATE NO HELMET
First of all, I might be an idiot not wearing helmet but definitely not young.
My first new bike was a NC13 Honda VF400F , the very early V4 engine
If you know that, you might have an idea how old am I.
I like my 250TR, riding around in the french concession was fun.
A 250cc single cylinder with both oversized wheels, how fast can it be.
I think every rider in China knows this kind of black market imported bike is not easy to get it register legally.
I replied Jape an e mail and thank him to remind me wearing a helmet is wise.
Yes Sir. I will.
Also I will be very humble if i post again.
Mind my poor English, I bet you all smart enough to understand me.
Yeah we are smart enough to mind your poor English which is yet another jest on your part. Old, doesn't mean wise obviously. You are not that humble so don't bother pretending and if you post again or not is just a statistic except for you and any friends you may make. It is real but just a forum. Nothing on here is that serious other than what we teach others and if we teach to their detriment it is our responsibility.