Fake plates as replacements

Virtually all of the CJ750s you see tooling around Shanghai these days are using Hubei plates (鄂), as Hubei is about the only province that still will plate them. (Is Hubei where the CJ was originally manufactured? Is this "grandfather treatment"?)

I just heard today that Shanghai has not yet ruled on whether the Jialing JH600B, the sidecar version of the JH600, can be legally plated here. So the seven or eight JH600Bs that have been purchased by Shanghai residents in the past year or so have all gone for plates from nearby cities in Zhejiang or Jiangsu. I'm not sure if MCM member Nostalgie is among these, or if he has Shanghai plates. What's interesting is that Shanghai has simply yet to issue a decision about the Jialing sidecar; it's not yet prohibited, yet neither is it approved, so it's in limbo -- but this means it's at least temporarily unplatable.

Steve, for what your Liaoning buddies are considering, it's probably best that they just keep their Liaoning 辽B plates, which, if legal, would be far, far preferable to any kind of fake plate, for the reasons Felix stated. If legal 鄂-plated CJs can tool around Shanghai without too much much hassle, it stands to reason that legal 辽-plated bikes will be tolerated too, especially if the riders are, ahem, ignorant foreigners. I'd suggest they not even consider garaging them in Shanghai's downtown.

cheers

Alright well I've suggested they keep their Dalian plates on the bikes when they arrive, but they are still adamant on tooling around downtown in the sidecars. I suppose we'll see what happens after a week or two of the school year underway but chances are the sidecars will make a home in the garage, or else they'll be taken out on weekends. My guess is the latter, despite one guy being adamant that he wnats to use it as a commuting tool.

I'm still trying to come to grips on why these sidecars are so popular with foreigners, especially when they get stuck in traffic and there are all the maintenance issues. But it's driving around a piece of history, and they love their sidecars, so if they want to drive in Shanghai, they'll figure out how things work soon enough

Re the JH600B - the same in Beijing (in limbo). Mine is legally plated in Hebei. I've heard a rumor (TIC - the land of rumors) that the reason is because of the messy situation with the 3-wheeled vehicles, intended as handicapped transportation, operating as illegal taxis. Something about the JH600B setting precedence for 3-wheeled vehicles getting plate approval. The only difference between the JH600 and the JH600B is the transmission gearing (the JH600B has 4 forward gears and 1 reverse) - everything else about the power train is the same, so it can't be an emissions thing (the JH600 is approved for plating). Or maybe 3-wheels have a higher emissions standard? I've heard that 4 wheels (cars) have to meet higher standards than motorcycles.

@ Steve re CJ popularity - there is a definite "cool" factor with the Indiana Jones CJs. But you are correct re "stuck in traffic" & "reliability". Outside the city, they are great fun (if you take spare parts and travel in packs). The rumor re plates on the CJs in Beijing is that it is better to use the genuine, expired plate (with books), than a fake plate.

I reckon your buddies will soon find out that a CJ is not an ideal commuting tool in a city like shanghai. I used to ride mine to work everyday in suzhou, it was a 10km ride with very little traffic. Here i wouldn't dream of it, even if i had plates. I did ride it to work once just to see, it took me 25mins whereas it only takes less than 10 on the ebike. Then again it depends where in shanghai they'll be and what their commute will be...

We're all working right downtown and they had planned on commuting with their CJs in the downtown area ... not the best idea I would think. Nonetheless, the idea of weekend rides to go tootling in the countryside sounds mighty appealing!

I was out for a weekend ride just recently, and found a seriers of CJ riders out for a spin on the backroad that parallels a long river out towards Zhejiang province. Given how small a world it is around here, it may have even been a MCM member!