Motorbike in Shanghai & getting legal

Hi all! I recently bought a Vespa Replica Petrol bike and looking to get as legal as possible for driving round Shanghai… does anyone know if it’s possible to get legal plates for this bike? I asked shop keeper but he told me not possible… Problem now is they won’t let me buy petrol without plates, any ideas how to get round this? I’m also looking to get a motorbike driving license in case I get stopped by the cops, does anyone know if I can do this on a L (visit family) visa? The visa is from my wife’s hometown Jiangsu though we’re both living in Shanghai, can I pay someone to get the license for me or do I need to do a test? I have foreign car driving license, but no motorbike license.

Thanks a lot for any help.

Dear Jalgo,

Welcome to MCM, and to Shanghai if you are a newcomer. All the info you are looking can be found in this forum. Have a look around, and then follow up with questions if what you need isn't answered.

cheers

Hello,

Great that Shanghai authorities are enforcing rules to get the noisy, unlicensed, stupid looking tuned scooters of the streets.

Quite a few Shanghai petrol stations displaying signs now refusing petrol to unlicensed bikes, will teach some stupid moron laowei a lesson or two about riding without proper rego and driving license!

Ride safe! PAL

Dear Pal,

Sorry, but I fail to understand your venom in replying to a new member's very first post. To my eye, Jalgo's asking precisely how to become a legal, law-abiding motorcyclist in Shanghai. Did your mum beat you as a child?

cheers

Mixed feelings about Pal's post there. On the one hand i get annoyed at foreigners who come here and think they are untouchable and can get away with whatever they want. (not talking about you Jalgo, the fact that you bothered finding this forum and posting on it means you are trying harder than most) On the other hand, the laws about biking in china are so f@#$ing retarded that i do feel sympathetic for those that don't respect them. Most people can't afford to legally ride a bike in shanghai, myself included, that's why i have an ebike. I don't see why Pal has to be so aggressive about it, where did that come from?

Jalgo, short answers to questions: L visa = no license, you need a Z visa and working permit. However, where in jiangsu is your visa from? If it's suzhou i might know someone who can help, but if he can it'll be expensive. For the plate, first you need to know if that model is legally registerable in china. If it is, then shanghai plates will cost around 44000 RMB. For the long answer, use the search button!

Quote:

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Originally Posted by felix

Most people can't afford to legally ride a bike in shanghai, myself included, that's why i have an ebike.

---

Nihao,

Can't afford a legal regoed MC, a bicycle, also known as a bike, pushbike or cycle, a pedal-driven, human- powered, single-track vehicle, having two wheels attached to a frame... might help!

Ride safe! PAL

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Pal

Nihao,

Can't afford a legal regoed MC, a bicycle, also known as a bike, pushbike or cycle, a pedal-driven, human- powered, single-track vehicle, having two wheels attached to a frame... might help!

Ride safe! PAL

---

What a nice guy.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by euphonius

Dear Pal,

Sorry, but I fail to understand your venom in replying to a new member's very first post. To my eye, Jalgo's asking precisely how to become a legal, law-abiding motorcyclist in Shanghai. Did your mum beat you as a child?

cheers

---

I agree! Pal is behaving inappropriately. We don't need that nonsense here.

And, as Felix noted above, the rules in China for doing things legally are difficult to find and frequently confusing.

Jalgo, you are very welcome to seek help here. I have personally found tons of useful information from the considerably more knowledgeable riders than myself. And 99% of the people here are unselfishly helpful, 99% of the time.

I'm a Beijinger, so I don't really know much about Shanghai (except it is an expensive city, full of pretty girls!). Beijingers are witnessing similar actions in Beijing these days (no gas for unplated bikes, etc), so there is a rush to get legal plates/bikes.

Yes, a legal bike is expensive - it is the price of admission. But it sure is fun once you're in!

Welcome Jalgo!

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Lao Jia Hou

I'm a Beijinger, so I don't really know much about Shanghai (except it is an expensive city, full of pretty girls!).

---

Sorry folks, correction ... it should've been ...

Shanghai is a pretty city, full of expensive girls.

Probably more accurate?

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Lao Jia Hou

Sorry folks, correction ... it should've been ...

Shanghai is a pretty city, full of expensive girls.

Probably more accurate?

---

Shanghai is a city, full of pretty expensive girls.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by euphonius

Dear Pal,

Sorry, but I fail to understand your venom in replying to a new member's very first post. To my eye, Jalgo's asking precisely how to become a legal, law-abiding motorcyclist in Shanghai. Did your mum beat you as a child?

cheers

---

Looked like sarcasm to me.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by felix

Jalgo, short answers to questions: L visa = no license, you need a Z visa and working permit. However, where in jiangsu is your visa from? If it's suzhou i might know someone who can help, but if he can it'll be expensive. For the plate, first you need to know if that model is legally registerable in china. If it is, then shanghai plates will cost around 44000 RMB. For the long answer, use the search button!

---

Not exactly sure about Shanghai, however most other parts of middle earth, including Beijing. Government relaxed policy in 2006. Pre 2006 you needed a Z visa and work permit to get a license. Post 2006 you need a visa with 90 days left before expiry, any visa. You can get a foreign drivers license transferred thru an agency such as FESCO. I found this was very difficult, seems easier to get a drivers license the same way as Chinese Nationals do. Find out where in your area you can take a driving course for motorcycle. Find out what process you must go thru and get your license. Recently someone in Beijing was kind and posted the Beijing process on thebeijinger.com. Cheers.

Hello guys....

I am just got my first bike ( Yamaha TZM 150 - in shi**y condtion ), but with the help of one of the great members here, it will be running on the street soon...

But i am so Fu***ng afriad of the police...
I do not have driving license and my bike has fake shanghai plate... ( i also have Zhejiang palte - but i think it not valid any more - attached )

so i want to make things better
Is it correct that my plate is expired.... How can i renew it???
If i got my driving licesne, how bad it could happen coz of the Zhejiang plate ( after i renew it if expired )

Thats would be all

Note: i did search in the fourm about what i asked for, but i did not really find the correct topic...

Cheers
Hany

Attachment 5064

Dear Hany,

Hate to break the news to you, but that registration card you posted says that your "mandatory scrapping deadline" passed on 22 February 2011. Whether the card is legal or fake, I'm assuming a cop would have every right to send the bike to the impound yard for recycling.

What year is the bike? Surely it can't be 11 years old?

cheers

Dear Euphonius

I did not really got it,.... are you saying that. Can not ride this bike in china, coz its 1998 model???

And if by any chance I got quoted by the police they can take it for recycling!!!!!

Oh crap..... is there is any thing can be done, to avoid this?????

Not sure what advice to give you. I suppose that fake plates are better than no plates, but they offer you no protection if indeed you are stopped by police. Is it possible to get this bike legal? Probably, but it won't be easy to do in Shanghai. There are people in Shanghai who may be able to make your bike legal in places like Huzhou, Zhejiang, though I doubt whether it would be in your name. With legal Zhejiang or other waidi plates, you could ride in suburban Shanghai with little problem, and even into central Shanghai without fear of confiscation, though you'd be eligible for 200 rmb fines if stopped inside the Inner Ring (Zhongshan Lu). I have no idea how to get a Huzhou or other Zhejiang plate, but I know people who know people who do know how. PM me if you'd like more guidance.

cheers

I had a 125cc scooter that I've been riding around for about a year. Fake plates, no license. Never been hassled.

Yesterday at about 2pm i rode right into it. Zhongshan Lu and Caoxi lu checkpoint (near IKEA). I was careless. Stopped, confiscated the bike and said I could get it back if I pay a 500 RMB fine. It was a beat up bike and not too reliable anyway, so I'm not even going to bother.

I feel like they still don't care too much, just don't ride into the checkpoints. I'd like to go legal though, just to avoid the hassle. Do you need a license to ride a LPG bike?

Thanks alot for sharing....

i also have related question to the LPG... i see many gas scooter using this LPG with number as a plate... but i do not know what in H**L they use it for..

so the question here: can i use this LPG plate as a licesnse plate?? of course not for my big bike.... but for normal 125~150CC scooter!!!!

Regards
HanY

Similar question here...

http://www.mychinamoto.com/forums/sh...er-in-Shanghai


"can i use this LPG plate as a licesnse plate?? of course not for my big bike.... but for normal 125~150CC scooter!!!!"

I've met an ABC guy doing something alike, he converted his LPG to regular gas, told me he just don't pull on the throttle near the coppers so they don't hear it's gas powered...

Better than what u suggested because a control would show authentic LPG vehicle registration...

There has been LPG ban rumors.

Some senior member will come and tell u what.


Now, is there any smaller category of licence allowing circulation with <50cc engine?

There was, dunno about now.

See this document:

http://www.computersolutions.cn/blog...838ce99da2.jpg

I dunno which one it is, but seeing the prices differences, u might want to go for the E licence anyways...

Find a good "How to get the licence?" guide at the bottom of my post.





To agong029:

Shanghai is in the middle of the latest "punch" operation to filter out as many illegal vehicles as they can.

They do this every few months, and then it relaxes. But this one lasts longer it seems.

Good friend of mine lost his scooter the same way as u did, couple weeks ago, as I also know how it feels; sincerely sorry for u.

Now, I feel like u've been lucky; he's been told:

Penalty for no plate: 700RMB (only if u want it back... Must present valid E/D driving licence too)

Penalty for fake plate: from nothing to 2 weeks in jail + deportation if they feel like it (probably depending on: do u have valid license/resist arrest/cause accident/drunk drive/etc...), unsure if u can get the thing back, but it seems u can as they offered u 500 RMB for it...

Times are tough.

Anyways, u're better off without plates than with fake ones.

Ur Laowai status offers some "DingBuDong" protection plan, but it's not as workable as a few years ago, when some cop will let u go, some will give u all the trouble he possibly can...

My friend was putting them on before to go get gas, then removing them...

Dodgy again as some coppers have been reported to wait in the dark near gas stations...

Yea...





How to get a licence guide:

http://www.computersolutions.cn/blog...-from-scratch/

If u're lucky and have a foreign moto licence (any cc will do as it's all the same for CH gov), u won't need to pass the practical test (where u drive the bike), the theoretical test will do in addition to going translate ur foreign licence at an official translation office and passing a physical examination. It is a bit time consuming. It is totally worth the effort though.

Here u can download the questions u'll be asked:

http://www.shjtaq.com/wsbs/more.asp

Click on this:

道路交通安全法律、法规和相关知识考试－－英语版

That's the english version, click it wherever u're from cause the French & Spanish version were showing different answers to the same questions, while the English was the one making most sense, then they'll ask u in what language u wanna pass the test, say ENGLISH.

Takes about 2 weeks between making test appointment and actual test.

Yea, there are more than 1000 questions, a computer will select 100 randomly out of it, and good luck with those.

Read it thoroughly twice it should suffice.






U know as much as me now,

Let a senior member confirm about eventual LPG ban, then u'll know more...

Peace.

braillce, thanks for the info.

Yes, it seems that they're really out to get gas bikes these days. I just saw a new checkpoint right at the intersection of hengshan rd and wanping rd, where xujiahui park is, so avoid that spot. I've seen other bikes being taken in passing too. Way more than in the past few months. The cop said my plate was fake, but didn't seem too interested or bother to check. He just wanted to get my bike off the road and said plainly enough that I can get it back the next day if I pay the fine. I suppose I was fortunate?

It seems like a hassle to get a license, because if I wanted to be fully legal, I'd still need legit plates, which I understand cost a fortune. I wouldn't mind an LPG bike if I don't need a license and I can figure out where to fuel up. Any answers? But yeah, I wouldn't be surprised if LPG's are banned soon to

Anyway, for those interested, I pulled this address off the mudflap of an LPG bike i was walking past. 647 QuXi Road in luwan. (瞿溪路647号). I'll go check it out if I can figure out the answers to my questions above. I'm really hoping to not have to go back to electric.

Yea, Zhongshan Pk, Xujiahue and PPle Square => red flag zones.

Was u fortunate? Maybe u played it right, cops do appreciate humble & respectful behavior.

Also, if u drove Gas scooters, LPG may let u a bit dissatisfied, u should try b4 to buy... A good electric bike goes faster than most LPG...



Regarding the "hassle" of getting the licence, it's really not that hard, and going through it all is only more rewarding.



Regarding the plates price:

U can always sell a plate, prices climb all the time, so that money is never lost...

I paid 44K for a yellow 沪A plate 1 year ago. Today, at the same shop, they ask 50K for it.

Half my 13K bike is paid already, next year, at this rate, my bike will have cost me ZERO RMB...

Yellow 沪C is 7.5K today... This allows one to ride a Gas scoot/moto anywhere with no higher risk than a 200RMB fine in the 沪A-only-zone... Last year 沪C was 7000 RMB.


Whatever u choose, don't go illegal, those days are over, u've learned that.


-----------------------------------------------

647 QuXi Road in luwan. 瞿溪路647号



Since it's near my place, in the old town, I went there yesterday, it was still open at 20:30...

The guy does sell LPG scooters, he asked 5000 RMB for his cheapest scooter AND the legit plate that goes with it (didn't take a pic, nor check the km count but u see those everywhere everyday, seemed ok...).

My poor Chinese skills still allowed me to ask him a few questions.

1) It seems they're all 60cc (at his shop at least).

2) It seems one does not need a licence to register & drive one of those (sorry I couldn't clearly confirm, but I showed him mine (moto E) and he said "no need"...).

3) One clearly needs a Shanghai Hukou to register the red book (plate ownership) on his own name, as they won't let u register it on a foreign name. I'm not even sure the Alien Working Permit would suffice for this one, but it might, as the owner sure never had the occasion to try...


If u go there, unless ur Chinese is perfect, u better bring a Local friend to get a better grasp of all the details.


The owner was very patient and friendly.


Euphonius shared a detailed guide as how to get ur hands on the mysterious SH Hukou card (1st page):

http://www.mychinamoto.com/forums/sh...ukou#post14510


Voila.

He only had a couple scoots in store, but they seemed fine, and he may have more somewhere else...



If u get more details please share 'em.

Peace.

Braillce,

Thanks for checking it out. Very helpful. At 5000RMB, I can probably get a modified electric bike that performs better. Charging is a pain in the butt, but I won't have to deal with license, finding fuel, etc. I think I'm heading in that direction.

Thanks again.

U're welcome.

Yea, I'm sure u can find a monster electric bike for 5K.

Peace.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by braillce

My poor Chinese skills still allowed me to ask him a few questions.

1) It seems they're all 60cc (at his shop at least).

2) It seems one does not need a licence to register & drive one of those (sorry I couldn't clearly confirm, but I showed him mine (moto E) and he said "no need"...).

3) One clearly needs a Shanghai Hukou to register the red book (plate ownership) on his own name, as they won't let u register it on a foreign name. I'm not even sure the Alien Working Permit would suffice for this one, but it might, as the owner sure never had the occasion to try...


If u go there, unless ur Chinese is perfect, u better bring a Local friend to get a better grasp of all the details.


The owner was very patient and friendly.


Euphonius shared a detailed guide as how to get ur hands on the mysterious SH Hukou card (1st page):

http://www.mychinamoto.com/forums/sh...ukou#post14510

---

For motorcycles registered fully in our own Chinese name, I and others didn't need the SH Hukou card thingy... So I guess it's not necessary for scooters either.

The Honda shop on Zhongshan lu/Wuyi lu did all the procedures for me, with only the passport and temporary residence form (white A4 paper when you register to the police station) which has my chinese name on it, and voila...
All the documents (plates, bike ownership, insurance, etc.) are with my name on it.

FYI, this Honda shop has scooter too, and can provide scoots from other brands too (they are providing my Yamaha YBR 250).

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Fred

For motorcycles registered fully in our own Chinese name, I and others didn't need the SH Hukou card thingy... So I guess it's not necessary for scooters either...

---

My Chinese sucks, but the guy really insisted that u need Shanghai Hukou to register a LPG plate.

U didn't need it nor ur Alien Employment Permit to register ur plate, but u did need it for getting ur licence didn't u?

As the LPG seems not to require any licence, it somehow would make sense that u need some more serious kind of identification document than just a piece of paper to register a LPG plate.

Dunno if that was clear...



Another thing:

Here's another shop where they were having & fixing half a dozen YBR, on Yuyao Rd / Taizhou Rd (JingAn), if one day u need some parts or a specialized YBR mechanic...



Last thing:

I pass the Zhongshan/Wuyi X-way twice a day, never saw a Honda shop...

Can u detail where it is?



Peace.

Braillce (ou bien Brice ?) ;-),

It's a valid question, but no, I didn't need a SH hukou for the driving license at all, I never had any document like that, even now.
For the driving license, I showed my passport, residence permit, work permit and the police temporary residence form. My Chinese name is on the work permit and the temporary residence form, and it was enough to register everything with my Chinese name.

So that's why I'm doubting that you'd need one for a LPG scooter.

About the Honda store on Zhongshan lu / Wuyi lu, I'm not surprised you didn't spot it, as it's quite small and narrow. It's on the Zhongshan lu on the right side when you go south towards Tianshan lu or Yan'an lu. It's just before crossing Wuyi lu, where you have the "Chinese style houses" which were tea markets before.

If you go there to buy something, tell the laoban that you're a friend of Fei Fan (my Chinese name), he may (or may not) give you a small discount if you buy something. The plus side is that now they're used to do the procedures for a laowai there...

Cheers,

Fred

C'est bien Brice.

Yea u did need Alien Employment Permit to get the licence, that's what I meant.

I think the work permit works just like the SH hukou when getting licence, u don't need one if u have the other one...

I'll dig some more into the LPG question I think.


Found the shop, cheers.

Interesting, but quite small indeed, and nothing bigger than 125cc.

Seemed like the prices are a bit boosted, maybe cause of the location?

He wanted 53K for a 沪A plate, and 8K for a 沪C, while I was told 50K and 7.5K respectively at Pubei's rd SUZUKI shop...

Even if being a FeiFan friend could get me a discount (cheers 4 that), I don't need a new bike yet.

Almost did though.

My DD250G was sent down by a Buick while lane splitting on fuxing this morning, :( , scary.

My knee got squeezed between the handlebar and the tank, so when she reached the ground my knee was forced inside the tank.

Nothing broken but that hurts like *&^%. Tank is ruined...


Ride safe everyone, u can't always avoid it when some Buick decides to throw u down.

There is some misleading information in this thread that needs to be cleared up.

First, there are two separate requirements on the path to riding legally: 1) registration of a bike, which means getting plates and making the bike legal to drive on city streets and 2) licensing of the rider, which makes it legal for the rider to ride a legal bike. These are completely independent of each other. Needless to say, if you are only riding others' bikes, all you need is a license.

Second, the biggest hurdle to a foreigner registering a motorcycle is that China's Vehicle Management Bureaus do not accept names in English or even in pinyin; they must be in Chinese characters. If you carry a non-Chinese passport, and your visas and other documents all use your foreign (non-Chinese) name, you must establish not only a Chinese name to use but also link that name legally to your foreign name and foreign passport number. There are only a few documents that do this. One is the Shanghai Residence Card aka 上海市居住证 aka "B Zheng" (B证) that I wrote about and pictured in my Getting Legal in Shanghai. Another is your Alien Employment Permit aka work permit. As for the Temporary Residence Registration Document that you get from your local police station (派出所), this sometimes includes your "Chinese name" in Chinese characters, but typically ONLY if you have provided a Work Permit or B Zheng with that name. I do not think you can just say, "Oh, my Chinese name is 张爱国" and they'll key that in. It comes from some other legal document.

At the time I registered my bike (and I was one of the first foreigners to register in my own name in Shanghai), the Vehicle Management Bureau refused to accept my work permit but they did accept my B Zheng. I don't think they even referenced the Temporary Residence Registration Document.

Today, it seems that a Work Permit that includes both names is sufficient to establish the legal link between your Chinese and non-Chinese names so that the Chinese that's entered into the vehicle registry links to you and your foreign name and passport number.

Finally, there is no such thing as a Shanghai "hukou" for foreigners. I might have joked that the B Zheng was my Shanghai hukou, but it is issued only for one year at a time, and its validity matches that of your current Residence Permit, which is the typically one-year visa that is pasted into your passport. Unless you've made major investments or proven your love of the party and been issued a Chinese "green card" with a duration of five or even ten years, you do not have anything that resembles "hukou". The B Zheng now has almost no real usefulness unless you are determined to live out your days in China and are entered into the Shanghai/national "five fund" insurance schemes, which include insurance funds for health, unemployment, pension/retirement, purchase of a home and one other thing that I forget.

More than you ever wanted to know, but I hate when people read this forum and get misinformed.

cheers!

Hey guys. Two questions. The first I think is rhetorical.

I've been driving around the city more recently and since the police officer kindly directed me to the signs forbidding motorcycles I've begun to feel that we can't drive hardly anywhere... so why get a 沪a?

My other question is has anyone taken the driving test recently in hongqiao? Can you remind me what days you have to attend? Is it like mondays wednsdays or tuesdays thursdays I cant remmeber but I need to know before I go there next time...cant be arsed explainging why

1) cause I bought mine 44K 1year ago, while today, at the same shop they ask for 50K, so that's 6000 good reasons to buy one, hopefully more next year. Also the peace of mind of being 100% legal is appreciable.


2) U can try ur luck on those vintage January 2009 numbers if that is the "Hongqiao" place u were talking about:
Shanghai Drivers License Building: Gate 3, 179 Qing Chun Road , Xin Zhuang (Near Chun Shen Road / Hu Min Road ). The tel. no. is 021-64987070 x 54280 or 54279

If this ain't the place u're looking to get info about; there still is "Shanghai call service":
962288, their English service is quite good and they can answer anything.

If all else fails; check this website (with a Chinese friend):
http://www.shjtaq.com/main/