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My wife found someone selling a legal Jilin QM200GY-B with a B-plate, which made me wonder, assuming I solve my licensing issues, I am going to need an A-plated bike since I'm living inside the 2nd ring, right? :eek2:
If you're caught with a B-plate inside the 4th ring, is the bike confiscated, or do you get fined or something?
Inside the 2nd ring? Impossible! Only pol*tburo members live inside the second ring! What, are you at the Academy of Social Sciences?
Actually, there are a lot of secondary roads in and out of the city, and I doubt they'd confiscate a legally plated bike if you got stopped. Yes, you might get a fine. Or maybe not. If you are in Chaoyang District, you can follow Guanghua Lu out of the CBD, or Guangqu Lu. Both parallel Chang'an Jie.
Springtime on a bike in Beijing. Life could be a lot worse.
Not a lot of reason to go south. But north, northwest, northeast, west or east are all good bets.
cheers
Yeah, we are just inside the 2nd in Dongcheng, and yeah, my wife is at CASS. Judging by our neighbors, and the look of our apartment buildings exterior though, I'm pretty sure not everyone around here is 'special'. :)
Ugh, I've got to find some way to get a > 90 day visa without quitting my day job.
Nobody is particularly special at CASS, but one scholar there -- probably the leading Japan specialist in China -- just got sent up the river for 12 years for disclosing the st*te s*cr*t that the diminutive leader of the D_P_R_K had had a stroke. All kinds of creepy sh* happens at CASS, so watch your back, and guard your laptop. I'm not making this up.
cheers
Someone suggested I weight my laptop before I leave the US and after I return... that seemed a bit paranoid. I'll let my wife know though.
My previous apartment was just inside 2nd ring, nothing special about that!
As for the B-plate, you will probably get fined if they catch you. I don't think anyone confirmed that it will cost you 3 points on your driving license in BJ for driving a B-plate downtown (like in Shanghai) right? I've heard/read before you might not be able to register a B-plated bike on your (wife's) name if your address is inside the 4th ring, can anyone confirm this?
If you are buying a used bike that already has its plate, do you need to re-register it? I was under the impression once it had a plate, all that was needed was the annual inspections. Maybe I'm mistaken.
My understanding ...
If your temporary residence registration is inside the 4th ring road, you must have an "A" plate, IF it is registered in your name. That is, you cannot get a "B" plate registration unless you chose to register it in someone else's name (who has an outside 4th ring road residence). So, some people have their bike registered by the dealer in a company's name, outside the fourth ring road (if costs about 300 rmb for this service). The "B" plate is under 1,000 rmb, whereas the "A" plate is around 15,000 rmb (and apparently continuing to climb).
You must have a visa for more than 6 months to register a bike in your name, regardless of whether it is A or B.
If you have a legal "B" plate and you ride inside the 4th ring road, you will be fined (I don't think there are any points, but I am not sure), but your legal bike will not be confiscated. A very very weird rule is that if you are fined, you can pay on the spot, and the policeman will give you a receipt and advise you to keep your receipt ... because if you are stopped again during that same day, just show the receipt and you will avoid a second fine. Don't ask me how I know about this. TIC.
If you ride around the core within the 2nd ring road, and especially anywhere near Tiananmen or Chang'An Jie, you WILL be stopped and fined. A nasty policeman may seize your bike and have it taken up to the impound lot (in a far away land), which will result in substantial rmb to have it released.
If you buy a legal bike that currently has a "B" plate, but you live inside the 4th ring road, it is possible to have it changed to an "A" (you still have to pay the premium for an "A" plate), but it is a complicated procedure and you'd be well-advised to use an agent.
By the way, rumor has it that the 4th ring road rule will be changed to the 5th ring road ... but it is just a rumor.
Now, another weird thing about registrations is that it doesn't really matter in whose name the bike is registered. Unlike the West, where your DL number might be included on the registration and insurance documents, such is not the case here. If you are riding around on Mr. Zhang's "B" plated bike, that has insurance, and you have a Driving License, you are fine. The bike does not have to be in your name. Therefore, many of the "B" plated bikes are in some company's name, with a head office outside the 4th ring road, but you have possession of the bike. When you sell the bike, you just give the bike to the other person - it stays in the company name. This is why "B" plated bike owners never leave the registration documents on the bike - if the bike is stolen with papers, you are definitely S.O.L., but if the thief does not have the papers, you have a claim.
Cheers
Dear Lao Jia Huo,
Thanks for what sounds like an authoritative analysis of plating in Beijing -- authoritative until it changes, that is.
Another question: Where can I ride my 沪A plate in Beijing? Am a considered completely unwelcome, or will my plate be considered equivalent to a 京A plate? I wasn't stopped at all when I rode in town last summer, though I didn't go blazing down Chang'an Jie or through T-Square...
cheers
Good question, and a hot topic in Beijing right now because of the passenger vehicle plate lottery system. There are lots of cars from other provinces appearing in Beijing now, so questions about non-Beijing plates is often being discussed.Quote:
Originally Posted by euphonius
Although bikes are not involved in the plate lottery system, they are affected by the out-of-Beijing rules, or so it seems. Nobody really knows, for sure, including several senior Traffic Management Police people I've asked. Motorcycles are like annoying mosquitoes to them, so when I show up at the counter and start asking questions ... well, I am sure they wish they had a fly swatter.
In theory, a "foreign" bike should acquire one of the "entry permits" that foreign passenger cars need. These permits are acquired on the expressways coming into town, and are valid for various periods of time. I think the maximum is 90 days. You have to pay money for them.
However, I can only imagine what would happen if you showed up, on the expressway (if you somehow got on it), on a motorcycle, and asked for a permit. I suspect nobody would have a clue how to handle it ... therefore, they'd insist it was impossible and foreign bikes were not allowed. In otherwords, keep the mosquitoes out of Beijing.
The new plate restrictions says foreign plated vehicles can't be operated during rush hours (0700-0900 and 1600-1900) within the 5th ring road. But I have no idea if it applies to motorcycles and it seems nobody else knows either.
There are lots of Hebei and Jiangsu plated bikes in Beijing, most of which are illegal plates, but some of which are actually legal (e.g., my JH600B has a legal Hebei plate - necessary because the 600B isn't an approved bike inside Beijing). But, frankly, I think the typical policeman would look at the "foreign bike" and not know what to do (or think it was too much trouble) ... and then seeing a foreigner riding it would just cause him to look the other way. Foreign bike? Foreign rider? "No way, I am not paid enough for the hassle."
You're right ... stay away from T-Square and Chang'An, and life will be fine.
Looking forward to your return & another ride ... my JH600 is getting the laser exhaust mounted, alongside the hand protectors ... yup, I keep copying you!
BUT ... new toy ... GPS tracker arrived. We'll see how it works.
You have a laser mounted on your exhaust? Wouldn't you want it facing forward instead??Quote:
Originally Posted by Lao Jia Hou
I Can't Decide whether you just woke up or misread! See Laser exhaust!Quote:
Originally Posted by CantDecide
It was an intentional mis-read! :)Quote:
I Can't Decide whether you just woke up or misread! See Laser exhaust!
For some reason I've had a little laser pointer in my pocket for weeks, a gift from a friend. The kind you use for boardroom presentations, or to blind pilots in California if you are total social reject.
I'll admit, however, that on more than one occasion here in Shanghai I've considered trying CantDecide's "forward-looking hypothetical". Alas, the offending driver would probably swerve right into me. So I stay in my zen state....
cheers
Sorry, not to be redundant, but I am trying to be clear on this. I know riding inside the 4th ring road with my R9 is against the rules, but I live and Wangjing and would like to go every Sunday to the 21st Century Hotel about 1 km inside the 4th ring road in Chaoyang District. Am I reading that this shouldn't be much of a problem or should I forget trying? I have a Jing B plate. Thanks.
@sunnyjdsn I live in xizhimen, just out of 2nd ring and my bike is B plated, sometimes I ride it to work and any time I have to go out of the city for a ride I do all the way to 4th ring on my bike. Nothing happened yet, I saw some police patrols, including policeman on motorbikes but they never seemed to care. So I guess it could be just bad luck if you get cought. Btw, to the others, do you ride your motorbikes on the 2nd ring? I did it a couple of times and I wonder if in my dealers office there are some photos and fines waiting for me.