Re: How can I ride China????
Hello Vrroom, welcome to MCM forums !
Unfortunately, in order to drive or ride in China, you must have a Chinese driving license, as China doesn't recognize the international DL. The problem is that Chinese DL is only available if you get a visa for a long stay in China (at least 6 months). If you always get a visa for several weeks at best, you won't qualify to try to get the DL.
Moreover, even if you get a 6 month visa or more, if you have a US motorcycle DL, you may get the chinese one only with a theory test (no test on bikes), but the whole process is quite long, so once again it's not really practical for short stays...
You can still ride as a pillion, but that would be frustrating I guess ! ;-))
Re: How can I ride China????
I have been looking at all options myself. This is what I have found so far. You can in fact get permission for some short-term registered trips and tour operators. Ask your travel agent and that is not a joke, a good one has this sort of information, it is what they do. But although then legal, they are 'organised', however I was told I could purchase some latitude in that, maybe an extension in time and a personal itinerary! There is always a way and it is best to do it in this sort of manner rather than flout the law of a foreign country, because if nothing else it can become very problematic. At the extreme of incidents you could even be jailed, deported and lose future entry rights.
Otherwise you are forced to be illegal, relying on 'mates' and acquaintances to arrange something. Beyond anything else that has real issues with Insurance and so on, not just for you but anyone or anything you harm or injure.
Re: How can I ride China????
Dear Vrroom,
Welcome to MCM, and interesting puzzle you've posed. This may sound crazy, but if you are working with a company that has a permanent presence in China, you could ask them to sponsor you for a (fictitious) permanent position (i.e., six months or longer) so you could qualify for a residence permit as opposed to a short-term visa. Then you'd have to do more pretending with the police, showing them evidence of a legal residence (like a rental contract). This way you'd establish "resident" status in China, but of course -- like thousands of expat residents -- you could spend a whole lot of your time "on the road" outside of China (back at your real home). Not sure if your employer/company would see any benefit in this, but if you are a frequent visitor it would mean you can enter China as often as you like without fussing with visas except once a year.
This then would allow you to have a Chinese license, and ride legally in China. You could rent bikes here, or, if you are a frequent visitor to, say, Beijing, you could buy a bike there, register it outside the the 4th Ring, and be able to ride it whenever you visit. That does not limit you to Beijing. You roll your bike onto a train and a couple of days later it pitches up in Lanzhou or Urumqi or Chengdu or Kunming or Guiyang or Xining, and you fly in to meet it. If it were me I'd probably register and park it in Chengdu!
We have one member in MCM who has bikes stashed all over the world this way, including Fuzhou, Seoul, Beaverton, Hong Kong, Pirmasens, Saigon.... Come to think of it there are quite a few of us who have bikes in different countries. Even I've got a bike stashed in California!
Good luck!
Re: How can I ride China????
Quote:
Originally Posted by
jape
I have been looking at all options myself. This is what I have found so far. You can in fact get permission for some short-term registered trips and tour operators. Ask your travel agent and that is not a joke, a good one has this sort of information, it is what they do. But although then legal, they are 'organised', however I was told I could purchase some latitude in that, maybe an extension in time and a personal itinerary! There is always a way and it is best to do it in this sort of manner rather than flout the law of a foreign country, because if nothing else it can become very problematic. At the extreme of incidents you could even be jailed, deported and lose future entry rights.
Otherwise you are forced to be illegal, relying on 'mates' and acquaintances to arrange something. Beyond anything else that has real issues with Insurance and so on, not just for you but anyone or anything you harm or injure.
Urgh, countries are like forums. If you get banned from one you go to next one. :lol8: Hell, countries are like women for that matter :lol8:
Re: How can I ride China????
Quote:
Originally Posted by
euphonius
Dear Vrroom,
Welcome to MCM, and interesting puzzle you've posed. This may sound crazy, but if you are working with a company that has a permanent presence in China, you could ask them to sponsor you for a (fictitious) permanent position (i.e., six months or longer) so you could qualify for a residence permit as opposed to a short-term visa. Then you'd have to do more pretending with the police, showing them evidence of a legal residence (like a rental contract). This way you'd establish "resident" status in China, but of course -- like thousands of expat residents -- you could spend a whole lot of your time "on the road" outside of China (back at your real home). Not sure if your employer/company would see any benefit in this, but if you are a frequent visitor it would mean you can enter China as often as you like without fussing with visas except once a year.
This then would allow you to have a Chinese license, and ride legally in China. You could rent bikes here, or, if you are a frequent visitor to, say, Beijing, you could buy a bike there, register it outside the the 4th Ring, and be able to ride it whenever you visit. That does not limit you to Beijing. You roll your bike onto a train and a couple of days later it pitches up in Lanzhou or Urumqi or Chengdu or Kunming or Guiyang or Xining, and you fly in to meet it. If it were me I'd probably register and park it in Chengdu!
We have one member in MCM who has bikes stashed all over the world this way, including Fuzhou, Seoul, Beaverton, Hong Kong, Pirmasens, Saigon.... Come to think of it there are quite a few of us who have bikes in different countries. Even I've got a bike stashed in California!
Good luck!
I work for GE, which has a huge permanent presence in China. I currently have a 24 month visa that, I think, allows me to have unlimited entrances of up to 60 days per visit. It's doubtful I could get a manager at my company to say that I have an "in country" full time job.
I might be trying to do the impossible, but I'm still going to keep seeking options. I'm making my flight arrangments today. Looks like I'll be spending 2 weekends in Shanghai. Is there someplace I can go shopping for motorcycle accessories in Shanghai? ... I'd really like to pick up a nice "light weight" riding jacket.
.... and who on this forum can show me some fun things to do in Shanghai. I've shopped at the market under the museum, I've been up to the top of the Shanghai world financial center, I've walked the Bund and I've experienced the girlie bars .... what else is fun to do?
Vrroom
Re: How can I ride China????
Given that you have 24-month unlimited entry visa and make frequent working trips into China, you might make a strong case to a vehicle management bureau that you qualify for a license. Just be sure you have a valid US motorcycle endorsement. I've never heard of a visa with duration of more than 1 year, so you may have to get someone from GE to explore this with the bureau. GE of course has considerable clout in China.
Once over that hurdle, you should have no problems. In fact, you could buy a bike and register it with a Chinese friend/colleague/GF.
This may not be as hard as you think.
good luck.
Re: How can I ride China????
Hi Vrroom,
I'm in Beijing until November with a similar situation. You might be in a slightly better position with your Visa, I only have an 'L' (tourist) visa. At this point my only hope is to find someone willing to "hire" me for a Z visa, and then take the written test and get a license, but I'm considering that a long shot.
As for tours, like Jape suggested, I found this, which sounds awesome, but I don't have enough riding experience to take that on yet. The tour operator does arrange a license for you though:
http://www.edelweissbike.com/en/allT...silk-road.html
Actually, looking for a similar tour local to Beijing is something I've never thought of... I'll do that and post back if I come up with anything... If it doesn't exist, someone should start that company!
Re: How can I ride China????
Well, its not quite what I had in mind, but does anyone know about this guy? It looks like he offers tours from the side and back of a CJ750:
http://www.beijingsideways.com/flyer_ENG.html
Edit: Yikes! Kinda expensive!
Re: How can I ride China????
Quote:
Originally Posted by
euphonius
Given that you have 24-month unlimited entry visa and make frequent working trips into China, you might make a strong case to a vehicle management bureau that you qualify for a license.
But his duration of stay is only 60 days, so it's a no go. "Making a case" is impossible with someone in a government position here. GE may have some "guanxi", and that could be possible, but I doubt people want to use those kind of favors for a license.
There's always the old fashion way... cha ching $$$
Cheers!
ChinaV
Re: How can I ride China????
Quote:
Originally Posted by
euphonius
We have one member in MCM who has bikes stashed all over the world this way, including Fuzhou, Seoul, Beaverton, Hong Kong, Pirmasens, Saigon.... Come to think of it there are quite a few of us who have bikes in different countries. Even I've got a bike stashed in California!
I'd like to get off the subject a bit. Given that so many of us having bikes stashed all over the world, it does sound like a good opportunity to organize a "time sharing" type of arrangement so we can all use each other's bike at wherever we happen to be. I have my Honda Magna 750 in my Boston garage with the battery attached to a trickle charger, which I ride at most once or twice a year when I go home "to visit". Wouldn't mind some motorcycle comrades use it when they happen to be in that neck of the wood. Just a thought.
Re: How can I ride China????
Quote:
Originally Posted by
ChinaV
But his duration of stay is only 60 days, so it's a no go. "Making a case" is impossible with someone in a government position here. GE may have some "guanxi", and that could be possible, but I doubt people want to use those kind of favors for a license.
There's always the old fashion way... cha ching $$$
Cheers!
ChinaV
ChinaV .... I just looked up the meaning of "Guanxi" .... That's my new Chinese word for my upcoming trip. I need to find someone with Guanxi to help me with my objective.
FYI - I'll be in Shanghai the weekends of 4/16 and 4/23 if anyone would like to enjoy an adult beverage or two. I'll be staying near the Thumb Plaza, where I believe there is an Irish Pub and a bar called Malones.
Vrroom
Thanks,
Vrroom
Re: How can I ride China????
Hi Vroom, remind us again closer to date when you're in shanghai, we might be able to pull a bike night together!
Quote:
Originally Posted by
CantDecide
Yeah i know those guys, lovely people! It's a different kind of bike tourism as you don't get to ride, you're a passenger, so perhaps not what vrroom is looking for. Sure they're a bit expensive, but it's by far the coolest way to discover beijing and its surroundings! They also have a branch in Shanghai.
Re: How can I ride China????
Quote:
Yeah i know those guys, lovely people! It's a different kind of bike tourism as you don't get to ride, you're a passenger, so perhaps not what vrroom is looking for. Sure they're a bit expensive, but it's by far the coolest way to discover beijing and its surroundings! They also have a branch in Shanghai.
Yeah, I was intrigued by the idea of a tour out to the Great Wall by side car, which I would consider if I was just here for a short trip, but somehow since I'm here all summer long and I could practically buy a motorcycle (ok, maybe a junky one) for the cost, I think I'll pass.
It definitely sounds like a blast though.
Re: How can I ride China????
Quote:
Originally Posted by
milton
I'd like to get off the subject a bit. Given that so many of us having bikes stashed all over the world, it does sound like a good opportunity to organize a "time sharing" type of arrangement so we can all use each other's bike at wherever we happen to be. I have my Honda Magna 750 in my Boston garage with the battery attached to a trickle charger, which I ride at most once or twice a year when I go home "to visit". Wouldn't mind some motorcycle comrades use it when they happen to be in that neck of the wood. Just a thought.
A ride-share sounds like a great idea to me, I would think a lot of globe trotters would be up for it. Perhaps it could be done informally, or if something more formal was needed, it could be a points-trading system managed online.
I'd happily take you up on your offer since I live in Boston (Somerville & Salem specifically) but a 750 is too large for my experience right now and I wouldn't have anything to offer in return.
