New Member in China from Australia

Hi all ..I am new to this ....been to China 3 times though we have a house or 2 in Puyang ..Henan Province..borrowed a couple of machines there for short rides :scooter:but want to find out all about getting a legal lic as I am planning to spend 1 year there in a couple of years time...

My wife is Chinese so we plan to spend 6 mths of each year in each country in the future...I also want some contacts to send accessories to Australia ..I bought a top box (adlo) and filled it with bike accessories and parts last April Xenon hid headlight kit ,grips,mirrors etc..and mates from Touring Club here want some bits too...

China is a great country and full of bikes ..doesn't get any better ...and the great beer there ...Tsing Tao ..Aoke wonderful ales...
Anyone who can help me buy accessories from China please PM me ...

The second photo is with the Puyang Oilfields Motorcycle Club ..really friendly bunch of guys ..they kept offering me bikes to ride !

Next visit I want to be prepared to get on the road a bit ...home now ..working saving and planning my next trip..

Got home and a bloke rocks up on my doorstep wanting to buy my old Yamaha 900 so I had to go and buy another bike..dual sport this time second one of these I have had...DL1000 Suzuki...had a Triumph Tiger955i and a MotoGuzzi Quota 1000 before ...
I would like a 400cc-600cc dual sport to keep in China for my visits..seen some nice ones but the Wife's home city is a bit reserved to availability..only the Oilfields club guys seem to get bigger bikes into town...

Mythbuster,

Hi, nice to meet you, yep certainly China is a great place to ride. I hope you have many great rides here. :thumbsup:

China is an overly bureaucratic country, which hasn't signed up to international conventions on road rules and doesn't properly honour its WTO commitments on freedom to travel for foreigners. :bs:

This means that unless you have some kind of residency visa the Chinese Public Security Bureau will not issue a six year Chinese Driving License. A temporary license is possible under the law, but it can be near impossible to obtain one unless there is an organization to do this on your behalf such as an overland tour company or car rental agency, but regions differ so it is worth asking in your area, or rules have changed and they haven't told anyone :lol8:.

Opinions are divided in the community about whether to ride semi-legally. I wouldn't want to condemn anyone for riding semi-legally, as I did myself for over six years with no problems with no Chinese license. I couldn't condone it either. I will say that outside of really big cities having your home license and International Driving Permit, legal registration and insurance, but no Chinese Driving License will usually not cause any serious difficulties, and you can register a bike in your wife's name using her ID card.

Many other riders, Chinese and foreign, ride powerful bikes that have been smuggled onto the mainland from Hong Kong with fake or no registration, no insurance and many without a Chinese Driving license too.

It's up to you to decide what to do. But make an informed choice.

Thanks for the reply ..I am aware of the bureaucratic probs when we getting paperwork together to sell a unit in the home city ..public servants who disappear for 2.5 hour lunches and stroll in when they feel like it ...so many officials who expect gifts for doing their duties ?
I was somewhat gobsmacked then angry at first until I settled down and realised it is a way of life in most of asia..and you have to negotiate around all these obstacles to get anything done...

In my job in Australia with the Govt I have to test Chinese drivers for an Aust Lic ....many are pretty shocking even with me able to give directions in Mandarin..but after seeing how driving is done there ...I am somewhat amazed how few accidents I saw (in April while there for the month.)

My wife also let me know that many Chinese simply "pay a little extra" to get a Lic before they migrate here ..some obviously have had no training , some seem like they have never driven before at all lol !
And she needed a lot of retraining before she could pass her Aust Test.
Anyway different places different cultures..

We have a few very well placed contacts there so I will make enquiries..I think having a Chinese residential address and my wifes ID ,my Aust Govt ID ,an Australian Car & Motorcycle Instructors Lic, should be a help..hope so ha ha !:bs:I hear you say !

I am also wanting to start importing to Australia some MC accessories ..any heads up on that would be appreciated as the bike industry is ripping us off blind in Aust..

:scooter:I wonder why China will not mutually recognise a drivers lic as we do for Chinese driving here..?

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Originally Posted by mythbuster

:scooter:I wonder why China will not mutually recognise a drivers lic as we do for Chinese driving here..?

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You will start to wonder many things about China soon.

I hate to tell you but many people started importing motorcycle accessories from China into Australia a long time ago.

Some of these companies have now moved to other countries to get/manufacture there "stuff" because China is getting a little to expensive.

Funny because the quality is better now.

Oh well I guess the world will have other countries to yell the catch cry at"cheap crap from____" now.

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Originally Posted by mythbuster

:scooter:I wonder why China will not mutually recognise a drivers lic as we do for Chinese driving here..?

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mutually recognise?

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Originally Posted by humanbeing

mutually recognise?

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I am pretty sure NSW doesn't discriminate between countries as far as recognising a license is concerned. Just as long as you are a visitor and in the state temporarily...

but then Banana-benders (QLDers) are rednecks! :lol8: