new biker in beijing

Just arrived in Beijing from the Uk. The only things I miss is my bike so I'd like to resolve that!
Although I'm an experienced biker (UK and Europe) and qualified IAM bike observer, I realise that Beijing traffic customs are significantly different from anything I've handled before so I'm in no hurry to get on two wheels - especially as the cold weather will be here soon.
However - come the spring, I'd like to be on a bike again. I'm thinking a BMW GS 1200 as the ideal city and out of city tourer. Any thoughts? Are they even available here??! Can I travel freely outside the city limits? Any help / comments gratefully received.
regards
steve h

Yes, the 1200 GS would be a great little getabout in China.

Did you win the lottery?

Welcome to the forum! Hope you enjoy this most excellent resource for all things related to Chinabikes, especially the ins and outs of procuring, registering and riding them in the people's republic. But brace yourself. Pour yourself a stiff Erguotou. You are about to come crashing down to earth.

cheers!

Welcome
Check out Jim's sidecar shop at TianBei road and the Iron horse saloonbeside. There you can find people and information about biking in Beijing.
Wespecially weekend is a good time. You will find the details in the forum or the web.

Always great to have another jing'r come into the fold.

The GS 1200 is a great bike, but I echo Euphonius' comments (very expensive in China, and might not be the best choice for some of the roads/traffic). There are a couple of GS clubs in town that seem to ride every weekend from the Chaoyang area. I see them often. The BMW dealer probably has details.

You can also PM one of the many jing'rs on this site - we get together often for little MCM runs into the mountains. But there are lots of riding clubs of all shapes & sizes.

Again welcome - you'll find a lot of info on this site about riding bikes in China.

Thanks for your comments and advice - you gotta start somewhere!
I think I need to swing by the BM dealer and see what's what..

Hey, Steve, I just reread my comment and hope you didn't take it the wrong way. You'll find a huge part of this forum is the various strategies that we all use -- those of us who live in China, that is -- to cope with the many indignities that are heaped upon us.

This includes huge import duties on the handful of international bikes that are legally imported (BMW, Ducati, Harley and Benelli are the entire universe, though apparently the Japanese are finally starting to enter the market, with Suzuki leading the way), making them cost three or four times what you'd pay back home.

It also includes a painfully limited range of choice of Chinese bikes, especially in the year since the new China3 emissions requirements came into force, making it impossible to register some of the most popular domestic models.

It includes draconian restrictions on bikes in almost all major cities -- either outright bans or high licensing fees for the right to ply the streets (a downtown plate here in Shanghai will set you back 50,000 rmb).

But having said all that, you'll find that it's still possible not only to get licensed and ride legally in China, but also to enjoy some of the best riding in the world. In doing so, you become part of a rare breed of riders who have managed to make it work.

The few, the proud, the incorrigibly stubborn...

Again, I encourage you to spend some time trolling through MyChinaMoto. You'll find tons of useful information, and some spectacular ride reports, and some pretty damned good poetry too.

Welcome!

Thanks Euphonius, certainly no offence taken at all. I have spent a while going through various threads here and discovered quite a bit - still some holes I need to fill though.
If I buy a 2nd hand bike, presumably it's easier in terms of plates etc.. Does the the plate go with the vehicle?
I suppose importing a 2nd hand bike is out of the question otherwise everyone would do it..
(Seem to have attracted a spammer here... nuisance.)

Dear Steve,

Yes, it's not possible to bring in a second-hand bike from offshore; you won't even get it in, much less get it plated. There are of course plenty of smuggled bikes in Beijing and other cities, all of seriously dubious origin and none legally plated unless someone was bribed.

A local used bike is an option, and can be a good one if you know the bike's provenance and history, which is not always possible. A bike can be sold with or without it's plate, and it surely makes more sense and is simpler to buy one with its plate. Once in a blue moon a legally plated bike will be put up for sale here in MCM. Lao Jia Huo has a couple of legal steeds on offer now, and he sold another in the past year. If you do buy used, be very very careful.

In my opinion, a new bike is a better option. It's legal to get plated, and the plate ostensibly will retain the value you pay for it (it's over 10k now for a plate you can use in downtown Beijing) and possibly even appreciate. Domestic bikes are not too expensive, and some are quite good. We're in a phase now where manufacturers of several good bikes are scrambling to make them compliant with the China3 emissions controls that went into force about a year ago. No one really knows why they didn't get them to compliance before the C3 rules took force.

TIC. This is China.

Hope you find an option that works for you. Be sure to touch base with Jimbo, Lao Jia Huo and others who can sniff out the real thing. Oh, and if you find something that looks too good to be true, it is precisely that.

Happy hunting!

thanks again.. I have plenty to think about and plenty to research!
:mwink: