A great idea for a trip, but is it even possible?
So we all know that personally importing a bike into China is incredibly 麻烦 and next to impossible without some Guanxi.
But what about just riding a bike over the border instead of importing it?
I want to get hold of a Royal Enfield 500 Pegasus cheapest place to get one is Obviously India. So what about going to India, buying one, riding it all the way back to my home in China, then going to my local bike shop and paying them to register the bike for me. Should save some money and be an interesting trip too.
Of course there are a few questions, first I'll need to find out if the bike is road legal in China.
Then I am wondering if India will let me get a licence plate for the bike on a tourist visa, or if I'm going to have to ride the motorbike all through India and all through China without a licence plate. I know cars are able to go around plateless in China providing their brand new as the "I haven't got a plate yet" excuse seems to work. But maybe wont work for bikes.
Even if I am able to get an Indian licence plate, I wonder if they'll let me ride all the way through China with it.
So is this just a dumb hypothetical idea or not? :clap:
Re: A great idea for a trip, but is it even possible?
Quote:
Originally Posted by
Zhejiang rider
I know cars are able to go around plateless in China providing their brand new as the "I haven't got a plate yet" excuse seems to work. But maybe wont work for bikes.
Even if I am able to get an Indian licence plate, I wonder if they'll let me ride all the way through China with it.
So is this just a dumb hypothetical idea or not? :clap:
The "haven't got a plate yet" story has been working well for me so far. It seems that people are more interested to find out what the crazy laowai are up to, than being interested in plates. My bike is in temporary storage at a police station, while waiting for me to come and fix a tyre problem (RR elsewhere) without plates in a city where bikes are banned, and the police were only interested in how much the bike costed.
Re: A great idea for a trip, but is it even possible?
Quote:
Originally Posted by
Zhejiang rider
So is this just a dumb hypothetical idea or not? :clap:
Yes
Every conceivable scheme to get a bike into China has already been thought of and tried. The simple solution is money, it fixes everything.
The biggest issue you must consider. WHEN you hit someone or something, and you will, and it probably won't be your fault. Are you willing to risk deportation for your illegal motorcycle shenanigans?
Re: A great idea for a trip, but is it even possible?
1. Would you consider doing this in your home country?
2. are you aware of the consequences for doing such a endeavor?
3. Do you know the savings vs. cost of something going wrong?
If you answered "No" to any of the questions above that should let you know whether to do this. Zhejiang seems to be getting more strict. me and a friend towed our bikes through most of middle, north China and we only got stopped at the toll going into Zhejiang.. interesting when we left it was not an issue.
Unless your bike is a classic or rarity I don't see the benefit of just buying a local and ride around legally.
Re: A great idea for a trip, but is it even possible?
Importing a new bike is not hard.. It requires a lot of paperwork. There are companies who specialize in importing for individuals.. You need a Z visa and you have to keep the bike for a number of years.. Then you have to pay a lot of tax on it..
Quote:
Originally Posted by
Zhejiang rider
So we all know that personally importing a bike into China is incredibly 麻烦 and next to impossible without some Guanxi.
But what about just riding a bike over the border instead of importing it?
I want to get hold of a Royal Enfield 500 Pegasus cheapest place to get one is Obviously India. So what about going to India, buying one, riding it all the way back to my home in China, then going to my local bike shop and paying them to register the bike for me. Should save some money and be an interesting trip too.
Of course there are a few questions, first I'll need to find out if the bike is road legal in China.
Then I am wondering if India will let me get a licence plate for the bike on a tourist visa, or if I'm going to have to ride the motorbike all through India and all through China without a licence plate. I know cars are able to go around plateless in China providing their brand new as the "I haven't got a plate yet" excuse seems to work. But maybe wont work for bikes.
Even if I am able to get an Indian licence plate, I wonder if they'll let me ride all the way through China with it.
So is this just a dumb hypothetical idea or not? :clap:
