New member in Hangzhou with some questions
Hi I'm a new member looking to get into riding in Hangzhou. I've looked around using the search function, but unfortunately it raised more questions than it answered. :lol8:
My first question is just on the legality of motorbikes in Hangzhou. The city banned bikes some time ago for the same reason all cities do (farmers ride bike, farmer look poor, bike make city look poor!) But from what I'm told by various people motorbikes were made legal last year so that rich Hangzhou residents could ride their expensive imported sports bikes. And these are the bikes I see most of. Apparently this info hasn't filtered down to all the cops yet, I'm a student and we had an meeting with a police officer at the start of the year, where he just told us motorbikes were flat out banned. But my university professor ensures me they're not. I also see people riding around on motorbikes who look far from rich. After reading this forum it seems motorcycle licence plates in Beijing and Shanghai are astronomically expensive. Maybe they are not in Hangzhou?
Second question is, I heard that getting a new bike registered with a new plate can be really 麻烦， so some people who are into motorbikes I know suggested I buy a used bike which already has registration and a plate. When I told this idea to some other friends they informed me you can't transfer licence plates to a new owner. But they were talking about cars. And after seeing many people on this forum selling licence plates it seems motorbikes have different rules.
I am looking at a bike at the moment, it's a Chinese Suzuki GN125 Clone which (I've been assured) is fully legal and comes with all the required paperwork and licence plate. The seller has even said he will help me with all the documentation to get the bike registered to me and legal on the road. When buying a used bike in China, what documents should I make sure the bike comes with?
When it comes to getting a licence, I already have a licence from my home country. Do I really need to go through the 麻烦 of retaking a test or can I just go to some tier 4 city and pay someone some cash for a licence? And a lot of the guides on exchanging your licence say to translate the paper part of your licence. But my licence is just a plastic card. And it's not specific to motorcycles, it's a car licence that says on the back I can also ride motorbikes.
Thank you for any answers to my long spiel :icon10:
Re: New member in Hangzhou with some questions
Hi and welcome to MCH.
Just start to chip away some of your questions?
As for your hometown (Hangzhou), I don't live there so my answers are based on what goes on in my town (Longkou) and my province (Shangdong).
You will soon find out what applies to one town, city, a province may not apply in your town.city, province.
Are bikes banned in your city? you guess is as good as mine, but if the police say who will be the ones to stop you, fine you and generally give you shit? then IMO its NO?.
Well good luck on that one.
If all your paperwork is correct then no reason why you cant plate a new bike in your name, many menbers on MCM have, so you just need dot all the "I" and cross all the "T.
If you buy a 2nd hand or Bike from a person from the same "plate area" then all that happens is the new owner is recodered for that car/bike with your details and address.
Now if you live outside the plate area and or in a other province, then the plate has to be removed and new paperwork is given to yo to allow you to re-palte the car,bike in your home town/province?.
A bike comes with 2 documents.
1. A green book called the Motor vehicle Register Certificate.
2. A credit card size picture 2 parts with details of the bike (blue)
What country is your home for your DL?
The rights and wrongs of getting or not getting a Chinese DL.
Most of the members who ride in China Have got one, so why not YOU.
That's my 10 cents about Chinese DL.
I wish you luck sorting out all these problems you are going to need it.
Re: New member in Hangzhou with some questions
Hi Prince, thanks for the info. That particular police officer wasn't a traffic cop so he might have not been well versed.
As for the licence, I'm more than willing to obtain a chinese licence. (My home licence is British). I'm just wondering if I can find and pay the right people to not have to take the test again.
Re: New member in Hangzhou with some questions
Yes, that will work and will only come into play when you get your British DL Translated ok? and you have had a UK DL for many years.
I used the same way and my UK DL does not have Bikes A or A1 but like you, I do have (Vehicles you can provisionally drive ) so make sure you download from DVLA the details explaining how this cover you for a motoerbike?
https://s19.postimg.cc/o8mztjrgz/Vie...2018-05-25.png
You can download this page from DVLA ok
Yes you need to talk to TRAFFIC POLICE about riding motorbikes in your area.
Do the Chinese DL the correct way IMO, yes it's a pain but TIC (This is China)
Re: New member in Hangzhou with some questions
Cool, thanks for the info. How do you prove that you've passed the necessary tests to ride a bike? Or does the Chinese dvla just see the picture of a bike on the back of your licence and assume everything is kosher?
I can only legally ride a 125cc motorbike in the UK. But since the Chinese bike is also 125cc will they be cool with it? Should I just keep my mouth shut and not even mention that to them?
Re: New member in Hangzhou with some questions
It's just like this??? if you can show your UK DL covers you for a 125cc bike or any size?? then that's fine because unlike the UK where you need to work up to get a full Motorbike license.
Here in China, a bike is a bike regardless of CC.
So the important thing is as I said when you have your translation done, you make sure you don't walk away with the translation without saying you are covered for C1E or C1D ok.
That was the easy part lol
TIC the logic-free zone
Re: New member in Hangzhou with some questions
When you say get the translation done. I've heard the translation can actually be done by anyone as long as they use the proper Chinese dvla form. Even myself. Is it really that simple to write under "can operate what vehicles" write 摩托车？
Re: New member in Hangzhou with some questions
Again it depends on where you are?
IMO its best to get a Government approved translating company to do the translation with all the correct stamps?
But what you do in the end is up to you ok, just my advise? (Dot the I & Cross the T)
Re: New member in Hangzhou with some questions
Here in Jilin the translation requires a stamp from a government accepted translator. No stamp...no license.
Every area is certainly different. Jilin tried to tell me that they could not do foreign drivers licenses even after I had all the proper paperwork done. We had to work all way all the way up the food chain to the director of motor vehicles. Finally, he came down to the DMV after being coerced and sorted things out. However it was nothing shy of a nightmare getting to this point. It took weeks of fighting the system. I even had to search far and wide for a foreigner with one. Then show them copies to prove it could be done. Even though the foreigner I found had gotten his license the old way a long time ago. (bribe) Then my friend moved here and wanted to get his, they fought him tooth and nail. I had call the director again to get it sorted out. Luckily I have him on wechat now.
Good luck with it!
Re: New member in Hangzhou with some questions
I converted my DL from Hong Kong 4 years ago in Shanghai (had chinese on it so no need for translation)... just 2 days ago I met a guy who can't it done (tried and tried)... this place is so F**ked up, Laws here are like mood rings.
Re: New member in Hangzhou with some questions
Quote:
Originally Posted by
Zhejiang rider
Hi I'm a new member looking to get into riding in Hangzhou. I've looked around using the search function, but unfortunately it raised more questions than it answered. :lol8:
Welcome to Chi!na... TIC (This is Chi!na) the planets biggest LFZ (L0gic Free Z0ne)
Quote:
Originally Posted by
Zhejiang rider
My first question is just on the legality of motorbikes in Hangzhou. The city banned bikes some time ago for the same reason all cities do (farmers ride bike, farmer look poor, bike make city look poor!) But from what I'm told by various people motorbikes were made legal last year so that rich Hangzhou residents could ride their expensive imported sports bikes. And these are the bikes I see most of. Apparently this info hasn't filtered down to all the cops yet, I'm a student and we had an meeting with a police officer at the start of the year, where he just told us motorbikes were flat out banned. But my university professor ensures me they're not. I also see people riding around on motorbikes who look far from rich. After reading this forum it seems motorcycle licence plates in Beijing and Shanghai are astronomically expensive. Maybe they are not in Hangzhou?
Hangzhou have had a motorcycle ban now for years. Principally the ban has been nearer the central Hangzhou area and at times the West Lake (Xi Hu). While the ban has been in place, such a ban like most city imposed motorcycle bans, doesn't include the outer suburbs or outskirts. Many cities that ban motorcycles, often don't provide motorcycle registration/license plates, and some such cities also don't even allow or offer the option of obtaining motorcycle drivers license to the residents within the defined area of the motorcycle ban.
As for the lifting of the Hangzhou motorcycle ban, it is highly likely to be something that the Hangzhou Harley Davidson (HD) dealer have sorted out. If this is the case, then the ground work to such an arrangement was facilitated by Nanjing HD experience and MOU with the Nanjing authorities, whereby HD motorcycles sold by the Nanjing HD dealer could be plated with the assistance of the dealer. This was a service only provided by Nanjing HD though sold via the HD dealership. This meant that if one bought a bike from elsewhere then they were on the their own, and for a time that person couldn't obtain a Nanjing motorcycle plate. I believe this has changed a little with a few other motorcycle brands (big bikes, not 125cc, or 250cc etc) having set up shop in Nanjing, also being able to facilitate motorcycle plates
Quote:
Originally Posted by
Zhejiang rider
Second question is, I heard that getting a new bike registered with a new plate can be really 麻烦， so some people who are into motorbikes I know suggested I buy a used bike which already has registration and a plate. When I told this idea to some other friends they informed me you can't transfer licence plates to a new owner. But they were talking about cars. And after seeing many people on this forum selling licence plates it seems motorbikes have different rules.
The key to remember is that different localities have different rules and regulations. Few cities allow motorcycle or even vehicle plate ownership to be traded or swapped from one person to another. Shanghai is just one of the few exceptions. Most locatalities do not provide this plate swappable modality. Which is what you are liekly to referring to as far as what you observe around selling of license plates. There are a few other aspects about Shanghai plates that affect motorcycles, such as the ability of a Shanghai motorcycle plate to be swapped for a Shanghai car plate (although not the reverse car plate for motorcycle plate) et al.
That being said, for most locatlities in Ch!na, the norm most often than not, is that the seller and the buyer go together to the Traffic PSB office and complete the transfer together. The owner will surrender the exisiting registration/license plates, and the new acquiring owner will be provided a set of new plates. In the case of a motorcycle it used to be a pair of plates were provided, one for the rear and one for the front, usually affixed on the front mudguard or some such, visible from the right hand side. Most if not all localities have done away with the front plate, so only the rear plate is provided. Keeping in mind that some localities/areas/districts also charge a used/second hand vehicle tax which has to be paid when a vehicle is transferring ownership.
Quote:
Originally Posted by
Zhejiang rider
I am looking at a bike at the moment, it's a Chinese Suzuki GN125 Clone which (I've been assured) is fully legal and comes with all the required paperwork and licence plate. The seller has even said he will help me with all the documentation to get the bike registered to me and legal on the road. When buying a used bike in China, what documents should I make sure the bike comes with?
The easiest answer is to go with the seller to the Traffic PSB, along with a Ch!nese person you trust and who has some familiarity or knowledge about drivers licensing, vehicle ownership and related processes and actually has more than some ability to actually understand English and not just merely speak the language. Tall order but it'll likely save you from some form of frsutration. You'll need your Passport, valid and appropriate Visa, rental agreement or verfiable document pertaining to your place of residence in the city (in this case Hangzhou), along with the residence registration with the PSB. You'll require the complusroy thrid party insurance which might be able to be completed at or near the Traffic PSB, where other locations may be located elsewhere and need to be obtained either before, during or after change of ownership. Some locations might also require your valid Ch!na Drivers License. You'll need copies of all of these documents etc. It's important to make sure that any transfer of ownership does actually see your name (whether your foreign or Ch!nese name) is the name actually entered onto the motor vehicle ownership documents and not some other Ch!nese persons name. Beware! Now that being said some localities might have some bylaw that doesn't allow foreign ownership e.g. Beijing.
Quote:
Originally Posted by
Zhejiang rider
When it comes to getting a licence, I already have a licence from my home country. Do I really need to go through the 麻烦 of retaking a test or can I just go to some tier 4 city and pay someone some cash for a licence? And a lot of the guides on exchanging your licence say to translate the paper part of your licence. But my licence is just a plastic card. And it's not specific to motorcycles, it's a car licence that says on the back I can also ride motorbikes.
Yes. No different than any other country where a person is seeking or has obtained residency for a period of 3-6 months or longer. In Ch!na it is a requirement for foreigners that already hold a valid drivers license issued by another country recognised by the Ch!nese g0vernment to sit the theory test, randomly generated 100 (MCQ) questions from a bank of ~1000 possible questions. Usually provided on a computer system.
Generally, you'll need to go to the authorised and recognised translation office to have your foreign drivers license translated to Ch!nese. Keep in mind that the translation needs to be checked carefully to make sure that the appropriate vehicle classes are included in the translation. It is somewhat common that translation providers simply translate the foreign license for class C1 (car) only, excluding motorcycle class (D) or 3 wheeler (E) [sidecar]. As to the inclusion of the special <125cc provision in the UK license, you may very well have to convnince the translator to the legitimacy of this class, so best to prepare relevant documents and references to support your position/argument.
The Traffic PSB will simply apply the classes that appear on the translation. If there's any error or such like, you'd need to take that up with the translation provider.
Few Traffic PSB will accept a translation from a non-known translator.
The point about translating the "paper part" of the drivers license is likely a simple translation error.
Quote:
Originally Posted by
Zhejiang rider
Thank you for any answers to my long spiel :icon10:
Another point is that, different Traffic PSB administer and interpret the rules to suit. You may get provided one answer one day at one office counter, yet a different answer at another time, by the same office/public servant (or any Ch!nese persion) on any given day/time.
Welcome to TIC the LFZ...
Take a huge dose of civitility and patience... you'll need it.
Lastly, sometimes, people will say no, simply because it's too much like hard work to do anything that is out of the norm, or they have no idea and haven't ever had to do something out of the norm, then it can't be done. It's usually and likely BS...
The other point is that guanxigang is important and can really help... so being a big fish in small pond helps a lot
;)
Re: New member in Hangzhou with some questions
Quote:
Originally Posted by
Asymptomatic
Here in Jilin the translation requires a stamp from a government accepted translator. No stamp...no license.
Every area is certainly different. Jilin tried to tell me that they could not do foreign drivers licenses even after I had all the proper paperwork done. We had to work all way all the way up the food chain to the director of motor vehicles. Finally, he came down to the DMV after being coerced and sorted things out. However it was nothing shy of a nightmare getting to this point. It took weeks of fighting the system. I even had to search far and wide for a foreigner with one. Then show them copies to prove it could be done. Even though the foreigner I found had gotten his license the old way a long time ago. (bribe) Then my friend moved here and wanted to get his, they fought him tooth and nail. I had call the director again to get it sorted out. Luckily I have him on wechat now.
Good luck with it!
Hi Asymptomatic,
sorry for off-topic, but what is a Di ping xian da pao che 5000w in your signature, is that a e-bike?
1 Attachment(s)
Re: New member in Hangzhou with some questions
Quote:
Originally Posted by
bigheadsnake
Hi Asymptomatic,
sorry for off-topic, but what is a Di ping xian da pao che 5000w in your signature, is that a e-bike?
Yeah your right, I have a 5000 watt E-bike. It's a cheap Chinese frame designed for a 250cc motor with battery boxes welded in and a large hub motor in the rear.
It is almost 4 years old now and needs new batteries. I can only go about 30 kilometers on it. Used to be able to rip at 100 and go about 110 or so.
Attachment 20119
Re: New member in Hangzhou with some questions
Quote:
Originally Posted by
bigheadsnake
Hi Asymptomatic,
sorry for off-topic, but what is a Di ping xian da pao che 5000w in your signature, is that a e-bike?
Basically translates to large electric motorbike
:scooter:
Re: New member in Hangzhou with some questions
Quote:
Originally Posted by
bikerdoc
Basically translates to large electric motorbike
:scooter:
"Horizon Line Big Race Car". It was what the company called it and what was on its certificate of quality. It came out of some no name factory that produces the frame for dozens of other companies.
