Exploring Northeatern China this summer...............but first need the machine!

Hi all. I am looking to explore the Northeastern corner of China this summer. The following is a rough outline of my route.

Dalian --> Shenyang --> Tongliao --> Hinggan --> Hulunber --> Heihe --> Hegang --> Jixi --> Mudanjiang --> Jilin --> Dandong --> Dalian.

Any advice is much appreciated.

I have been sorting through Chinese bike manufacturers (the ones I could find) and have come up with a list of potential machines for the trip:
Loncin JL250GY Rover

Asiawing LX450S
LX450E
BR200

Qingqi Liger QM250GY-B(A)

Lifan LF250GY-7
LF200GY-6

Pioneer XF250GY-E

Skyteam ST250TR

Sukida SK250GY-10

Skygo SG250GY-7

Please let me know if there are any other models worth considering. I am trying to find a 250, or possibly a 200, with a large fuel tank (bigger the better).

The 250s appear very similar. Has anyone taken any of these models long distances? Should I stear clear of any?

I haven't been able to locate Supersignets Shineray GY-7 anywhere. Are they still available?

Cheers,

Wolfman
:taz:

Welcome to the forum.

Search for "Galaxy XTR 250" on this forum, there's a lot info about it here. You might be interested in this bike!

You are aware, motorcycles are not allowed in Dalian, Shenyang and Dandong!

This is the trip I did last year in the same area!

Hi Wolfman, forget the Asiawing option, I doubt they can be registered. I would seriously look into Galaxy and Qingqi as options. Most Chinese bikes around 250cc have enough clearance that you do not necessarily need a dirt bike or road/trail bike unless you really want to get dirty. Sometimes if you are intending to go mostly on roads less suspension travel and regular street tires might be OK.

Barry thanks for the info on Dalian, Shenyang and Dandong. You have saved me from a sticky situation there. I had planned to catch a ferry from Yantai to Dalian. Is this still possible if I ride around Dalian and not through it? Or are motorcycles banned from the area as well as the city itself? The Galaxy XTR 250 seems perfect for the job, minus the small tank. Does Galaxy produce a larger tank? I spotted the photo below on their website for the TGR250. It appears to have a larger tank, carry racks and panniers but is labeled as a motorcross bike. Not sure if this is factory model and/or if the picture is of a different model.

Thanks for the advice ZMC888. I'd like to have the option of getting dirty so will stick to the road/trail models, but after reading Felix's review on the Galaxy XTR250 I am seriously thinking about road tyres/rims to begin with. Is this sensible given the area I intend to explore (Northeast China)? I've read mixed reviews about the roads but I think road tyres should be ok.

Thank you for the wise words. :taz:

You should still be able to go around those cities and/or enter its suburbs, but probably best to stay away from the center. You would have to look further into it, for finding out the exact ban of each of those cities.

Their English website is a bit messy and not always correct. The bike on the picture is actually the XTR 250 ADV and has a tank of 13.8 liters. The aluminum panniers are not included! Price is about RMB 15k, an extra set of complete supermotard wheels is about RMB 2500.

Many times bike bans are just one or two streets or elevated roads and are not very enforced (Jinan for example), sometimes they are for entire central areas and fairly strictly enforced (eg Shenzhen, Guangzhou).

Thanks Barry. Haven't turned up anything useful from the Dalian website yet, but will call the hotline after work. The XTR 250 ADV looks like exactly what I'm looking for. It is labelled as the TGR250 and the specs are wrong on the english version of the Galaxy site. Shows up fine using google translate. I've sent and email enquiring about it and where the panniers come from. Hope to hear back from them soon.

Thanks ZMC888, I will try to get some answers from the hotline and if that fails, explore Dalian another time.

I agree with Barry and ZMC888. No need to fear pitching up at the Dalian ferry terminal and riding through. The chances of being stopped are very low, especially if you stay off the elevated and main/restricted corridors, but even if you do get stopped, just smile and explain and be friendly and you'll be on your way. I'd bet my last nickel that there will be hundreds of ebikes tooling through Dalian, going every which way with reckless abandon, so you can just ride with them....

That is a pretty Galaxy, and the panniers are the Tourfellas made by Du Rui in Yongkang, which you can read about in detail here in MCM.

cheers

Can this galaxy XTR/TGR 250 still be legally registered?

Yes, but not everywhere! It's not on the BJ list of approved bikes for example, we would have to get it registered in Hebei.

As mentioned elsewhere on the forum by ChinaV: "the TGR 250 is not produced/sold anymore". So it's end-of-life, it is only still mentioned by Galaxy's outdated/incorrect English website!