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  1. #1 Newbie to Yixing, Jiangsu, plans for a bike 
    C-Moto Noob
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    Hey guys, new comer to riding in China. Was born in Hong Kong but lived in Canada for the better part of my life. Just relocated to my factory near Yixing, Jiangsu.

    Was riding an '08 Honda VFR 800 before and looking to get either a dual sport in the 400-750cc range or a larger displacement sport tourer. From my visual searches, the local dealers only carry scooters of below 150cc bikes. Where are some of the places I can find larger displacement bikes in China? I heard of and will probably visit CJ Shanghai (my China driver license is ready in a month and I'll install a GPS in my car). I see Honda Beijing imports ST1300s and BMW Mottorad Shanghai but will probably cost an arm and a leg.... are there any legal grey importers in China that's good?

    Thanks and see you guys out there on the road.

    Stay safe.
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  2. #2 Re: Newbie to Yixing, Jiangsu, plans for a bike 
    Duct tape savant felix's Avatar
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    Hi Titus, welcome to the forum! (and to jiangsu)

    I'll help where i can. Firstly, you probably won't find any interesting bikes in your local dealers.
    For larger displacement bikes, as far as know the only one you can register legally in china is the Jialing JH600. There are a few threads about this bike already on the forum. Buying a legal BMW in shanghai will cost you about the same as a meduim sized island in the pacific.
    There's also the Asiawing LX450, which apparently is registerable, but i don't think anyone on these forums has one yet so we don't have any first hand reports about it.
    Generally though, if you want to stay legal you'll be pretty starved for choice in big bikes. Most of us end up giving up and buying a chinese bike (some of which are pretty fun)

    As for a CJ, i highly recommend you come and visit the shop in Suzhou. It's just on the other side of the lake from you, and there are some really great bikes being built there. It's run by a guy called Mr Wang, who isn't on these forums, but is very reputed in the area. Many shanghai bikers actually come to get their CJs worked on here. He built mine and i've already done 27000km on it. PM me if you're interested, i can arrange a visit for you. (very difficult place to find)

    Let me know if you want to go for a ride, we live quite close!
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  3. #3 Re: Newbie to Yixing, Jiangsu, plans for a bike 
    Senior C-Moto Guru ZMC888's Avatar
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    Jialing JH600 the possibility of a 2nd hand BMW or remortgage your house!


    Jialing JH600

    Not exactly a VFR800 though, and if dual sport isn't your thing that could be a problem.

    Check out the roads though....do you really need more than a 250cc or a bike over 160KG? In which case a Ninja 250 would be ideal, but that isn't legal either....but a YBR250 is legal.
    Without consciousness, space and time are nothing; in reality you can take any time -- whether past or future -− as your new frame of reference. Death is a reboot that leads to all potentialities.
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  4. #4 Re: Newbie to Yixing, Jiangsu, plans for a bike 
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    Nice, thanks for the Felix and CMC!! haha

    True about the roads.... it seems to be a flat plain area in Jiangsu (I imagine there's a lot of squared off 180 width tires LOL).

    Yes Felix, I'll definitely visit you once I get my work stuff settled down and my license sorted out. Looks like the CJ is the most "practical" choice (though my wife is already telling me no way in hell she's riding the sidecar LOL). I gotta do more readings on it; is it like a Ural or the BMW R71?

    I read another thread by bigG in Suzhou about those 2nd hand websites; I guess it's buyers beware there (the prices are also slightly above HK 2nd hand market)? I saw a FJR1300 going for 30k RMB, seems attractive as I could probably sell my vfr in HK for that and change. Having bikes like that serviced I guess is another matter...

    Look forward to going for a ride with you guys once the dust settles!!
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  5. #5 Re: Newbie to Yixing, Jiangsu, plans for a bike 
    Duct tape savant felix's Avatar
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    You are right, the roads in jiangsu are mostly flat and straight. Lake taihu has some nice enough spots that are close to us, but nothing spectacular. We are lucky enough to live in the south of jiangsu though, and just 150km away is Anji where there are some pretty cool mountain roads. Look at this area, the S206 and S304 are particularly good.

    Both the ural and CJ750 are derived from the BMW R71. The CJ in china comes in two different engine versions, the 24hp flat head like the original R71, and the 32hp ohv which is like a ural (but less powerful). There is already a lot of stuff out there written about them so i'm not gonna bother. Your wife will definately change her mind, these bikes are great fun, and way more comfortable for her. Pimping it up a bit won't hurt either... I've had mine for two years, driven it a lot, and it's probably my most favorite possession in the world. It will not, however, replace your VFR as a way to get your adrenaline fix.

    About buying a used big bike here; you've got a pretty good chance of buying a lemon. A lot of these bikes (possibly like the FJR1300 you saw) on the used bike websites have had a few owners, have been crashed, rebuilt, engines taken apart by incompetent people, etc... You don't really know what you're buying in a lot of cases, and when you find out after 100km that you need to spend another 30k on parts, you're on your own. I don't want to sound too cynical, but i have seen happen a few times already. If i was buying a used imported big bike, i think i would only buy one from someone i knew and trusted, who had had the bike for a while with no problems.
    And yes, finding someone who can service such a bike is not going to be easy either. Most mechanics here have no experience with japanese 4cyl engines and will probably make it worst. And then there's the trust issue, i've a friend who recently found out that his mechanic had been stealing parts from his engine and replacing with old crashed parts.
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  6. #6 Re: Newbie to Yixing, Jiangsu, plans for a bike 
    Senior C-Moto Guru ZMC888's Avatar
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    Sometimes with the bigger Japanese bikes, being conservative might be an option, you can pick up a mint condition CB400 which might be 10 years old for 15,000, and have a good chance at finding parts. But some of the more 'exotic' bikes have often been crashed and even have parts such as forks from other bikes, which are just plain dangerous, and have no parts available as Felix mentioned.

    The reason that I ride legally, even when most of my Chinese motorcycling friends do not is:

    - In my home country, registration, insurance etc are a requirement.
    - The cops CAN stop you and impound your bike, this causes paranoia, and restricts your time and location of movement.
    - Big problems if there is an accident.

    I am sympathetic to those who aren't legal, the law is a bit ridiculous, for example it's illegal for women to drive cars in Saudi Arabia! Should you ignore bad laws or not? We need to make our own choices here.
    Without consciousness, space and time are nothing; in reality you can take any time -- whether past or future -− as your new frame of reference. Death is a reboot that leads to all potentialities.
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  7. #7 Re: Newbie to Yixing, Jiangsu, plans for a bike 
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    There are dealers in Shanghai who can help you with larger displacement bikes. The only problem is that you'll have to pay a premium for licensing (40-50000). There are dealerships in Jiaxin and Wujiang that can help you get ahold of Regal Raptors and a few imported bikes if you're interested too.
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  8. #8 Re: Newbie to Yixing, Jiangsu, plans for a bike 
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    Many thanks for the advice about the FJR, you're right... forking out all that money and then having to worry while on the road constantly isn't what I consider "fun". Will look into the CJ and contact you once I get my first RMB salary! =)

    Quote Originally Posted by felix View Post
    You are right, the roads in jiangsu are mostly flat and straight. Lake taihu has some nice enough spots that are close to us, but nothing spectacular. We are lucky enough to live in the south of jiangsu though, and just 150km away is Anji where there are some pretty cool mountain roads. Look at this area, the S206 and S304 are particularly good.

    Both the ural and CJ750 are derived from the BMW R71. The CJ in china comes in two different engine versions, the 24hp flat head like the original R71, and the 32hp ohv which is like a ural (but less powerful). There is already a lot of stuff out there written about them so i'm not gonna bother. Your wife will definately change her mind, these bikes are great fun, and way more comfortable for her. Pimping it up a bit won't hurt either... I've had mine for two years, driven it a lot, and it's probably my most favorite possession in the world. It will not, however, replace your VFR as a way to get your adrenaline fix.

    About buying a used big bike here; you've got a pretty good chance of buying a lemon. A lot of these bikes (possibly like the FJR1300 you saw) on the used bike websites have had a few owners, have been crashed, rebuilt, engines taken apart by incompetent people, etc... You don't really know what you're buying in a lot of cases, and when you find out after 100km that you need to spend another 30k on parts, you're on your own. I don't want to sound too cynical, but i have seen happen a few times already. If i was buying a used imported big bike, i think i would only buy one from someone i knew and trusted, who had had the bike for a while with no problems.
    And yes, finding someone who can service such a bike is not going to be easy either. Most mechanics here have no experience with japanese 4cyl engines and will probably make it worst. And then there's the trust issue, i've a friend who recently found out that his mechanic had been stealing parts from his engine and replacing with old crashed parts.
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  9. #9 Re: Newbie to Yixing, Jiangsu, plans for a bike 
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    Same here, I applied in HK for a legal China licence, costs me 1650 bucks HKD including 4 wheeled license, but I like the peace of mind that if anything happens at least legally I'm covered somewhat. My dad had the same license done up last year and got nicked by a radar gun on his second trip and it was a good thing we had all the legal stuff.

    Quote Originally Posted by ZMC888 View Post
    Sometimes with the bigger Japanese bikes, being conservative might be an option, you can pick up a mint condition CB400 which might be 10 years old for 15,000, and have a good chance at finding parts. But some of the more 'exotic' bikes have often been crashed and even have parts such as forks from other bikes, which are just plain dangerous, and have no parts available as Felix mentioned.

    The reason that I ride legally, even when most of my Chinese motorcycling friends do not is:

    - In my home country, registration, insurance etc are a requirement.
    - The cops CAN stop you and impound your bike, this causes paranoia, and restricts your time and location of movement.
    - Big problems if there is an accident.

    I am sympathetic to those who aren't legal, the law is a bit ridiculous, for example it's illegal for women to drive cars in Saudi Arabia! Should you ignore bad laws or not? We need to make our own choices here.
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  10. #10 Re: Newbie to Yixing, Jiangsu, plans for a bike 
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    Thanks for that, yikes haha yea not cheap getting them in Shanghai I guess! Will get in touch when I have to make up my mind in a few months.

    Quote Originally Posted by Nuhaus View Post
    There are dealers in Shanghai who can help you with larger displacement bikes. The only problem is that you'll have to pay a premium for licensing (40-50000). There are dealerships in Jiaxin and Wujiang that can help you get ahold of Regal Raptors and a few imported bikes if you're interested too.
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