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  1. #1 New 
    C-Moto Noob
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    Jul 2010
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    Hello,

    It feels intimidating for me to be on a motorcycle website because I don't know much about them! And motorcycle people always seem so mechanically inclined. But I feel like I need a vehicle because I just moved to Qingdao and find myself living in Chinese suburbia (so strange) where there's a lot of open space, and my workplace is kind of in the countryside outside the city.

    I lived in a smaller bike-friendly city for a year where I rode an ebike (was great, so convenient and low-maintenance), but then lived in Guangzhou where it was not practical. I find taxis make me carsick, buses, too, and I like the freedom of using my own transportation for a change at least some of the time, especially after visiting my friend and riding an ebike again!

    So I'm here because no one I've met here (at work so far) knows anything about bikes or scooters, and there aren't really too many around in Qingdao surprisingly.

    I'm probably looking for something easy to ride and maintain, gas powered or electric, scooter or bike, that can get me around a bit that's legal to ride without a licence. Something inexpensive, but road-worthy enough that I feel comfortable on it. I heard from one person it was a major hassle getting a licence, but from someone else that it was pretty simple.

    I'm glad for whoever created this website and hope that it can be a good resource.

    PS. Lived in three cities now, China is so diverse!
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  2. #2 Re: New 
    Motorcycle Addict chinabiker's Avatar
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    Apr 2008
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    near Vienna, Austria
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    Hi and welcome to the site.
    Unfortunately there is nothing but e-bikes and e-scooters to be ridden legally w/o license. If you are on a residence permit just go for a dl, it's worth it.
    If you put "Qingdao" in the search function on the top right, you should find at least two more riders who are in, or are on the move to QD.
    Further, ZMC888 is in Zibo, half way to Jinan. He is familiar with all the Shandong red tape related to bikes.
    Andy
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  3. #3 Re: New 
    Moto Scholar moilami's Avatar
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    Welcome to the forum. It doesn't matter at all if you don't know about motorcycles. I guess you don't really know anything about computers yet you can use them. So just get a scooter and hit the road.
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  4. #4 Re: New 
    Senior C-Moto Guru euphonius's Avatar
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    SIG, as a newbie myself, with barely 8 months of motorcycling to my name, I can say you've come to the right place. MCM is an amazing fount of wisdom, experience, peer support, clever invention and the occasional laugh or two. MCM has emboldened me to go for a substantial chunk of motorcycle here, the Jialing JH600, and in barely 3 months I've put 5,000km on the clock, including what for me was an epic ride from to Beijing from Shanghai over the past three days.

    First piece of advice: Don't listen to your friend about a license being hard to get. The exams are becoming standardized, you can take the test in English (probably, and, if not, you can get a "translator" to translate for you, as TexasAggie did in Nanjing; it helped that the translator knew all the answers), and most of the questions are pretty logical (like this one: It's not advisable to ride a motorcycle in high-heeled shoes -- true or false). And believe it or not, getting into China's regulatory maze can be enlightening and also empowering, in a masochistic sort of way. Lots of us have gotten licensed here, including several who had to take a "formal" riding course as well because they didn't present with overseas motorcycling licenses. This might seem a hassle, but it gets you out of your strange suburbia and in among the hoi polloi, which can be very gratifying. And once you've passed, you then not only have bragging rights but also valuable info that you can then pass on to others. It's fun being the first at anything. And, thinking again of your advice-giving friend, if you don't like hassles, why in hell are you in China? Learn to relish them!

    again, welcome!
    jkp
    Shanghai
    2010 JH600 "Merkin Muffley" (in Shanghai)
    2000 KLR650 "Feezer Ablanalp" (in California)
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  5. #5 Re: New 
    Motorcycle Addict chinabiker's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by euphonius View Post
    ... if you don't like hassles, why in hell are you in China? ...
    That was the best one for a looong time
    Andy
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  6. #6 Re: New 
    Senior C-Moto Guru euphonius's Avatar
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    Admit it, Chinabiker, it's true! We're all gluttons for punishment.
    jkp
    Shanghai
    2010 JH600 "Merkin Muffley" (in Shanghai)
    2000 KLR650 "Feezer Ablanalp" (in California)
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  7. #7 Re: New 
    Senior C-Moto Guru ZMC888's Avatar
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    I second euphonius' sentiments. You should try to get a license if you want to ride a gas powered bike, many people don't however, especially in smaller cities, but if you are new to riding it is worthwhile, even with a Chinese test you learn something, but I'd suggest you do some serious reading up on riding techniques.

    First think about where you want to ride...city? If you don't have much riding or mechanical experience you can't get better than a Sundiro Honda CBF150 or a Jianshe Yamaha YBR125.
    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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  8. #8 Re: New 
    MCM Chinese fellow td_ref's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by euphonius View Post
    if you don't like hassles, why in hell are you in China? Learn to relish them!
    i love that attitude. and welcome Sig.
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  9. #9 Re: New 
    Motorcycle Addict chinabiker's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by euphonius View Post
    Admit it, Chinabiker, it's true! We're all gluttons for punishment.
    I guess that's what we are and surely like to be, masochists in other words
    Andy
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  10. #10 Re: New 
    C-Moto Regular
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    Welcome!
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