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  1. #1 New newbie in Shanghai 
    C-Moto Senior braillce's Avatar
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    Hey to all.

    My name is Brice.

    I'm a French webdesigner in Shanghai since 5 years, and I have one question.

    I got my E license recently and I'm about to buy a Raptor Regal (street) 250cc with a yellow A plate in the Suzuki moto shop Pubei Rd next of the BWM moto store.

    Because they're the only shop saying they can provide a A plate for foreigners, I fear there's trouble.

    There was an American guy buying a Raptor Regal (but a cruiser) too @ this shop, today, who referred me to this forum, he didn't seem to worry at all, but I am.

    So here's the question:

    Did any foreigner here ever bought a A plate + bike @ this Suzuki shop Pubei Rd and knows if it's no scam?

    Cause the plate a big deal of money (for me), and cause u can only figure out if it's cool or not when the 1st cop stops u and check the plate #.

    I only paid 1000RMB deposit yet...

    THANKS
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  2. #2 Re: New newbie in Shanghai 
    C-Moto Guru Fred's Avatar
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    Hey Brice, I'm sorry I'm not able to help you on this one, can I just ask you the precise address of the Suzuki shop on Pubei lu ?
    Thanks in advance.
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  3. #3 Re: New newbie in Shanghai 
    C-Moto Senior braillce's Avatar
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    Hey Fred.



    The Suzuki shop I'm talking about is adjacent to the BMW shop, @ #193 on Pubei Rd, near Guilin Rd, near Shanghai South Railway Station.

    浦北路193号, 桂林陆。



    There's a Benelli shop a bit further, don't miss it if u go there.
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  4. #4 Re: New newbie in Shanghai 
    Senior C-Moto Guru euphonius's Avatar
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    Brice, welcome to the forum.

    I've visited all three shops but having never bought a bike there I can't speak to their services. However, if they are promising to provide a legal plate with the bike, this will by necessity require more than just cash from you, particularly your residence permit and other documents. If they are asking only for cash, or telling you the bike must be registered in some proxy's name, I'd be deeply suspicious. If they tell you it's not legal to register under your own name as a foreigner, I'd be suspicious. Registration of a bike displacing 250cc or less with a 沪A plate is likely to cost 20,000 RMB; at least that is what I was told by someone who did a legal registration.

    Can you give us a better idea of what kind of service and terms they are offering?

    good luck!
    cheers
    jkp
    Shanghai
    2010 JH600 "Merkin Muffley" (in Shanghai)
    2000 KLR650 "Feezer Ablanalp" (in California)
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  5. #5 Re: New newbie in Shanghai 
    C-Moto Senior braillce's Avatar
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    Hey, thanks for prompt answer.

    Yes they asked for residence registration paper (used to be called yellow paper... it's white nowadays), they ask for my passport too (residence permit), and made a photocopy of my driving license. So that seems fine then.

    Although they ask for 44000 RMB for the plate, but that's +/- what they were asking everywhere else for the 沪A plate... (42000RMB @ Harley shop & @ Jiaoji rd shops).

    They say they buy the plate @ their shop's (or perso's) name, and then sell it to me @ my own name.

    They say I can sell this plate later if I want.

    The shop's credit card payment machine looks different, never seen one like it b4. They slide their mastercard in it first and then type the amount and then slide ur card, so I guess it's more a transfer machine (construction bank logo on it so still looks legit).

    They still provide fapiao for the bike, and registration papers for the 沪A plate, but they say there won't be any fapiao for the plate, cause there just ain't.

    How does that sounds to u?
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  6. #6 Re: New newbie in Shanghai 
    Senior C-Moto Guru euphonius's Avatar
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    brice,

    the info they are giving you is accurate, though I had thought that the smaller-bore bikes had a lower rate for the 沪A plate. You might ask them if the price is the same for a bike under 250cc or under 200cc. There is a limited number of these plates, and Shanghai is not issuing more. And motorcycle plates CAN be transfered to a car, while a car plate cannot be transferred to a motorcycle. This is why the price tracks that of the monthly car plate auction.

    a couple of cautions: if they are gathering all of your personal info, it is not likely the bike is first being registered in their shop person's name. if it's first registered in someone else's name, there will be an additional amount of transfer hassle and fees to get it into your name. and because you are not a PRC national, there will be even more confusion. only a very small number of foreigners have done this, and that shop very likely has not done any. (Mine was said to be the first in Shanghai, barely months ago.) They are technically correct that there is no fapiao for the plate, since it's something you are buying from another citizen, not the government. (You actually don't buy a plate; you buy the right to have a plate. When you go to the vehicle management department you will choose a new number from a lottery-style number generator.) But there will be receipts for all of the steps of registration, including the license transfer fee; if you pay the transfer fee you will get a fapiao; if the seller pays the transfer fee he'll get the fapiao.

    And, yes, you can transfer the plate later, either with the bike or separately. That's the one thing that makes the plate price tolerable. Think of it as an investment....

    cheers
    jkp
    Shanghai
    2010 JH600 "Merkin Muffley" (in Shanghai)
    2000 KLR650 "Feezer Ablanalp" (in California)
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  7. #7 Re: New newbie in Shanghai 
    C-Moto Senior braillce's Avatar
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    Ok, euphonius, u just made my day.
    There are indeed other fees summing up to +/- 3000RMB, I didn't understand what they were for, since insurance should be <300RMB.

    About the plate's price, I needed someone knowledgeable to confirm this process is legit, and I can sell it after, so I could see it as an investment.

    Thanks 4 ur concern & help.

    Pure curiosity; what kind of bike did u get some months ago, and from which shop?
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  8. #8 Re: New newbie in Shanghai 
    C-Moto Guru milton's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by euphonius View Post
    brice,


    ... (Mine was said to be the first in Shanghai, barely months ago.)
    Jeff,

    Yours is not the first 沪A plate owned by a foreigner with residence permit, but the first issued for a JH600 in Shanghai, a momentous event in itself indeed. Following your feat, now there are a few JH600s in Shanghai legally owned by various Chinese and foreigners.
    沪A plate comes in 2 different colors. 沪A Yellow is the kind you and I have. 沪A Blue is cheaper but only for engine displacement of less than 50cc (this restriction was imposed in 1996 as I read from another forum). 沪A Yellow has only a single rate.
    As far as the hassle for getting the plate, my suggestion to Brice is to find someone who actually has gone through the process successfully. I am wondering if 刘志东 is willing to help.
    Cheers.
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  9. #9 Re: New newbie in Shanghai 
    Senior C-Moto Guru euphonius's Avatar
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    Brice,

    As Milton has noted, several of us in Shanghai have bought the Jialing JH600, which at 600cc is the largest-bore modern production bike made in China. (The Changjiang CJ750 is neither modern, nor in production.) There's no dealer in Shanghai, so we've bought directly from the factory in Chongqing. It's a bit north of 30,000 rmb.

    Thanks, Milton, for clearing the cobwebs from my memory about the lower-tier 沪A plate, particularly that the threshold of availability is "below 50cc" rather than "below 250cc" as I'd (mis)remembered.

    Milton's suggestion about engaging Liu Zhidong in the process is a good one; he's helped several of us get our new bikes directly registered and plated, and he knows the process as well as anyone. If you ask at many other places, including H-D, you'll be told that you as a foreigner simply cannot register a bike in your own name. This was true for many years, leading to a brisk trade in registrations by Chinese girlfriends, but is no longer true. (Fortunately Chinese girlfriends have other excellent uses.)

    Given all that, and the fact that regardless of what bike you buy, you're on the hook for 42k+ in plating costs, you might want to think hard about your choice of bike and be sure you are getting exactly what you want. The 沪A will allow you to ride almost anywhere in Shanghai (exceptions are the gaojia and certain big avenues, but many of us know how and when these go unenforced). Our little band of JH600 riders have been experimenting with tricks for getting on the expressways, which are a wonderful way of getting out of town and into better riding areas FAST.

    again, good luck sorting this out.
    jkp
    Shanghai
    2010 JH600 "Merkin Muffley" (in Shanghai)
    2000 KLR650 "Feezer Ablanalp" (in California)
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  10. #10 Re: New newbie in Shanghai 
    C-Moto Guru Fred's Avatar
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    Whoah guys, great info here, but I'm still a bit confused.
    I'm in the process of buying a Honda 125 (maybe Storm, maybe CBF), and the guys at the Honda-Sundiro shop on Zhongshan lu told me they can get plates for RMB 6,000. So of course I guess it's waidi plates. Could you please confirm that I can (legally of course) use the bike with waidi plates inside the inner ring on weekends at least ?

    And I'm really interested in your tricks to know when those rules are not enforced (evenings after XPM, others things to know ? ;-) ) !

    Thanks for the answers !
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