Feb 24, 2011

Things are changing ... at least in Beijing ... and there is an amazing amount of misinformation out there ... so I`ve chatted with several people `in the know`about fact versus fiction.

Confirmed: "A" plates are now running 12 to 15K, up from 8K a few months ago, thanks to the vehicle plate lottery system forcing people to consider motorcycles as "necessary" transportation

Unconfirmed: Motorcycles might be thrown into the lottery system in a couple of months, according to two large dealers (but unknown by a third). This would be really stupid, as bikes are already restricted (no new plates without an existing plated bike being salvaged), but given how stupid the plate lottery system is, it may just happen. If so, what a disaster! The worst part is you cannot sell a used vehicle with the plate - the plate stays with the vendor, and the buyer must have won the lottery to plate the used vehicle. Used car dealers say biz is down 94% since Jan 1, 2011

Confirmed: Full 11-year "A" plate available on brand new CJ750s (price is 38K, including the plate). Only one dealer can do it, though.

Confirmed (for now): The temporary driving licenses for `L`visa holders will NEVER be available for motorcycles - only rental passenger cars & bike riders on properly organized bike tours in remote provinces.

Semi-confirmed: Beijing traffic police will be doubling their efforts to get illegally plated bikes off the road, in response to the numerous vocal complaints from car drivers who cannot get plates (due to the lottery system) and are getting fined, etc, for driving with out-of-province plates or no plates ... and they see unplated bikes, or bikes with other-province plates, zooming by. This was in a news article on BTV (almost every night there is a news article about the vehicle plate lottery), and the police were quoted as saying they would be more stringently enforcing motorcycle plate laws. A favorite place for the police to catch bikes is just outside my door, so I`ll see if the once-a-week-roadblocks are increased in the coming weeks.

Confirmed: The CCC and C-3 emissions rules are now having a big impact - several dealers are now saying `we`ll see in the coming weeks which bikes we can plate`. The so-called `grace period`appears to be over. Qingqi are having trouble, apparently ... but the new Regal Raptor 350 was approved and it is flying out the door (25K plus 15K for the plate, plus all the extra taxes, etc, puts it up to mid 40s)

Sigh