Disaster Planning for your MC ride in China

[Lao Jia Hou]

I want to thank Carl et al for operating this forum for us. I have benefited in so many ways from the knowledge of others, including which bike(s) to get, what mods to consider, where to ride, etc (how to remove the damn seat from an XTR - again, thanks ChinaV!) ... and also meeting some really cool people. In a perfect world, we'd all ride off into the sunset with a big smile on our face.

In our real world, shit happens. (accidents, hospitalizations, thefts, fines, detentions, etc). Because we are in China - this sh1t can be really stinky.

When riding with my regular group around Beijing, I am usually the follow-up rider for two reasons: I am a granny rider, and this granny carries a First Aid (FA) kit fer the yungins. Aside from the regular FA stuff, I also pack snake-bite anti-venom (yup, poisonous snakes live here), a splint kit (handles fingers & joints), burn salve & bandages (hot pipes), eye wash cup & drops (grit & bugs will ALWAYS appear during that moment you raise your face shield), and a few sterile needles (just in case some country hospital doesn't have them). The whole kit is the size of a carton of smokes (which, by the way, are also carried ... amazing how a fallen rider starts smoking again).

In another post, Milton brought forward a great idea about taping a little note on the outside of a helmet, in Chinese, stating who I am, and who should be contacted in case of an emergency. That is a wonderful idea - as I am often riding alone inside this massive city. What happens if I am knocked out? Do I just lay there for days? We know it is common for passers-by to just gawk, stare and then continue on their way ... especially if a foreigner is involved - "don't touch them!" "Oh look, there is a note on their head"

Sooooo - any tips & techniques when disaster strikes while riding in China?

For example, what do you do with an accident? Who ya going to call? Ghostbusters?

What about a bike theft? I've just installed a GPS tracker & will give a review in another post (first, I need a volunteer thief - someone who is willing to get the crap beat out of them - in the interest of science, of course).

What about the fines, points, court, etc?

Hopefully, we can help others learn from our own misfortunes.

Slabo's recent accident brought this idea back to the forefront. His sweety was there, but what if she wasn't?