Greetings - New member in Beijing

[Bannoy]

Greetings all,

Discovered this forum recently and was extremely impressed with the amount of information for people in my situation.

I have been in Beijing for 5 years and while I have owned an electric bike before (stolen within a month), I have decided to move into the world of proper biking.

I have a few questions regarding advice for complete biking beginners and specifically beginners in Beijing. I'm determined to do everything by the book and will do my licence test after the holidays but have a few questions about bike buying and recommendations. Any help would be greatly appreciated.

1. What bike would you recommend for someone in my situation (non-scooter), I prefer the sports bike style, not too concerned about break neck speed(as Im pretty sure at this level anything over 250cc might actually break my neck upon first rev),have a budget of 5 to 10K for the bike.

2. Should I go for a first or second hand bike? I have always thought that second hand bike buying here was quite tricky as there are many lemon horror stories out there.

3. Why are there so many bikes that have the exact same EVERYTHING (paint, displacement, shape etc) but with different Chinese manufacturers names on them?

4. While I am aware of the safety issues involved with large engine displacement bikes, I want to ride my bike for a few years before having to trade up. The number I had in mind was 200 - 250CC, do you think this is a good choice or should I be lowering my range?

5. Could anyone recommend any sites or guides for first motor bike ownership and maintenance that I could use to get up to speed (figuratively)?

6. What is the insurance situation in Beijing? There doesn't seem to be much info going around on that. I am pretty solid on the plates situation but still not clear on the rules surrounding insurance.

7. Could anyone give me any advice that you think is essential for new riders in Beijing.

Many thanks for your time and advice

[Lao Jia Hou]

Welcome Bannoy

You are smart to do everything "by the book."

It seems like you are a complete beginner? And that is great - always wonderful to have new entries.

Recommended bike? That is a completely personal decision. But as a first bike, I'd recommend a small displacement between 100 and 150cc. A 250 may be too powerful, at first. The reality of Beijing traffic is that you are not going to go anywhere fast. A light, narrow & nimble bike is best.

Your budget is a little tight for a new, legal bike. I think you might be able to swing a new Honda SDH-150 with a "B" plate for under 10K.

I've recently seen used 150cc sport-type bikes (Chinese made) on The Beijinger for 8K, but I don't know anything about those bikes. Be careful about what "complete with papers" means. Personally, I don't think that a sport bike is appropriate for a new rider. The usual recommendation for new riders is a more upright seating position.

Insurance is cheap - only a few hundred rmb/year. But it only covers 3rd party liability. It is required. Any PICC office can sell it to you.

Advice? Keep it simple. Take it slow. Find a more experienced rider, explain that you are a new rider, and ride behind them, watching what they are doing and ask LOTS of questions. ASK about everything. If the "experienced rider" appears to be taking risks, find someone else. NEVER let someone push you beyond your abilities. Truly experienced riders always ride at the level of the least experienced in a group.

ALWAYS wear a helmet and protective gear. You can control your bike but you cannot control what other drivers are doing.

Riding safely is riding with enjoyment.

OK, sermon is over.

PS: I have to say that learning MC riding in Beijing is a little bit of trial-by-fire. Good luck!

[euphonius]

...learning MC riding in Beijing is a little bit of trial-by-fire...

...especially with colder weather looming. LJH's advice is excellent and you could do a lot worse than mentoring with him.

As for which bike, check out the fahni/filipu thread on the Jialing 150. Fahni found his second-hand with very low mileage and it cost him 7k all-in. Looks like a nice first bike, with limited power, good upright riding posture, very practical for getting around Beijing, and an excellent fun factor.

Welcome to the forum, and feel free to keep us posted about your progress.

cheers!

[slabo]

that Jialing would be perfect. Can easily cruise at a 100, reliable, simple, light. now what more could you possible want? I fell for "more cc's" is better and now I'm...
wait, let's keep this thread a cheerful one

[Ekkicore]

you can't get a 250cc bike legally registered anyway, right?

have you got your license yet? are you a local or foreigner? I ask because they've raised the price for foreigners to get their driving license at Laoshan by quite a significant sum..
I recently read that it was 1,560rmb to get your license, but upon calling them a few days ago I was quoted 1,550rmb for locals and 2,300-something for foreigners! WTF?!
Anyway, I'm going there tomorrow to apply so I'll keep you posted!

[euphonius]

Ekki,

Surely that price they are quoting includes the endless sessions of useless "rider training" on the Laoshan course, right? Can't be avoided unless you have a valid motorcycle license from another country, in which case you need only get the license translated, pass a (joke) physical exam and then score 90 or higher on written exam. What's the price for the exam alone for those with a foreign license?

For reference, back in December 2009 I took the two-day Motorcycle Safety Foundation rider's safety/skills course, which in California allows you to skip the road test when getting your motorcycle license (if you pass). The course was US$250, or about 1600 rmb at today's rate. The license exam itself was probably $15 or so, so the price of a getting a license from scratch in California was very close to what you are paying in Beijing. I'm not excusing or justifying the Beijing price, but just saying you'd not save much if you were starting from scratch in America. I think it's a lot more expensive in Europe.

Good luck tomorrow whatever torture you must undergo!

cheers

[Ekkicore]

Thanks Euphonius! I'll be sure to ask them tomorrow if there is a difference in price, or if there is another place you can go to have your license "translated", as far as I know Laoshan is the only place in Beijing for foreigners to go get a license from scratch, but that might not be the case if you already have a foreign license..

[euphonius]

I think that's correct -- Laoshan is the only place if you have to start from scratch, and take the bloody driving course. There have been several threads about licensing in Beijing. I've just searched a bit and found this one, which is not particularly definitive.

But unless Beijing is very different from other cities, anyone with a valid foreign license should be able to avoid the road training.

Quite a few MCM members have been through this recently, so hope they'll chime in!

good luck!

[Bannoy]

They quoted 1,990 when I called, so Im assuming that is the new rate. I had a look at that bike but I really don't like that too small for the rider look. I'm about 6"2 and look silly on smaller bikes.

Can any please recommend any reasonably priced models that wouldn't look comically small when riding?

[Bannoy]

I have been reconsidering the displacement size and was wondering if having a Honda/Yamaha 150CC would make it easier to get a license plate/register a bike.

Do these conform to the C3 list or not?