Hi to the MCM JH600 crowd,

This is my first post here but I’ve been following your adventures, the Pfaelzer, euphonius and the other MCM stories. And so after months during which just thinking about it made me happy, two weeks ago, I finally transferred the money for a JH600A (red) to the Chongqing factory. I’m told it will be ready by mid April and I can’t wait.

About me: I’m a medical doctor by training but ended up co-founding a social marketing technology company in Shanghai, and I’ve had the usual love-hate relationship with China since 2006. I’ve been riding a YBR125 for a year now in Shanghai with a few weekend trips and it’s changed my life.

Now I’m looking at longer touring with my JH600, this is the first babysteps I plan to make and I’ll be grateful for any feedback and advice you guys have to offer:

1. I plan to order the tourfellas panniers set and an engine guard from the master builder Du Rui in Yongkang (based on what I read here, thanks) and ask him to ship those parts to the factory or a Jialing authorized workshop in Chongqing.

2. I’ll pick up the bike and break it in hard with non-synthetic oil (just to be contrarian, I'll follow the mototuneusa guy's advice) and do an oil change after the first 20 miles...

3. I’ll sign a rental contract for a room with a friend-of-a-friend to be identified somewhere in Chongqing who has a garage, go to the police station with the rental agreement to get my local residence registration paper, and get help from the workshop hopefully to obtain a Chongqing license plate for my bike (in the expectation that the process is similar to what was shared here in the thread on Kunming).

4. I’ll probably leave the bike with a workshop or a friend in Chongqing, fly back to shanghai, and wait for the paperwork for the license plates to get done. (I don’t want to invest in Shanghai A plates at this point and instead just leave the bike waiting for me in South-West China, but I may eventually change my mind about this).

5. I’ll take a week or so to ride down to Kunming along the routed suggested on this forum in summer, leave the bike with a friend in kunming and fly back to Shanghai. Repeat as time permits :-)

Eventually, as I get more experienced I want to take the bike to south-east Asia and through Myenmar and India. I understand the German motorcycle club ADAC will issue the Carnet required for India to owners of China registered bikes. Will share whether I have any success with this.

I’m sure I’ll make a ton of beginner’s mistakes, which I will be happy to share as they occur. Meanwhile, if you have any words of warning or advice, I’ll be sure to heed it.

Thanks in advance, safe riding,
Christoph