Thanks for sharing this great report with us Steve. You did a great job, getting legal, getting a bike, and getting away into the countryside. I did 5 years in Harbin (finally got paroled), and your report brings back memories of the Dongbei spirit perfectly - very friendly, outgoing, and always up for a drink (albeit warm beer).
Thanks, I was really grateful to have the information and help from everybody on this site. The whole process would have taken 10 times as long and been a lot more expensive if I hadn't had other peoples experience to learn from. MCM really is an incredible resource for anybody wanting to ride in China.