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  1. #1 Baihuashan, Beijing 
    Motorcycle Addict chinabiker's Avatar
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    It's very difficult for us the keep our hands off the handlebars, so we decided to go for a short ride on November 4th.
    Destination: Baihuashan 百花山 (100 flour mountain)

    We left at 7 in the morning under blue skies and at single digit C temperatures.

    The first stretch, along the 5th ring road of Beijing, was pretty boring and it
    became very bad on the G108 afterwords. Very bumpy road surface and very chilly in the gorges between the Western mountains, where the sun shines
    in for only 2 hours per day during the winter. From G108 (at km 74) we turned off to North into a small valley.
    There is coal mining going on everywhere and black is the dominating color.
    After 130 kms and 2 hours of riding we finally arrived at the bottom of the
    mountain road we came for, having a short break to warm up on the sunny side of the slope.


    Short break on a pile of coal dust


    Meanwhile we reached 1000 m asl and the road to Baihuashan will climb for almost another 1000 m within 12 kms.


    In the distance - the road to Baihuashan


    Mid way up the mountain


    Looking south


    Andy on his way up


    The final hairpins


    We reached the top - altitude almost 2000 m and only 60 km West of the center of Beijing


    View to the South from the summit


    West


    North


    East


    Little monastery


    A look into the black valley we came trough


    After a good hour of enjoying the views we started our way home, passing through another black valley.



    Imagine to live there!


    A nice one again - the road to Baihuashan


    Coal pot


    A rare sight in this area

    We returned the same bad and boring route back home with some mixed emotions.



    The map (click to enlarge)



    More pictures


    Andy & Robert
    Last edited by chinabiker; 11-25-2008 at 12:56 PM. Reason: Map added
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  2. #2  
    C-Moto Not-so-Noob Lago888's Avatar
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    hi Andy, awesome PIC's & report ,
    and as you said "Only 60 KM's from the center of Beijing"
    it is a really great riding area,
    I hope to be there with you on the next one
    all the best
    TIM L
    2005 Ducati 1000 SS and 2004 Ducati 999
    2006 Yamaha R-1
    2007 Suzuki DRZ-400 SM
    1984 BMW R80RT
    EMail: Lago888@yahoo.com _Cell # 1348-864-0048
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  3. #3  
    Senior C-Moto Guru ZMC888's Avatar
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    WOW

    2000 meters! Must have been cold up there! That's just the kind of road I love.
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  4. #4  
    C-Moto Senior kingmarty45's Avatar
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    They certainly don't have anything like that here in Australia. Nice report and thanks for the pics!
    ---------------------------------------------------
    Kinlon 2008 200GY-SM
    Honda 2003 CB250
    Life is too short for traffic
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  5. #5  
    C-Moto Noob colourblind's Avatar
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    BEAUTIFUL photos!!! Please clarify this: I read somewhere that 'big bikes' were not allowed in China, things must have changed!!??
    Colourblind
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  6. #6 bikes 
    Motorcycle Addict chinabiker's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by colourblind View Post
    BEAUTIFUL photos!!! Please clarify this: I read somewhere that 'big bikes' were not allowed in China, things must have changed!!??
    Colourblind
    To the best of my knowledge:

    Every 2 wheeled, combustion engine powered vehicle is a motorcycle (I don't know how all the different 3 wheelers are defined).

    Every motorcycle has to fulfill certain standards (god knows which) and go through the CCC (product safety standard) process. Additionally, emission standards have to be fulfilled, which are obviously different, depending on the city or province.
    Further, it seems that emission standards are depending on engine size.
    Smaller than 50cc (I think this is also the max for 2 strokers), 50 to 200cc (250cc ?) and above.

    Some cities and regions ban bikes completly (e.g. Guangzhou), while other places limit the number of licenses or have different ones. In Beijing for example, there are "A" and "B" plates. The A's cost 15,000 RMB and allow you to ride in the whole city, while the B's are not allowed into downtown but cost only 1,000 and are not issued to foreigners.

    All this is valid for domestic as well as imported .

    Since there are only max 250cc domestic bikes, except the Jialing JH600 and the CJs (the experts may correct me), all others are imported.

    Not many foreign bike manufacturers are willing to spend the efforts to obtain all necessary certificates, so there is only a small number of foreign manufactured bikes around (the legal ones). To my knowledge these are BMW, Ducati, HD, Honda and Yamaha.

    Since import and other duties sum up to approx 180% of the overseas EXW price, the retail prices here are extremely high.

    Notes
    - Everything is possible in , nothing is easy and patience is the root for all success.
    - Every village has different rules



    Andy
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  7. #7  
    C-Moto Noob colourblind's Avatar
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    Hi Chinabiker

    many thanks for the info.
    Would you have info about the use of foreign driving licence as well?? Again, I was told that one has to have their foreign licence converted to a Chinese one, is that correct?

    I do quite fancy the Jialing JH600 if and when I do get the chance to ride China!!

    Colourblind
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  8. #8 Driving License 
    Motorcycle Addict chinabiker's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by colourblind View Post
    Hi Chinabiker

    many thanks for the info.
    Would you have info about the use of foreign driving licence as well?? Again, I was told that one has to have their foreign licence converted to a Chinese one, is that correct?

    I do quite fancy the Jialing JH600 if and when I do get the chance to ride China!!

    Colourblind
    There is a pretty straight forward procedure in most places, permitting foreigners to obtain a driving license under the condition of holding a residence permit. So far, so good - for residents.

    As a non-resident, say tourist, it is more difficult and subject to miles of red tape, days, weeks, months and $ ,€,£, ¥, but it is not impossible.

    Converting a foreign dl is not possible, but a requirement to apply for a Chinese one (at least in most places).

    Many people just come here, buy a bike with rego and just ride without dl.
    O.K., as long as you are not caught in big cities or involved in an accident, not recommended though.


    Andy

    P.S. Do you live in China ?
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  9. #9  
    Life Is Good! ChinaV's Avatar
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    Andy & Robert,

    Thanks for taking us along on a nice little ride. You can just feel the cold in some of those pictures. Hats off to you guys for braving the elements .

    Was late to work after 20 minutes of browsing your photo album and map this morning. Somehow this resulted in a 60 km ride instead of the usual 30. It was 20ºC, brrrrr....

    Cheers!
    ChinaV
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  10. #10 Re: Baihuashan, Beijing 
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    I made my first ever (and impromptu) trip out of Beijing this Saturday and Sunday. Here's my story...

    Last Saturday, around 3:30pm a friend and I decided to go out for an
    afternoon ride toward the hills around Beijing on my newly purchased
    150cc Guangdong-made motor-scooter bought in the Wudaokou area (the engine is a "Maima麦马"). The tachometer read 336 km before the trip which represented my entire life's riding experience.

    At about 5:20pm, precisely the time when we should turn around to go home, we passed a sign (see pic of #?) that
    said "Baihuashan 85km"("100 Flowers Mountain 85 KM"). My
    friend recalled she had been there once as a kid, but hadn't gone back
    since. I asked her if she was willing to go again and return to
    Beijing the next day. Thus began our adventure.

    I figured 85 kilometers would take about 1.5 hrs. One hour later, at about 6:30 I
    remembered I had no passport and found out she carried no ID, which
    meant we could not stay at a hotel. As the sun went further down, the
    air exhibited irrational temperature fluctuations with pockets of
    frigid cold in the valleys. 7:30pm, after over 2 hours of 2-lane mountain highway (G109)
    got us within 20 km of Baihua Mountain. We were getting cold but had
    made it through the last major pass and found a perfect place to eat
    and stay. They assured us no hotel registration was necessary out there.

    IMG_0715..jpg _ _ _ _ _ IMG_0717..jpg

    Later that evening, we heard a pack of wolves howling just outside our
    hut. The vicious watchdogs in the cages abutting our hut were going
    nuts. It was then that we realized that our windows were wide open but
    for a screen. This scared the shit out of her but I figured they were
    probably just a pack of semi-wild dogs. The next Monday's google
    search confirmed the area has wolves.

    We woke up and purchased a second layer of clothes each, for I had
    only shorts and a t-shirt and she lacked body fat. That cost 100RMB for both of us.

    Since the air was pristine and the road had almost no traffic, I got
    my camera out and gave it to my riding companion (setting T-priority
    on 1/1000 and ISO 800). Though it was her first time to handle such a
    beast, after major cropping and straightening efforts, I am able to
    share with you the most magical ride I've ever had. As the driver,
    it's difficult to really take in the views (unless you stop), as all
    attention must be on the road at all times, especially in China. So I see my trip much as
    you do.
    IMG_0850..jpg _ _ _ _ _ IMG_0876..jpg _ _ _ _ _ IMG_0653..jpg


    On Sunday, we got caught up in a major thunderstorm in Beijing,
    so we had to hang out at McDonalds for a half hour before getting home
    at around 4:30pm. As for the rest of the trip, I could not have
    imagined better weather.

    I am not nearly as sore as I was after horseback riding last weekend, but that is
    mostly due to geting back and shoulder massages I received while driving whenever
    things tensed up too much or upon request.

    After looking at Google Maps, I found out we had ridden to within a few
    miles of the next province, Hebei Province! Just imagine where we
    could have gotten had we left at 9am ;)

    And so, I had a truly amazing vacation.

    Fun Facts:
    Traveled: 250-300 km
    Top Speed: 70 km/hr
    Gas cost less than $10 bucks total
    Baihua Mountian is 2,218 meters high (7,276 feet)
    My friend actually shouldered the pink purse the whole way
    Her goggles cost about $3 in case you find them fashionable
    Only took 25 hours in total
    My tachy is over 630 km now

    More photos to follow...
    Last edited by Bryphoto; 06-06-2010 at 10:40 AM.
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