Hello from Toronto, Canada

[Chinadian]

Hello everyone,

My name is Bill, I was born in Taishan and immigrated to Canada in 1980. I have been back to China for vacations and visit family every few years. Just sign up with MCM to learn from riders and about riding routes in Western China. I hope one day soon that I can come home to the motherland and see all its beauty on 2 wheels. I just learned how to ride a motorcycle 2 years ago and have taken a few trip thru North America.

[euphonius]

Dear Bill,

welcome to MyChinaMoto! And welcome back to China.

To whet your appetite, start with the many many ride reports from all across China. You'll probably have questions about how to ride legally -- it's challenging for an occasional visitor without forking out bucks for guide services, etc. but it can be done with a bit of planning. If you've got any lingering kin over here that could help, especially if you end up wanting to buy and garage a bike here. (Are you from Taishan the Pearl River Delta city or the Taishan Mountain area of Shandong? I'd keep the bike in Chengdu or Kunming...) As an emigrant do you qualify for any kind of program that allows you to stay in China for extended periods? That could make getting a drivers license a lot easier. It's not how long you stay that matters, but how long of a stay is allowed by your visa....

What are those bikes are you riding in Canada and what prompted you to start riding? (I'm a late bloomer too!)

cheers
Euphonius

[Chinadian]

Hello,Euphonius

I was born in Taishan city beside the Pearl River Delta and the city is now 3 times bigger than when I left it in 1980. I currently own a SYM HD200(173cc) scooter from Taiwan and traveled from Toronto, Canada to Mount Rushmore, S.D. USA 8500km round trip for 2 months last year. I also have 2 Honda Nighthawk CB450sc (82 & 84). I bought the 82 Nighthawk in Western, USA and fly there to pick it up and ride it home thru Yellowstone National Park 6000km one way also last year. I love touring by car, van and now on motorcycle. I didn't start riding motorcycle when I was young because I really like to drive FAST! As I get older and more mellow, its much safer now for me to ride

My Chinese girlfriend (born in Vietnam) and I want to tour South Western China starting in Taishan and end at Ho Chi Minh City in Vietnam for the duration of 2 months.

The plan:
-get myself a Chinese car and motorcycle license(don't know how yet),
-buy a Chinese 250cc enduro bike, title and insure it in one of my cousin's name to avoid "guide service"(is that legal?),
-stay in hostels and guest houses as much as possible as hotels are way too expansive(is there a website for that?)
-avoid big cities as much as possible
-leave the bike at the Chinese and Vietnam border for my cousin to pick up and take home.
-rent or buy another bike inside Vietnam ride from North to South.
-Fly back to Canada from Ho Chi Minh City.

Questions:
-Why do visitors in China need guided service?
-I have an international car and motorcycle license and why is it not violet in China?

Regards,

Bill

[ChinaV]

Questions:
-Why do visitors in China need guided service?
-I have an international car and motorcycle license and why is it not violet in China?

You don't really need a guide service. If you have a license, registered vehicle, and a valid visa, you can pretty much go wherever you want with the exception of sensitive areas in/around Tibet and Xinjiang.

Your international license is not valid because China is run by a peculiar bunch of people that refuse to honour laws and commitments amongst the international community. You have a very marginal chance at getting a license here because your tourist visa will probably not be valid long enough to meet the license requirement. If you still have Chinese citizenship, or family members with connections to the local government, maybe you can swing something.

Cheers!
ChinaV

[zhu]

is it a little bit ironic that a bunch of foringerres are giving advice to a chinese guy about how to ride in China.
welcome btw and have a good trip
there are many hills and valleys between beijing and western China
not saying its the right thing to do but if i had a cousin who looked a bit like me
i would borrow his license
just sayin
btw

http://www.tripadvisor.com.au/

you can check any place you plan to visit for hostels, food , bars or tailors

[humanbeing]

If reads Chinese, motorfans.com.cn / Guangdong section http://www.motorfans.com.cn/bbs/f_80.htm is a great place to ask Qs about license etc. My roots is from Zhongshan. When i "home" in '12, heard the "D" still can buy via some Wuzhou countryside officials .

[Chinadian]

is it a little bit ironic that a bunch of foringerres are giving advice to a chinese guy about how to ride in China.
welcome btw and have a good trip
there are many hills and valleys between beijing and western China
not saying its the right thing to do but if i had a cousin who looked a bit like me
i would borrow his license
just sayin
btw

http://www.tripadvisor.com.au/

you can check any place you plan to visit for hostels, food , bars or tailors

I am ashamed to say I have been westernized long ago. I can't read Chinese any longer but can speak Cantonese and a bit of Mandarin learned from my ex-wife from Taiwan. It would be a really bad idea to borrow my cousin's license as the officials will notice I only look Chinese the moment I open my mouth. I keep reading ride reports at ADVrider.com riders from around the world coming to China for adventures. Its looking more and more like pipe dream.

[NZBrakelathes]

I think best is go to shanghai n do it or change visa
I don't like riding my bicycle I would rather do it all on motorized 2 wheels then pedal power!
Thanks

[NZBrakelathes]

I'd rather go to Shanghai and do my license or best yet get a correct visa do it local and all possible issues are gone
Down side I have a EU passport yet I'm NZ resident 30+ years and do not have any accent other then NZ
I'm working illegally yes - not best
So best try make it all good etc
What's the immigration requirements for non English passport? Bachelor in English? I can do something there etc wink wink

[ZMC888]

As I said on the other thread....

Honestly there is no enjoyable riding weather until March, in fact it's often downright dangerous uncomfortably cold and icy until March. If you want to get around the city a mountain bike is best until then, bigger knobbly tires. If you want to ride a motorcycle you need a better visa, as someone employing you on the visa you have now is illegal. You have until March to fix the visa side of things then I can help you get a driving license.

Also you are saying you're not a 'native English speaker' and 'don't have a passport from a country that has English as a native language' and don't have a degree or do?

For a teaching residency visa in Zibo you'll need two or maybe three of the following.....

-Be a 'foreigner'
-White skin
-from a native English speaking country
-university degree
-1 years experience

That's not the official policy.