Beijing gas station refueling

**Lao Jia Hou** · 09-28-2013, 11:05 AM

Originally Posted by Serpentza

A subscriber of mine has just had his CB400 confiscated by the police in Beijing while filling up. Apparently while fillng up(using a fake plate) a cop car drove right up to him, they took his keys and told him to report to a nearby station with his papers...

There are an increasing number of these stories, as the people who believe "it will never happen to me" are caught. One only has to take a cursory glance at the Chinese boards to read about such incidents, or watch BTV's (Beijing TV) daily Traffic Report (dinner time) - it seems to devote one day/week to those evil motorcycles, usually showing some poor sap being carted off, often in tears (good for effect).

On the Chinese boards, I've read about undercover policemen at gas stations. Personally, I wouldn't have a clue what to look for. A Chinese person would probably know.

BTW, that "report to a nearby police station with papers" is ominous - be interesting to know the outcome. I know, personally, two foreigners who were told the same. One ended up in admin detention. The other was due to leave the country in 2 days, and never reported. He's never been back.

**Lao Jia Hou** · 11-15-2013, 06:30 AM

Strangely (given the government meeting in Beijing the past few days), over the past couple of weeks I have not once been asked for my Blue Book or DL. Maybe half a dozen fills on various bikes, both 京A & 京B plated. Calm before the storm? Or just backing off? No idea.

I've seen on Chinese forums that some riders are now calling 110 (the police) each time a station asks for documents, apparently successfully getting the station to back off. I've no idea how that works.

**Kernalpanx** · 11-15-2013, 06:57 AM

I got asked for everything today and when I said I brought the blue book for the wrong bike, they just said doesn't matter and filled me up.

**bikerdoc** · 11-15-2013, 07:01 AM

Originally Posted by Kernalpanx

I got asked for everything today and when I said I brought the blue book for the wrong bike, they just said doesn't matter and filled me up.

hahahahaha... TIFF... ROFL... IAWMP...
but TIC sums it ALL up!

**Rewi Alley** · 11-17-2013, 09:41 PM

Originally Posted by bikerdoc

hahahahaha... TIFF... ROFL... IAWMP...
but TIC sums it ALL up!

If the use of forged licence plates is rampant in Beijing and Shanghai, then it seems obvious the police would target petrol service stations rather than pulling people over at random on the roads and causing traffic blockages. They know that people riding motorcycles will require petrol at some point so waiting at petrol stations to check licence plates is dead easy. Better still if they can have the petrol station attendants do that job for them.

Why do people used forged licence plates if having your vehicle confiscated is a possibilty?

Seems very odd...

**Lao Jia Hou** · 11-17-2013, 11:37 PM

Originally Posted by Rewi Alley

Why do people used forged licence plates if having your vehicle confiscated is a possibilty?

Seems very odd...

The majority of fake-plated bikes are stolen either from within China, or some other country (and then smuggled in). The next largest group of illegal bikes would be those that are bought at auction (as an insurance write-off) in some other country (e.g., Japan, USA, etc) and then smuggled in. Next would be those stolen overseas (by special order) and then smuggled into China.

People buy stolen/junkers because of price. A legal BMW 1200GS is about 250,000 rmb (new) and you have to add 10% tax and the plate price (130K in Shanghai, 60K in Beijing). Alternately, you can go to Tianjin and get an illegal one for about 100K, and pay only 200 rmb for fake plates/documents.

It is simply a question of one's morality (or lack thereof) ... would you want to ride someone else's stolen pride & joy? Or would you like to ride a bike that perhaps has a cracked frame, or has been water-submerged (e.g., from a hurricane/tsunami), waiting for a disaster to happen?

And, sadly, even if your bike is seized, there are ways to get it back. The legal system in China is still developing, and some people (sans ethics) are taking advantage of it while they can.

**bikerdoc** · 11-18-2013, 12:12 AM

Originally Posted by Rewi Alley

...
Why do people used forged licence plates if having your vehicle confiscated is a possibilty?
Seems very odd...

As stated, TIC, the non-responsibility logic free zone

**ChinaV** · 11-18-2013, 12:25 AM

Originally Posted by Rewi Alley

Why do people used forged licence plates if having your vehicle confiscated is a possibilty?

Seems very odd...

Because they make it so difficult to do everything, and every city has a different policy or procedure. Why bother following the rules?

Cheers!

**bikerdoc** · 11-18-2013, 02:24 AM

^exactly... ChinaV... exactly...
as is said...
'the difficult things are easy, and the easy things are difficult'

**hclayjones** · 11-18-2013, 03:27 AM

If the use of forged licence plates is rampant in Beijing and Shanghai, then it seems obvious the police would target petrol service stations rather than pulling people over at random on the roads and causing traffic blockages.

It is the case of let the service station attendants police the bikes and not the BPD.....i haven't been checked... have a gas card and just fill it myself... I have only seen those who have no plate being refused and of those only the lower end of the economic scale seems to be subject to the full intent of this new requirement. Traffic blockage has never been the concern of the police but perhaps the free movement of those who would increase the population of Beijing by steaming in from outlying areas buying moto vehicles to commute ..... recently this seems to be eclipsed by the marketing of e-bikes.