Hi there.

I am teaching at an international school here in Jiangsu province, outside of Shanghai. Just arrived here. Have a little bit of experience riding in India.

A few questions.

Eventually I would like to get a qingqi 200 or 250 streetbike or dual sport and do some touring. Two other teachers here are also interested.

Some questions.

1. Are there dealers that will give plates to foreigners without Z visa or local driver's license? Any near here? I recognize this technically illegal. I have heard that dealers are willing to license the vehicle in their own name. I recognize this won't work inside any major city, but would it be generally ok for the countryside?

2. How difficult is it to get a plate assuming I have a chinese driver's license and Z visa?

3. Assuming I stay out of the cities, what are the consequences of driving with a dodgy plate and a foreign driver's license? I recognize there are two categories, worst case and likely.

4. Does anyone know any reliable dealers (reliable meaning won't rip you off, not meaning reliable in a western sense. I know this is china and things like warranties and customer service aren't going to happen. Mainly I want to pay as low a loawai tax as possible). If I could find a reliable dealer, I would have little problem with flying there and riding back, assuming you could ride back in 3 days.

5. Would I be better off dealing with the factory directly?