Ride loop from in Yunnan from Kunming to Dali and Lijiang

[Nickerington]

Hi all,

I am planning on making a trip from Kunming to Dali and then to Lijiang before returning back to Kunming. I will be using www.ridechina.com for the rental, who have advised me on a few precautions of which I should be aware. I'd like to ask the forum if they have any direct experience of this before I go ahead and book the trip. To keep things simple I'll post related info in bullet points:

Me
- Have experience riding 250cc bikes across SE Asia.
- Regularly ride an electric bike through Chinese traffic (Dongguan)
- Read and speak Chinese to a fairly high level
- Do not have a Chinese motorcycle or international license
- Do have a UK driving license for cars

Trip
- Leave in early August
- Travel for around one week, maybe more
- Fly from Guangzhou to Kunming to pick up bike
- Ride to Dali
- Ride to Lijiang
- Ride back to Kunming
- Fly back to Guangzhou

Main concerns
- No license
- Have been advised am not allowed to drive on Chinese highways, will national roads be ok?
- Not allowed to ride in big cities. Not a problem for Kunming as bike rental pick up is outside city center, but will this be ok when arriving in Dali and Lijiang?

I have read through the main stickies regarding obtaining a license, insurance, riding in China etc, but am hoping for advice specific to the areas in question. Saying that, any related advice is welcome. I would also be interested to hear about alternate routes I could consider.

Thank you in advance for your help.

Nick

[prince666]

Hi and welcome
Sounds like a great trip Yunnan province is a great place to ride , I read you are Renting your bike from Ridechina and that your are fully responsible For all damage to the bike and 3rd party claims, and from there website Ridechina recommend WorldNomads.com for all your travel insurance . Now one thing worries me is will you still be insured with the fact you will Be riding illegal ! i.e. No valid Chinese DL . It's a main worrier I would have Not just for the cost of the damage to the rental bike but if other traffic is involved, you could end up with a big bill and some prison term! So please think long and hard about this matter. Have a great trip and please post a RR if you get time

P.S. Will RideChina rent you a bike knowing you are not legal ?

[Nickerington]

Hi and welcome
Sounds like a great trip Yunnan province is a great place to ride , I read you are Renting your bike from Ridechina and that your are fully responsible For all damage to the bike and 3rd party claims, and from there website Ridechina recommend WorldNomads.com for all your travel insurance . Now one thing worries me is will you still be insured with the fact you will Be riding illegal ! i.e. No valid Chinese DL . It's a main worrier I would have Not just for the cost of the damage to the rental bike but if other traffic is involved, you could end up with a big bill and some prison term! So please think long and hard about this matter. Have a great trip and please post a RR if you get time

P.S. Will RideChina rent you a bike knowing you are not legal ?

Hi Prince, thanks for the reply. I have made them aware of my situation and as long as I leave a full deposit they are willing to rent me a bike.

The license is a big worry, you are right. I am thinking over whether it is worth the risk or not, and also if there is any possibility of securing a license before I go (doubtful given the time constraints). Another concern is whether I am allowed to ride into Dali and Lijiang, as RideChina said I would not be allowed into Kunming city centre. Dali and Lijiang are much smaller though, so I'm hoping it will be ok. Does anyone have experience of riding in and staying at local hotels/guesthouses with motorbikes?

[prince666]

Hi Prince, thanks for the reply. I have made them aware of my situation and as long as I leave a full deposit they are willing to rent me a bike.

The license is a big worry, you are right. I am thinking over whether it is worth the risk or not, and also if there is any possibility of securing a license before I go (doubtful given the time constraints). Another concern is whether I am allowed to ride into Dali and Lijiang, as RideChina said I would not be allowed into Kunming city centre. Dali and Lijiang are much smaller though, so I'm hoping it will be ok. Does anyone have experience of riding in and staying at local hotels/guesthouses with motorbikes?

Hi I have done my MCM bit about Chinese DL now the real truth , many other members on MCM have rode in china with out a DL and I been stop over 3 years by the police 4 times and I had a accident and all the times I was ok maybe lucky so you are over 21 so I leave it up to you to make up your own mind and to consider all outcomes . You need to make sure you find hotel/guesthouse bike friendly
that allows you to park the bike inside the hotel !! Many will ? now about dry city i.e. bikes banned ! for you Riding not so legal so to speak keep away from them don't give the police a reason to stop you ok in real life I rode in many dry city and not been stop and when I have been stop I have just said sorry maybe pay a small fine and of you go . The best rule I work to is if u see other bikes your ok when these bikes start to fin out or stop then be careful that's the best advise I can give you

Have a great trip be lucky !!!

[Nickerington]

Thanks for the advice! Sorry, what do you mean by 'dry city'?

[prince666]

Thanks for the advice! Sorry, what do you mean by 'dry city'?

Dry city = Bike ban city