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  1. #1 New member, Beijing! 
    C-Moto Senior galenernest's Avatar
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    Hi everyone!

    My name is Galen and I've been living in Beijing for a bit over a year now. I rode motorcycles since childhood back home on the west coast of the US. Now I'm getting the bug to get back into riding, and the little electric scooters, while fun and cheap, just don't cut it for me.

    I'll keep exploring this site but for now, I do have a few questions.

    Motorcycle license (yeah, I'm sure your sick of these questions...) I can't find a current website for the LaoShan training center in Beijing, but apparently that's where I need to get started? The only info I've found so far is about four years old. I do have a current, valid Washington State driving license with motorcycle endorsement if that makes any difference.

    Is it easiest to just buy a new motorcycle and have the dealer handle the plate for you? I don't really need (or want) to ride into the middle of Beijing, so a jing B plate is probably all I need. Those are good for outside the 4th Ring, correct? (I live outside the 4th Ring, btw).

    Once I get licensed, insured, plated and geared up, I look forward to taking my motorcycle the hell out of Beijing on the weekends! Hope to meet some cool folks here. Happy late mooncake day. :)

    I'm not rich. (I'm an English teacher...) I just want a cheap, small reliable motorcycle that has a clutch and gears and something that I can get decent tires for. What's a good little bike to get? 125 cc seems a bit small for me, but I would entertain a 125cc, I'm hoping for a 250cc though if they aren't much more expensive.

    Cheers!

    Ohh, I do have a lot of pictures of me and my motorcycles, just still learning how to use this forum.
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  2. #2 Re: New member, Beijing! 
    KING of MCM LOL prince666's Avatar
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    Good bike to start of with and cheap to buy

    yamaha ybr.jpg

    The picture is of the YBR G but get the YBR KG to which the link is....

    link to taobao

    http://item.taobao.com/item.htm?spm=...id=38155428570
    Last edited by prince666; 09-10-2014 at 10:35 PM.
    "Arguing on the Internet is like running in the Special Olympics, even if you win you're still retarded"
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  3. #3 Re: New member, Beijing! 
    Senior C-Moto Guru zhu's Avatar
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    get one of these
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  4. #4 Re: New member, Beijing! 
    KING of MCM LOL prince666's Avatar
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    Take a China bike over a made in China Japanese bike? Sorry I just can't agree. A YBR125, YBR250, CBF150 will be much more reliable and hold their value wwwaaayyy better than any Zongshen. A Zongshen is just a crappy copy of Japanese tech.

    + 1

    Done over 20.000 km on the YBR in 5 months over some hard rides will no major issues ????
    To me that tell's all

    And at 12.000 Rmb on the road all plated and insured good cheap way to start


    thailand and hainan 2014 1363.jpg


    thailand and hainan 2014 1620.jpg
    "Arguing on the Internet is like running in the Special Olympics, even if you win you're still retarded"
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  5. #5 Re: New member, Beijing! 
    Senior C-Moto Guru ZMC888's Avatar
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    Hi,

    Welcome to the forum.
    Interested to know your budget. If over 24,000 yuan is affordable there is the Jianshe Yamaha YBR250 and the Haojue Suzuki GW250. Both ideal and great bikes, try to buy 2nd hand if you can't afford new.If your budget is about 10,000 yuan then try for a Jianshe Yamaha YBR125 or Sundiro Honda CBF150. These are the best choices for a reliable bike with a good resale. Buy from a local dealer, negotiate the price and make sure the bike is registered and insured by the dealer before you pay in full, maybe a 2000-5000 deposit upfront.

    If you are desperate for 250cc power on the cheap or more off-road ability or other quirk you could consider a China bike. Be aware the quality and tech of these bikes is well below the Japanese branded bikes and you may have mechanical or other quality issues.
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  6. #6 Re: New member, Beijing! 
    Danger, Will Robinson! Lao Jia Hou's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by galenernest View Post
    Motorcycle license (yeah, I'm sure your sick of these questions...) I can't find a current website for the LaoShan training center in Beijing, but apparently that's where I need to get started? The only info I've found so far is about four years old. I do have a current, valid Washington State driving license with motorcycle endorsement if that makes any difference.
    Hi Galen, and welcome to the Beijing motorcycling community.

    Yes, it makes a huge difference that you already have a valid WA driving license with a motorcycle endorsement. There is a much easier process to convert your WA DL into a Chinese DL (you get to keep your WA license). You do not need to attend Laoshan for classes, but you will need to take a "written" test (on a computer, actually) covering Chinese Road Traffic laws.

    Frankly, the best way to learn how to do this is to visit the Traffic Management Bureau on the SE 4th Ring Road (huge building), and go to the Foreigners' Department on the left side of the building (when facing the building). Although the counter police usually speak some English, and are MUCH friendlier than DMV personnel back home, it is usually best to take a Chinese person with you (unless you are comfortable with the Chinese language). You can get all the forms, get the brochures on the process, the list of approved clinics for the very simple "physical" and eye test, and even register for the test. It is not a difficult process, just bureaucratic, although the Traffic Law test can be tricky so you need to get the most up-to-date Study Guide. The test is offered in English.

    Quote Originally Posted by galenernest View Post
    Is it easiest to just buy a new motorcycle and have the dealer handle the plate for you? I don't really need (or want) to ride into the middle of Beijing, so a jing B plate is probably all I need. Those are good for outside the 4th Ring, correct? (I live outside the 4th Ring, btw).
    Definitely easiest to get a dealer to handle everything for you, especially for a B plate.

    Good luck
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  7. #7 Re: New member, Beijing! 
    C-Moto Senior galenernest's Avatar
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    Hey guys, thanks for the welcome and the info so far! I'm intrigued by the Chinese Yamaha YBR ... I'll seriously look into that bike as my first motorcycle in China. I was hoping to keep the total cost of the bike around 10,000, but I can probably go as high as around 15,000 and still tolerate my wife's wrath. :P

    I've ridden a variety of bikes back in the States... my last bike was a Honda VFR800... great bike, but too heavy and sluggish for my tastes. I rode the piss out of an old Yamaha YZF600, also rode my friend's Kawasaki KLX250 motard on an extended loan... my last dirt bike was a KTM EXC 360... actually street legal 2-stroke monster, but I only ever road that one in the woods. I think I would have lost my driving license if I ever put street tires on that thing, haha!

    I got into the track scene around the Pacific NW for a couple of years, almost got into racing, but just didn't have the funds to keep it up. At one point, we were doing track days almost every weekend over the summer at different tracks around Oregon and Washington... those were fun times :)

    Here's some pictures (I hope they post okay... photobucket hotlink, you may need to run a VPN to see them)

    Rockin' my friend's KLX 250:


    Portland International Raceway, YZF600r:


    Geared up for a weekend camping trip, same old YZF:



    I low-sided and put me and my bike in a ditch the day before a track day:


    What the?


    I missed my track day the next day, but got my bike glued back together for the following weekend at Oregon Raceway Park, yeah!
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  8. #8 Re: New member, Beijing! 
    C-Moto Senior galenernest's Avatar
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    Okay, I'm going to the Traffic Management Bureau tomorrow afternoon with a Chinese friend of mine and we'll see what we can do! I'll report on what I find out. Thanks for pointing me in the right direction, Lao Jia Hou!
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  9. #9 Re: New member, Beijing! 
    C-Moto Senior galenernest's Avatar
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    Okay, I just got back from the Traffic Management Bureau to see about getting my Chinese driving license. Wow, I live in NW Beijing, so it was a long trek to get there. I didn't apply yet because I was missing my hospital check and a translation of my US driving license. I'm going to try to go back tomorrow to apply and schedule the exam.

    They're open until 6:00 pm during the week and 4:00 pm on Saturday.

    Documents needed:
    1) Passport and photocopies. (I brought two photocopies, and photocopies of my residence permit)
    2) Original police registration form of temporary residence and photocopies.
    3) Original driving license (My USA License)
    4) Photocopies of the original driving license (front and back)
    5) Translation of the driving license (they gave me a standard form on which the pertinent information they need should be written in Chinese)
    6) Hospital check-up. They gave me the form to take to the hospital to have the doctor fill out and sign
    7) Pictures. I just went to a little shop and had them do nine one-inch photos for 15rmb.


    Things to note:

    1: They don't have the study guide for the written exam anymore. They gave me a card for a company that sells the English study guide. It's 70RMB. They deliver. To order the book: during regular hours call 36767890, after hours call 13522765212 I'm obviously going to order the book, and of course once I've passed my exam I won't need it anymore, so if anyone in Beijing needs it, you're welcome to borrow it once I'm done.

    2: According to the lady at the desk, you don't need an official company to translate the license. Anyone can translate the license and sign the above mentioned translation form. So, I'll have my Chinese friend do the translation for me and keep my fingers crossed.

    3: I had my friend ask twice to be sure: My Chinese driver's license should be valid for driving cars and motorcycles. According to the lady, the Chinese license will mirror my USA license relating to what kind of vehicles I can operate. I'm crossing my fingers on this one... I've heard some contradictory information. We'll see.

    I'll post an update after my application is accepted and my exam scheduled. sigh.
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  10. #10 Re: New member, Beijing! 
    C-Moto Senior galenernest's Avatar
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    One more question!

    Are there any local Beijing meetups or bike nights? Weekly rides? I looked around on the forum and didn't find anything. Hopefully I can fall in to a decent group of motorcycle riders once I get my bike. :)
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