hi from Germany

**trackaddict** · 08-17-2015, 12:38 PM

I say hello from Germany!
I am a passionate motorcycle rider (at the moment I ride an Aprilia RSV 4 and a Ducati Scrambler) and interested in all kind of motorsports. Fortunately I can combine this passion with my job, as the company I work for has several clients out of the motorcycle business.
Furthermore I am quite linked to China as my wife is Chinese and we are planning to move to China with our little daughter within the coming years.
So riding motorcycles, working also in the motorcycle business and in privat life being linked to China, I am really happy that I found this forum in order to get a better idea of what is going on in China under a motorcyclist point of view.

Thanks for being part of this forum!

**ZMC888** · 08-17-2015, 02:50 PM

Originally Posted by trackaddict

I say hello from Germany!
I am a passionate motorcycle rider (at the moment I ride an Aprilia RSV 4 and a Ducati Scrambler) and interested in all kind of motorsports. Fortunately I can combine this passion with my job, as the company I work for has several clients out of the motorcycle business.
Furthermore I am quite linked to China as my wife is Chinese and we are planning to move to China with our little daughter within the coming years.
So riding motorcycles, working also in the motorcycle business and in privat life being linked to China, I am really happy that I found this forum in order to get a better idea of what is going on in China under a motorcyclist point of view.

Thanks for being part of this forum!

Welcome to the forum!

There are some difficulties to overcome such as getting a Chinese motorcycle license and buying a registered bike, as well as adapting to the driving 'style'. It's all on here, browse the forum.

**trackaddict** · 08-17-2015, 04:43 PM

Originally Posted by ZMC888

Welcome to the forum!
There are some difficulties to overcome such as getting a Chinese motorcycle license and buying a registered bike, as well as adapting to the driving 'style'. It's all on here, browse the forum.

Thanks for the welcome!

Yes, I can imagine. I once had been to a dealership in Beijing where official bikes were sold. Just beside there had been another shop (apparently same owner), where illegal Japanese bikes (with no numberplates) coming in through Hongkong were offered. Weird...

Regarding traffic, I saw quite a strange riding style of scooter riders and also no respect towards them from the car drivers. I hope Cinese car drivers have some more concern for "real" bikers...

**ZMC888** · 08-17-2015, 05:10 PM

Oh, any questions, please ask.

**trackaddict** · 08-17-2015, 05:22 PM

Originally Posted by ZMC888

Oh, any questions, please ask.

Many thanks!
I surely have a lot of questions also in sight of my next trip to China (normally I go to Beijing and Liaoning). E.g. if there are big biker hangouts like in Europe (e.g. Boxhill and many others in UK, Germany and other, mainly Northern European countries), if there are any open trackdays organized on the more well known race tracks (what's about Shanghai Circuit?), if there is the possibility of renting motorcycles,and much more.

However, these days I will start to read a bit through the forum in order to avoid questions which already had been asked many times.

**bikerdoc** · 08-18-2015, 02:22 AM

G'Day, welcome to MCM.
Sounds like you're reasonably informed. That's a bonus. The issues surrounding motorcycling and motorcycles has changed little since your experiences, though there are more legal middle-big displacement bikes available.

But, I've got to ask, why? Why come to PRC? I'm not meaning to sound all pessimistic, but...

It's one thing to visit the country on vacation or stay on a short term work contract, but to live here full time... and with a child? Sorry, I maybe in a minority here, but this is not a place to come and raise a child. Why? Well for one thing there's little to no control over supply chains in many aspects that we all rely on for daily living here. QA and QC are mere tokenisms by many, in fields where it counts. To maintain a quality of life in day to day life here is expensive. Imported products cost more since the PRC Govt. takes a good slice of the pie. Education for your daughter will either be expensive via one of the international schools or left wanting on many fronts if she's enrolled in a local/experimental school. IMHO if you want an Asian experience, move some place else like HK, Thailand, Singapore or one of the other SEA nations. They all offer far better quality of life IMO. From a motorcycling point of view, PRC sucks for the whole motorcycling ownership experience.

Moving elsewhere other than PRC - you and your families mind, body and health will be the benefactors. The motorcycle ownership and whole riding situation is far more positive. Northern Thailand has motorcycle clubs, organised rides and whole lot more going on. Motorcycles are not relegated to the fringes as is often the case here. The local people in Thailand drive 100 times better than here and are way more aware on the whole too in my experience.

PRC has a label as a developing country for good reason. The country might have multi-lane roadways, plenty of luxury this and that, ever increasing number of sky scrapers and what not, but "Everything here is just for looking - if you scratch beneath the veneer, for nothing is as it seems, beAware the smoke and mirrors," - apply this literally to EVERYTHING here. Incompetency and complacency rule.

YMMV.

**trackaddict** · 08-18-2015, 11:55 AM

Thanks for your long post, bikerdoc!

Wow, hard words about living in China!
I do not have the intention to emigrate to China, but I would like to live over there for at least some years (my Chinese wife likes that idea even more... - not so our 3-year old daughter

)
There are several private and also business related reasons for it. But for sure I will not say bye bye to Europe (also because apart from my home country, I really love countries like Italy and Spain). Anyway, this is all still future music.

Regarding the traffic yes, it is quite scaring to see certain things on the web and also when I am there.
Interesting that there are now more motorcycles around; I also saw some sales figures regarding the Chinese market from the European manufacturers. Not "exploding", but increasing.

Thanks again for your concern!

**ShuBen** · 08-18-2015, 02:54 PM

Welcome!
When you have questions feel free to ask after reading the related posts in the forum.
(The search is a pain i. t. a. but you will figure that out :-) )

... just few things to say:
a) nowadays stay legal regarding bikes and license
b) in the Chinese traffic food chain you are just 1 level above pedestrians (Large trucks are level 5

)
c) forget your German thinking for "the right of the way" or "each others care in traffic" (here they give a shit on this)
d) ride with mental radar scanner (never look around whats aside the road .... oh a XY shop ..... (potentially) BANG!!!)
e) keep all vehicles left, right & front of you on your radar ( ... wonder only if they follow the rules)
f) accept that in accident case no one might help you (but foreigners)
g) get a WeChat account to join the riders communities
h) .... nevertheless enjoy a f... great riding experience with less limits and a wonderful international riders community

feel free to PM me in German

Cheers!

**zhu** · 08-19-2015, 04:59 AM

Yes there are some great racetracks called Sichuan and Yunnan. Thousands of corners but no flag marshals and no ambulance. As for bringing a kid here. What bikerdoc said.

**trackaddict** · 08-19-2015, 08:43 AM

Originally Posted by zhu

Yes there are some great racetracks called Sichuan and Yunnan.

Sorry for being impatient , but too curious about it...
Is there any sort of organized or open trackdays for motorcycles in China? What is about Shanghai circuit - on the web I saw pics of track days for cars of some years ago, but nothing more. Are there any other race tracks around China where people can go with their bike (or at least car) and where you have maybe even sort of smaller competitions?