New rider British in Shanghai. Want to buy first bike

**Metalmonkey** · 03-17-2017, 06:56 AM

Hi there, I'm a fairly new user of the site. I find it very useful as a resource. I am a Brit and have lived in China for nearly six years. Last year, I was bitten by the motorcycle bug. I got my Chinese license- C1D- last October and promptly went down to Yunnan to rent a bike(Got pictures of that- six days Dali-Lijiang-Baoshan and back). This was with tibetmoto.de An outfit I'd highly recommend for rental or tours. Helmut there helped me a lot even when I had a traffic police issue. I spent six days riding in the mountains of Yunnan on that trip on a Shineray X5 400cc .It was challenging but exhilarating. Since then, I have been looking to buy my first bike in China.

This is a total obsession, something maybe you can all relate to, but it's weird having this new hobby and passion in a foreign country. I got my license after many exasperating experiences...in Shanghai.. and then the next problem of actually riding here. I had adventures in Yunnan but also an injury. Despite these problems, this bike thing won't go away.

The problems I'm having atm concern buying and registering a bike. As you know Shanghai has a crazy plate system, so I'm considering moving out of the center of Shanghai in order to follow this passion. The difficult thing also is that every time I look at a bike for sale (four ridden now-( I took time off work and travelled to Nanjing the other week) , the rabbit hole seems to get deeper. Seems that all decent bikes (IE Japanese) are actually not sold here and the apps like XianYU offer many many illegal" bikes."I say illegal but an English speaking seller last week explained to me that all Chinese are aware of this and there are ways around it. There are however Chinese agencies or individuals that can register smuggled bikes and get plates. This all seems extremely clandestine, so I'm turning my attention again to Chinese made bikes. It's frustrating though.. Chinese police and sellers seem to present different versions of the truth, so I really want a way to talk to expats and other motorcycle enthusiasts on here in English.

So I want to meet fellow enthusiasts, get advice and share stories.
Pictures from the trip mentioned above (Dali-Lijiang- Baoshan Shitoucheng) in November 2016, with the trusty Shineray x5 400ccPicture 001.jpg Picture 002.jpg Picture 004.jpg Picture 005.jpg Picture 006.jpg

**Metalmonkey** · 03-17-2017, 08:43 AM

More pictures from the trip mentioned above (Dali-Lijiang- Baoshan Shitoucheng) in November 2016 Picture 007.jpg Picture 008.jpg Picture 009.jpg Picture 010.jpg Picture 011.jpg

**prince666** · 03-17-2017, 08:30 PM

Hi and welcome to MCM
Have A look at the Honda CB 500X which is now available in China.
Also consider contacting BikerDoc on here as I do hear he could be selling his BMW F650 GS ( Legel and plated ) and he is located very near you ?
I am located in Shandong province and I am just about to leave Thailand on the 24th March to pick up my bike that I left in kumming to finish the final leg of a 10 month ride China to UK and back again.
Hoping to have 4 weeks riding around Yunnan and Sichuan.
You have got this far by obtaining you C1D.
DON'T consider I clone plated illegal bike.

**Metalmonkey** · 03-18-2017, 02:57 AM

Cheers for the support. Your trip sounds epic. Surely it's what every biker wants to do..go trans-continental.
Thanks for your suggestions re bikes. As I said, I rode a 400cc in Yunnan and that was manageable, but dropped it in the dirt with painful and lasting effects. Um.. so I looked at the same Shineray for sale by a chinese chap from the Xianyu app in Nanjing earlier this month. Same bike, but suddenly seemed beyond me- maybe a bit spooked by the state of it- seat was not attached and actually came off when I first threw my leg over it. I'm far from an expert but pretty sure the back brake had a habit of sticking. The owner said"oh that's because this bike doesn't have ABS" fair enough, but the well cared for bike that I rented in Dali from The German guy didn't lock up and throw it's back wheel out once. Turned that one down.
Next stop was a dr250xc 2017 sold locally. Luckily the guy spoke English. Bike is in great condition- he's hardly ridden it in four years and never dropped it. Also kept under cover. To my untrained eye, it looks new. Apart from an inability to locate neutral when stopped, very nice. Anyway, the thing abut this bike, apart from the price tag 19500 was that he said it is shuihuo- smuggled. As such he can't give me his blue book or green book. It cannot guohu. He can however put me in contact with the same person who plated it for his and hopefully get all papers and plates for 2000 kuai. Dodgy? Yes. Legal? Anyone know?
So, I really like the bike and I think the weight is good for further training plus it's dual sport so great for off road. The problem comes that it's set way above the kelley blue book suggested price of $2,085 (okay, it's China, I'll swallow that) but more so that registration process leaves me upon purchase with a bike that's not legally mine. By all acccounts this is common.
Does anyone have advice?
I'm having to take in the wacky plating system here, then the fact I live in Shanghai... hmmm. I won't quite, but...

**Metalmonkey** · 03-18-2017, 03:25 AM

Wait a minute.. so you've ridden from the UK to China and you're about to ride back? Crikey.
Would love to do that. AtM I only have a Chinese motorcycle license so will have to get back to Blighty at some time to get a U.K one. Haha, also need a bike....

**prince666** · 03-18-2017, 06:05 AM

Originally Posted by Metalmonkey

Wait a minute.. so you've ridden from the UK to China and you're about to ride back? Crikey.
Would love to do that. AtM I only have a Chinese motorcycle license so will have to get back to Blighty at some time to get a U.K one. Haha, also need a bike....

No I live in China rode to the UK and 25 EU country's and then back to China.
Now please STAY away from bikes which are not fully legal.
Don't matter what a Chinese friends say he can or can't do ?

Your Chinese C1D is legal in the UK no problems.

**ShuBen** · 04-07-2017, 02:05 PM

Go somewhere and buy a new X5 or X2 or QingQi 250. Let it plate ( maybe in the shops name .. In BJ it works this way trouble free, seems for many LaoWai)
Listen to the Prince.
Forget DRZ.

Sent from my GN8003 using Tapatalk

**TexasAggie** · 04-08-2017, 04:30 AM

Originally Posted by ShuBen

Go somewhere and buy a new X5 or X2 or QingQi 250. Let it plate ( maybe in the shops name .. In BJ it works this way trouble free, seems for many LaoWai)
Listen to the Prince.
Forget DRZ.

Sent from my GN8003 using Tapatalk

^^^^ +1 on the above advice.

Or keep an eye out for a legally plated used bike for sale. A friend bought Honda 150 plated with A plates here in Nanjing for RMB12K 3 years ago. Just sold it to a guy for RMB60K for the Nanjing Plates... The deals are out there and as long as you are aware of the difference between "legal" and "grey" plates, you should be fine. It is cheap to fix a Chinese bike here in China. This is of course if you do not need/want to ride downtown Shanghai. Me, I gave up riding in the city as it simply pissed me off everytime I tried. I get paid to get that pissed off so I found somewhere else to ride since no one pays me to ride....

**Metalmonkey** · 04-30-2017, 07:54 AM

I'm in Shanghai. Does anyone have a spare bike (preferably smaller) or know of a good rental place in or near Shanghai? I'm looking to go on a trip 1-4 May.... Bit late notice. I'd go on my own bike , but Qingqi failed to deliver it.

**prince666** · 04-30-2017, 08:29 AM

Originally Posted by Metalmonkey

I'm in Shanghai. Does anyone have a spare bike (preferably smaller) or know of a good rental place in or near Shanghai? I'm looking to go on a trip 1-4 May.... Bit late notice. I'd go on my own bike , but Qingqi failed to deliver it.

Have a good trip.
The closest rental shop is Chiang Rai Thailand.