Avialable Chinese Bikes vs actually registerable!

[bikerdoc]

** Update # 2 **

Bloody H3LL.

OK, my passport number passed. The JH600 passed. What failed was my visa duration!

My Canadian passport expires next year, so to have the clear 6 months before expiration, I only have a 6 month "F" visa right now. Visa valid from June 12 to December 10 (180 days). The balance of my passport is filled with consecutive visas for YEARS. I own other vehicles, registered in my name. Married, own property, residence permit, etc, etc, etc ...

Well, the nice lady at the Traffic Management Bureau said ... "Your visa isn't 6 months. It needs to be from June 12 to December 12. If it was December 11, maybe we could have made an exception."

NO amount of rational logic or argument helped. The ONLY thing that helped was my lovely Chinese wife ... we registered it in her name. We'll transfer it to mine after I renew my passport (5 years) and get a new 1 year visa.

Oh, my six year driving license is up for renewal soon, so we asked if I could get a 10 year license ... and the nice lady said ... yup, no problem, because you only need a 3 month visa. OMG, I am going crazy with the logic.

Rules, rules & more rules.

Anyways ... rumours at the Traffic Management Branch are that it will be August 1, 2010 when the new list of "approved bikes" comes out. Folks, get your visas in order!

Grrrrrr.

There's one thing that explains it... you know it, I know it, but they don't know it.... TIC? What are TIC's good for, they are like parasites, sucking blood from their host.

[bikerdoc]

What a circus, I can't believe you tried logic...like that has ever worked here
My license expires in September and my Visa renewal is October...looks like I will be driving for a month without a license... better yet, I bet they make me re-aply and re-test because it will be expired when I get my new visa.
You know the reason traffic is so bad in China is because half the country is bouncing around between government departments trying to get shit done.
Ah the joy of bureaucracy.
Cheers!
ChinaV

I agree, and sympathise - some of the rules and how they're applied can sometimes be "arse about face" but having said that to be fair... China is a DEVELOPING country, and it has that label for a reason. Step back 15 years and most of China was countryside with poor infrastructure and mostly a frugal peasant class, even the major first tier cities lacked much in the terms of sophisticated development. Much has changed in those past 15 years or so, and thankfully the change is constant sometimes at a dizzying pace. I guess the frustration (challenge) can be that such changes are not always consistent or always applied appropriately and in a manner that would be prudent or beneficial when all factors are taken into consideration.

[td_ref]

TIC is really something shameful, merely dictatorship blindfold their people. consider 100 years ago we have noble owns most people (peasant), let along rights and freedom, and today we discuss bureaucracy. and the face, the unequal, servant to master relationship has gone though thousand of years in mind. Face has made role of being government servant switch to noble like, as this soil still in medieval age but with modern technology.
In last 30 years it has been industry revolution, vastly developed infrastructure. But some other stuff (if you know i mean), stay the same or even gone backward.

[Lao Jia Hou]

You know the reason traffic is so bad in China is because half the country is bouncing around between government departments trying to get shit done.

Hahaha ... that is EXACTLY what we were discussing in the car as we were driving from pillar to post trying to get this JH600 registered.

However, I do have to step back and ask myself "Why am I in China? Why not just move back to Canada, where a vehicle registration takes 5 minutes?"

The answer is simple ... Canada is soooooo boring. Everything works as it should, everyone follows rules as told, and life is easy, predictable, and comfortable. In China, if one is ever bored, one only has to go for a walk down the street ... something completely bizarre will be sure to unfold before your eyes.

I love China, despite its warts, and feel a little bit lucky to be witnessing its evolution first-handedly. Preceding comments are correct ... only 10 years ago, private vehicle ownership was just being considered. But, selfishly, I sometimes wish it's development would progress even faster.

We are lucky to have forums like this where we can "interact" with "understanding" round-eyes like ourselves.

Now that the JH600's in my oversized foreign hands, I can start my evaluation of the JH600 as a possible bike for a commercial North China touring operation. I'll keep you posted in another thread, but my lovely wife commented as she was looking at the shiny black bike ... should the radiator be exposed like that? Hmmm, good point sweetheart.

[TexasAggie]

Maybe everything works smoothly in Canada but this red blooded Texan can attest to the fact that the USA Government is certainly able to screw up trying to boil a pot of water. My wife is from China and after filling out the BS required for her freaking USA visa, I can assure you that the Chinese have nothing more ridiculous. Have you tried getting on an airplane in the USA lately? TSA is a complete joke. Worried about 80 year old women while OSama walks around the back door with a bazooka. Anyone ever try dealing with the USA's IRS? Talk about abuse of power. I could go on and on but bottom line, you are correct that the rules in China are complete chaos, I just tell you that the grass is not much greener when dealing with my American Federal Government.

On a positive, I am really enjoying my Nanjing registered and licensed JH600!

[culcune]

There are a few things that do surprise me about the US. Living on the US/Mexican border, there are times that things are needed in Mexico (medications, carton of cigarettes, cheap tequila). Having lost my passport (maybe my wife hid it thinking I was going to sneak across and have Mexican hookers??!! LOL), I needed to get across the easier and closer of 2 border crossings. The problem is, this particular crossing closes at 10 pm, and it was 9:20 pm, and it is still about a 12 minute drive. I got there, and the pay parking lot was closed, and the free parking along the highway was recently taken away (both are on tribal lands, so it had something to do with the tribe funneling all the parking to their lot--which was closed!!??). I took the plunge and drove across into Mexico, parked at the market which sells groceries, cigarettes, liquor, and has a pharmacy attached--all in one!!) Got what I needed. Drove back to the border with 10 minutes to go. Just showed the Customs agent my drivers license and birth certificate (showing US citizenship), answered some official questions and had small talk with him (probably disguised official questions), and I was good to go. Don't know if they had already established that I hadn't gotten a large shipment of drugs stashed in the car, but it was easy and quick, nonetheless.

[The Orient Express]

I heard that the YBR250 is no longer made in China. Can it still be registered here then? And if so, what's to stop other imported 250s being imported and registered here such as the 250 Ninja?

[ZMC888]

I heard that the YBR250 is no longer made in China.

Sounds like an odd rumor, they still have the bike on their websitehttp://www.jym.com.cn/Simplified/Main.asp Also at the price they've been asking for it there are probably some unsold examples around in their warehouse.

what's to stop other imported 250s being imported and registered here such as the 250 Ninja

The 100% import taxes, other taxes on top of taxes, and the non CCC compliance. There are a few bikes which are imported with CCC certification, the Suzuki GSX250 and I think there is a nighthawk (Honda CB250) which might have compliance, but maybe only for the police http://www.honda-motorcycle.com.cn/import/index.html.

Most of the other bikes with CCC compliance are the Yamaha R1, Honda ST1300, most BMWs, most Harleys plus a few others.

[The Orient Express]

Yamaha R1?! Really? Does that mean you can register one and ride it in downtown Shanghai?

Any idea if you can import by yourself and still register the bike legally? Otherwise any idea what the 'on-the-road' price not inc plate is?

How does it work if you import a second hand R1 and then register it? Is this an option or is the CCC compliance only for 2010 bikes?

[Lao Jia Hou]

Yamaha R1?! Really? Does that mean you can register one and ride it in downtown Shanghai?

Any idea if you can import by yourself and still register the bike legally? Otherwise any idea what the 'on-the-road' price not inc plate is?

How does it work if you import a second hand R1 and then register it? Is this an option or is the CCC compliance only for 2010 bikes?

A member of this forum (lago888) has an R1 for sale in Beijing - it is legal and has Beijing A plates - contact him for more info. With a legal plate in Beijing, I would assume it is possible to transfer it to Shanghai, although you'd still need to purchase a Shanghai plate.

Unfortunately, it is virtually impossible to legally import a second-hand R1