Has anyone been through this Laoshan course? What does it involve. Two-thousand RMB is not an unreasonable price to pay if you get good riding and safety instruction that maybe helps save your bacon one day. On the other hand, if it's like what members Fred, MotoKai and others have described from the rider training courses here in Shanghai, it's a typical government compliance ripoff.

As a price/value reference, I paid US$250 (~1650 RMB) for the accredited Motorcycle Safety Foundation course in my home town in California. That was for two full mornings (7-11 a.m.) of classroom work and two full afternoons of skills training on a closed course with one instructor for every six trainees. One trainee opted for a scooter, but the rest of us all chose from a menagerie of geared bikes, all of which were 250cc or less and in good working repair.

What's nice about the MSF courses in the US, which are offered by private companies, is this (at least in California): If you pass the MSF course, the Department of Motor Vehicles requires only that you pass a written exam, and waives the required road test. The MSF training and testing were rigorous and effective.

GJN, would be great if you could report back to MCM after the various phases of your training!

Edit: Incidentally, the MSF standard Motorcycle Operator Manual is available online as a PDF. Definitely worth a read, even for experienced riders.

cheers