jkp,

we are all waiting to see your Buckin' Bronco RR continue - but now I understand why this had to wait. Unbelievable you went through all of this but I bet there are a lot of foreigners in China, interested in the procedure of registering a bike. Good contribution... and fantastic report.
I am living in Hong Kong and procedures here are pretty similar, once it comes to registering a cross-border vehicle. The plates to cross from Hong Kong into Guangdong are also expensive, but same than in your case, they are not linked to the vehicle and do not loose in value. Good to read, that you like the bike. As I said, there is no real need for big modifications unless you are... - it runs well as it is -

Hope to meet up with you somewhen for a ride.
Cheers,
AW.