OK, taking out the expressways, the distances are still not too bad, so efficiency starts to be a big factor. Day trips are basically out. But an overnight is possible even using surface roads -- if you can make like chinabiker and get your arsch into the saddle by 6 a.m. or even earlier. Six hours on the G318 will get you somewhere, but if you're shaking off a hangover and saddle up at 10, well, there you go. Lost opportunity.

The pain of this scenario is that, assuming you do this on a weekend, you'll be heading back into Shanghai on the 318 or 321 or 320 in a maelstrom of newbie traffic and fumes, which is an awful way to come down from a nice ride. Once again, the expressway beckons.

One final word on the expressway, prompted by Steve's comment about eventually coming to a toll gate. In my experience, the trickier task is getting onto the expressway. Once you are already on, you'll get some confused looks at the next toll station, but rarely will someone come out and stop you. You just roll up to the right-most gate, with it's motorcycle-friendly wide channel, look confidently and smile at the tolltakers, and roll right through. If someone stops you, they'll ask, "how did you get on?" And you reply, "They let me on back in xxxx." And often this is just enough for the tolltaker to decide not to escalate, mindful of the adage: "One more thing is not better than one less thing." (多一事不如少一事).

I rode the expressways all the way from Beijing to Shanghai last summer using this tactic. The only time I had trouble was when the expressway ran out and I had to actually exit, rather than just pass through a toll gate. By then I was in southeastern Shandong and they had gotten the (non-existent) memo that motorcycles are not allowed on the expressway. So I had to do a bit of cowboy riding to persuade may way back on...