Hey Euphonius,

Well the plating experience is not over yet, since I don't have them yet. I've copped out and I'm paying someone 2,500 rmb to handle the whole process for me. I cannot afford to spend hours on end waiting in various line-ups at the registration office on Hami Lu. (My experience there in getting my foreign licence transferred was enough for my taste). I will hand all the paperwork to the guy tomorrow. In the meantime, the dealer is on stand-by to deliver (not drive!) the Yammy to Hami Lu when the plates are issued. Hopefully I will get a call to pick-up the plated bike sometime next week.

However, I'm afraid my plating experience is not very relevant to the majority of people on this forum because I'm a little bit of a special case (hint in my name). I have a lot more paperwork involved than normal, so it's worth it for me to just pay a specialist to do it. And to answer your questions, yes I had to fight to get the special process rolling, and it will be a 沪A. Except that it will be black ... (another hint)

It will become clear when I post pictures of the plated bike.

Also looking forward to maybe seeing you on the streets! I actually plan to use the bike mainly for commuting to work and I have not considered rides outsides of town.

DipStick

PS: when I payed for the bike, the dealer told me that some tall Chinese lady had just bought one too, same color. I know they don't sell too many of those. So if you see her, well, it's not me :-))