driving license and buying motorbike..again

[bazz]

So i tried to get a license in Wuyuan. They couldnt help me..go to city traffic police. I went to jingdezhen. Monday morning to the police station for a temp residence permit. All went smooth..the officer brought the stamped form to my hotelroom at 13.00 hr.
Next step..to traffic police.residence permit ok, but translation of driving license not ok (did it myself using google translate and paint). The problem was I didnt had the translation 'stamp'. Commercial translation office could do it for..600Rmb. Found that too expensive so went to foreign affair office and they will translate and stamp it for free. The traffic police officer told me that I will get my driving license tommorow afternoon (have to do medical check up at traffice police but he told me that was no problem). That's going faster then I thought (tx to the english speking police officer). Will update tomorrow if it actually went good.

So I already start dreaming of my new vehicle.
But he tells me triCycles and moto side cars are a no go...there is no license for them. The one you see are in fact illegal.
Ok..no problem, I'll buy a motorbike. hmm difficult with plates he says.
So i start reading about plates and get more and more confused.
A couple questions:
How can I find out where I can get plates?
What plate do I need to drive around from jiangxi to the west, north and end up around bejing. (I dont need to go in the city)
Is it legal and doable to buy a second hand motorbike (100-150cc) with plates and anything I need to pay extra attention to?
I like the idea of an electrical bike..I dont like their range. I would like a range of 250-300 km..possible?
I read electrical bikes dont need a plate. How about the petrol/electrical ones? (I saw a new one for 4500 rmb)
tx

[euphonius]

Caution: Don't take one guy's random comment as gospel. This is a common mistake in China, to assume that because someone wears a uniform, they know the law. They often don't but also don't hesitate to chime in with what usually is ungrounded opinion. In the back of their minds, they are thinking, Oh, a foreigner probably shouldn't ride a motorcycle in China. It's not safe. etc. etc.

You have to dig harder to get the facts. The law treats you equally to Chinese when it comes to getting a vehicle license. Same price, same rules. If Chinese can get a motorcycle plate in your town, so can you. Don't take no for an answer!

Welcome to China.

[ZMC888]

Bazz, maybe buy a 2nd hand 125cc bike to test the water. The prices stay incredibly steady at around 2-3000 yuan after the bike is 5 years old. You can fairly well sell one for what you paid for it years later as long it is in good working order.

[bazz]

I got the 6 years C1E driving license!
It took me 1,5 days extra due to bureaucratic bull* and the 'is this a joke' medical test.
But 2,5 days for getting a Chinese driving license is not that bad I think.
I think the only reason it went that fast and I was able to get it on a 6 moth visa is because I'm Belgian.
Today we got help from 4 officers..maybe because the local paper was there. Big chance we will end up in the paper as the first Belgians who got their licenses here :)
The only thing I didnt get was the D license (trikes and sidecar I think).
In Jingdezhen it is not possible/allowed to buy petrol motorbikes. Tommorow I go to Hubei or Hunan and will look out for a second hand 100-150cc.
Should I get some papers with a second hand bike? Is it needed to make a 'contract'?
tx for the help
bazz

[Rewi Alley]

3 months



.
Don't pay no attention to what your's or any other foreign embassy tells you about getting a Chinese driving(car or bike) licence.
The only thing that works or matters in that case is what local Vehicle Management Bureau tells you.


Gra

This (above) is good advice. In 1986 we toured from Dalian to Hailar. CITS in Shenyang organised Temporary Chinese Driving Licences for that tour, valid only for the duration of the tour. In 2004, we organised licences in Chengdu through a ground operator there (no longer in business) and ended up having to sit a 100 question test. The operator there had the English Department at Chengdu University translate 100 of the questions into English, along with the correct answers. We studied these for weeks before we flew to Chengdu, and we all flew through the computer test (same 100 questions). But I understand the normal situation is you can be asked any 100 questions out of a possible 900. The local ground operator also had translators on hand (who all had the correct answers) and we could have simply used their instruction in English. But we thought that was cheating and we all wanted the challenge of doing the test ourselves. Our lowest score was 95. I got 99 and wanted to know which one I had got wrong...

We did this again in 2005 but in 2007, after being told we could get temporary licences in Kunming for a tour in Yunnan, we found the local authorities changed their position. Fortunately we had a contact in Guizhou who was able to organise temporary licences.

We would not take people to China to ride without a licence. Those who do, just think for a moment. What is your position with your insurance company in the event you get injured and need to be transported out? And they find out (as they do) that you did not have a licence.... GOOD LUCK!

[bazz]

Meanwhile we bought 2 125 CC. Not sure if they are licensed. They got plates and a small blue book with a card. But those can be fake off course.
I guess I could go to police to check them out but what happens if they are stolen..
Do I need to take action concerning insurance?

Driving in Hunan now and its great!