Quote Originally Posted by Kernalpanx View Post
You can get a B plate in the stores name as long as the bike ownership is your name. This is what the store I bought mine at explained as did the Beijing Licensing web site. Maybe I misunderstood, but I am pretty sure for foreigners name can not be on the plate. But if you have a company or the store will register you then ou are good for a B plate.
I thought the Benelli TNT came only as a 899 was around 189000 rmb used and the BJ600 naked was 39000.
My friend has a legal Harley in Shunyi with a B plate .... Registered under the Harley stores name.
Basically I'd say that is not quite correct. What might be implied is that if you live outside the area that would allow you to otherwise be eligible to otherwise gain a
京B plate then a shop can help get the plate.

The problem with this is that the shop or agent/company might not register the bike in your name. In which case you would need to make sure you have a water tight contract that would stand up to scrutiny and the law as it stands in PRC, that would prove your ownership of such a bike. IMO this is not a wise move, since unless you know the PRC laws, legal system and can read Simplified Chinese intimately - you're prone to be taken for a ride.

Shop owners and staff will sugar coat the facts, as they see them, to make things easier for them, to make them more money or to stiff you out of money... don't be foolish and take anything at face value. If you live inside the jurisdiction/boundary where 京B plates would be issued, and you've a valid, licence and visa etc, then there should be no reason you can't get a plate in your name, aside from plate availability and cost. Some shops might tell you different, but beAware the TIC BS!

Now the caveat to that comment is that in some circumstances the name has to be a Chinese name, rather than a foreign name. Meaning as long as you have given yourself a Chinese name then you could use that. Keep in mind though if you do, you have to consider that your Chinese name has to tie with your insurance, passport, DL and so forth. Something sometimes overlooked.

Some cities like Shanghai offer foreigners a special type of ID card that officially links the foreigners name in their passport with their chosen Chinese name. In the city I live in my first two PRC issued DL were in my foreign name, but my last renewal earlier this year, the local traffic PSB said they could only issue it in my Chinese name despite my protests - I should have pulled the guanxi card at the time, but I was just so over-it at the time. All my vehicles are in my foreign name though, and I just plated a new bike just over a week ago, and it could be in either my foreign or Chinese name - it partially depended on whether the person doing the plating processing could be bothered with the extra work it took for them to process my foreign name into the traffic management system. They were nearly going to use my Chinese name, but I insisted they use my foreign name. One phone call later and the women officer behind the computer screen completed the task as requested (confirmed by her superior to put it under my foreign name).

Really there is no need to have a shop or business register any vehicle in that entities name... to do so can leave one open to some surprises when it comes time to trying/wanting to sell, as one foreign guy with a JH600 found out within the past year.

So, what you have been lead to believe is not completely accurate or true.

For all things BJ plated or m/c related Ask JHL he'll likely set you right.