Hi folks, I've now arrived in Nanning from Vietnam. I have been trawling the bike shops and am getting conflicting messages from the locals re bike purchase.

1. First, it seems like 150cc is the biggest bike I can find here (although I did find a battered old CJ750 outfit which is of no interest to me). If a 150 is the biggest I can buy then I can live with that.

2. A NEW QingQi GS125 is around 5,500yuan with another 1,300yuan for rego - total 6,800yuan. Sounds good providing I can get someone to rego it in their name, but without a local interpreter I seem to be pushing up hill on that point.

3. I checked out used bikes (to get around the rego problem) and a used QingQi 125 seems to be selling for around 8-9,000yuan (these are the prices marked on the bikes and confirmed by the sellers and I've checked out over a hundred used bikes so far so it seems a little strange).
I don't understand why a used bike should sell for more than a new bike. :confused1:

I then checked out some cheaper used bikes (< 5,000yuan) and these bikes seem to have registration documents which have expired. I can't work out whether this is still Ok or not, and I have been told it is an extra 1,300yuan for another year's rego.

So in essence can any one clarify what is going on.

First, why would buyers apparently pay more for a used bike than a new one? Is there some additional cost on top of the new bike price which I have not been told about.

Second, do I need a registration document with a date into the future on it or is a bike with rego that expires in April 2008 ok?

Third, if I do need to renew the rego what is the procedure?

Many thanks for your help, this is my 3rd day in Nanning and I'm itching to hit the road asap.

Garry from Oz.

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Garry from Oz - powered by Burgman

I try to answer your questions below:

Hi guys, a bit of an update for all.

First, many thanks to both Brice and Crazycarl for pointing me to Mike in Qingzhou.

Second, even more thanks to Mike for helping me out to buy a new Haobon 125 for 3,600yuan. Mike and his partner were most gracious in hosting me for the Sunday and less than 2 hours after meeting Mike for the first time I was the proud owner of the Haobon, which is unregistered with NO plates as I have 1 month in which I can ride unregistreded and this is all the time I will be in China.

I am now leaving Xian in an hour or so to head up to Beijing to get my visa for Mongolia.

To date I have travelled 2,400km in 5 days as follows:

Monday 28 April. Qinzhou to Bama (North East of Bai Se) -450 km. Beautiful ride through the mountains

Tuesday 29 April. Bama to Guiding (just outside of Guiyang) - 500km. I had a 500km oil change and minor service done on the bike at a small town near Bama - 15 mins and 10 yuan (I provided the oil). I travelled this section on the expressway - yes in Ginzhou province they let you ride on the expressway and even make you pay the toll. In Guiding the hotel owner did not know how to check me in so 5 minutes after I entered my room I had a knock on the door from 4 police officers wanting to to check my passport. They subsequently took me out to dinner and then offered me their poice bike to ride back to the hotel on. At no time have any police asked about my lack of a licence or registration - it is of no interest to them.

Wednesday 30 April. Guiding to Chongqing - 450km. I took the expressway and was stopped by the police with flashing lights around 60km from Chongqing as apparently I had crossed the provincial border and could no longer ride on the expressway. The police escorted me another 20km to an exit and then got a primary school teacher to translate for me and show me the route into Chongqing. It was an absolute pain riding taking the country roads but much more interesting.

Thursday 1 May. Chongqing to Wanyuan - 450km. I was dreading finding my way out of Gongqing back on to the 210 North. Unable to read any local signs I chose to navigate by the sun knowing that I needed to head NNW. Amazingly enough 1.5 hours of zigzagging later later, and when I was ready to give upm I saw a sign saying 210 with an expressway picture and a diagonal bar across it. It was then an uneventful ride along the river valleys to Wanyuang apart from lots of road work and lots of diesel trucks belching black smoke. On checking into my hotel I looked in the mirror and realised why the hotel owner looked at me with trepidation. My face was almost black with dirt!

Friday 2 May - Wanyuan to Xian - 500km. This day was a killer. Lots and lots of going up and down mountains, lots of trucks and crazy drivers. Twice I had to climb mountains up to almost 3,000 metres and the poor old Haobon was running rich and has no power. A number of times I was riding flat out in 2nd gear at 30km/h trying desperately to stay ahead of trucks bearing down on me. In addition it was very cold. I eventually descended into 33C heat and made it into Xian around 8.30pm.

I have spent yesterday visiting the terracottta warriors and am now bacxk on the road. See you around.

Garry from Oz.

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Garry from Oz - powered by Burgman

Did you bought a bike or a jet? You fly man!

Glad to read that you are on the road. Have fun and whenever you can please try to share some photos of your epic trip with us.

Brice

MyChinaMoto.com - Chinese Motorcycle Community and Resources

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Way to go Garry! You're making some great time. I hope everything goes well for you in Beijing.

Glad to know the 125 is getting you around China in the kind of fashon I think you enjoy best. Remember the hard times are the ones we remember best and love the most. Go HAOBON!

Sounds like the real deal there! 125 too...mad props Gare-man!

CC

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Many thanks for your well wishes guys.

This is a very quick note to say that I arrived in Beijing this afternoon (yep I rode into the city) and am just doing a quick dump for you of the last 3 days of riding.

Firstly, I managed to get my GPS charged up, and a very useful device it has proven to be. The Garmin world map actually has a fair amount of detail of the country roads, but a major issue is that the Chinese are constantly rebuilding and moving the roads so I would often confuse myself and backtrack because I was not ON the route as per the Garmin. I eventually woke up and realised that as long as I was heading in roughly the same direction, I could be up to 10km off the route without problems.

Day 1 (1/2 day) Xian to Lingbao - 300km.
Much easier riding now that I'm back on the flat lands. Easy 1/2 day ride with no hassles except for constant roadworks and crazy truck drivers.

Day 2 Lingbao to Xinxiang - 450km.
More easy riding - great to cross the Yellow River on the G107, then at 6.10pm I feel the Haobon start to lose power (not as if it has a lot to begin with ). 2km ahead is a fuel services stop so I keep riding and then pullover. As I slow way down, something feels a little odd and I look down to confirm the rear is flat. Fortunately the services had a tyre repair centre (for cars and trucks) and they pulled the tyre to find a 2" nail and a totally shredded tube.

The repair guy went off somewhere (into town I think) and half an hour later
had a new tube, and I showed him how to remove the wheel so we could replace it. 15 minutes later I'm back on the road and pulled into Xinxiang for the night.

Day 3 to Xinxiang to Dingzhou - 450km.
A little bit tougher today as there are frequent road works and it is really bumpy and dirty in parts. Going well till around 2.30pm when all of a sudden the suspension starts to feel not quite right. Pull over to confirm my second rear puncture in two days of riding. This time I'm well away from any towns and the thought of pushing is not appealling. I discover that the little Haobon is quite comfortable up to 30kmh in 3rd even with a totally flat rear. After riding for 5km I find a little roadside bike repair centre and pull in to find the shop is owned and run by a woman. She pulls the tyre to find another nail and a stuffed tube. I get her to put the new tube in and also buy a set of crash bars off her for 35 yuan. I needed the crash bars because my derriere is red raw from 10-12 hour days on rough roads on a saddle that has maybe 10mm of cushioning on a good day. Now I can use the crash bars as highway pegs to get a little relief in my seating position.

Day 4 (1/2 day) DingZhou to Beijing - 200km. Plain and simple ride. 48km from town there is a police check point. I just slowed down, looked to see if anyone was interested in me (they were too intent on going through the buses and trucks with a fine tooth comb) and just kept on riding. I was nervous about being stopped though as there are very VERY few bikes in Beijing and I am not sure how much interest they incur from the local police. I'm now staying in the Leo hostel approx 200 metres outside the 2nd ring road (in which bikes are not allowed) and doing fine.

Total distance ridden is now 3,800kms.

Major issues have been:
1. Crazy, crazy drivers trying to kill both myself and themselves - incidentally I saw a major crash every day and have seen 3 riders cleaned up by cars (I saw one this morning which I am sure was a fatality).
2. Roadworks everywhere, meaning lots of rough roads (my poor tush!) and lots of dust and dirt.
3. Diesel fumes - especially from those 3 wheeled trucks. Combined with the dust it means me and my clothing end up filthy each day. I hate to think what the inside of my lungs look like.

Overall I can't say enough about all my other interactions with the Chinese people. Everyone has been most friendly, including all the police. They just love foreigners.

I'm off in the morning to see about getting my Mongolian visa then it's off to Ulan Bataar.

I'll try to post some photos up shortly.

Garry from Oz.

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Garry from Oz - powered by Burgman

That's really an impressive trip across China. Looks like you know the drill.

Do you intend to keep the bike for Mongolia and cross the border even without papers?

All the best

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Yes well .. the world map version 3 was based on VMAP0 data .. must be about 20 years old. I expect it to be out by 2km even if the roads have not moved/been reconstructed. With reconstruction (or adding a better road around the old one .. happens here) ... well 10 km differeence would be possible. As you say - use it for general course stetting .. like a larger scale map .. don't zoom in - you'll see finer detail but the accuracy is not there.

Good luck ..

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Regards Frank Warner
motorcycles BMW R80 G/S 1981, BMW K11LT 1993, BMW K75 G/S

I certainly do Brice. I collect my Mongolian visa this afternoon and will be leaving for Mongolia on Sunday.

Wish me luck

Garry from Oz.

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Garry from Oz - powered by Burgman

Way to go Garry. Seems like you're having a great time on that little bike. Good to know it isn't dead yet.

I hope you have no trouble getting into Mongolia. Have fun and ride safe.

That sounds like a proper China adventure alright!

Good luck with Mongolia!

CC

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Sorry guys, everytime I try and post a photo it crashes out on me. I'll get there eventually though - thanks for your patience.

On the subject of the Haobon holding together, I have had the following problems.

Day 1 - lost the left passenger footpeg - I assume there was no split pin in the holding rod. Peg now replaced.

Day 1 - speedo, tacho and fuel gauge totally inaccurate. They vary their measurements at whim. Not repaired but speedo confirmed to be accurate (as per the GPS) at 70kmh.

Day 2 - seat compressed sufficiently that my butt is now resting on the seat frame rails. No fix yet.

Day 2 - clutch jerking badly on release. Subsequently turns out to be rear cush drive rubbers which are torn to shreds. Not yet repaired as I have been unable to find the correct rubber - wil need to do so before I hit the Gobi desert though.

Day 3 - tail light bulb blown (both brake and rear light). Bulb replaced and no recurrence.

Day 3 - lens falls out of tail light. Repared with sticky tape and still holding.

Day 8/9 - punctures on consecutive days. Rear tube replaced both times.

Otherwise the bike is performing fine. The engine appears bulletproof. The wheels and suspension are doing a great job on the rough roads. Brakes and steering work very well and the tyres have excellent grip on the loose rough surfaces. The rear rack is super-strong and a couple of times when I have hit 300mm deep potholes or bumps (I'm talking major highways here guys!) I have attained a fair bit of air before landing hard with no negative consequences to any part of the bike.

The 11 litre tank offers a range of 400-450kms amazing when you consider the 20 litre tank on my Bandit B12 wouldn't even take me 300kms. Mind you I was crusing at double the speed on the Bandit

Now if I could just do something about that seat

Garry from Oz.

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Garry from Oz - powered by Burgman

It's actually not too bad Frank. Quite a number of times when I was on the route the GPS would actually correctly name the highway I was on.
However, with all the road construction going on here, the roads are being rebuilt quite some distance away from the original route.

Garry from Oz.

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Garry from Oz - powered by Burgman

Whats the price of petrol in China like?

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Thanks
Joe