Riding Motorcycles in Beijing
Beijing does allow motorcycle riding and there are numerous clubs and rides during spring, summer and fall. Beijing has some of the most incredible roads for motorcycling. To the north is Huairou, Miyuan, to the north west is Badaling and the grasslands, go south to Shidu and you wind through rivers and valleys. Riding in the city of Beijing is not recommended for large motorcycles. The traffic is very congested thus it is not idea for large motorcycles. The rides up to the mountains are the best.
Feel free to join us on our set weekend rides if you have your own bike great, however we do require you have a crusier in good running conditions. Normally our rides start off around 9am on Saturdays, and return by about 7pm. We will usually head to a destination where there is some good local organic food retaurants for a hearty lunch with grilled trout. After lunch we head deeper into the mountains and then loop around and head back to Beijing. On the way we will stop by some interesting sites such as the Great Wall, pagodas, river banks, etc..
Getting a motorcycle in Beijing
There are legally licensed solo motorcycles in Beijing. Harley Davidson, BMW, Benelli are the three most popular large engine bikes that are allowed to be legally licensed. Other bikes may be licensed out of Beijing such as in Hebei, XinJiang, etc.. However these bikes have to be legally imported and all taxes paid and documentation done.
Other bikes that are allowed to be licensed are domestic brands that are 250cc or under. Currently the documentation for a license "Jing A" plate for Beijing is around 10,000RMB. This does not include the bike or other processing fees. This price is often changing as the government is no longer issuing new plates, thus in order to get the documentation someone has to hand in their old legally licenced bike. Do note that Jing B plates are not valid for riding inside the 5th ring road and the plates do not have any value.
For expats wanting to bring in their motorcycles, you may do so if you are legally registered to work here and have all the proper documentation for the motorcycle.
There are no temporary licensces issued in Beijing for motorcycle riding. You may be able to obtain one from another province which would be valid for all of China.
To look at some very wide range motorcycles you can visit: Big Bill's Bikes, Jimbo's Classic Sidecars, FHL, Harley Davidson - Beijing