China BMW Rider Blog: Sitting Idle

Hello.

Sitting idle is downright painful. I'm active, and I've got an active mind. I love traveling and exploring new things; and the one thing I just can't handle is sitting idle or as I like to say "sitting on my hands". I've got two weeks of nothingness ahead of me, and below I explain why:

Well, my bike should be arriving in about three or four weeks, and I've got a boat load of stuff to do before that happens. First thing is that I'm in the process of getting a new "Residence Permit" in China, it's basically an ID Card for foreigners, and it allows a record to be kept of where you live and work. I need to get that card before I can get my Motorcycle Drivers License, License Plate and Bike Registration.

The only problem is that from October 1st to 12th all the government offices are closed. So, I'll get my ID Card on October 13th. Then I need to get my Motorcycle Drivers License (same day service) and then being applying for a license plate, which takes 5 working days. By the time it all comes together my bike should be arriving. There are a lot of moving pieces to be juggled about, but I think I have everything in place; and the folks at BMW in China have been very helpful in assisting me at every step of the process. And yes, I'll blog more about them later.

Now Shanghai in the summer is hot and wet. But autumn is just lovely and November is one of the best months of the year. So essentially I'll be getting my new bike just in time for the best riding season. It'll be dry and clear blue skies. I can't wait.

So, while there won't be much blogging or stuff going on for the next 10-14 days; I'll get a chance to focus on my day job for a few days - photographing China.

Stay tuned.

Ryan Pyle
Photographer / BMW Motorcycle Owner
Location: Shanghai, China
Email: ryan@ryanpyle.com
Website: www.ryanpyle.com
Mobile: +86 137 9521 9650
BMW China: BMWCHINA

China BMW Rider Blog: The First Blog

Hello.

The image above is of the very exciting new F800GS motorcycle by BMW. It is the bike I will own very very soon if all things go to plan. You know, organizing a license and importing a BMW motorcycle in to China is incredibly difficult. And one of the reasons I've started this blog is because when I began this journey about six months ago I had so many questions and no one place to find all my answers. So this blog is meant to be a resource to those out there who want to ride in China, and who have questions about the "where", the "how" and the "how much".

Now, this may seem a bit premature to some, but I actually don't have my bike yet. It is sad I know. So, I've set up this blog and prepared everything for when I do actually have everything in hand. But I wanted very much to blog about the process of obtaining the bike, the license and the license plate. So all of this will happen in the coming weeks. But, let me tell you exactly where I am at this stage.

My motorcycle, the new BMW F800GS, is in a container somewhere in the Indian Ocean. It will arrive in Beijing in the coming three or four weeks. During that time I need to get my license. But since I already have a license from Canada it should be a simple formality that I'll attempt next week. And yes, I'll blog about the experience.

Once my bike arrives in Beijing and gets shipped down to Shanghai I'll need to get a proper Shanghai license plate. I'll blog about this experience as well; given I've had to make a lot of decisions on how "legal" I want my bike to be in China. But more on that later.

When my bike finally arrives in Shanghai, well that is when things will get interesting. How will riding in a city of 20 Million people be? How easy will it be to take short trips out in to the surrounding countryside? How easy will it be to ship the bike to remote regions of the country, pick it up and ride for a week or two? I've got loads of questions and only a few answers at this stage; my guess is it will mostly be trial by fire. But my hope is that you'll all come along for the "ride", assuming anyone is actually reading this blog.

Stay tuned. I promise you it won't be boring.

Ryan Pyle
Photographer / BMW Motorcycle Owner
Location: Shanghai, China
Email: ryan@ryanpyle.com
Website: www.ryanpyle.com
Mobile: +86 137 9521 9650
BMW China: BMWCHINA