Hello.
I've just purchased a license plate and properly registered my new F800GS. And what a process.
My motorcycle delivery has actually been delayed until the middle of November, I'm not entirely sure why. But the BMW office in Shanghai has helped me register my motorcycle and I've managed to, as a foreigner, purchase a Shanghai license plate for my bike.
Now what does all this really mean? Well, from the outset of this experiment I've attempted to do everything by the book and purchase and register my motorcycle legally. I knew that this would be a very timely, over three months, and expensive proposition. But I made a calculated estimate of the benefits and given my occupation as a documenter and photographer I feel that there will be a break even point at some stage in the near future. Which is good news, leaving me with less of a "burning money" feeling.
The registration process is actually crucial because it means that the government is actually allowing you to own a big bike. Documents needed for this were actually just a passport, valid visa and a police registration form from your local police office. The process took about four days and the license plate and registration cost around RMB 30,000; or around USD 4K. Why so expensive?
Well a few years back the Shanghai government decided that they were going to charge for car license plates; a system that is in place in many parts of Asia. So the price to purchase a car license plate has risen steadily over the years from "free" in 2004 to around RMB 30,000 to 40,000 today. It fluctuates on a monthly basis depending on demand. The painful thing for me is that the government has tried to "un-officially" discourage the use of motorcycles in the city center and is charging car license plate prices for motorcycle license plates. Like I said, it's never an easy process.
But this process now looks to be complete. I should get my license plate in the coming days. The bike should arrive early next week. As for my motorcycle drivers license. Well, that is being saved for another blog.
Stay tuned, 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
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