Ken and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance » shanghai

China Motorcycle Manufacturer: Xingfu Motor

Ken — Mon, 05 Jun 2006 07:41:31 +0000

Shanghai Xingfu Motorcycle Works (上海幸福摩托车) is another major Chinese motorcycle manufacturer. Based in Shanghai, the company is owned by Shanghai Automotive Industry Corporation (SAIC) a giant auto group that owns a whole string of other auto related companies.

Xinfu Motor is the first motorcycle website encountered so far that is Firefox unfriendly.

This is especially common in China where cross-browser compatibility is nonexistant. Just like the the omnipotent authority that supervise all activities, the omnipresent Microsoft infiltrate all computer operation.

Xingfu Motor (www.xingfumotor.cn)

China Motorcycle Manufacturer: Sundiro-Honda

Ken — Sun, 04 Jun 2006 09:22:57 +0000

Sundiro (新大洲控股) is a holding company with multiple businesses. The motorcycle business is a joint venture with Honda forming Sundiro-Honda Motorcycle Co., Ltd. (新大洲本田摩托有限公司).

(Interesting how things are linked, we just mentioned Honda in the last manufacturer post.)

Sundiro-Honda has manufacturing base in Shanghai, Hainan and Tianjin. Production capacity is 1.5million unit per year.

Honda-Sundiro (honda-sundiro.com)

Motorcycle movie: Silver Hawk

Ken — Sun, 16 Apr 2006 03:39:48 +0000

Writing this blog has got me more keen in spotting and looking at motorcycles. Being the weekend, I picked up the movie Silver Hawk.

I watched this movie before in 2004, the first movie I watched in a Shanghai cinema and with my girlfriend (wife to be).

The Chinese title 飞鹰 should really be “Flying Hawk”. Michelle Yeoh (of Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon fame) is the lead actress.

It is an action movie with lots of stunts often compared as Hong Kong’s Tome Raider. Go watch to movie or read reviews on Amazon if you want to know the story line.

We are more interested in the bikes.

Reputedly BMW sponsored 16 motorcycles and some cars for the filming. Six of the motorcycles were wrecked in stunts like jumping over the Great Wall. Check out more of the jump photos here.

Can you identify the BMW that appears in the movie?

Motorcycle Forum: Shanghai Motorcycle Group

Ken — Sat, 25 Mar 2006 05:52:38 +0000

In one night, I learnt more about riding motorcycle in China from Shanghai Motorcycle Group than the whole two years I had been here.

It is true, nothing is easy in China, especially for a foreigner who is used to systematic, orderly way go getting things done.

If you are looking for information about getting a motorcycle license, getting a motorcycle, getting a Chang Jiang, join this group.

Here’s what I learnt about getting a D-license in Shanghai for motorcycle. (All foreign licenses are not valid)

Required documents:
- Valid Z visa for a year or more
- Valid license from your country
- Passport
Procedure:
- Get your foreign license translated to Chinese
- Copies of document
- Go to Shanghai Vehicle Management Bureau (上海市公安局交巡警总队车辆管理所大柏树考试场)
  1101 Zhong Shan Bei Yi Lu (1101中山北一路)
- Fill a form, take a digital photo
- Take a road theory test
- Produce a medical test result
- Pay a fee

Should be straight forward if you have all the valid documents but be prepared for the unexpected.

Similar information in chinese.