Shanghai Motorcycles

I am away from my XJ for a year in China. I wrote this last fall and then just updated it. I thought all of you might enjoy this.

Shanghai Motorcycles - Sept. 1, 2010

The police use 125CC motorcycles. That should tell you about what get's ridden around here. I've seen one 250CC and nothing bigger. One model is 35cc. Most gas powered bikes have a traditional scooter frame like a Vespa with the engine under the seat and a flat space for your feet in front of the seat. That space gets used for lots more than feet! Bags of rice, other people, a half inch thick stack of 5x2 foot corrugated galvanized roofing sheet metal and the best: 6 sheets of 4x4 foot 1/4inch plate glass. All this weaving through the regular traffic, quite an exercise in hope.

Even when not carrying the kitchen sink that foot space rarely gets used for feet. I've noticed a bizarre practice here on all kinds of powered two wheeled vehicles. The rider almost invariably hangs their feet off to the sides, almost scraping the pavement. There may be a belief that their flip-flops (for sure there's no safety of helmets or gloves let alone leather boots that cover the ankles) will help in braking or in balancing the bike, but I wouldn't want to see the foot damage. Going over the many bumps like this can't be fun either.

Two days ago we saw two crashes within 200 meters of each other and within 15 minutes. At least the police didn't have far to go for the second scene.

Typical brand names:
Suzukia
Yamalinga
Honling
Suzika
Houda

-- Sandor

Update 2011/07/15

I've now seen five people on one motorcycle twice. Four people is almost common enough to be unremarkable. Other bizarre loads being carried, a 7 foot ladder (made of bamboo) again placed across the bike so that it sticks out into traffic three feet to either side. Isn't there a joke about carrying a ladder through the forest? Or am I remembering a road runner cartoon? PVC pipe and other extrusions in lengths approaching 20 feet can be seen going around street corners attached to a bike or sometimes carried under an arm! The ends sag down and I've seen cases where the back end was dragging on the road. At least they are along the length of the frame and not across.

Most of the one cylinder 125cc bikes and their owners are found hanging around the subway exits. They are actually bike taxis. Women who hire them are often seen riding side saddle (usually wearing short skirts).

While in the rainy season (just over now), most bikes had handle bar mounted umbrellas with the rear 3 for four ribs and cloth extending way back over the passenger seat. Obviously these bikes never go over 20km/hr or so.

 

Sounds like an interesting culture. Most people buy bikes here for fun. It sounds like over there they buy them for use as trucks!

 

sounds like Mexico!

 

come on man im from mexico and i own a seca 550. here we have very good bikes you must come for vacations in mazatlan for example and there are a lot of american people.

 

Pic of these Asian bikes err pickups would be cool.

I love the knock off names. LOL

 

+1 on the pics man.... that sounds crazy

 

:lol:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w-A0kWTOxGo

 

How is that thing even moving? Can you imagine a rebel doing that? (If the engine is even that big). I am wondering if even a 1200 could take that abuse.

 

HA! looked like the driver had his tenders resting on the
triple tree!

 

We definitely need some pics.