Reply To: Problems Getting Petrol for Motorbikes

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#42008
Avatar photojaphyrider
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I just returned to Chengdu after a month motorcycle tour of Sichuan and Yunnan and can confirm that this problem is spreading. Luckily i had the plates so it wasn’t a problem, but they wanted to take my blue book and write the information down, to which i replied with a ting bu dong and they filled me up. A friend who wasn’t plated up had his gas filled by an attendant who was laughing and talking about how he shouldn’t be filling up unplated bikes! This happened in the countryside, not in a city. So i imagine the rules are a little bit more enforced in a city.
In Chengdu some gas stations will enforce this rule and some don’t give a shit. A good idea is to just be friendly and crack a joke or two with the attendants everytime you go to your local gas station. Build a nice relationship and they’re more likely to flout the silly rules imposed by the traff!c pol!ce. (I imagine the the Managers of the Gas stations are not too happy about turning away paying customers!!!) Don’t stand there and kick up a fuss, just move to the next one. Gas stations seem to be in clusters of two or three in Ch!na.

That’s weird. They let you fill up a gas container, so it’s weird they’d require plates for your bike. I wonder what they’d say if you brought a gas container while on your bike, filled it up, then poured it into your bike…

I’d love to see someone do this. Even use the communal gas kettle 🙂 Great idea!
Having said that, the further towards Teebet you get the more difficult Gas buying becomes, ESPECIALLY in cannisters because, well, those spiritual, robed folk sometimes have a penchant for pyrotechnics.