Chinese scooters...
Posted: Mon Jun 10, 2013 4:05 pm
Well, this is the first time in over a week that I've been able to post, as I'm currently on holiday on a tour of china.
The net over here is a bit variable, with many websites filtered out by the national servers, including Facebook, twitter etc.
I'm lying in bed after a few g and tees, and have managed to get on here for the first time since alighting on Chinese soil.
I now know why Chinese scooters are so cheap and shoddy. It s because they are all bought for next to nothing as work horses, and are replaced over a couple of years. in the cities, there's not many petrol scoots because the electricity is subsidised by the Chinese government to the tune of 70%! So they are nearly all battery powered. Owners are supposed to have, but don't seem to bother with a license of any kind and there is no equivalent of our road tax. There's millions of them In the cities and they use the same cycle tracks as the push bikes, (of which there are hardly any anyway).
A typical maxi type electric scooter is around three hundred quid, and they almost all look like stretched Yamaha Vity's. They shift at a phenomenal rate compared to the cars, busses, and lorries, and have they're own set of Highway Code rules. No one seems to mind. All driving is done by gentlemen's agreement anyway, and rights of way change as often as the traffic light, of which no one takes much notice either. Light are NEVER used at night because they flatten the batteries, which is hairy, but everything seem to work.
The apparent chaos doesn't seems to cause any accidents, and the odd slight knock is recognised by a slight wave of the hand and a smile by both parties. Rather refreshing really.... Back in the office next week...
The net over here is a bit variable, with many websites filtered out by the national servers, including Facebook, twitter etc.
I'm lying in bed after a few g and tees, and have managed to get on here for the first time since alighting on Chinese soil.
I now know why Chinese scooters are so cheap and shoddy. It s because they are all bought for next to nothing as work horses, and are replaced over a couple of years. in the cities, there's not many petrol scoots because the electricity is subsidised by the Chinese government to the tune of 70%! So they are nearly all battery powered. Owners are supposed to have, but don't seem to bother with a license of any kind and there is no equivalent of our road tax. There's millions of them In the cities and they use the same cycle tracks as the push bikes, (of which there are hardly any anyway).
A typical maxi type electric scooter is around three hundred quid, and they almost all look like stretched Yamaha Vity's. They shift at a phenomenal rate compared to the cars, busses, and lorries, and have they're own set of Highway Code rules. No one seems to mind. All driving is done by gentlemen's agreement anyway, and rights of way change as often as the traffic light, of which no one takes much notice either. Light are NEVER used at night because they flatten the batteries, which is hairy, but everything seem to work.
The apparent chaos doesn't seems to cause any accidents, and the odd slight knock is recognised by a slight wave of the hand and a smile by both parties. Rather refreshing really.... Back in the office next week...