Cycle News is a weekly magazine that covers all aspects of motorcycling including Supercross, Motocross and MotoGP as well as new motorcycles
Issue link: https://magazine.cyclenews.com/i/128403
behind the police car were about 20 random bobbing headlights. Only as the convoy got to within 100 yards could I see what we were looking at. In front was an all-black Audi A8 undercover police/government car, followed by around 20 of the most random motorcycles I've ever seen riding together. Harleys, an RI, Japanese market 400cc sportbikes, Japanese cruisers, a couple of Gold Wings, two or three Kawasaki ZRX 1200 drag bikes, and a bunch of supermoto bikes. It all seemed so out of place and strange. It had to be the most motley group of bikers I'd ever seen - not in a threatening way, but in a jumbled sort of way. They were all wearing their best interpretation of what the 80sozoku motorcycle gangs in Japan look like - all with a police escort. But the bizarre was just beginning. We were told to follow this escort into town to our hotel, which sounded fine at first, but what ensued was just plain crazy. As we raced into town, our group was no longer just a motorcycle tour. We suddenly had become dignitaries of the highest regard. The Audi in front had its sirens blaring as its driver screamed over the loudspeaker for all other traffic to yield to us. Meanwhile, the swarm of bikers cocooned us, and blocked intersections until we were through, and then they would come flying past again to block the next. It was total chaos, especially considering that it was getting darik and pe0ple were on their way home from work. It was the craziest 15 minutes I can ever remember having on a motorcycle. We finally arrived at our hotel, where we were greeted by the manager and most 22 NOVEMBER 9, 2005 • of the hotel staff - celebrities for a day. But the whole thing was unexpected and strange, to say the least. According to our guide, Rick, they actually have traffic laws in China. This was surprising to hear, because from my perspective the only thing that occurred in an organized fashion was that, for the most part, they stayed on the right side of the road, and not even that was consistent. I guess like most things in China, rules exist but they seem loosely followed. One of our more interesting days saw our route take us through a major coalmining route and a heavy-industrial area. It was here that I took serious notice for the first time of how many severe environmental issues China has. The pollution is obvious wherever you go. There were times when we would pass by an industrial plant with colored smoke pouring out of the smokestacks and our eyes would burn for 20 minutes. I don't even want to know what was coming out of them. We ended up riding on this road primarily used by the coal-mining trucks. To say that it was sketchy would be an understatement. Not only did the trucks care little about our existence, but also the road itself was treacherous. At one point I was in front, and as I rode across a bridge I saw what appeared to be a weird, darker spot in front of me and instinctively steered to avoid it. If I hadn't, I probably wouldn't be writing this story, as it was a hole through the surface of the bridge, easily large enough to swallow a motorcycle and send it plunging 100 feet below into the river we were crossing. In China, it wouldn't be a CYCLE NEWS priority to fix, because it wasn't big enough to affect the coal trucks. Along our journey, we visited some fantastic sights, such as the Great Wall, which is without a doubt the most impressive thing I have ever seen in my life. When you're standing on it, you truly can't imagine that it is over 3000 miles long. I can't even begin to describe how cool it was to be standing on this thing that, throughout my life, I've heard about, seen photos of but never imagined I would actually get to see. There were other sights, such as the Confucius Temple and Mount Tai, which millions of Chinese make a pilgrimage to see once during their lifetime, that were beautiful and impressive as well. The odd thing about China is that, unlike Japan, which is also one of the oldest civilizations in the world, there really aren't too many signs of the past. The Chinese Communist Party has literally washed away most symbols of China's history. In Japan, there are so many ancient historical sights, ancient palaces and buildings that the Japanese take great pride in preserving. In most of China - other than the Wall, the Forbidden City, the Ming Tombs and a few other sights - there are very few remnants of the past. Just tons of large, nondescript gray buildings and factories everywhere. In the cities especially Shanghai - modem architecture dominates the skyline, with neon advertisements and skyscrapers being constructed at breakneck speed. Bigger is better in China. One of the funniest things that we saw daily were the mammoth-sized fuel stations littered along the highways. I can't even describe how large the facades to these buildings are. You would pull in and there were literally 50 or so pumps to choose from and all covered by an enormous roof that was probably six or seven stories tall and 50 yards wide by 75 yards long, simply for the sake of looking impressive. Underneath in the back would be this tiny cashier's office dwarfed by the massive roof. It was hilarious, but what was even funnier is there would sometimes be fIVe to six stations just like it within a half-mile stretch, and no one getting gas but us. I guess they're just planning for the future, or maybe they've just gotten the future wrong. Our last day on the motorcycles, as we headed from Nanjing to Shanghai, was a memorable one, to say the least. We had been blessed by perfect weather up until this point in the trip. It had been so nice that a couple of the other riders removed their rain gear from their tankbags to make room for other j u n k . Bad