The plan.
OK. After years (decades?) of wanting to ride in China independently; free of guides and strict itineraries.......it is now possible (possibly?!?). It would appear that you can now acquire a Chinese licence and rent a bike in China and ride legally as you wish (with the exception of Tibet, which is still a big no no). A few companies "allegedly" offer this service, including Jah at Ride China, who I have used twice before. However at $80 a day for a Kove 525X it was a pricey option (they would do the licence for free though!) Another company (Drive China) was way cheaper. I nearly used them before for the 2023 crossing but hesitated due to it being a relatively new company with a paucity of reviews. I have since heard nothing but praise for them. For comparison, I also contacted "China Road Trips", but they were not particularly helpful; focusing on, as they said, "self drive by guests with own vehicle". They could sort the licence, but I would have to so...