Brakes and fakes in Shanghai's motorcycle market

Two men in pinstripe suits and shined shoes stroll into Mr Wei's dusty shop. One motions a thumb to a shiny black scooter outside. "How much is that one?"

Cigarettes are exchanged. Mr Wei pokes his head out. "That's one's almost new. RMB 2,000." One of the customers duly peers at the gauges around the ignition. He squats and squints at the exhaust pipe. 

“It seems that some of the engine parts are old. The seat looks worn.”

A new seat is offered. The muffler is touted as new. The price goes down. Within 20 minutes, and RMB 1,600 later, certificates were dawn, and Sam, the customer, is the proud new owner of a used Guangyang bike. Mr Wei and Sam drag the bike next door to be fitted with a new seat.

Hog heaven

Nobody is the market is quite sure how old it is, but Shanghai’s Yichuan Moto Market is an institution -- an unruly maze of metallic clangs, scooter pieces, and accessories. You’d better know what you're looking for, but chances are, even if you’re not sure you do, you’ll find it here. 

Mr Wei’s assistant, who calls himself Jin, shrugs when asked about available parts.

“You want something? You look around. Ask.”

The market itself is semi-organized by areas of expertise. At the entrance, set back from Jiaoji Lu, are lines of mechanic shops, followed by tires. One corridor is dedicated to engine batteries. Some have cardboard panels of novelty lights next to the engine oil. Most bikes are scooters, although here and there you spot one of the motorcycles used as taxis, with their characteristic shin-busting foot guards.

A family affair

Most shops are owned and operated by scooter or bike veterans who have made it a family business.

Mrs Lee made the new seat for Sam’s scooter. She points out the assembly line of foam and synthetic leather inside her two-room factory. “We’ve been doing this for about 20 years. There's my mother outside.”

An older woman peers up from sorting scrap materials and smiles. Mrs Lee points to plastic-bound black seat with faux leopard skin trimmings. “These are popular,” she says.

Monica, a motorcycle accessory maven, is packing up to meet a friend. "My mother’s coming in a bit," she says. When asked how long they’ve been doing this, she scoffs. “A long time.”

Mrs. Lee assembling a motorcycle seat.

Bound by laws?

Although Mrs Lee and Monica are open about their business, most shop owners are cagey about their names or even their addresses. Shanzhai, or fake, engine parts abound. It’s a “buyer beware” type of affair, although Mr Wei insists most are honest about what is real and what is not.

There are also restrictions on the bikes themselves. Bikes are not allowed to have sidecars, nor are they allowed to have more than 250cc of power within city limits.

The police have cracked down on bikes not up to code -- or should we say, those that surpass it. “They took some of my bikes,” says Mr Wei. He may or may not still stock their parts.

It seems the owners still relish their work, even those that skirt the edges of the law. When asked about banned bikes, and his hypothetical ownership of one, shop assistant Jin hedges.

“You just ride at night,” he says and smiles.

getting there

Yichuan Moto Market
127 Jiaoji Lu, near Jiaotong Lu, Zhabei District
交暨路127号， 近 交通路
Hours: 10am-6pm (although often open later than that)