So I am leaving Taiwan in 7 months. Before I go, I want to have a motorcycle trip around Taiwan.
The problem is my current scooter is a P.O.S that could not make it. So I wanted to hire one. I don’t have a licence but a Taiwanese friend said they can hire it on my behalf if necessary.
What sort of bike should I be looking for? I can’t drive a manual, so I was wondering what might be some good automatic options?
I am planning on doing the trip spread over 10 days. I’ll be leaving for Kaohsiung. Is this a feasable amount of time to actually see sights? Would you recommend travelling via the east coast first, up via the west coast?
What is some absolutely necessary equipment I will need. Obviously some warm clothing, water proof jacket etc. Anything else?
I bought a mount that attached under the side mirror to clip on my phone to use Google maps. Invaluable! I found that I did need an extra battery pack to get me through the day. I used bungee cords to tie a bag to the back of my seat, although saddle bags would have been awesome. I did it in 7 days and it was too too short. I wish I had 2 weeks. Also, I had booked a ticket on the ferry to go from Suao to Hualien with my scooter but bad weather forced a cancellation and I had to make the white knuckle drive through the tunnels.
I did it in ten days in 2014, on a two-year-old 125cc Sym. Ten days was just right for me. I was living in Hualian at the time and went clockwise. The drive on the east coast from Hualian past Taidong will spoil you; the ugly west coast can’t compare.
I second the external phone battery suggestion. Rain gear, of course. One day I was stuck driving in cold rain because I wasn’t anywhere near accommodations. I had hand warmers (暖暖包) stuck in my pants pockets which helped a lot.