Motorcycle touring

WTF is “restrained performance” ?! Time for bed.

Hmmmm… that Bonneville looks lovely on the website ( triumph.co.uk ). If you got one in Taiwan, you would be very special and those in the know would consider you some kind of a god.

I believe that modern Triumphs have a lot of Japanese parts and a new-fangled thing called ‘quality control’. This was not the case in the old days. Riding and maintaining old Triumphs must be right up there with trainspotting as quintessentially eccentric British pursuits.

I think my brother bought a Triumph 250, made in about 1970, because it looked great and the price was OK. After it had spent six months in pieces on his bedroom floor, then he’d taken it round a lot of continental Europe for two months only to have a load of things break again, he must have been reconsidering his decision.

It seems that one aspect of Triumph quality control; that to do with their riding apparel, may still need some work. I recently bought a Triumph Raptor mesh jacket. The basic design is great; The mesh fabric is Cordura; a very abrasion-resistant fabric. It has CE-approved armour in the elbows and shoulders. The mesh makes it plenty cool enough for everything except stoplights, when in the middle of summer I think it will be a bit hot. Still, ‘a bit hot’ has to be better than ‘a bit smashed up’. A guy in a sister school recently spent two days in hospital and a few days off work with a broken shoulder from a riding accident. If he had been wearing a jacket like mine, this probably would not have happened.

Anyway, this OEM product is pretty good, except that the press studs/poppers at the high wrist and biceps which tighten the sleeve to hold the armour well in place, keep coming undone. I’ve been looking all over for an email address to let Triumph know about this, but I can’t find one.


2300 CCs is what I really need. Come the revolution, this will be the new Maobike.

My above-mentioned brother and I are meeting up in Chiang Mai, northern Thailand this coming weekend. We’re going to rent motorcycles and spend a week doing a tour of the northern hills, towns and villages. I’m really looking forward to it.
(If anyone fancies doing the same thing; there’s a good website on the topic at gt-rider.com/index.html
I don’t think that site’s been updated for at least a year, so I’ll let you know how accurate it still is when I get back. The general tips and tour suggestions should be valid for a long time though.)

Anyway, I want to take some biking gear over there for my brother and I to use. My concern is customs; will there be any problems either with Taiwan or Thailand customs taking stuff out or bringing it back in? I plan to take;
Two helmets; one very new, one used-looking
A U-lock, also used looking
A magnetic tank bag, brand new
My Triumph jacket and my AXO protective trousers, both pretty new-looking.
My RS-Taichi gloves, already looking a bit used.

The tank bag and the Triumph jacket are both imported into Taiwan - I’ll have a look for the customs slips.
The new helmet, the trousers and the gloves are from the big-bike store in Taichung - they didn’t give me a reciept at the time but I guess I could ask them to write me one if it would help.

I know this kind of belongs on the legal forums but I thought any answers people could give might help other people considering biking tours in other countries.

Thanks!

is a nice bike shop like this siamsuperbike.com/

clean friendly professional. not out to gouge you like every other shop on the street. look at those low prices. would it be difficult to purchase used in Thailand and import using the abovementioned practices? would it be better to import from japan?

-chris

Joesax: ah… Thailand… what a place… much envy going out to you for your upcoming trip, sounds great!.. as long as you make a big deal about declaring the items of significant value both on the way out of taiwan, and into Thailand, and as long as you bring them back with you, I doubt there will be any significant hassles at customs…

Maoman: 2400cc hehe… i sat on that bike at the Triumph stand at the Milan International Bike expo last month… it really does re-define “excessive”… you could elbow gravel trucks off the roads with that thing :sunglasses:

RE: www.siamsuperbike.com … well, reasonable prices for used bikes i suppose, but they seem to have very few late model bikes in stock other than the Hayabusas which are just ‘not’ suited to Taiwan… as for whether it’s a good idea to import such bikes from Thailand… well, yes and no… dealing / importing used bikes is a very risky and/or tricky business for 5 major reasons:

1.) unless you, or someone you trust implicitly actually goes in person to check out the bike/s from top to bottom, you just never know if you’re going to get a lemon… with parts and servicing for big bikes being very expensive in Taiwan, it’s doesn’t make financial sense to get a “fixer upper”…

2.) the price you’ll pay will be approx market value for the country of origin, but since it’s second hand (or older), will unavoidably include local taxes… since it’s a used product you will not be able to claim these taxes back on export, also once you get it to taiwan you’ll be taxed on total value, in effect paying tax on the tax… this is not good…

3.) to import a used bike, you need to provide proof of previous registration in the country of origin, and cancellation of said registration… these documents will in all likelihood need to be “authentificated” (sic) by the taiwan trade and cultural office in the country of origin… the beurocratic imps who staff these kinds of offices both in other countries and in taiwan strive constantly to take ignorance, incompetence and inefficiency to new heights… this is not good either…

4.) once you get the bike here, there will be confusion from the customs people since they don’t usually deal with these types of import processes and documents, this will be construed by them as a potential loss of face, when taiwanese beurocratic imps (see above) perceive a potential loss of face from having no idea what to do, they usually react by declaring whatever you want done impossible, illegal or non-existent and throwing red tape at it until it goes away… this is really not good…

5.) for similar reasons to those outlines in point 4, the license application process could become very tricky indeed… not to mention the fact that a used bike may not even pass the EPA test…

as usual i’ve only really emphasized the potential problems, get it right and if you’re lucky you could get a really good deal and a great bike, but just to make you aware of the pitfalls…

on the topic, this clarity.net/~adam/buying-bike.html#4 is an excellent guide for what to check when buying a used bike… follow these guidelines and you won’t go far wrong…

-plasmatron

Ok, so nobody wanted or could join me on the planned short ride along Sanxia’s mountain backroads last weekend.

Anyway I’ll try again to gather some people for the same ride (motorcycle/scooter) this weekend, Saturday or Sunday.

Plan is to start at around 9:00 - 9:30 AM from Sanxia driving to Tashi for a hike on White Stone mountain, returning via Ingge to Sanxia late afternoon.

We can have lunch between San Min and Fuxing in a place called Swiss country village with a nice outdoor terrace overlooking the mountains.

After the hike we can drive along Shimen reservoir and stop at a place (Lakeside hotel) overlooking the lake for afternoon coffee/tea.

Good opportunity to meet new people and see other places!

Interested? Let me know here or in a PM

Bottleneck

After your useful and detailed exposition of the big bike import process, I was expecting you to come up trumps and you have.

Just a couple of points;
I’m pretty much a novice to international air travel - I think this will be my sixth return flight to anywhere. When you say declare stuff, do you mean actually going through the ‘something to declare’ channels? And do you think that I should take receipts and customs slips where they exist?
Thanks again.

Odds and ends;
Bottleneck’s riding/hiking plans sound great! Riding and hiking are two very different and complimentary ways to see some great countryside, and if you can combine them together on one trip that’s even better (plus you’re getting some exercise so you needn’t feel guilty about just sitting on the bike all day).

Maoman, that thing looks amazing, but to flick it through city traffic you’d need balls of steel - as would anyone who got in front of you!
I had an evil thought. What do you think the biaochezhu scooter boys would make of you on that thing as they pulled up at the stoplights? Maybe, they’d try to race you! You’d be laughing all the way home.

no problem, i doubt declaring anything officially would be necessary, Taiwan should offer no significant problems mainly due to their being increadibly slack… but here are the regulations for declaration of personal effects…

Taiwan

[quote]Personal belongings and household articles (excluding prohibited or restricted articles) carried by inward passengers may be granted duty exemption as follows :

3.Articles are already owned and used by the passenger abroad, and their customs value does not exceed NT$10,000 for each piece(set).

4.Other articles for personal use (not including the articles mentioned above ) if their total customs value does not exceed NT$20,000 for each adult passenger, or NT$10,000 for each passenger under the age of 20[/quote]

Thailand

[quote]Items Free of Duty
Personal effects which accompany passengers in an amount not exceeding their needs for personal or professional use and with the total value of all goods taken together not exceeding 10,000 baht, will be exempted from Customs duties.

Personal effects such as clothing, cosmetics, jewelry, shoes, glasses, perfumes, etc., purchased abroad must have a receipt as evidence of the value; if not, the Customs officer will consider other available evidence.[/quote]

I think more than likely nobody will so much as bat an eyelid at you and the kit you intend to take with you, but if you have the receipts handy just in case they are required in Thailand, you should be fine… of course what you actually paid for a nice Triumph jacket will probably be much more than a dim witted customs worker would evaluate it at, so play it by ear on the value side of things… but everything on your list seems to fall under “used goods for personal use”, something customs officials aren’t overly concerned with… i’d reckon don’t worry about it and enjoy your trip…

-plasmatron

Re: importing your own bike

Plasma, I understand that the EPA test is designed to defend Taiwan’s nascent bike industry, but it’s not as simple as sticking a tube up the 'zaust…you’ll need to get a very substantial number of chops, at the very least! I’ve also heard that for a single vehicle, the fee can be up to NT$200k, which is why most people importing are (a) dealers and (b) bringing in batches of similar vehicles. The testing center is in Taichung too, so you’ll need to get the bike there. Also, I’ve been told the tax loophole on bikes has been closed, so you won’t be able to import a second hand bike (until the end of the year, anyway).

Good luck and please let us know if you succeed (legally).

PS Bikes from Japan usually have restricted engines…

[quote=“dog”]Re: importing your own bike

Plasma, I understand that the EPA test is designed to defend Taiwan’s nascent bike industry, but it’s not as simple as sticking a tube up the 'zaust…you’ll need to get a very substantial number of chops, at the very least! [/quote]
yes, so i’ve heard… a mate of mine has recently licenced his ZX7R, whilst there are a lot of chops on the checklist… controls, lights, brakes, fuel, noise, emmisions etc… but they essentially add up to nothing more than an excuse to charge NT$50K… the notion that they are checking to made sure Honda’s vehicle design and build quality are up to Taiwanese “standards” is laughable, in fact makes me want to beat the govt. lackies who thought it up over the head with my catalytic converter exhaust…

depends who you talk to, i’ve spoken to many dealers who tell me import tax is 100%, and the EPA test costs $200K… it would be a pretty stupid dealer who told everyone how easy the import process is… unfortunately for them extensive research means i know better… you’re right, for some vehicle classes the EPA test can run you $200K but for “heavy type motorcycles over 249cc” it’s $50K flat rate…

i think after 4 and a half years of living here, it’s about goddam time there was some advantage to living in taichung… :wink: tax loophole?.. i’m not sure what you mean… but i’ve got no interest in importing used bikes… although mates of mine are looking at the business potential of doing so…

[quote]Good luck and please let us know if you succeed (legally).

PS Bikes from Japan usually have restricted engines…[/quote]

thanks, i’ll post news as i get it but i’ll only be getting the bikes early next year… actually Honda has moved their middle capacity production to Europe due to small market demand in Japan for mid class bikes, and the massive popularity of mid class bikes in Europe, so my Hornet will be coming from Spain… bhp restricted Japanese/European bikes are easy enough to derestrict… i’ll spare you the details, but if anyone ever needs this info, just contact me…

-plasmatron

Let me get this straight;

If I bring in a new bike that’s up to say, California emission standards, I have to pay 50k to ensure “Taiwan emission standards”? But, wait…my 12 year old smoke blowing RZX just passed…is it just me, or is there something not right here?

Bottleneck,

Would love to join you, but have promised the family another camping weekend. Have you thought about modifying your travel plans a bit? That foothill area gets pretty crowded on the weekends, and that section of highway between San-ming and Fushing is an absolute zoo! By the time you get up and past the two bridges (near the Bei-hen entrance) you’ve passed most of the weekend day-tripper crowd…and the good twisties begin :wink:

Maoman,

The Triumph looks pretty cool, but if you’re looking for displacement in a motorcycle, the yanks still have it. I’ve ridden a Harley with a 350 Chevy V8 in it back home… :sunglasses:

Michael…or is it J Botti

Don’t worry about it being crowded. Definitely not on Saturday, and btw, part of the route I take is surely not well traveled by most of the people. They are really mountain backroads.

Sure you can’t avoid taking parts of the main road but from my experience they are not as flooded with cars at this time of the year, and … it depends on the time of day too.

It’s great fun riding the backroads around Sanxia, not to mention the panoramic view from White Stone Mountain after an hour or so hiking uphill.
And … relaxing an hour on a cafe terrace sipping coffee … who wouldn’t like that.

BTW, I’m not going that far, it’s Sanmin-Tashi area I go to.

Anyway, thanks for your support and have a nice camping trip.

A few days ago I had a look at my local bike shop (Sanxia).
I was pretty surprised what bikes the guy had in his store.

2 BMW K1200 - 910,000.00 NT$ each - price in Europe about 16,000 Euro
1 Yamaha VMAX 1200
1 Kawasaki Z400 - 490,000.00 NT$
1 Kawasaki GT850 - 220,000.00 NT$

He also had a few Honda’s and some old I think Kawasaki 350’s

Most of them where licensed but a few had none.

Doesn’t seem that he rents them out. Bummer.

I got back early Monday morning from a great holiday mostly in northern Thailand, starting from Chiang Mai. Renting a motorcycle and going for some kind of tour up there is really very enjoyable and not very expensive if you live in Taiwan, so I plan to post a couple of things that may be of interest.

Firstly, what else but bikes themselves! I rented a Honda CB400 Super Four, and my brother rented a Honda Baja 250 dirt bike (which he insisted on pronouncing ‘badger’ throughout). As with the majority of rental bikes above 150cc, neither of these machines had license plates - perhaps we can generously assume that they were ‘on the way’. Certainly none of the numerous police checkpoints we passed on the way seemed bothered - they just waved us on and sometimes gave us thumbs-up.

I’ll put pics of these bikes and maybe some evaluation on my site in due course, but I’ll make a few brief comments now. The Super Four was great fun to ride - it had a reasonable amount of torque to 6000 rpm, then a bit of a flat spot, then from about 7500 to 13,000 a nice bit of power, pressing you firmly back in the saddle. It had obviously been dropped before - the crash bars were worn down a bit and the handlebars were a little bent although not enough to warrant fixing straight away. Generally, however, the bike was in reasonable condition - the back brake was poor but the front (dual discs) was very sensitive and firm. The back tyre was not massive but did the job. I had to get used to the power of the bike though - a few minutes after I rented it I rolled on the throttle coming out of a corner and slid the back end out nicely, surprising me and no doubt the following cars.

I paid 550 baht (roughly the same in NT dollars) per day, including the rental shop’s own ‘insurance’ which was well worth getting as it included damage and theft waivers and also included recovery in the case of breakdown, which I imagine they’d sting you pretty severely for if you hadn’t taken out the insurance. I have no reason to suppose that they’d renege on the policy - they dealt with me in a very friendly and fair way throughout, and my brother had rented from them before. I’ll post an address and directions for them on my site in due course; PM me if you can’t wait.

There are a number of shops offering these nice new-ish sporty-ish 400cc road bikes such as Suzukis and Hondas. I was happy with the Super Four over five days holiday, but on the road I saw a bike that I would REALLY like to have; a Honda 400cc V-twin Bros. OK, the name reminds me of a short-lived 80s pop band with an unfortunate influence on the jeans of a generation, but this bike would be ideal for any Asian touring, especially in Taiwan. Although I didn’t get to ride it, I think that the V-twin engine would offer a smooth and wide range of power delivery with perhaps a little less top end than the Super Four, but probably with the plus of a less pronounced flat spot. Again, a photo on my site when I get round to it.

My brother’s Honda Baja was pretty much a pure dirt bike. While it had indicators, it didn’t have mirrors or a battery and only had a kickstart. My brother was pretty good at starting the thing but when we swapped bikes for a day I found it a pig and had to bumpstart it one time. It was also tall - I normally rested one hand on my brother’s shoulder in order to swing my leg high enough to get over the saddle. My brother liked it and both he and I tried it out on some dirt, on which it excelled. I wasn’t particularly brave but managed to get it sliding a bit as I came out of some corners. People say, by the way, that practising sliding about on a dirt bike is great for your road bike skills. It’s something I want to try again sometime.

The mechanic who rented that bike to my brother told him that he’d need to keep the oil topped up. He must have known that the engine was getting on a bit and burning a bit of oil. Although he kept the oil topped up, my brother did not treat that bike particularly gently and it was smoking a whole lot more when he returned it five days later.

Lots of rental dirt bikes are more dual-purpose machines, many having electric starts and some having lower saddles. They’re either 250s or 225s. There are some liquid-cooled Yamahas which look nice but are generally a bit older than the others, and as my brother pointed out the cooling system is just one more thing that can go wrong. The dirt bikes could be a little cheaper than the 400s, but not significantly; I’d say make your decision on what you want to use the bike for and which style you feel comfortable with. (Do not, however, plan to do anything more than the briefest amount of dirt riding on a pure road bike with pure road tyres - it will be slow, frustrating and you’ll probably still drop it at least once. I swapped bikes with my brother on the little bit of dirt road we travelled together, and even he was struggling with the Super Four on the dirt.) My brother got in a good day’s dirt riding on a day when I retrieved my camera from the mountain where I had inadvertently left it the night before and took the opportunity to do some more sightseeing on the paved roads up there.

There was one shop in town offering big bikes which already had their reg. plates. It’s run by an English guy; my brother has talked to him before and says that he doesn’t go out of his way to persuade you to rent his bikes - it’s more of a take-it-or-leave-it attitude. I don’t know whether his bikes are better maintained than other shops’, but they are a bit more expensive. He has a couple of dirt bikes, a big Harley and a Honda CBR1000 (the latter two being of little practical value for that kind of touring IMO). He also had a Japanese 400cc sporty road bike - didn’t see which one as we were peering through his gate when his place was closed on a Sunday. That’s one thing - most of the rental shops are open every day from about 9-6.

If you do want to rent a bike anywhere, I would say that the #1 thing to check is brakes; fluid levels, sponginess etc. #2 is tyres. #3 could be handlebars and forks - slightly bent bars is no great problem but bent forks is.

Post or PM any questions you want. Next installment - on the places we went - coming up shortly.

accidental double post

I notice that this is a single-seater. Should we be calling this the Maoman’s escape vehicle? :wink:

Having just finished reading this thread with real interest. Just to let you all know of the existence of an unofficial bike group based here in Taipei

It is run by Sunni and Peterson, two locals who run the official BMW dealer based in JinShan Road just north of Renai Road. They can also source Hondas etc and generally at reasonable prices bearing in mind they are official imports so are correctly plated, licenced and taxed etc.

They have been running this business for several years, and have a servicing side as well, where they have both the knowledge and equipment to set up fuel injection, ABS braking systems, etc, etc.

They have for quite some time run a riding group that meets and goes out on a fairly regualr basis, some of the rides are local, some involve trips to all parts of the island. Sunni speaks good english, but Peterson’s is only so so.

A good number of the group are expats anyway, and a number of the local riders are off duty ‘boys in blue’ who seem very adept at smoothing the path with the local boys if necessary.

THe group generally rides in two or three groups depending on speed and ability, it is very well run and organised. All sorts of bikes take part, but the most proliferant are BMW’s, but anything is welcome.

They also have some second hand bikes although at the last time of visiting it was not many.

I hadn’t done any riding in Taiwan for about 10 years, but I was stuck in Kenting last Sunday and decided to hit the road. I rented a 125 cc scooter for NT$400/day on the main drag in Kenting. At first they didn’t want to rent it to me because I don’t have a license (reasonable) but I after I laimed to have left my license at home, they rented me the scooter anyway after I signed a form saying I would be responsible for any tickets I received.

Day one: Hengchun Pennisula

Took Route 26 north from Kenting for about 3 km. Then headed west on Pingdong Route 53 (the scenic coastal route) up the west coast to Checheng. From Checheng I headed east on Pingdong Route 199 to Mudan. This is a deserted one-lane mountain road. There are hot springs at Sichong. At Mudan,continued north on 199 toward Shouka. (You can also continue east on 199A to Xuhai and then back to Kenting. I’ve done this loop on bicycle. It’s very nice too.). 199 is now paved, and there is Paiwan-themed hostel and restaurant at Dongyuan.

Shouka is basically a general store at the intersection of Pingdong 199 and and Route 9, which is the main road linking Pingdong and Taidong. The general store is run by a Mister Zhu, a Hakka from Miaoli. Mr. Zhu is apparently a retired Guzheng musician and now makes a living as a wholesaler of Chinese medicine. He buys raw materials from local Aborigines, who speak very highly of him.

From Shouka I went down Route 9 east to Taidong County and then north on 9 to Jinlun, where I stayed at the somewhat funky hot springs there (NT$ 1000). This section of the road has a lot of truck traffic, so be careful.

Day 2: The Southen Cross Highway. This spectacular crossing of the central mountain range is one of Taiwan’s most beautiful roads–in my opinion much nicer than the Central Cross Highway. From Jinlun I simply stayed on Route 9 and roade north to Guanshan following the signs. You might want to stop off at the new and impressive Museum of Prehistory along the way. Look for the signs to Hairui after Guanshan and exit west to Route 20 (the Southern Cross). Fill up your tank at Hairui–this is the last gas station until Taoyuan. You can stay at the Youth Corps hostel at Yakou–check Lonely Planet for details.

Note that the hostel prepares food only if you have a reservation in advance and that it is likely to be full on weekends. Make a reservation. Also: I have done the Southern Cross three times now by bicycle and scooter. Each time it has started to rain about 15 km from the Yakou hostel, so make sure you have rain gear and an extra change of dry clothes. Yakou hostel has hot showers. Dorm rooms are 400 NT per person. There are hostels at Motian (about 15 km from Lidao) if you get desperate).

Day Three: The backroads of Pingtung:

From Yakou I rode west on 20 to Laonong. The first 20 km take you through the southern end of the Yushan national park
at > 2000 meters on a twisting, precarious one lane road. Great fun and spectacular views on a clear day. This section feels like the California Sierras to me. The ecosystem is very different from that on the Taidong side and there are stands of virgin Red Cypress ( Hongkuai) along the road.

At Laonong, I took Route 27 south. (Pingdong Route 113 from Baolai looks like a good way to get to Route 27 as well.) Got off Route 27 at Dajin and continued south on 185 to Sandimen. Routes 27 and especially 185 are a cyclist’s dream almost no traffic at all (Tuesday afternoon) on a tree- and flower-lined one lane road hugging the mountains, There are several Hakka villages with many traditional houses. Unlike Hakka Sanheyuan in the north, these are often painted white in the front.

From Sandimen I went south on 187 (this is a bit tricky–you have to take the a second bridge and go through town and then get on 185 again at the Shuntian temple a few km later. I then took 185 all the way to Fangliao on Route 1 and then on back down to Kenting via Route 26. The Sandimen-Fangliao segment was the only really boring part of the whole trip–a long hot highway through the Pingtung plain with nothing to see. Still there was hardly any traffic and no ugly towns to pass through. After Route 27, the roads in Pingtung (especially Route 185) are poorly marked, so be sure to ask the locals.

Day three was too long (nine hours of riding)–it would have been better to break it up into two days. Also, I’ve done the Southern Cross by bicycle twice. Both times I finished in Tainan. The next time I do it, I will take Route 27 from Laonong to Sandimen and then end in Pingdong City. I think this route will be slightly shorter and more scenic than the long slog through western Tainan county after Jiaxian.

Have fun!

Wow, great stuff, Feiren, thanks for the tips! I really want to do the Southern Cross-Island Highway but I just need the time - it will take about 5 days in total from here to do it in a nice relaxed way and have time to pop in and see my friend in Taidong as well.