I’m going to buy a big bike (already have a 150 scooter) but i do hesitate between a 600cc and a 1300cc.
Kawasaki and Yamaha offer couple of nice rides but don’t have any Taiwan experience so if some of the people on this board would share their experience and suggest me some rides, i would really appreciate.
Thanks for your time !
Ludovic
There are some posters here who may disagree but 1,300cc is massive overkill for our windy/hugely fun mountain roads.
I wouldn’t go over 600cc in Taiwan, as the extra weight would more than outweigh the increase in horsepower, unless you want a pseudo racing bike.
It would be helpful if you could describe the type of riding you plan to do…Then our resident big bike experts will chime in with their opinions.
If the spouse would ever give me the green light, I’d go for something in the 400cc to 750cc range, and try to find a decent balance between awesome handling, power to weight ratio, and enough comfort to stay in the saddle all day. Huge displacement would be pretty far down the list of priorities…
Actually, i live in Tainan hsien so it’s very flat and it’s more for going to Tainan city and have some rides around during my free time.
just imagine, my first bike was the Vmax (Yam/Europe) and then i had in HK the fzx-750 (still Yamaha), A friend of mine suggest me the Z1000 because of the road condition/power/reliable bike.
Hope this help
Ludovic
ps: sorry for my poor English
Michael’s absolutely right. A further point I’d add is that a bike should at least be manageable on crowded streets – you can’t stay in the mountains 100% of the time. If you get a pure sports bike I think it will be very frustrating in the city.
My Dad’s friend is a ‘born-again’ biker – he rode British bikes in the 60s and has recently bought a sporty new 750. He was complaining that his bike was no good at legal speeds and only started to get fun over 80mph.
The Suzuki SV650 has had very good reviews and is sold in Taiwan. It has a v-twin engine and the power characteristics make it friendly and fun to ride. It is well suited to the kinds of speeds you’ll do here. The Suzuki V-Strom 650 is a big trail-style bike with the same engine as the SV. It’s also been well recieved.
The bike I had before my soon to be sold Aprilia was the SV650. It’s a great, multi purpose machine. Light and nimble enough for city riding. The clutch effort is low enough not to cause cramps in bumper to bumper to wheel to wheel traffic. Will pull a ton, no sweat, even with my 200lb load. The twin mill has enough grunt to lift the nose with a bit of clutching and a handful of throttle (not that I would ever do that). The other nice thing about the v-twin grunt is that in the twisties, you can use the the engine compression to roll off speed into a corner and the same oomph to pull you out. Reduced need for manual (hand/foot) braking makes for a certain rhythm and flow to your riding in the twisties. <Some purists may view this as a negative since it is kind of lazy way to ride and will really screw you on a 2-stroke or even the I-4’s. That’s pretty much why I stick to V-2’s when it comes to bikes> There’s a pretty good selection of aftermarket gear for bike from plastic to full exhaust systems to suspension upgrades. If you get one and it comes stock with Metzler MEZ4’s (IIRC), ditch those buns. They wear down the middle real quick and really affect the ‘flickability’ of the bike. I haven’t kept up on the latest tires available for the SV, but I could find out real quick what the best offerings are out there for a given style of riding. I have a buddy who has a real stiffy for bike tire lore and keeps current on the technology so I don’t have to. I keep him up to date on colorful .
Later,
Rob.
The Z1000…the one with the double-barrel shotgun pipes, right? If you rode a VMax and enjoy all that grunt, the Z1000 may be a disappointment. It’s slow (for a big bike) and has a very soggy mid-range…very un-Vmaxlike. If you like sports bikes, it’s also not for you. But for unhurried country roads, even two-up, plus some town use, it’s great fun with, er, distinctive looks. However, I recommend the more boring-looking Honda Hornet 900 for performance and hooligan fun, and if you’re a real speed demon, buy a race rep. The Hornet and Z1000 don’t handle well when being thrashed and can easily get you into trouble.
I sympathise with the view from many Forumosans that a 400cc is more than adequate for Taiwan, but for an experienced rider it may not be. Also, the seats on those 400s are lower and narrower than a thou, so can be uncomfortable over distance or if you are long in the leg. Besides, on the roads around Tainan, you can exercise a bigger bike 
But cost (up front and licensing, fees, maintenance, etc) is a great reason to go for a smaller bike though.
Although it rarely happens, common sense should dictate the bike of choice. If you want performance, buy a 600 CBR or something similar. Go for a larger bike of you want more comfort and fewer gear changes, but at the expense of peak performance. If you need an armchair to carry beer and listen to music, get a Gold Wing. Or remortgage the house and get a Duke 'cos it looks good.
Joesax, you are right that a race rep is a pain in town. And I have heard good things about the SV650 too for the combo of cost/maintenance/performance, etc.
Good luck Ludovic and happy riding. Taiwan is beautiful and there’s no better way to check it out than on two wheels, whatever your flavour.
I saw a CB400 the other day parked up. It didn’t look like those old ones which were specifically designed with London couriers in mind. It looked more like a CB600 jobbie. Very flash. Yellow. And the seat was quite comfy looking and handlebars not down round the ankles. Looked just the job. I reckon I could fall off that at a very high speed even if it is only 400cc. (The new GSX-750 looks nice though. If I got one for Christmas I wouldn’t send it back.)
This one is 1,000cc:
I think there is some unwritten motorcycle rule that says if the year 1952 is ever referred to, this motorcycle must be pictured or mentioned.
1952 Vincent Black Lighting
(oh well…1955 is close enough)
First of all, thanks to everyone answering me on this subject and a big thanks to Dog on his comments.
So i decide to visit all the dealers and sit on their machines for a test drive and see which one is for me.
I will post the pic here when i got my bike.
Thanks again !
Ludovic
dog… no disrespect to you, but that is a serious contender for the “biggest load of crap ever written about motorcycles” award… whilst i appreciate that you may have read something in the bike press about Z1000’s or even heard from someone who’s ridden one once, the Z1000 is none of the things you mentioned…
It has a tested stock top speed of 288km/h, hardly “slow for a big bike”… it is a Kawasaki ZX9R engine re-tuned for bigger midrange and the midrange is massive pulling strongly from 4500rpm all the way to 8500rpm before flattening off a little towards the 11000+rpm redline, basically the exact opposite of " a very soggy midrange"… effectively it is a sports bike, with sports bike design, styling and ergonomics but with no fairing and street fighter bars… with basic suspension set up it handles impeccably and almost any speed and road condition and was described by UK Bike magazine as the best thrashers bike since the CB600 Hornet… and handles well enough even on a track to leave race tuned CBR600RRs in the dust… the same magazine also noted how it was “a liter class sports bike adrenalin hit without having to worry about it getting you into trouble like a supersports bike would…” again, neatly the opposite of what you’re claiming above… what it ‘is’ pretty damn useless at is anything requiring 2-up riding since the pillion seat is high, and sloped downwards, so much for your 2-up suggestions… so it seems the only thing you got right was that it’s also good for town use…
how do i know all this?.. well I’ve read all the magazines, seen all the reviews, spoken to lots people who’ve ridden them… and most importantly, I bought one in February of this year and I have put over 8000km on it riding the mountains, express ways, and cities of Taiwan during the last 9 months… before the Z1000 at various stages in the past I’ve owned and ridden both in Taiwan and abroad CB400, Yamaha R6, Kymco 150cc special, Honda CB1300, Suzuki GSX-R 750, Yamaha Majesty 125cc, a Honda Fireblade, a Vespa and even a Honda CB90 moped…
i’m sure you meant well with your post there dog, but if you don’t have the first clue about something, it’s best not to rush to offer others advice on it… you might come up looking a little spare…
-plasmatron
[quote=“plasmatron”]
I’m sure you meant well with your post there dog, but if you don’t have the first clue about something, it’s best not to rush to offer others advice on it… you might come up looking a little spare…
-plasmatron[/quote]
Ludovic asked us to share our experiences…I own a Hornet 900 and a Fireblade, and have been riding bikes for over 20 years. I rode a Z1000 earlier this year and that was my experience.
I apologise - I didn’t mean to imply the top-end was low, merely that it lacked grunt in the mid-range (particularly compared to the Hornet). But this is, of course, only be a concern for a purist, as most modern bikes can hit a ton in a snatch of the handle.
I am happy that you love your Z1000. I did not slate the bike, nor infer that you are not “a serious biker” because you own one. I own a Hornet and readily admit that the suspension is crap. The Hornet makes me smile, laugh, cry out loud and occasionally touch cloth. 
Bikes, of course, are a very personal choice and one man’s dream machine is another’s donkey. My bikes give me an enormous amount of pleasure and I am very happy to share my experience with someone that is thinking of buying a bike. Ultimately though, Ludovic is doing the smart thing and going to test the bikes himself.
well, looks like it’s my turn to apologise then dog… I had you wrongly pegged as a “read the review, so i think i’m an expert” type…
I’m not surprised that you found the Z a little sluggish on your test ride if it was in Taiwan. All official Taiwan dealers import California model bikes which are severely restricted both in HP and emmisions. They do this to pass the rediculously strict pollution control tests that bike bikes have to pass in this countr… er,… island. ( rant: A-Bian is happy for you to drive your filth belching, road destroying diesel truck to work, to burn plastic, chemicals and garbage all day long, before you rinse your toxic industrial effluent directly into the river systems… but if you want to ride a big bike the exhaust fumes better be clean enough to breath directly from the muffler 
) Added to that the ECU is set to control the fuel injection for use with Californian super clean burning fuel, that obviously Taiwan does not use. You therefore get a bike that is effectively crippled running hopelessly incorrect fuel maps through constricted catalytic converter equipped exhausts and clean air systems, the net result is a fuzzy, flat, sluggish feeling power curve…
that is until you remove the clean air system’s canister, fit Akrapovic slip on end cans, install a power commander III, remap the ECU and chuck in a K&N free flow airfilter… then it goes like bloody 'ell… 
-plasmatron
[quote=“plasmatron”]well, looks like it’s my turn to apologise then dog… I had you wrongly pegged as a “read the review, so I think I’m an expert” type…
[/quote]
No big deal, Plasmatron, but thanks for your apology anyway.
You make an excellent point about the catalytic converter and the arctic-weight duvet material they wedge into the zorsts so the engine huffs and puffs like a wheezy old man. Ludovic, please take note.
The Z1000 I rode was almost certainly still stuffed like a Christmas turkey. I had forgotten about the environmental meddling.
I haven’t modded mine too much, but the titanium Laser race cans have transformed the riding experience. Luvverly roaring and snarling. An added bonus is that car drivers usually clear out the way well in advance of my arrival!! 
Happy riding and maybe see you out in the mountains one of these days.
dog
[quote=“TainanCowboy”]I think there is some unwritten motorcycle rule that says if the year 1952 is ever referred to, this motorcycle must be pictured or mentioned.
1952 Vincent Black Lighting[/quote]
That’s one of my favorite Richard Thompson songs. I have long ago lost that cassette tape. Does anyone have the MP3 they can send to me?
Not my favorite version…but its not too bad…
rtlist.net/VincentBlackLightning1952.mp3
Here is a version I like better
[quote=“plasmatron”]the ECU is set to control the fuel injection for use with Californian super clean burning fuel[/quote]Not to mention that the fuel is limited to about 91 octane, compared to the 98 you can get here. Big difference in HUCR and the timing maps that can be run…
[quote=“TainanCowboy”]Not my favorite version…but its not too bad…
rtlist.net/VincentBlackLightning1952.mp3
Here is a version I like better
threebeansalad.hipot-ok.net/Rich … htning.mp3[/quote]
Mr. TainanCowboy Sir,
Thank-you so much for that. It must have been about 10 years since I have heard that song. Sigh…Brings back memories and makes me feel old. Ten years later I feel like a totally different person with a totally different life. Funny how a song…nevermind, that is cliche.
Thanks again! :bravo: :bravo: :bravo: I miss the open roads of back home. Nothing at all like it hear in Taiwan. Although some of the coast roads are not such a bad consolation…
Hobart…glad to do it. Enjoy and you are very welcome. 
Just like MJB, waiting for a green light…
Holding still a big bike in Europe (GPZ 1100), I also do think that a less heavyweight bike has many advantages in Taiwan. Anyone seen an FZ6 in Taiwan?
[quote=“Shiner”]Just like MJB, waiting for a green light…
Holding still a big bike in Europe (GPZ 1100), I also do think that a less heavyweight bike has many advantages in Taiwan. Anyone seen an FZ6 in Taiwan?[/quote]
yep, plenty of them… both the naked -N version and the half faring version too… they’re okay, if overpriced for a budget spec bike, but everything in taiwan is overpriced… the power’s up high in the rev range, nothing like the old Fazer’s fat midrange is everything philosophy… that’s okay though nothing wrong with revving the bollocks off it, it is a made to be thrashed 600 after all…
the thing i’d be worried about the most is the underseat exhuast for two reasons… 1.) it’s made of mild steel (hidden behind the trick looking molded plastic bits) and tough to get at to clean so what it’ll look like after a year or so in taiwan’s super humid climate is anyone’s guess… 2.) it’ll be a treat in winter, but in summer even during the 10min blast past sun-moon lake on a mate’s FZ6-N it was getting toasty through the seat and uncomfortably hot on the upper thighs at standstill and that’s through leathers… summertime city stop start-ing in jeans would be an arse-warming experience I have no doubt… 