I have a TW ordinary car license, and would like to get the ordinary heavy-duty
motorcycle (普通重型機車) license next. I believe there is no need for me to do the written test again, but I’m wondering whether I need to do any kind of certified training course first or whether I can just rock up to the test center and do it there and then. If anyone knows whether I need a new health check please also let me know. If anyone has any experience going from a car license to the ordinary heavy duty motorcycle license, would love to hear more about the process.
This says no, you must have a separate scooter license. Another site from the Kaoshung DMV says you may drive 50cc scooters (green plate) with a car license. If you only have a car license and you drive a white plate scooter, you will get a ticket.
（三）民眾若已取得機車駕照，應以機車駕照駕駛機車，機車駕照有效期限屆滿應換領新照。民眾雖取得汽車駕照，騎機車仍須以機車駕照為許可憑證。
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I know I need a separate license, I just want to know how easy it will be for me to do it, whether I need to do a training course first, etc.
You don’t need to do a training course. You can pay a ‘driving school’ to access their test track and the vehicle office will conduct the test there too.
They don’t really teach you anything. they have people available to help you but you’re mostly paying to rent a bike and have access to the test track for a few weeks
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Seeing how many people have white plate scooters, and how badly they drive, I have to guess not very hard at all. I heard friends say that part of the test is drive on a straight line in a very slow speed without swerving too much or something. If you want a red/yellow plate you need to hold a white plate license for at least a year.
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The test is pretty easy. Most fail at the beginning, the slow drive in a straight line without stopping. Then just follow the choreography.
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I honestly it should be much harder, like Germany hard. It would reduce bad drivers by a massive margin. And too many points and they must retest.
It would also clear the traffic a bit, which is a good thing.
When I did mine a few years back (in Pingtung) it cost me 5000nt for the lessons / test all in. It was 1h a day for 5 days, then test the next week at the same place on the same bikes.
As mentioned by others here you need a scooter licence for a minimum of 1 year first no computer test as that was covered with the scooter test.
I have read that the course is compulsory but It could be wrong, another member here just passed at the same place and it was still the same price.
@Taiwan_Luthiers Did you do your test in Germany?
Try the UK test for example, from a post on reddit (mine was a simpler back in the day, but it was in the snow).
- Compulsory Basic Training - This is not a pass/fail test but you have to do it to progress, it involves class room and training on a scooter or 125cc in an enclosed area, figure of 8’s and stopping etc. if assessed as safe enough, you are then taken on the road.
- Theory test, book a date at a local test centre and pass the test based on signages and hazard perception. This is a pass / fail.
You can now book your motorcycle training.
- Module 1 (MOD1) This involves primarily a test in an enclosed area and cones all laid in specific patterns. The test involves the following and is the hardest part, you can fail on a major fail (just one of those) or accumulate minor faults.
- Wheeling the bike and using its stand
- Riding a slalom and figure of eight (no feet must touch the ground and you must not hit the cones)
- A slow ride (no feet on ground)
- A U-turn (within the white lines and no feet on ground while doing the manoeuvre)
- Cornering and a controlled stop
- Cornering and an emergency stop
- Cornering and hazard avoidance, during which you must be riding at a minimum speed of 19mph on a moped or 31mph on a motorcycle.
4)Module 2 (MOD 2)
About an hour on the road with an examiner following you, everything you learned is being applied here. Again you can accumulate minor faults and fail or gain a major fault and fail. You’re also being assessed on your shoulder checks, speed limits, awareness.
https://www.reddit.com/r/motorcycles/comments/u3j8j3/which_country_has_the_hardest_motorcycle_test/
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When I did it a few years ago (4-5) I had to have the white plate for 1 yr and then because I had the car one I didn’t need to the do the written test. I did need to do a new health check.
So white plate + car license + health check → to red plate school for a week, test at the start of the next week and picked up the license 2 days later - I think it was 5-6k in total.
I think there seems to be some confusion in this thread about “heavy duty” and “red plate” etc.:
https://www.mvdis.gov.tw/m3-emv-plate/plateDesc
So “ordinary heavy-duty motorcycle” should refer to white-plate motorcycles - from my understanding, @meishijia is not asking about yellow or red plates!
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Confusion is the Chinese wording for white plate scooters that everyone has, it’s called normal heavy motorcycle, with a displacement under 250cc.
Yes, correct, so I shouldn’t have to have 1 year scooter experience first, I can test for it without any existing scooter license. What I am unsure about though is whether I need to do a training course first. With the car license I had to do 30 days training before I could do the test
I thought they did away with not needing written test (though I could be wrong?).
Anyways, I transfered car license to Taiwan first. Then for heavy scooter, just made an appointment and took driving exam. No lessons required. Though, I did practice mock courses to get familiar with 50cc.
This was back in 2021.
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White plates, General Heavy Motorcycle, do not require any training class. You simply sign up and take the test.
There are places that offer training course which will run you through the basics of operating a scooter, show you the test course and give you some tips and let you practice.
If you have a friend who can help you practice then you could also check to see if there are any open practice courses (機車考照練習場) near you. Depending on the location it may be busy but now that summer break is over it shouldn’t be too bad. There you can practice the course all you want.
Previously with the car license you wouldn’t have had to do the written test, but it was changed a few years ago so now you also have to take the written test. As for the health check I’m not sure.
Source: MOTC Website (Chinese)
This depends on when you have gotten your car license. You can only do this if you have a car license issued before June 30th 2023.
Source: Highway Bureau website
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As an extra note to a question you asked regarding medical exam. I did have to get a separate medical exam. But that was done at 衛生部 for 100 ntd.