Help llary buy a proper bike!

My RZX has just gone in for some hefty repairs and while twiddling my thumbs with nothing to ride I remembered that I’m way over the 1-year waiting period for a big bike license.

I’m pretty sure that I want a Ninja 650 because nothing else seems very sensible for Taiwan. Plus I have a lot of buddies who ride this machine which gives me faith that a) it’s not half bad and b) I will have a mini support network for any issues or quirks. I’ve not ridden one yet but I definitely will do before I throw down the cash because I had a disappointing experience with a Suzuki SV650. Non-Ninja riders tell me the SV650 and Ninja are pretty similar while Ninja riders insist they’re completely different, so I want to see for myself.

First things first… where can I practice for and get my big bike license? Can I take the test on my 133cc RZX and if not, will they provide a suitable machine? Please don’t recommend the Tai-yuan rd. place because they’re a bunch of fucknuts.

Secondly, rather than just call one or two people I’d appreciate anyone who’s bought a yellow plater in the past few years to chip in and give me recommendations for where I should buy my new machine. Taichung is best but I don’t mind going farther afield for a better deal.

Thirdly, has anyone bought a serious bike second hand? Are the savings worth it?

Finally, has anyone had any luck getting any credit whatsoever on a bike without co-signer? I’ve told my girlfriend not to let me spend any more than NT$260k in cash but I don’t know how far that will stretch on a budget big bike in Taiwan these days, plus I’d like to have something left over for some new leathers/boots. I’ve got a Taiwan-issued credit card and good relationship with Citibank if that helps any.

I’m about to go on my 6th yellow plate bike, so I been through it all. First thing, get your big bike license, if shit happens and you don’t have a proper license, things won’t go in your favor. I did my in Taipei, basically it was pay the $7,000NT at the time, do several circles around the gauntlet, then show up for the test. It’s a joke. They will lend you a 400cc for the test and practices. I don’t recommend using your own bike. I saw two people panic and smash their bikes during the emergency braking part of the test. But if you smash their bikes you still gotta pay for the damages.

Ninjas a good choice (but I hate Kawasaki Taiwan and will never buy one in Taiwan again), and you want something over 600cc cause in the next few years they will open more freeways and roads for bikes over 550cc. 500cc and under bikes will have to stick to normal roads.

Buy second hand, you will save a 1/3 of the cost. Most Taiwanese bikers change bikes every season, and sell at big lost to get the next greatest thing on two wheels. Go on Yahoo bid, you will find tons. $260K will get you a 650 Ninja no problem.
tw.f3.page.bid.yahoo.com/tw/auction/c28869411
But I find that the Z750S is a more powerful and comfy ride.
tw.f2.page.bid.yahoo.com/tw/auction/b32547820
tw.f4.page.bid.yahoo.com/tw/auction/d20227072

You can co-sign, but usually only on new bikes. The bike will be in the Taiwanese co-signer’s name, not yours. It can be transfered
to your name after the last payment. That’s how it was for me. But I have heard different situations.

Hope this helps.

[quote=“MotorcycleRider”]I’m about to go on my 6th yellow plate bike, so I been through it all. First thing, get your big bike license, if shit happens and you don’t have a proper license, things won’t go in your favor. I did my in Taipei, basically it was pay the $7,000NT at the time, do several circles around the gauntlet, then show up for the test. It’s a joke. They will lend you a 400cc for the test and practices. I don’t recommend using your own bike. I saw two people panic and smash their bikes during the emergency braking part of the test. But if you smash their bikes you still gotta pay for the damages.

Ninjas a good choice (but I hate Kawasaki Taiwan and will never buy one in Taiwan again), and you want something over 600cc cause in the next few years they will open more freeways and roads for bikes over 550cc. 500cc and under bikes will have to stick to normal roads.

Buy second hand, you will save a 1/3 of the cost. Most Taiwanese bikers change bikes every season, and sell at big lost to get the next greatest thing on two wheels. Go on Yahoo bid, you will find tons. $260K will get you a 650 Ninja no problem.
tw.f3.page.bid.yahoo.com/tw/auction/c28869411
But I find that the Z750S is a more powerful and comfy ride.
tw.f2.page.bid.yahoo.com/tw/auction/b32547820
tw.f4.page.bid.yahoo.com/tw/auction/d20227072

You can co-sign, but usually only on new bikes. The bike will be in the Taiwanese co-signer’s name, not yours. It can be transfered
to your name after the last payment. That’s how it was for me. But I have heard different situations.

Hope this helps.[/quote]

Great stuff :bravo:

Captain Stag has kindly offered me a trial spin on his (your? :smiley:) DRZ400SM which I will be taking him up on tonight. To be honest though, one pretty big reason for the Ninja being so attractive is that it’s an affordable 650cc that I’m hoping will allow me onto freeways if and when they’re opened to big bikes. I’ve also heard so many good things about the Ninja and it sounds like the sort of thing I like to ride.

I’ve seen quite a few places with physical stores selling almost-new ER6fs for NT$280k as a starting price so I reckon there’s a lot of room for manoeuvre there. The thing is though, part of the reason for making this purchase is that every single vehicle I own is second hand and while I still think I’ve had a much better deal than buying new, they have an annoying habit of breaking down simultaneously when I need them most. I would love to buy a brand new shiny bike with warranty etc. that I could look after and didn’t have to worry about too much.

As for credit, I asked a friend of a friend who owns a big bike shop and he reckons he can get me at least 50% credit in my own name. I’ll wait and see.

[quote=“llary”]
First things first… where can I practice for and get my big bike license? Can I take the test on my 133cc RZX and if not, will they provide a suitable machine? [\quote]

Taking the course is a pre-requisite for getting a license here, and when you take the course, they provide the bike for both the class and the test. I took the class at this place near Hsin-Chu (http://www.e-hsc.com.tw), and I’d say it covered motorcycle “machine” operating techniques OK - emergency braking, low-speed cornering, figure 8’s, and driving around in seemingly endless 6-meter radius circles, lacked some other “real-world” techniques (swerving, higher-speed cornering, rough road surface handling etc.). But then again, I’ve never taken an MSF type course either, so I don’t really know what I may be missing. Also, I had thought the cost of the course included insurance (some for you, some for the bike), but you’d best ask them directly.

[quote=“llary”]
Secondly, rather than just call one or two people I’d appreciate anyone who’s bought a yellow plater in the past few years to chip in and give me recommendations for where I should buy my new machine. Taichung is best but I don’t mind going farther afield for a better deal.[\quote]

I bought mine from this place in Taichung - http://tw.user.bid.yahoo.com/tw/show/aboutme?userID=triumph_taichung

They may have been a little more expensive, but I felt more comfortable buying from them. I bought my first bike in Taiwan from them (2nd hand bike), and more recently traded it in for a new bike from them. The owner is into riding as well, and the whole family there can speak English very well. So if trouble should ever come up with the bike, at least it will be relatively easy to communicate the problem to them.

[quote=“llary”]
Thirdly, has anyone bought a serious bike second hand? Are the savings worth it?
[\quote]

Yeah, my opinion is that if you can find an excellent condition bike with low-mileage, well-maintained, and never crashed bike that it’s just as good as a new bike – except without warranty. Maybe Kawasaki is different, but I just don’t have much faith in the warranties that are offered here.

Oh thanks peanut… I forgot about them~ haven’t been there in a while… Sorry for not mentioning them llary~

Owner’s a nice guy - I’ve never bought anything from him, but he’s always happy to have a chat. Michael and Jessica are the couple’s names I think~ It’s on GuoGuang Rd. There’s a nice hotpot restraunt just up the road, so it’s good to have dinner there after~ Dunno about the shop’s prices though, as I said - I’ve never bought anything from them~

peanut > do you know any of the other foreigner’s who’ve bought from them?? Last time I was there, he had a 2nd hand R1 which he told me had just been bought by a foreigner… oh… and what did you trade in for?

[quote=“x08”]Oh thanks peanut… I forgot about them~ haven’t been there in a while… Sorry for not mentioning them llary~

Owner’s a nice guy - I’ve never bought anything from him, but he’s always happy to have a chat. Michael and Jessica are the couple’s names I think~ It’s on GuoGuang Rd. There’s a nice hotpot restraunt just up the road, so it’s good to have dinner there after~ Dunno about the shop’s prices though, as I said - I’ve never bought anything from them~

peanut > do you know any of the other foreigner’s who’ve bought from them?? Last time I was there, he had a 2nd hand R1 which he told me had just been bought by a foreigner… oh… and what did you trade in for?[/quote]

I checked out the place you told me about on Da Dun 11 / Wen Xin and they said they won’t have any Ninjas in until May. They seem to be about 95% litre+ bikes with a handful of 750s, which is kind of depressing given that sub-750s are ideal for Taiwan’s roads. Anyway, the guy there seemed okay but he was really quiet and kind of difficult to talk to. ‘So my friend told me about this place and said you have some good deals on ER6fs.’ ‘oh…’ ‘Err, so, yanno, I want to buy one.’ ‘Got none in. Coming in May.’ ‘errr… so… ?’ ‘Write your name here. Will call.’

At least it’s a step up from Coffee who just leaves half way through a sentence.

Still trying to find a big bike test centre in Taichung, btw. I found a few online but my last experience with a Taiwanese driving school was a bit shitty so I’d rather get a recommendation this time.

Oh… they had one in last time I was there… guess they sold it~

yes, they’re mostly litre+ there… but that’s what sells best in Taiwan~

just an update for you llary~ my mechanic friend can’t get any deal for you… the people he called are all sold out also… in fact, I have a feeling it’s the same dealer that I sent you to… sorry~

Hmm… when I went to the Kwak shop I was pretty much ready to hand over a wad of cash and ride away with a new Ninja. Nobody in Taichung seems to be serious about selling new sub-litre bikes and I’m kind of going off the idea again. I’ve put the cash firmly back in the bank and if I do buy one now it will only be with finance.

Hey Llary,

Just got back from a trip to the US yesterday and gave that place (John & Jessica) a call regarding break-in service for my bike, and also asked John about the ER6F. He said the next delivery to Taiwan from Kawasaki will be in May for the 2007 models. However, he said this past Monday they got a 2006 model in. It’s used, silver in color, and supposedly low km and in very good shape. If you’re still interested, you might want to swing by and take a look.

[quote=“x08”]
peanut > do you know any of the other foreigner’s who’ve bought from them?? Last time I was there, he had a 2nd hand R1 which he told me had just been bought by a foreigner… oh… and what did you trade in for?[/quote]

I don’t know. And it wasn’t me that bought the R1 - mine’s a V-star. For the trade-in, I just traded up in CCs since my wife became interested in going along with me on some rides (good excuse, eh? :smiley: ).

[quote=“peanut”]Hey Llary,

Just got back from a trip to the US yesterday and gave that place (John & Jessica) a call regarding break-in service for my bike, and also asked John about the ER6F. He said the next delivery to Taiwan from Kawasaki will be in May for the 2007 models. However, he said this past Monday they got a 2006 model in. It’s used, silver in color, and supposedly low km and in very good shape. If you’re still interested, you might want to swing by and take a look.[/quote]

Don’t forget that the 2006 models only come in Black and Silver…For 2007, they’ve opened up the color range to include blue and red.

Also, the half-black, half-silver seat is really cheap looking. I’ve since replaced mine with a raised all black unit. It looks much better, and the extra 30mm of padding really helps:

Oh, JOHN and Jessica… I wonder who Michael is then~?? llary, I will agree with peanut that they ARE a nice shop there. Though, I don’t see any er6f on their yahoo account~ are they holding it off in case llary wants it?

I am SO envious of you guys whose girls will ride with you~ But I have a plan for mine… hehehe… heheheheh… muuuuuuhahahahahahah~ cough errr… sorry, not the appropriate moment for evil laughter methinks…