It’s Time to Ban Heavy Motorcycles in Taiwan

Life Cars & Motorcycles
1

I’ve been meaning to say this for a while, but I think it’s time Taiwan seriously considers banning heavy motorcycles.

They’re pointless here. You can’t even ride them on the freeway, which completely defeats their main purpose: long-distance cruising. So what are people using them for? Commuting? Laughable. Racing on mountain roads? That’s the truth, and a huge problem.

Every weekend you’ll see packs of them tearing up winding roads like it’s the Isle of Man TT. These bikes aren’t being used for transport, they’re being used for racing. And it’s dangerous. The tailgating, the aggressive lane-splitting, the revving, they’re a hazard to everyone around them. They don’t follow traffic etiquette, and frankly, they don’t seem to care. There was one that used to fly past me every morning on my commute. I predicted three years ago I would see him dead… well this morning my prediction came true…

Let’s not forget the parking issue. These bikes are too big for scooter spots, but some riders still force them in anyway, blocking/scratching scooters or sticking out into lanes. When they park in car spots, they waste space, one motorcycle taking up a spot meant for an entire vehicle. It’s just inconsiderate.

Heavy bikes are impractical, unnecessary, and increasingly a public nuisance. They’re not used for commuting, they’re terrible in city traffic, they guzzle fuel, and they’re loud as hell. In a country trying to move toward more sustainable and efficient transportation, they make zero sense.

So here’s a serious question:
Why are we still tolerating them?

Taiwan should stop registering new ones and phase them out. If people want to ride these things, let them go to a track. Public roads aren’t the place.

Curious to hear others’ thoughts. Am I missing some compelling reason to keep them around? Or is the government too polite to say the obvious?

2 Likes
2

Must be to pick up chicks.

3

Easier to pick up chicks in an old BMW

5

It can’t. They were banned until the early 2000s. Allowing them was an important condition/commitment Taiwan made to the US to join the WTO.

The US probably considers the banning of heavy motorcycles on freeways etc to be a non-tarrif trade barrier. I would not be surprised if it being discussed in trade talks now.

2 Likes
6

No.

6 Likes
7

How about actually allowing them to ride on the freeway?

Yeah, I hate those damn car drivers, too. Parking on the red lines anywhere, they don’t give a shit. Drive on the left lane and then cross 3 lanes to suddenly turn right? Unacceptable.

Oh wait, you weren’t talking about cars?

Imagine a vehicle taking up an entire vehicle space. Or maybe we could ban cars and split up these parking spaces so they could fit multiple motorcycles instead of a single car?

Replace “Heavy bikes” with Alphards and those retarded American pickup trucks and SUVs and you’ve got yourself an excellent point.

All in all 6/10 troll effort, got a tiny bit mad

7 Likes
8

That would be ridiculous. I would guess the tax is the thing they focus on.

12

They’re pretty good for carrying dangerous amounts of gas canisters on

2 Likes
13

If we are going to ban them then we also need to ban those loud boy racer cars and SUVs.

SUVs are the worst offender. The point of having one is to look like a big man and show off. Driving safe doesn’t factor into it, but driving like a C word does infact factor into it quite a bit.

2 Likes
14

IMG_8392
IMG_8392828×1225 131 KB

Looks safe to me, but can she *really * turn left?

5 Likes
15

So could you explain why a heavy motorcycle is more practical than a scooter?

At least with Alphards you can carry lots of people and even retrofit it to carry a wheelchair. Or a pickup truck can carry goods. Heavy motorcycles are no different to scooters in how many people/goods they can carry.

16

No need to bring the mother in law along for the ride!

17

Same could be said about high performance cars. Totally pointless in Taiwan.

SUVs are also impractical.

Everyone should drive a Toyota Corolla Altis. Practical and, let’s face it, a bit of a fanny magnet.

4 Likes
18

Let’s ban pedestrians instead, walking is dangerous so safer without anybody walking.

Anybody not having a parking garage in the basement of their house? Tough luck, but Uber can deliver and WFH is the norm so all well :wink:

/s

3 Likes
19

If they’re not walking they’d be occupying a parking space, so…

1 Like
20

More power, easier to take up into the mountains.

Yes, you’re right. They have a large footprint, but they can move a lot of people, even wheelchairs.

Also correct.

The question eventually is: Do they always? Does every Alphard carry a lot of people? Does every pickup carry goods?

Any car that carries no passengers or goods takes up more space than any scooter or motorcycle would for the same amount of people.

Heavy motorcycles barely take up more space than a scooter, especially compared to a car. The difference is that they’re more flexible. In more civilized countries, they’re a faster option as they can go on the highway and filter through the traffic jams. Why do you think the police uses them?

And finally, motorcycles are fun. They also kill way less pedestrians than cars do, so why the hate?

5 Likes
21

The gas canisters are the only detail which is remotely related to Taiwan. AI slop fail.

22

The speed limits on all of the mountain roads are 30 or 40kph. There is no need for a powerful bike to tear corners at 100kph and I see plenty of scooters (125 and even below) that do just fine (even carrying 2 kids with no helmets and 2 irresponsible parents).

23

I totally get your points. But the reason is ego. Nothing more, nothing less.

I also share the same frustrations as lost of the riders are complete douche bags with nearly zero skill

I strongly disagree with your notion to ban them, however. The whole beautiful point of taiwan is it is far freer than most other nations. Especially western democratic nations where manyvof us originated from. Keep Taiwan free. We have so man damn laws already, it will make your head spin. Concentrate on government officials (this includes the police) actually doing their job. We have enough laws, infrastructure, education and cameras. The failed part is not holding fucktards responsible. Do that, the deaths and injuries half within a week.

Taiwan REALLY should stick yo it’s guns on not outright banning shit, china style. Just enforce the rules that are already setup. That’s the issue.

10 Likes
24

When I was studying in China for the summer they banned certain types of scooter. The government just started to take them and there was nothing you about it and you got 0 compensation if it got taken.

Let’s not start down the path of banning stuff like that.

5 Likes