Hello,
greetings from a new member to all fellow motorists!
I’ve been in Taipei for 2 months now, originally planned to be here only that time, but now it seems that I’ll get a working contract to here for couple of years
And naturally, this leads me to the fact that I need to get a bike, a big bike as you say. Having scoped out this and that, and being a Kawa-fan, I’m starting to fall in love with Z1000. I’ve testdriven Z750 last summer, and absolutely loved it, sadly they don’t sell that in here.
I’m not really familiar about the cost of owning a big bike in Taiwan, so I went to nearby dealer, and what I could understand, you’'ll need an insurance and a license-fee, anything else?
About insurance, dealer told me that first years insurance is 6.5% from the bikes buying price (some kind of deal when buying a new bike?), and license-fee of 15840NT$, correct?
So the price of Z1000 was 470 000 NT$ here in Neihu Technology Park, is it overpriced compared to other places in Taiwan?
I’m having a hard time realising the prices of the bikes, because big bikes are much cheaper in here than back home.
Allright, your answers will be greatly appreciated, thanks!
Firstly the bike, I bought and '04 Z1000 last year from the Kawasaki dealer in Taichung, I bargained hard and I was buying another pre-owned bike as well, and I got it for NT$460,000… At the time the list price was NT$510,000 and it’s come down a lot since then… I suspect that the price you were given ($470K) is the new list price, so there should be a lot of room to move there, keep pushing… I
Welcome fellow Kwak rider! You’ll first need to get your small bike license (under 250cc), and you must have that for 1 year before you can take the test for the big bore bike license (above 250cc). The cost for the first license is about $1000 and the cost including driving school (required) for the big bore bike license is about $6500-$8000 depending on where you take it.
Never buy brand new. Dealers rip you off. Always buy second hand, you will save about $80,000-$100,000. Most used bikes are in good condition and have low mileage since most riders only take their bikes out on Sundays. Plus, Taiwanese always want the latest model of anything, so get rid of things quite quickly. I paid $380,000 for my ZRX1200, it was mint and only have 1600km on it. New I would have paid $490,000 for it.
Check out yahoo bid for prices. tw.bid.yahoo.com/tw/2092081458-c … -leaf.html?
apg=1&s1=&o1=a&at=true&new=0
Holy crap! Dam! Plasmatron, that Z1000 is beautiful! Skylarkpuma I’m sure is quite happy with the bike. Love the mirrors (AntLion?), can’t go wrong with Akra carbon pipes, and did you do the stripes youself? Ok, can’t help it, have to show-off my babies now. pg.photos.yahoo.com/ph/eric_diep … as,1%3af,0
The mirrors, clutch case covers and crash bungs are all OEM Kawasaki that I ordered from England, they dont sell them here… The mini LED turn signals are from Motrax also UK… the bars and bar ends are Renthal Ultra Lows, better position than the stock bars IMHO… The screen is from an Italian company called Barracuda… Steering damper is a Scotts radial… the stripes and fender eliminator I did myself… oh and the Akrapovic carbon ‘race’ pipes… she’s alo got a PowerCommander PCIII in the tail and also upgraded EBC-HH pads and Galfer s/s brake lines…
…and one hell of a good rider to keep that sweet inline four singing till redline…
honestly, it’s a great bike…I bought it from plasmatron because he’s a buddy, but i’d have to partly disagree with what kawasaki rider said about used bikes…Judging from the abuse and thrashing/crashing that goes on around here, i’d be a bit worried to buy a second hand bike…kawasakirider may have found a needle in a haystack with his previous ZRX1200…but I still like buying new or from a good friend…It’s fun to build up and mod a bike from new…also, you never know what kind of local mechanic got his paws on a bike and tuned it all wrong with the wrong parts and tools!..I do all of my maintenance myself at home…and for the bigger jobs(changing tires, plugs) I go down to a friend’s shop and do it there with his assistance!..this way, you learn more about your bike and know what’s been done!
I love the Z1000 and i’ve read awsome reviews about the Z750…either way you go, you can’t miss…they are both fun and bulletproof!..
[quote=“skylarkpuma”] I do all of my maintenance myself at home…and for the bigger jobs(changing tires, plugs) I go down to a friend’s shop and do it there with his assistance!..this way, you learn more about your bike and know what’s been done!
[/quote]
Ahh, so that’s why my rims are all chipped up. Sorry, I couldn’t resist.
Welcome Owerflo, I’m at the bottom of this 2nd hand bike food chain having bought my bike from skylark. Maybe you should buy my 600RR and then I could buy skylark’s Kwak, and he could buy Plasma’s BMW…or…maybe not.
Ouch! Nice one Mordeth. Forgot about the triangle of bikes. I agree that many used bikes have been trashed. Make sure it isn’t from a rental shop. I’ve been lucky, because my buddy in Taipei who owns a bike shop knows almost all the other shops, so when I want a bike he can locate the best deal in town. My ZX-10R I paid $490,000, new it would have gone for $520,000-$550,000, plus plate fees and the rest. The bike had only 1,300km on it, dampener, and sliders already installed. The bike was absolutely perfect. And I’m know to be very picky, so when I say it was perfect I mean it was perfect. My point is that there are great deals to be found, you just need to know the right people. Overflow, if you need help, I’ll be glad to introduce you to my buddy, he’s probably the best bike guy in Taipei, the most honest I have met. Many foreigners buy bikes from him and take their bikes to his shop for mods and for servicing. Mordeth has met him, so he can vouch for him too.
So I also guessed that 470k was just a list price. Have to go to the shop with my friend, and see what they can come up to… Also used bike is not out of question.
I tried yesterday some riding gear, summer jackets and stuff. Felt quite strange compared to european driving gear. Last summers final ride was done in +2 degrees with snow falling from the sky, pretty tough requirements for clothing
Plasma, your old bike is truly a gem, nice tweaking. Wanna have!!!
Kawasakirider, so does this underlined part mean Taiwan heavy motorcycle driving license? I’ve had a big bike license in my home country for two years.
From government web-page:
Have possessed a heavy motorcycle driving license (for motorcycles 51~250cc) for over one year;
Please don’t tell me that I cannot get a kwak for this summer
I know of at least one foeigner with a “big bike” that hasn’t bothered with getting the proper license…as to why I’m not sure…but he hasn’t had any problems and he’s been riding for a few years. People rent big bikes all the time…and I doubt if more 5% of them actually have the correct license to do so. So go get your big scooter licnese ASAP and when you feel like getting the “big bike”…just get it. If the cops ask why you don’t have the proper licnese you tell them because your not allowed to get it even though you have a big license oversea…or you could just say Wa-ting-boo-dong. That’s my view on all of it…but I’m a bit of a retard so don’t listen to me.
[quote=“Mordeth”][quote=“skylarkpuma”] I do all of my maintenance myself at home…and for the bigger jobs(changing tires, plugs) I go down to a friend’s shop and do it there with his assistance!..this way, you learn more about your bike and know what’s been done!
[/quote]
Ahh, so that’s why my rims are all chipped up. Sorry, I couldn’t resist.
Welcome Owerflo, I’m at the bottom of this 2nd hand bike food chain having bought my bike from skylark. Maybe you should buy my 600RR and then I could buy skylark’s Kwak, and he could buy Plasma’s BMW…or…maybe not.[/quote]
Good point there about the rims…however, the rim scratching is bound to occur when the shop hasn’t done any maintenance on their tire machine since it was built 200 years ago!..besides, i’ve gotten much worse rim scratches from dealers in Canada…!
about the big bike permit…well, It’s adviseable to get it sooner or later but I wouldn’t let that get in the way of getting a bike!..bikes here are registered to ID numbers, not permit holders…just like cars and scooters!..have all of your foreign documents and permits with you at all times when you ride and you’ll likely get away with it…what the cops are really looking for is unregistered bikes…or simply said “stolen bikes”!..once you provide your bikes registration, 3rd party insurance card and your foreign permit/s, you’ll already be looking good!..it’s when not one paper can be provided that things get ugly!..also, I’ve actually gotten compliments on my foreign driver’s permit on how it looks so nice and professional!..how’s that for a traffic stop!..cheers
I did some investigation about big bike license, lawful as I am
Basically because I’m from Finland, and I have a big bike license there, which entitles me to drive every two-wheeled motorcycle, I have a right to get same driving permits in Taiwan.
Procedure should go as follows, I’ll provide a certification from Finland that I’m indeed entitled to drive above 250cc motorcycles, and get translations etc.etc. paperwork of my licenses, and go through 30hr training period here in Taipei, then I will get a big bike license. This was confirmed from some government geezer and also from Finland, so it might be true, then again…
Tomorrow I should receive more information on this matter. I’ll report how things proceed.
Cool dude…It will be cool to see how that works out…I have a friend here in Taichung that is from Finland.(he’s one hell of a champion drinker)…what do you do here?..Cheers
sounds like what they are telling you is “yes, we have a reciprocal agreement with your country, but we only adhere to it when it is in our favour…” “You can come to Taipei with your licence, translations, passports etc. and we’ll ignore them and make you do 30 hours of training and take our test anyway…”
If my experience of the Taiwanese “government” are anything to go on, when you get here, they’ll probably announce that you have to leave the country to apply for the licence you want… announce that you can only do the test in Taidong county… and declare that they cannot process your request unless you provide a translated, certified, stamped letter from Santa Claus saying you’ve been good this year…
but don’t let my cynicism slow you down… who knows you might just get it done… good luck…
Yep, for my opinion, legislation here is made to make foreigners life a lot more complicated than locals :s
Let’s see what they will say if I go to Arctic Circle and get a “official” Santa Claus -signature to approve my drivers license. In Finland I live 300km to south from Arctic Circle, so easily done, hah…
I’m working in Taipei for mobile testing lab, and yes, It’s common for Finns to be able to drink
Tell your friend this: Moro, mita heppu, ookko saanu pillua?
Yesterday I visited one BMW-store, selling new and 2nd hand bikes, beemers are quite expensive here, even used. But the new K1200RS was a beauty, only 1.1 million NT$, thats about 8000 euro (10 k US$) more expensive than in Finland. Basically European stuff is pricey.
and another one with slightly higher milage and a suspiciously low price… NT$290,000… looks like it’s either a Japanese or EU model, therfore not imported by Kawasaki Taiwan… I’d be careful of this one…
The other one would be a good deal if it’s in good condition. How come people get rid of their bikes this fast, supposing everything is working perfectly? Do they just want to have new one constantly, or what?
BTW, can you make an inquiry of ownership with the license plate -number here, like from DMV or something?
there are many reasons why one would want to sell his or her bike…Here, there are a few more common reasons…such as…
1- Too powerful and hard to handle for inexperienced riders.
2- Wants to move up to a super demonic sportbike.
3- GF or parents want him or her to sell their bike because they need money.
4- No time to ride since work and sleep are more important.
These would seem like the more common reasons for selling a bike early in the game…As for checking the plates and title…if you see the bike and you wish to purchase it, you will have to go with the current registered ownner to do a transfer of ownership…at this point, any un-paid dues, fines, inspection or fees will have to be paid in order to clear the title.
If you want to double check the registration of a certain bike…the blue card states the frame number on it…just double check the vins and you should be fine!
Sorry, I couldn’t resist.
