Very intersting this Taichung event, assuming one will happen… As far as a a parking lot on TaiYuan I’m not sure I know of one and I take TaiYuan almost daily 
… failing that, what TaiYuan Rd. does have is a large residential area / neighborhood that they have completed the streets, lights, pavements etc. for, but not developed a damn thing else so there is a network of decent freshly paved, wide-ish roads just sitting around doing nothing… I doubt anyone would give a bunch of big noses with bikes permission to do anything, even if we asked, but at a pinch, we could just do and see what happens I mean there’s no-one there… alternately there’s the “drifting track” in Dakeng we could potentially rent for a couple of hours…
[quote=“x08”][quote=“joesax”]I’ll admit to having been a bit cautious, even cynical, but now I know that DM is doing this I feel completely different about it. I am sure that anything he is involved in will be well organised and of very good quality.
[quote=“Stefan”]…so, we have a place (X08, can you check the parking lot that you mentioned for accessability again, please?)[/quote]X08, which car park is that?
I think the place could still be a bit of a sticking point. I don’t see car park owners being very happy about letting their space be used by a bunch of bikers![/quote]
hmmm… i’ll try to check it out… but no idea who to ask about renting it out or somewhat…
joesax > do you live in taichung? if so, it’s up TaiYuan Rd… if you’re heading out towards daken (away from the city) it’ll be on your left… it’s huge and empty… i don’t think i’ve ever seen any cars parked there… not that i can see why they would want to either… there’s nothing there…[/quote]I can’t remember having seen it. About how far out of town is it? Are there any road junctions nearby?
great, it sounds exactly like what we would need.
and a track is even better, but i reckon maybe not on the first time and maybe not for everyone. but correct me if i’m wrong. it all sounds great.
tonight i’ll meet mr. dangermouse and we’ll discuss a schedule. will let you know.
please get the word around, would like to know how many people want to come. as for now i think we should focus on taichung first. any other comments, ideas, suggestions?
thanks everyone for the input and help.
Sounds like a useful course, I’ll be up for it, although meeting somewhere between Taipei and Taichung would be better I think.
maybe plasma’s right… maybe it’s a residential area… though i could’ve sworn it was a car park… it’s between butzi rd. and the car licence place… all blocked off with concrete barriers (the kinda portable ones)…
If anyone can get to Sha lu, there is a big disused carpark outside Providence University. Also, not far from there if I remember correctly there are som roads that were built but are disused. They have all the lines painted on them but all they do is go around rice fields. They go absolutely nowhere at all. There are no trees and the visibility is great because the land is totally flat.
well… i checked out the parking lot… took a picture of the sign outside, but had no time to upload it last night… so i will try and upload it tonight, and then someone who can READ (humbly speaking, i can speak fairly well, but i can’t read for crud) chinese can see what it says…
… i asked the scooter guys who were in there practicing (yup, practicing on tuesday too - and they seemed fairly good) and they had no idea who owns the place… or why it’s not used at all…
oh, and in regards to plasma’s residential area > it’s one and the same… i’ve never gone INTO the carpark, but after going in, i noticed there’s a lot of other streets there with really tall grass… and a straight I went down was about 3 cars wide, and over 1/2 a km long…
perfect. that sounds like the place-to-be. thanks for checking.
i spoke to DM aka Adam last night and we came up with a schedule: the first session will be on the first weekend of december (2./3.12.) in taichung with the option to postpone it one week (to the 9./10.). i hope the weather will be nice since its good for the mood but even in bad weather we’d be doing it since that is a better training anyway (wet roads and the lot…). it will sharpen the senses. adam will work out a training plan and once its done we’ll let you know.
the second session will be in taipei in january (at a parking lot at fishermans wharf in tanshui, north of taipei actually) on the 13./14.1.
each ‘training’ will roughly last one afternoon but we’re really flexible on that and it may take longer when the group is bigger. it all depends on adams availability and willingness. and we really want to emphazise that it is rather a ‘skill improvement and experience exchange event’ rather than a ‘training’ - maybe only for absolute beginners. and let me remind you all: its for free, we don’t charge a nickel but it’s totally at your own risk. so proper gear is expected to bring along (don’t have sponsors yet to provide them) and a tip-top bike is essential as well. we do not want to take any chances there.
the first hour or so will be spent on basic bike mechanics (check of oil, tires, airpressure, lights and the lot) and check of gear - important to newcomers again to what is necessary.
i’m glad for all the positive responses and will get back to each of the questions you’ve sent. thanks for that.
one more thing (asking the admin here): is it possible to make it a sticky? and at some later stage create a banner? thanks
so i can skip the first hour then 
you wish 
this is a german-run operation so noone is allowed to be late nor to leave earlier for whatever reason 
na, see it as a cool opportunity to get a close-up look of other bikes then, i guess…
well i’ll be out if it’s on the 9th… i’ve got two weddings to go to that day (one lunch, one dinner)… ~_~ gunna be an expensive month
besides… i’m 1/2 german, so i get leniency 
Count me in!
I can help with the flyer and maybe translation if you have Chinese speakers keen on going.
Should the people coming from Taipei ride down?
great! and thanks in advance, i’ll probably get back to you about it.
and as for going to taichung together, i’m definately up for it. i prefer it a lot rather than going down there by myself again.
stuartca mentioned something in this regard as well, so maybe we all meet somewhere and take it from there.
so, the list is growing, soon i’ll send a preliminary list around to let you reconfirm and also fix the time.
so far we are 7-8 people with different bikes of all kind, which is cool and maybe gives a good understanding how different bikes behave under certain conditions. i like that.
What happened? We’re supposedly gunna do it this weekend, yet the thread is dead?
nonono, we’re still on it. definately. just still some planning and preparing to do.
the first session will be on the first weekend of december, i think adam mentioned the sunday afternoon, which would be the 3rd of december, sometime after lunch. or earlier. we’re still planning and trying to group the people.
everybody who wants to be there, please let me know what kind of bike you will bring. i have a rough idea but not from everyone. adam will taylor trainings for every group (bike-wise, experience-wise). expect a lot of fun.
so, looking forward to hear from you, see you in taichung.
ps: X08, please do me a favor and let me know the address of the place (the residential area). i’m not familiar with taichung yet have to find it… i’ll put it on the flyer as well. thanks
Great to hear about all the enthusiasm this thread has drummed up. Now don’t forget this is a basic, basic, basic thing we are doing and at the moment, we are just testing the water - so bear with us. Some of the things - or maybe all - you will already have been told or taught or had experience with during your time as riders.
This is by no means an advanced course and the last thing I want to do is pretend I know everything and look like I am teaching you - this is not the case.
Hopefully, this will turn out as a bit of fun, a good experience and an event we can all learn something from - including me.
I am currently working out a schedule/content of the course which is flexible. I’m looking forward to meeting all of you - there are some (most rather) I havn’t met so lets hope the weather holds out and everything goes nicely.
…
[quote]15meters in Taipei because the roads are soaked in cheap (multismoke) two stroke oil from betlenut oil company. You’re loco…
A Taiwanese nead 30meters because there rider manual tell you not to use the front brake Shocked!
I’m quite shure it was 3 meters, but the speed could be 50km/h. [/quote]
No offence, Stian, but it would take approximately 3/4 of a second for you to react and another 3/4 of a second for your reaction to have any pronounced effect on your bike whatsoever. So in that 1.5 seconds before you start braking, you will already have travelled about 25 metres if you were to be travelling at 60km/h.
Even if you discount the reaction time, there is no way that you could stop a bike in twice it’s own legnth at 60 km/h unless you hit a brick wall.
It’s also worth remembering that most cars can stop faster than motorcycles, and there is no way you can stop a car in 3 metres.
[quote=“Dangermouse”]
It’s also worth remembering that most cars can stop faster than motorcycles[/quote]
Uh, I don’t think so…Not on dry pavement anyway. A modern sportbike ridden by someone who knows what they are doing can stop faster than almost any car on the road today. Knowledgable braking can bring a bike from 60mph to 0 in less than 120 feet. Start checking your stats for an average automobile and you’ll see anything from 170 feet on up. Get into super sports cars before finding anything that can best a decent triple disc bike on the binders.
Just the pucker factor is a bit higher on two wheels.
But the fact is that you really have to be a tip top rider on a sound bike with a good attention span. Not everybody rides sports bikes and certainly not every bike has disk brakes. Then there are other variables such as luggage and pillion passengers, tyres and level of maintenance.
I wouldn’t like to try to stop a Yamaha Maxim in 120ft at 60mph! 
well, a week to go.
please people, whoever wants to join, please let me know.
my better looking half would like to participate as well, but she’s almost nerver been on her own wheels. where in taichung can we rent a scooter so that she has something to practice on? thanks for any feedback.
[quote=“Stefan”]my better looking half would like to participate as well, but she’s almost nerver been on her own wheels. where in taichung can we rent a scooter so that she has something to practice on? thanks for any feedback.[/quote]There are a few places on Shuangshi Rd near the Gancheng bus station. (Quite near the train station). I guess it will be the usual deal though. No insurance, and you have to pay through the nose for any damage.