The air, old chap, the air.
Yes, yes, I am not trying to be dull, but the pollution of the air is not only a two-wheeler problem. I don’t have the facts, so I won’t be specific, but I would guess that air pollution is made up of a number of sources.
My point was that pollution in Taiwan is a problem and water – something that really disappoints me, living near a stream, is a reality not caused by bikes.
But that is for another topic.
I think that scooters do pollute, but they do now have to go through the pollution check and get the sticker each year. Do most people do this? I think so, looking at the backs of bikes on the road in Taipei.
Should scooters be eliminated? That’s a pretty imaginative step and I think that even if that were the plan, it would take much more intellegent long-term planning that the government here is capable of.
quote[quote] Scooters - polluters [/quote]Yeah yeah, but cars pollute more and if everyone riding a scooter got a car there’d be shitloats more pollution and traffic wouldn’t move at allso just be thankful for the scooters man.
Bri
If you look at the EPA’s website, almost all the air pollution in Taipei is coming from vehicles. Quite simply, if we cut down the number of vehicles, or the amount of exhaust each vehicle produces, the air would be significantly cleaner. And scooters, with their less efficient engines produce more pollution than cars. Personally I think the city should just ban all traffic, except for taxis and buses from the downtown area during working hours. This is a tropical climate for Christ sake. We can walk, bicycle, sketboard.
That said, I used to love riding my scooter in heavy traffic. It was my “sport” for the first year.
I’m tooling around the city now on a Giant “electric bicycle” with a battery-assist function. It just kind of gives you a little push each time you pedal, or a bigger push if you’ve got it on “speed” mode. If you get completely tired out, you can also just twist the “throttle” and it’ll go forward on its own, although that will wear out the battery more quickly.
According to the manual the battery is good for up to 40 km on one charge on the “energy-saver” setting, and a bit less on “speed” setting.
As a matter of practicality, a single charge has so far been enough to go anywhere I wanted to in Taipei (multiple stops running errands, etc.). If the battery does in fact run completely out (and you would see it coming as there are indicator lights) you could either a) pedal home without it, which is tough as it’s a fairly heavy bike, or b) lock the bike up, remove the battery and get it charged somewhere (probably by going home with it, I suppose.)
It will go up to 30 kph before the battery-assist cuts out “for safety”.
Anyway, no emissions, decent speed, and according to the guy in the shop, people aren’t prone to steal them because the young people “don’t think they’re cool.”
Terry
Mucha Man
“And scooters, with their less efficient engines produce more pollution than cars.”
And how have you come to that conclusion ?
I have used a scooter in Taipei for 8/9 years now. And for me it is time to sell the scooter. The helmet law really pissed me off and then came the cameras taking pictures of my bike while I drive in the car lanes. Nowadays, I find it near impossible to legally park so as to avoid tickets (cops w/ cameras again). And then all the f**kers who are intent to scratch the hell out of your bike or steal stuff off it. Economically, the bike just isn’t worth it anymore. I mean it is still fun to do 100kph down the road but there are just too many BS laws now. Taiwan has lost a lot of that buccaneer seat of your pants feel. Oh, for the days of 3 minute heat.
I didn’t like the helmet law, nor do I like amasing a collection of photographs of me on my bike from behind, and the mayor’s bullshit slotted street/sidewalk parking is not only making it difficult to abide by the parking laws, it is downright unsafe. Add to these the unjust targeting of bikes for random pullovers instead of cars and it makes things for the common man’s vehicle a bit uncool.
Still, nothing beats the ease of travel and the feel of being on two wheels.
Take the bus? the MRT? a taxi?
Taxis are fine if you are made of money and know exactly where you want to go, but buses and the MRT are limited in their stops and their running times.
And when was the last time you took a taxi up into the mountains just to see the view or discover a little trail that you had never been on?
If every car driver in Taiwan switched his car for a scooter (4 stroke, not 2 stroke), there would be no more parking crisis, no traffic jams, less fuel consumption, and less pollution. A 125cc 4 stroke engine does not produce as much pollution or consume as much gas, or take as much space on the road, or require as much parking space as a 1600cc mid-size sedan. You don’t get as hot and sweaty as you do on a bicycle, and your feet stay drier in wet weather than they would on a motorcycle or on a bicycle. Helmets can be stashed under the seats and stay dry even in rainy weather, and my rain gear and disk lock I can stash in the front glove compartment. My briefcase hangs neatly on a hook under my handlebars. I can go anywhere in Taipei faster on my scooter than by taxi, and for a fraction of the cost. I replace my scooter with a brand new one every two years, so I never have to worry about repairs, just maintenance.
I like my scooter, a Yamaha Majesty 125, because it has larger wheels than most (increase road traction “footprint”, and smoother ride), it has a large disk brake in front, I always put on top of the line tires front and back, and the centre of gravity is quite low. I don’t like scooters where the seating position is too upright, because the centre of gravity tends to be too high.
I should also say that there was a time, not so many years ago, when I sneered at the thought of riding a scooter. I still wouldn’t buy one in Canada, but for Taipei, there’s no better form of transportation. We need to get rid of all the cars with single occupants coming into the city every day that are stealing our air and space, as well as the 2 stroke scooters, and the city buses should all be using natural gas.
I also think it would be a great idea if everybody cut their engines at the looooong red lights that one encounters during rush hour. It would make the air so much more breathable. My two cents.
A bicycle has all the advantages you just mentioned…
Uh, yeah… Except for the fact that I can wear my workday jacket and tie on a motorcycle on a hot day and arrive at my destination not dripping in sweat, and the fact that I can store gear inside my scooter, and the fact that I can get anywhere faster on my scooter than a bicycle can, (Yes, I’ve raced bicycles, and even when they run red lights I still beat them, as long as the destination is farther than 1km away). Plus the fact that you are more vulnerable to getting soaked in a downpour than you are on a scooter. Also, the fact that I can take my girlfriend and my dog on my scooter to the top of Yangmingshan (You’d have to be a Beijing acrobat to do that on a bicycle!) I am also more visible to other vehicles as I have signal lights, headlights, a loud horn, etc. Otherwise, you’re right, a bicycle is just the same. 
Sorry Maoman, I was replying to Wolf’s post, but your post went up first.
You’d still be surprised at how viable a form of transportation a bicycle is if you live in central Taipei. I know I was–I swore by my scooter for years before I gave it up.
… As long as you have shower facilities and can keep a change of clothes at the office. Otherwise you end up a walking case of all-over crotch-rot. I love my bicycle and try to get in at least 80km each week, but taking it to work? Never again!
Sandy and Mao,
You guys sure sweat a lot. Must be all that hair on your bums. I can cycle from my flat to the office and feel as fresh as a daisy upon arrival. Of course it’s quite exhilerating taking out a few slow-moving, pavement-hogging pedestrians on the way. (i’ve gotta install that fluegelhorn soon!)
oh, and Maomi, I can carry my goodies in my basket, and my boyfriend on the cozy little back seat. Haven’t tried Yangmingshan yet, but Da-an Park is a good alternative.
Thanks Alien! Like I really needed the mental image that little quote conjured up! 
Hi,
Are there more 4 stroke scooters/bikes on the roads here today than 2 strokes? Wasn’t there a time when there were mostly 2 stroke engines in Taiwan?
[quote=“gus”]Hi,
Are there more 4 stroke scooters/bikes on the roads here today than 2 strokes? Wasn’t there a time when there were mostly 2 stroke engines in Taiwan?[/quote]
Two strokes are no longer in production and it is difficult to find a ‘brand new’ two stroke scooter/motorcycle in taiwan. This is part of the government’s schedule to phase out two stroke engines. You can still find many two strokes on the street and used ones at the bikeshops, however they are much harder to find thesedays.
Well, almost all the 50cc scooters are still two-strokes. How about 90s and 100s such as the Vino and the BWS? Are they still being made?
yes. Just bought a new 125cc Vino myself, and the shop dude told me that the 50cc Vino is 2 stroke, and the 90cc & 125cc versions are 4 strokes.
[quote=“Bu Lai En”]Majesty, Dink or Apex?
Bri[/quote]
none of the above, the answer is Yamaha Cygnus