Bu Lai En,
I’m also looking for a new bike. Maybe we can get it together at the same shop to get a better deal. If you are interested, please call me at 0933056804. Leave me a message if my phone is off because I’m in class.
Just to bring up the braking issue again, your bike will go broad side and fall over with you if you lock up the back brake and at the same time press hard on the front brake.
The same thing happens to trucks that jack knife.
When you pull on the front brake what actually happens is weight is shifted from the back of the bike to the front forward of the center of gravity of the bike and over the front wheel. The suspensions in the front only aid this as the front of the bike dips slightly lower than it normally is. This in turn makes the back lighter and and the back will loose traction with the ground; so it will either fish tail or step out.
And if you lock up, remember, what is stopping you is not the brakes, but the friction between your tire and the road. Also if there is less weight on the back tire, the friction between your tire and the road is reduced.
The function of the brakes is to dissipate the energy the bike and you gain from being a moving object, the same energy that damages your body when you hit something when you are moving
The more surface area between the brake and the disc/hub the more energy that is absorbed. But when you lock up the wheel, the only energy that is being abosrbed is the energy required by the brakes pads to hold the wheel stationary and the energy needed to remove nylon from the tire + the energy that is used to make a screeching sound from the tires; which is way lower than the enegy that the brakes will dissipate from something that is moving against them(the disc or drum).
If you slow down the wheel by applying the brake, the speed of rotation of the wheel is equal to your speed(well almost), and since
Kinetic energy equals the mass times the velocity squared, the kinetic energy is decreasing at a much higher rate than if you locked up
Isn’t it advisable to seperate from the bike when you fall over, ignoring if this is due to locking up, skidding or whatever?
Personally I think it’s best to reduce speed before hitting any object, stationary or moving.
You can get lucky and not have a scratch or break your bones, don’t think you can set up rules for that - but hitting it at full speed is IMHO most risky.
What exactly is ‘locking up the brake’?
I have always thought that you’re supposed to use mostly front brake. In my experience, skidding (especially in the wet) seems to happen when you use too much back brake.
Bri
When I brake hard, my back brake(drum)locks up but my front disc brake never locks. After my rear wheel locks up the back will slowly(takes 2 or 3 seconds) begin to step out. I can avoid tipping over by releasing the rear brake and then reapplying it after the bike rights itself. Still, it’s a tricky business.
Have the larger, 250+cc domestically produced scooters gone on sale here yet? If not, how long before these monsters start blasting through traffic in Taipei?
July 1st this year, according to Maoman’s post above.
What I’m more interested in, however, is what the price structure, tax, etc. will be like on these bikes.
Also, does anyone know if they’ll be importing used machines?
I’d really like something a wee bit bigger – 400 cc, say – but not if its going to cost me the same as a small car.
They already have a Dink 250 advertised on the Kymco website (see the second post on this thread for the URL).
I can see how big bikes are exciting for motorcycle enthusiasts, but personally I’d rather have a little one. 125 or 150 cc is fine for me. I can still go up the steepest of hills with a passenger on the back no problem and I don’t feel the need (or even get the opportunity) to go faster than the 110 that my bike will manage very often.
A big bike would just negate half of the things that make scooters so convenient in Taipei - zipping through traffic, sneaking to the front at the lights, parking in tiny spaces, lifting your bike up and pulling it round to get into those spaces etc. In fact that’s one of the main reasons I don’t want a majesty or a dink. How can you do all that? Why not just buy a car?
BTW I’ve changed mmy mind about Majesties. They’re not the ugliest things in Taiwan. Some styles of Dink even out-ugly the majesty.
Bri
Bri, I only want a big bike to use as a toy – I have my trusty old “american style” (Bwahahaha!) kymco for commuting and a nice comfy Nissan for weekend trips, but I’d still like a “real” bike for trips into the mountains and just generally ripping up the highway on a Sunday. Guess I’m just a big kid wanting to relive his wasted youth. Sad, really, but I 'aint losing sleep over it.
Anyway, my question still stands – anyone know if they’re going to allow the import of used machines?
hey zhukov man, thats the greatest load of bull crap I ever read, can you actually ride a motorcycle or do ye just really silly American books about it??? Jesus, even the Nazis didn’t spread as much disinformation as yer spouting here. facking 'ell!
Looking for a new bike (yeah I’m still looking) was fun at first but is turning into a drag.
I need to find a BIG Yamaha shop. Anyone know where one is?
Two things that make looking for a new scooter in Taiwan surprisingly difficult.
- The shops that sell are all small. I still haven’t found a shop that has the exact modelthat I probably want (Yamaha Force DX). They can all get it IF I definitely want to buy, but I haven’t actually seen it yet and have only seen to shops that have the ordinary (non-DX) version.
- Noone will let me testdrive!!! WhenI was thinking about a Suzuki, one shop let me, but the two shops with the Force will only let me test drive if I am going to buy it. They don’t even have batteries installed and aren’t tuned. “you don’t need to test drive” “it’s a new bike,of cvourse it’s good to ride” “all new bikes ride the same”. Site, I’ll probablybuy from the first place that actually lets me test drive if I can ever find one.
So please - ever seen a decent size Yamaha shop? Taipei or near.
Bri
My observations on falling off bikes in Taipei:
Disc/Drum
Disc brakes are more efficient because they stay cooler and are less prone to fading in heavy braking or traffic situations. They also allow a greater degree of control. They are lighter and reduce unsprung weight which in turn improves handling (the wheel has less momentum due to its reduced weight and is less likely to leave the road after hitting a bump). In the wet they dry out quicker and are less “grabby”. Wet drums will have no effect until they dry out during a braking manouever when they will suddenly lock up causing embarrassment.
Braking
Normally your front brake is the first choice for braking because as braking force is applied weight transfers to the front of the bike increasing friction and footprint on the front tyre. In the dry I would use a back brake only for heavy braking. In the wet excessive use of the front brake will lead to the rider enjoying a tarmac sandwich and progressive use of the rear brake is advised. NOTE: this only applies to motorbikes. Some scooters because of the short distance of travel on their shock absorbers have “anti-dive” front brakes which tend to minimise the force applied down through the front wheel. These bikes will require a different technique but I’ve never ridden one.
2/4 Stroke
Four strokes sound better but go slower and you can swap stories with your mates back home about having an FZR as long as you don’t tell them it’s only 150cc.
Scooters / Bikes
You can’t get your knee down on a scooter without falling off first.
After locking your helmet to your motorbike it becomes a handy water recepticle.
Licensing
At home you must undergo at least one hour-long test followed by an examiner on the open road on a motorbike of the engine size you intend to ride, and then spend time restricted until you are deemed worthy of a full licence.
In Taipei you must ride around in a small circle.
TB
Well, there’s a happy end to my story. last nigth I bought a Kymco Movie 150CC and it’s very nice. Just thought I’d share another great comemnt on why most laobans won’t allow test driving. This guy actually admitted that different bikes ride differently, but went on to add “Foreigners know what kind of bike they want and need to test drive to find one like it. Taiwanese, know new bikes are all good, so buy it and then get used to it”.
Also, I’m selling my old bike, which is a great 125 4-stroke (and despite what some people here say, outruns most 2-stroke scooters and a lot of motorcycles) Freeway. Look on the Buy and Sell board for details.
Bri
OH NO! YOU DIDN’T! NOT … NOT THE MOVIE 150? You could have got the exact same one just down the street for much less!
Hee Hee! Enjoy your spanking ride to the urban chic.
And speaking of disc brake locks… my friendly neighbor in moving my bike burst the lock… now that doesn’t say much for those disc brake locks
Anybody saying that the Yamaha Majesty 125 is a bad and ugly bike is insane.
I bought a 2nd hand Majesty for 45,000 at 7000km. I drove it for about 20,000km in one year. I used it to go to work every day in Kaohsiung as well as making several major trips around Taiwan (kaohsiung-taidung-hualien-tarokko-he wan shan- taichung-tainan-kaohsiung)
It’s an excellent bike when it comes to comfort and safety. You can sit on eht bike for several hours without feeling numb. The Majesty offers tons of options for modification and tune ups.
I think it’s one of the best bikes (for it’s price) around.
The photos is my Majesty…
I have a SUZUKI 150cc, mid-sized body only, air-cooled and relatively light weight so it flys literally. There is another link under " Those looking for a reliable scooter shop" in thtis section I think.
Does anyone know of any modifications that can be done to a SUZUKI 150CC?
Oh, no, Pasci, there’s a little person caught in your box thingy. His little legs are just hanging out! Or did it come like that? :o
Never mind bikes, how much was that Land Rover ? Now that’s a car for Taiwan ! (Dear Santa, I would like a red, V8, automatic…)