The north cross island highway is beautiful and yes, theold wrecks the locals are driving look 2 stroke to me. I would imagine - but correct me if I am wrong - that the small ones with green license plates are 2-strokes. The altitude of the north cross island highway is lower and it’s still beautiful. You won’t have any problems there. As long as you don’t drive all the way up lalashan (and you can always try that and turn around once the scoot sounds fully) you will hardly get higher than 600 meters altitude. (The highest point of the "high"way itself is Baling, which is at 520 meters if I remember correctly - you have to drive up a side road in order to get up to some interesting altitudes).
Great trip Glaikit, but what is Jingwashr?
I guess that is Jinguashi, the old Japanese gold-mining place that was mentioned in a thread a few months back. I too would like to know if there’s anything worth seeing there.
As our new friend Michael J Botti has taken his two-stroke RZR all around and over Taiwan, my guess that two-strokes might give trouble at high altitudes seems to have been wrong. Still, old Vespas deserve a bit of coddling so I think any high mountain plans involving them should maybe include an escape route or backup plan.
Ironlady, have you been on this trip yet? I’d be very interested to hear how it went.
[quote]I guess that is Jinguashi, the old Japanese gold-mining place[quote]
Yup, that’s the place I meant.
Lady of Iron,
Where did you go? Let us know. Were you forced to speak Taiwanese?
Did your scooter handle the slopes? Did you question your faith in mankind?
Alas,
Came back, got sick, didn’t go. :x
Was just thinking, however, about reserving a week or perhaps even more for this sort of adventure when school ends (if indeed it does) as it is scheduled to do in June. The weather might just be better, too…?? Meanwhile I can reduce so the scooter will have less difficulty with those slopes… 
Slimming for a scooter trip. That must be another first.
Hey, I lead an otherwise stultifyingly boring life. I have to be on the cutting edge in something!
the hualien-taitung loop is a breeze. if driving in a straight line gets too boring there is a little used mountain road connecting fenglin (rift valley side) to the ocean. stunningly undeveloped and devoid of traffic. just two years ago it could not be traversed in anything larger than a scooter. now they have poured more money into it and recarved out the stretched that fell away. it is always sweet to stop and chat up the hunter gatherers. make surte you have full petrol cause there are no vendors.
then one could switchback again down on ruisuei (“raceway”) and following the scenery of the river bluffs. again, lightly travelled.