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Fortigurn
Joined: 29 Oct 2003
Posts: 390
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 Posted: Sun Feb 20, 2005 9:37 am Post subject: |
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| TaoyuanSteve wrote: |
| Fortigun, I'd like to say I appreciate your input on this issue. You offer another point of view and this is valuable. |
Thanks.
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| That said, I do not think you have sufficient experience with scooter ownership and riding to really understand alot of what others have been saying. Your comments about traffic shows this. You don't get stuck in traffic with a motorcycle; you simply ride around it. You don't get caught up in lines of traffic; you go straight to the front. This makes scooters faster than cars, faster than buses and (because of the possibility of going direct to your destination) often faster than MRT. |
I didn't mean 'stuck standing still in traffic', I meant actually being in traffic. I do not want to be in Taiwan traffic. Not in a car, not on a scooter.
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| Secondly, your point about accessibility of places is Taiwan is uninformed. Yes, Yangmingshan and Kenting are accessible by transit, but these are major tourist centers. There are many places not on the map, so to speak, that are not accessible unless you have your own transport. |
Yes, I'm sure there are. I haven't tried to say that I can get absolutely everywhere without a scooter.
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| Kaohsiung? A major city. You get to it by one of numerous ways, though last time I went there by car. |
Exactly.
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| Green Island? Of course you don't get there by motorcycle. You get there by air or sea. |
Exactly.
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| But lets' pick some other places shall we? How about the ancient forest along the north cross island highway? What about Shi2 men2 reservoir in Taoyuan county? What about numerous great hikes in places without names? What about the BBQ your friends invite you to in some out of the way locale? When I say you can't get everywhere on transit, I mean it. Major cities have transit. The countryside and wilderness do not. |
I have agreed that you can't get everywhere by transit. When I've had to use something else, I've used my feet or I've gone with friends in their car.
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| Finally, I'm not sure about others here, but I'm not trying to convert you to scooter ownership, if scooter ownership is not for you. However, you have raised points and we have raised counterpoints. Those reading can hopefully get a clear view of both sides of the issue and make up their own minds. |
Thanks, I appreciate it. |
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clark.w.griswald
Joined: 06 Dec 2004
Posts: 2056
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| Posted: Sun Feb 20, 2005 1:43 pm Post subject: |
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| Fortigurn wrote: |
For you and I, the pros and cons are different. To you, driving is not waste of time. For me, driving is a waste of time.
For you, time is money. To me, time is not money, it is only opportunity.
I object to driving here for the same reasons that I objected to it in Austraila, and one of those reasons is that for me driving is a waste of time. I conduct a lot of research, and one of the things I need to do in order to conduct that research is to read. Reading takes time. Driving takes time. You cannot read and drive simultaneously. |
Good point. I can appreciate this as being a real advantage of public transport (assuming that you can get a seat of course  ).
Can't say that I agree with the rest of what you wrote though.
Anyway, enough said on all of this. Hopefully the discussion has been of help to the OP.
I would still be interested in hearing from any ex-scooter riders who have given up on the scooters and gone back to public transport. I am sure that there must be some of these out there! |
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Fortigurn
Joined: 29 Oct 2003
Posts: 390
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| Posted: Sun Feb 20, 2005 2:38 pm Post subject: |
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Thanks Clark, I appreciate the exchange. You are always courteous, even when you disagree.  |
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jason_seeburn
Joined: 26 Apr 2003
Posts: 399
Location: Toronto
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| Posted: Thu Feb 24, 2005 8:05 am Post subject: Re: To scoot or not to scoot...? |
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Last edited by jason_seeburn on Tue Jun 06, 2006 12:10 am; edited 1 time in total |
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trukesehammer
Joined: 25 Mar 2003
Posts: 168
Location: The Vatican
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| Posted: Thu Feb 24, 2005 9:41 am Post subject: To Scoot or Not to Scoot |
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Wonderful debate you guys got going on here...
Back when I first came to Taiwan in 1997, they weren't done with the MRT and taking the bus was a nightmare, so I finally settled on getting myself a Charley. You know, those BIG, FAT HOG-looking things? I remember when I first told my girlfriend I wanted one, she was all, like, "Eeeeeew! Why do you want to buy one of those ugly things?  "
But as soon as I got it...
"OOOH! Gimme a ride! Gimmie a RIDE!"
Well, there's something to be said about getting mobile here in Taiwan. We went Gold-Winging to places most foreigners never knew existed. --As for storage, I took it over to some customizer on 民權東路 and had 'em put me some fancy boxes on it! Sweeeeeeet!
But after they finished the MRT, I pretty much parked that puppy --but I still took to the open roads on weekends and let me tell you, it was great therapy after dealing with those unruly brats (in the administration office) all week.
Now that I'm all grown up and PhdeeD, I've gone and done something even dumber. I bought a CAR!
.jpg)
I have mixed feelings about the move, but I have to admit, it allows me to do all sorts of weird stuff I never dreamed possible --like cruise up to 合歡山, or out to funky, undiscovered seaside restaurants, or get my own speeding tickets in the mail!  |
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clark.w.griswald
Joined: 06 Dec 2004
Posts: 2056
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| Posted: Thu Feb 24, 2005 11:25 am Post subject: Re: To scoot or not to scoot...? |
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| jason_seeburn wrote: |
| Regarding models, try to get something with at least 150cc. |
I would agree that anything under about 100cc is probably best avoided. I have always stuck with 125cc and never had any trouble.
| jason_seeburn wrote: |
| Pay attention to the kms on your chosen beast. More than 35,000 is a dead scooter. |
I don't know if this advice is very valuable. It is pretty widespread knowledge here that dealers wind back odometers to a reasonable amount.
My advice would be to test drive. I didn't on one of mine and paid the price. Bounce up and down a little bit and just make sure that there are no creaks or other undue sounds!
| jason_seeburn wrote: |
| Hey dudes, be back in Sept. (in Kao). tschus! |
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markholmes
Joined: 21 Jun 2004
Posts: 661
Location: Wengehua
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| Posted: Thu Feb 24, 2005 4:57 pm Post subject: |
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| Definitely don't consider anything under 100cc. I had a 125cc Yamaha Fuzzy and I highly recommend them. |
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m o n k
Joined: 15 Nov 2004
Posts: 28
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| Posted: Thu Feb 24, 2005 6:18 pm Post subject: |
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| matchstick_man wrote: |
| If you're pollution conscious. I suggest buying a bicycle but seriously even that is dependent where you live. |
Bicycles are for mormons and old Taiwanese men. |
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