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Korean Job Discussion Forums
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jonpurdy
Joined: 08 Jan 2009
Location: Ulsan
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 Posted: Sun Oct 16, 2011 1:52 pm Post subject: Re: Motorcycling from Busan to Seoul |
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| Ansan1 wrote: |
| I'm thinking of buying a 2009/2010 Hyosung 250 Comet here in Busan soon, but I will probably be moving back to Seoul next summer. With the highway ban on motorcycles, would it even be feasible to drive my bike all the way to Seoul from Busan just using backroads? Any idea how many days it would take? It might be better just to sell the bike in Busan next spring and get a new bike once I move back to Seoul. Any advice would be appreciated- thanks. |
As joesp said, it's super fun, though I did Ulsan to Seoul and back. It took me about 7.5 hours riding quickly but taking a few breaks. I'd leave at 9am and be there by 4ish. You can take the 3 most of the way there and that's super easy. Though it's not as fun as some of the other back roads.
I made the round trip three times last spring and summer and it was great fun. Now that I'm back in Canada I definitely miss riding there. |
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pocariboy73
Joined: 23 Jan 2003
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| Posted: Mon Oct 17, 2011 5:03 pm Post subject: |
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Just bought a brand new 125cc motorbike from a bike shop with all the papers and such. Plan on parking it in the garage until Spring.
Wondering if there's a certain time limit I have to register the bike into my name with the Gu office. Or, can I wait until the time I buy insurance and get a plate for it in the Spring?
I'm pretty sure with a car you must do it quite quickly. Not sure about a bike though.
Anybody know?
Thanks in advance. |
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Canadian Saja
Joined: 08 Nov 2010
Location: Yatap, Bundang
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| Posted: Mon Oct 17, 2011 5:43 pm Post subject: |
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| pocariboy73 wrote: |
Just bought a brand new 125cc motorbike from a bike shop with all the papers and such. Plan on parking it in the garage until Spring.
Wondering if there's a certain time limit I have to register the bike into my name with the Gu office. Or, can I wait until the time I buy insurance and get a plate for it in the Spring?
I'm pretty sure with a car you must do it quite quickly. Not sure about a bike though.
Anybody know?
Thanks in advance. |
I'm pretty sure you can wait as long as you want. I owned my bike with papers for about a year before I insured and registered it. |
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jrabernethy
Joined: 14 Jul 2010
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| Posted: Tue Oct 18, 2011 4:08 pm Post subject: Riding a motorcycle in Korea: steps to stay legal? |
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I want to get a motorcycle while I'm here in Korea. I'm starting to save up, but I'm not sure of the steps in order for me to stay legal (I don't feel like getting deported on a broken contract for breaking a law). I would like to own a 250cc bike.
I took a motorcycle safety foundation course when I was in the States, but I don't feel like I'm prepared for riding on the open road (the States or Korea). I would like to practice and I have an area picked out where I could do it, but I don't have the bike or any sort of permit. In my home state, all you have to do is pass a written exam for a permit that lets you ride your motorcycle freely.
Questions:
1) Does anybody know of a previous post or a resource that lists all the requirements for legal riding in Korea?
2) What are the steps I would need to take? e.g. is it 1) permit 2) buy bike 3) get insurance 4) practice 5) road test for license?
3) Is there a book or website that has motorcycle laws in English?
4) I heard something like you have to drop your health insurance if you ride a motorcycle. Is this true?
I really appreciate any responses. |
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nathanrutledge
Joined: 01 May 2008
Location: Marakesh
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| Posted: Wed Oct 19, 2011 3:10 am Post subject: Re: Riding a motorcycle in Korea: steps to stay legal? |
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| jrabernethy wrote: |
I want to get a motorcycle while I'm here in Korea. I'm starting to save up, but I'm not sure of the steps in order for me to stay legal (I don't feel like getting deported on a broken contract for breaking a law). I would like to own a 250cc bike.
I took a motorcycle safety foundation course when I was in the States, but I don't feel like I'm prepared for riding on the open road (the States or Korea). I would like to practice and I have an area picked out where I could do it, but I don't have the bike or any sort of permit. In my home state, all you have to do is pass a written exam for a permit that lets you ride your motorcycle freely.
Questions:
1) Does anybody know of a previous post or a resource that lists all the requirements for legal riding in Korea?
2) What are the steps I would need to take? e.g. is it 1) permit 2) buy bike 3) get insurance 4) practice 5) road test for license?
3) Is there a book or website that has motorcycle laws in English?
4) I heard something like you have to drop your health insurance if you ride a motorcycle. Is this true?
I really appreciate any responses. |
1) You need a license. If you're on a long term visa (any visa other than tourist) you are REQUIRED to get a Korean license. If you want to ride a bike over 125 CC, you MUST get the motorcycle endorsement on the license. You can trade you home country license in, BUT if you have an endorsement, it WILL NOT transfer over. It's easy enough to get here, though. ALL motorcycles must be insured and registered. The legal limit for this is 45 cc, NOT 49 cc as some people will claim. Anything over 45 cc must be insured and registered with a plate.
2) Steps are - find the bike you want. Get insurance for it at the time that you buy it. Don't buy the bike, then ride home without insurance. That's stupid. Plain and simple, dumb. Go to the gu office/car registration center (depending on where you live) and register the bike. Pay your taxes and get your plates. Done. Getting a license is a totally separate thing. To get the license, it depends - if you want to earn a K license, you go and pay the fees and take a written test, a course test, and a road test. It's simple enough but time consuming. Expect a minimum of two trips to the DLA to do it. IF you want the motorcycle endorsement, it's probably three trips - you have to take the motorcycle course test. If you just want to trade a foreign license, go in, pay the fee, trade. I believe you have to take the written test, but it depends on your nationality. Also, you'll have to get your license notarized by your embassy. It's expensive.
NOTE - if you don't know how to drive a motorcycle, I would advise you to get someone to teach you. If you're in the country, you should be okay. If you're in a city and you don't know how to drive, then be advised - better men than you have been killed cycling in Seoul. Please, don't get a bike and expect to learn on your own in Seoul without some guidance.
3)The DLA has information on their site. It used to be dla.go.kr, but it's changed to some sub-menu of the site. Can't recall what it is. Naver it, you'll find it.
4)IDK about this. I DO know that you are NOT covered for an accident with the National Health Insurance in Korea. You WILL want to carry something supplemental to that. You wipe out on your bike on the National Health Plan, it won't cover a single thing for you. Get something else, if just a simple major medical policy, which really is all you'll need. Medical care is cheap enough in Korea that anything minor you can pay out of pocket, and I have yet to find someone who has had a "minor" motorcycle accident, if you catch my drift. |
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herminator
Joined: 30 Jan 2010
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| Posted: Fri Oct 21, 2011 12:12 am Post subject: |
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I have tried looking through the thread but haven't had any luck. Is there a way for someone to register a bike that you don't have paperwork for? I have the registration papers from the previous owner but he is no longer in Korea.
I would really like to start driving around without getting deported. |
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nathanrutledge
Joined: 01 May 2008
Location: Marakesh
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| Posted: Fri Oct 21, 2011 12:19 am Post subject: |
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| herminator wrote: |
I have tried looking through the thread but haven't had any luck. Is there a way for someone to register a bike that you don't have paperwork for? I have the registration papers from the previous owner but he is no longer in Korea.
I would really like to start driving around without getting deported. |
Maybe, but probably not.
They have to be able to confirm the last owner and confirm that they want to transfer the ownership to you.
I had (have?) a cycle that has no papers and the guy i got it from never registered it, and he's gone. I talked to the people at the registration office, and they said with no way to confirm the information, there was nothing that could be done. Can't even get it towed away/disposed of they said.
That being said, the bike was so old that they had not record of the VIN, which was apparently shorter than a VIN is nowadays. Best bet, get all the papers you have, get the VIN, and go talk to the office. |
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joesp
Joined: 16 Jan 2008
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| Posted: Wed Oct 26, 2011 10:06 pm Post subject: |
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| I got a ticket for not waiting to turn left and cutting the corner on the sidewalks then following people across .... 40,000 won! |
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_kojak
Joined: 05 Feb 2006
Location: Seoul
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| Posted: Thu Oct 27, 2011 12:18 am Post subject: |
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Question: Are all 2002 and up CB400's VTEC? And actually, what exactly does that mean?
I'm looking at buying one in Seoul and am wondering if anyone knows the average going price one of these in good condition and around 30k kilometers on it. |
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_kojak
Joined: 05 Feb 2006
Location: Seoul
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| Posted: Thu Oct 27, 2011 5:57 am Post subject: |
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| Also, do bikes in Korea have VIN s? Im talking to a seller, and he cant seem to find it. It's an imported CB400 SF, and the closest he can find is something that includes Japanese characters and numbers, but nothing with English letters. |
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_kojak
Joined: 05 Feb 2006
Location: Seoul
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| Posted: Fri Oct 28, 2011 2:13 am Post subject: |
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| So, I'm buying it tomorrow. We agreed on 2.5 mil. It's a 2002 CB400 Super Four with 30k kms. As far as I can tell from pictures and from talking to the owner, it's in very good shape. Does anyone know how this price compares to the avaerage? |
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jonpurdy
Joined: 08 Jan 2009
Location: Ulsan
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| Posted: Sun Oct 30, 2011 1:20 pm Post subject: |
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I'm considering moving back to Korea once I get my teaching certification here in Canada. I'm leasing a BMW F800R and I'd love to take it with me when I come.
Has anyone shipped a motorcycle from their home to Korea? From what I've researched I was looking at prices and expect to pay about $1000 by boat, $2000 by air freight. Does this sound reasonable?
I never had theft or collision insurance on my bike in Korea when I had it. Has this changed? Can I purchase travellers international insurance or would it not apply since I'm technically not living in Canada anymore?
Am I being an idiot by bringing it with me? If I didn't have the F800R I'd just buy a CB400 upon arrival and be done with it. But I really love the BMW. |
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v88
Joined: 28 Feb 2010
Location: here
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| Posted: Mon Oct 31, 2011 12:19 am Post subject: |
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| _kojak wrote: |
Question: Are all 2002 and up CB400's VTEC? And actually, what exactly does that mean?
I'm looking at buying one in Seoul and am wondering if anyone knows the average going price one of these in good condition and around 30k kilometers on it. |
Variable Valve Timing and Lift Electronic Control
Simply put, you can optimize your bike for low revs or high revs but not both. So if you have a high revving bike it will generally perform poorly at lower revs while a bike that performs well at low revs will perform poorly at high revs. VTEC gives the bike 2 cam profiles, one high and one low. When you're riding the bike will shift from a low cam profile at low RPMs to a high cam profile at higher RPMs so that the bike will be more efficient and street friendly until you decided to hit the throttle hard and the VTEC will kick in and the bike will ride a bit more like a race bike.
The key drawback to it is the extra expense and the difficulty in repairing it. It adds an extra layer of complexity that many mechanics aren't really able to deal with.
With the CB400 VTEC doesn't add any more HP but provides the bike with a better profile for urban riding. I think many riders of the VTEC bikes also feel that it's quicker overall. The older CB400s had to aim in the middle rather than the VTEC versions which allowed engineers to tweak the bike for better low and high RPM performance.
As for 2.5 mil for a 2002. That�s respectable. As for the mileage�.who knows if this is true or not. It is very common for mechanics to roll back odometers or unhook them if they are digital. |
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_kojak
Joined: 05 Feb 2006
Location: Seoul
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| Posted: Mon Oct 31, 2011 2:09 am Post subject: |
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Thanks for the info about VTEC.
Is anyone familiar with CB400 "Project Big 1"? Do you know what years the bike was made? Was it just 1992? It's hard to find any Enlgish pages about it online since it was sold only in Japan. Anything anyone knows about it would be great to hear. |
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jonw8uk
Joined: 29 Aug 2011
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| Posted: Wed Nov 02, 2011 6:25 pm Post subject: Korean bike test |
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I'm living in Ulsan, and went to take the bike test at the local testing centre yesterday.
I failed 
The test sucks! and actually the 1st section, which involves two 90 degree turns is quite tricky. After I failed, I watched maybe 20 other guys attempt it, and saw only 1 pass.
There is no opportunity to practice, and as soon as you fail, they don't let u finish the course, to at least try the rest of it.
Anyone thinking of doing it, really should try and practice on a similar bike. The test bike they provided was a Mirage 250.
Pretty sure that with a couple of laps on the bike, I could have done it.
Here the test runs every 1st and 3rd wednesday of the month, so I've booked on again in 2 weeks time. It costs 6000 KRW.
I have a scan of the test course layout if anyones interested, and if you Youtube search "korean bike test" there's a 3 minute vid of a guy doing it (at a school i suspect, as they let him do a practice run).
I got a girl from my office to enquire about a local school. They have one and offer 10hrs training, plus the test at their facility for 400 000KRW!!, not 250k as I seen posted before.
So I'll try again in 2 weeks, and if I fail that time, I'll do it through the school I think. |
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