Korean Job Discussion Forums

Ryst Helmut · Posted: Thu Mar 24, 2005 6:08 pm Post subject:

I grew up on motocross...ahh, the joys of living in the Texas backyard. My 6th Christmas was filled with the normal Texas child's present list...a .22 Chipmunk rifle balanced across a 50cc Indian motorcycle.

The best memories of my childhood are based on our rides. 'Back then' it was ok for middle school / high school kids to head out with other friends for a few days (during vacation) on our bikes for a little backyard riding...I swear we must of crossed the TX/OK border.

Now that I am back in the States, I get to ride some nice trails....so much fun flying...though, not as much fun as motocross. Then again, I'm too old.

!shoosh

Ryst

captain kirk · Joined: 29 Jan 2003

Maybe three years past a guy on the forum here had a dirbike or hybrid road/trail bike and was going hill and dale the mountain backroads of Korea.
I ask because I saw an ad selling a Transalp. This one was 400cc instead of the usual 600. The beast of that series is the 750 'Africa Twin'. They're by Honda, the design target to make a bike that would travel road and trail in alpine regions.
For dirtbiking I heard everyone ought to start out on a 125cc of that type. Light. Learn how to handle one.
A lot of dirtbikes aren't streetlegal; no signals, no headlight.
With a hybrid like the Transalp a person could strap on camping gear and end up someplace for the night. Highway and trail.
Korea is so mountainous a highway bike misses a lot.

I'll be looking around for something. Just wondered if anyone had used a hybrid bike, and a familiar type it's easy to get parts for....

TECO · Joined: 20 Jan 2003

Kirk,

I had a Kawasaki KLR 650 when I was in university and
would ride it back home from Vancouver to Kamloops
- very highway worthy but could handle some dirt roads as
well. Not as dirt worthy as a Honda XR 650, though. I think
an XR 250 would be perfect for what most people would be
doing - I saw a lot of these when I was living in Japan.

Like My Bike:

Newer Version:

Honda XR 250:

snowjd · Joined: 30 Jun 2010

Going back to the thing about motorcycles on tollways, does anyone have any idea what the fine is for doing it? I ended up on a tollway by accident tonight, and the woman at the tollbooth took my license plate number down. Just wondering if anyone knows what I should be expecting.

tardisrider · Joined: 13 Mar 2003 Location: Seoul

snowjd · Joined: 30 Jun 2010

Troll much?

ccikulin · Joined: 23 Mar 2008 Location: Sunae-dong, Bundang

This is kind of a serious question about the punishment for getting on the tollway. We got on one on the way back from sokcho. You know how the weather was today, and it was pouring so hard we couldn't see the exit signs. We didn't turn onto the tollway either. The road we were on just turned into the tollway and by the time we realized it there was no way to turn around.

JustinC · Joined: 10 Mar 2012 Location: We Are The World!

You're probably better off asking bike groups on F/B, two good ones are ROK Riders and Wheelin' Waygooks, although no one on there - to my knowledge - has been fined for riding on Toll Roads, the worst is they've been told to turn around.

My guess is you're not in for any fine or punishment. Tardisrider is probably just jesting and/or drunk.

coralreefer_1 · Joined: 19 Jan 2009

One thing I would point out about driving in the country. There are many roads that seem like nice roads so long as they run through cities, but once you begin to get away from the cities, many of these roads become 2 lane roads winding through the mountains.

While that is great for scenery, traveling these winding roads can be a real pain in the backside due to all of the shifting you would be doing as the roads bends up and down various mountains, which can be hell to a transmission, and take up ALOT of time.

A few years ago I rode from Daegu down to Yeosu on my bike, and it literally took 7 hours, most of which time was going 20kph up and down mountains, and on top of that, i did it around this time of year, and ended up in a few short rain showers that made the roads wet and ALOT more dangerous.

I know your trip isn't all that far, but my point is country riding in many cases is not like it may be in other countries where you can get a nice cruising speed and enjoy the air, but with that said your trip is nowhere near as rural as the areas I went through, so you shouldn't have to deal with any of that.

Be safe out there~

nora · Joined: 14 Apr 2012

you're fine. as others said, they'll just tell you to get off, escort you to the exit, etc. going through a tollgate, sometimes they'll get pretty sore about it and raise a fuss but that's about it. just don't do it again. Wink

Trip · Joined: 28 Dec 2008

If pictures are taken, tickets can be issued in the mail to bikers. The fine was either 200,000 or 300,000, I can't remember. It is very rare.

v88 · Joined: 28 Feb 2010 Location: here

Just to be clear.
Toll roads, expressways, motorways are off limits to bikes.

All highways are legal.

Expressways usually have a 100km/h limit while highways usually have a 80km/h limit. Loads of the countries highways are great for getting around.

I have no idea what fines might be for taking your bike on the expressway, but from my experience (I've ridden on the expressway a lot) they just ask you to get off when you arrive at a toll. Once I just said I was sorry and didn't realize I was on the expressway then insisted on paying and carried on my merry way. A few other times I was so frustrated at the lack of proper signs and accidentally ending up on the same stretch of expressway that I just blew past the toll at 80 and kept on going till I could find a good off ramp. I hate being pulled off at the toll booths because they are not usually connected to a main highway and you have to fart along down some back roads for hours. If you stay on the expressway they will send a police car out to intercept you (has never happened to me, but I've seen clips of Korean bikers testing their luck). So if you go through a toll, get off as soon as you can to avoid trouble.

In and around Seoul (and other cities) highways sometimes turn into expressways with little notice. Other times an on ramp may not have the "no motorcycles" sign in a place where you can see it until you are on the ramp. I've made lots of accidental turns onto the expressway. Mostly if you are polite and admit it was a mistake they let you go. You are pretty much free and clear on expressways as long as there isn't a toll. Some sections around Seoul are like this and can be handy short cuts. Some sections are commonly used by Korean bikers and so have police checks. They will pull you over and may give you a ticket.

If you are riding a 125, I strongly advise against getting on the expressways. They can be dangerous for small bikes and drivers aren't that friendly when you are slowing them down.

Hugo85 · Joined: 27 Aug 2010

There are GPS for motorcycles which gives your route to avoid highways.

andrewchon · Posted: Mon Aug 13, 2012 4:39 pm Post subject:

Yeah, tell me about the 'no 2-wheel vehicle sections'. Where I live, going North (N37) and East (N42) are blocked with them so I have to ride through mountains and valleys before I can get to GangWon Do. West (N42) too many lights, South (N3) narrow in sections.

I did see a new sign on N20 in KyungNam: No slow electric cars allowed! Cop that!

I've never been pulled over for not having a plate.