Korean Job Discussion Forums

[captain kirk]

I just had a great m-bike trip. Life has been fairly routine lately until this weekend.
What happened was a guy up in Seoul was selling his 95 Virago, 750cc. I live in Ulsan. We agreed and I started for Seoul friday night after work, about ten pm. Before I left Ulsan it started to rain. Don't have any raingear so I found a burlap/nylon sack in the house and cut out a head and armholes. I looked like a Halloween pumpkin. It was fair to middlin' miserable driving the 500cc Kawasaki Vulcan (had it for two years) until Daegu, when the rain stopped. Stopping for gas in the middle of the moutainous area between Ulsan and Daegu the gas guy asked questions, practising his English. Why didn't I take a bus or train to Seoul, too far he said. I explained I was going up to Seoul to trade bikes. He still looked suspicious, like why would anyone m-bike that far. The only reason I'd do it would be for this purpose. It was raining/drizzling, and fairly miserable. The good thing about it was my mind drifted to the notion that this year Xmas is outside of the one year contract period, so I could possibly go back to Canada for Xmas. Haven't been back to Canada in four years.
Finally I stopped in Suwon, at 7-30 am. Almost ran into the back of a car and decided to call it quits, co-ordination/alertness/rythym going. The driving became 'city' up around there. Lots of hurtling, veering, congestion, hurry up when you can and stop suddenly. I think that's why the guy up in Seoul was selling this road cruiser style bike. Driving a bike in Seoul is ok, but the sudden stops of cars and their veerings increases the odds of bumping into, or getting bumped. Slept for four hours and asked the motel lady to wake me up in three hours. I drew pictures of clock faces and so on and she understood. But she also got exited and said 'chang-ee, changee'. She meant it was past checkout time. But I'd only been there four hours so far. I got mad and stomped back to bed and couldn't sleep as a result of getting riled up. Saw an action movie on CGV called 'Chill Factor'. Good action/comedy. During the movie some hit squad entrepreneurs are chasing an ice cream truck keeping a biological weapon refrigerated as its rushed to safety. They can get 100 mil for it. One m-bike rider is pinned by the ice cream truck against a semi, rider mangled and tossed as if from a goring bull, his bike in the air and exploding. The other rider rides up tuck beside the back of the ice cream truck, climbs off his bike onto the back bumper, leaving his bike to run off the road and do flips and wreck, so he can get inside the reefer.
Inspired to head on, I made it up to Itaewon BK to trade bikes. Then headed out of Seoul around nine pm. One thing I noticed in the 'northland' was a new fashion in ladies undergarments, visible from afar. That is not present in the Ulsan area and really got me thinking. It's a 'projectile' kind of bra the presents the woman in a way that she is pert and appealing, rather like a set of pears. Ajummas who I wouldn't normally give a second glance modeled this new device/fashion.
Another thing was, around Suwon, a delicious smell near a factory. I looked and it was the ChicChoc choco chip cookie factory. I love those tender, moist choco chip cookies in the brown box.
North of Taejon I stopped at a convenience store near outdoor tables of Saturday night revellers. Got a big, plastic flashlight and some green duct tape. The back tail light is kicked in, a result of a vicious attack on the bike by some punks. Who also removed the left mirror, and cut the seat. So said the previous owner. I taped the big flashlight aimed backwards on the back fender. While I was doing this a college age guy, weaving as he stood, said he didn't think I ought to drive since he thought I'd been drinking. Projection, since I hadn't. He figured I ought to take a taxi home, and I said I live in Ulsan. It was like the middle school students who, when I complained about the coming long ride up to Seoul, said I could put the old bike on a plane up to Seoul. I should have used a black rubber bungee, best for vibration, because the flashlight fell off on the way to Daejon.
Between Daejon and Daegu there was 'an-ge', fog, in patches. And a nice display of stars overhead. I stopped in a 'lovel motel', it turned out to be by chance, a little west of Daegu. It even had a vending machine selling studded 'doms and vibrators. The next day, today, I had breakfast at a BK in Daegu. Their new 'TexMex Whopper', which was pretty friggin' delicious IMO. Go lost for the only time barring a few blocks in Seoul, this time by about a couple of miles. Found the right highway. Weather high blue sky fall, with wispy feathers of clouds way up.
Only about five impishly belligerant drivers the whole way. One was a bus driver between Suwon and Seoul. Deliberately whooshed by way too close. His face set in power-trip stone. The other a taxi driver in Suwon who twice pretended to almost ram. I caught up with him and spat on him. I was rather miffed already from trying to start the bike, on the sixth try it would go into first. There are two stands, a leaning one and one that has two feet and lifts the back wheel right up. The leaning one causes the bike to have starting, into first, problems. Just use the 'stand right up, double footed one' now, no problem.
The bike runs 'like a cop cycle', no noise compared to the Vulcan which had a hole in the exhaust I was about to fix, notified by the apartment complex manager. After 6 months of living there one morning she pounded on the door. So I was about to patch it when I saw the ad for the Virago. Wore earplugs when I drove the Vulcan and assumed everyone else wore earplugs too, which gives you a notion of how self-centered I am. Totally smooth ride, easier to ride. Easier to push too, since I'd got into the habit of pushing the bike a block at night to avoid upsetting the neighbours.
A great m-bike trip, complete with bags under the eyes and a sore bum.

[dulouz]

I know what you did. Riding is dull, there are moments of intensity but its actually dull so you wrote this in your head becuase you could not avoid doing so. Am I close? I used to do 90 mile rides on the weekend to visit my friends and i used to think up the strangest stuff while pedaling.

[captain kirk]

Yup. Marking up my mind with a story like it was a whiteboard. Black night all around and no cars on the road for the most part.

[McQwaid]

That was suppose to be my bike! ....argg

Does it run nicely. I was gonna buy it for 1.5 mil. How much was your Vulcan worth? You must've given a little cash as well?

Just curious and a little jealous.....

[agraham]

[sadsac]

They are still a magical way to get around. Longest ride for me was Brisbane to Perth, 6 days and 6000klms. Awesome way to see outback Australia.

[captain kirk]

I knew it would go fast, but everybody's tied up at work. I didn't want to go up to Seoul from Ulsan but knew it wouldn't be around if I didn't. I got the Vulcan by dashing up from Cheonan, an hour south, two years ago to Itaewan. I gave him some cash as well as the 92 Vulcan. 1.5 million. The way I look at it, since I paid 950,000 for the Vulcan two years ago, I was just paying an extra 500,000 on top of what I'd already got out of the Vulcan, and that was two years. I figured he'd like having money and a bike to get around on, and be invited to pick me over 'other applicants'. There were a few offers he said. Anyway, he liked the deal and I've had the 95 Virago 750cc for a couple of days now, back in Ulsan.
It runs beautifully. It looks great. I don't know if you want to hear this but there it is. I didn't know what colour it was or anything about it before driving up, except that it was a 95 and a 750cc. Have never seen a Virago except from a distance, though I made a model kit of one a few years back. Now I know why a model kit was produced of the Virago; it looks good! Like a 'classic'. The paint job is original, a kind of metalic blue, with white on the side of the tank.
I made the arduous trip up to 'prove my devotion' and gain the prize. Since today, according to Superfly, today is 'international speak like a pirate day' (really is) I'll say this, 'ARRRRGHHHH'

[TECO]

You guys are riding the wrong kind of bikes....

[agraham]

I saw a supermotard here in Daegu the other day. I never see those in Vancouver. They are popular in europe. I'm seriously thinking about getting one.
If you don't know what I'm talking about, it's a dirtbike with fat street slicks.