Korean Job Discussion Forums

[Metsuke]

Hey all...

Been playing around with the idea of getting a motorcycle after this winter... but to be honest... the roads here in Korea seem a little crazy. I'm not sure if its a good idea or not... however if I do take the plunge I will be a new rider.

Does Korea have any types of courses over a weekend or something for newbie motorcycle owners?

Just wondering...

[Freezer Burn]

Step One: make your peace with god.

Step Two: Helmet should be strong and able to withstand several run-ins with tyres and vegetable trucks.

Step Three: throw any western ideals of road rules out the window and learn the Korean way of running red lights and crossing green pedestrian lights.

Good Luck

[itaewonguy]

thought you were serious for a minute! hahhahaha

[IlIlNine]

I learned how to ride a motorcycle here.

I just bought a 125 off of this board and went to go pick it up. I had no idea how to even work the thing ... but if you know how to drive stick and have driven a car here in Korea, I think it's not so unresonable. I rode it home. At night!

Korean traffic does take a little getting used to! Not only the traffic -- but unmarked speedbumps on country roads, etc - can be challenging. Be careful!

You can take a motorcycle course - it will cost about 300,000 won for 15 hours of instruction - at the end you'll even get a motorcycle licence. That said, it does NOT cover road safety, changing gears, etc. All they teach you is how to co around their tight little course... which isn't completely useless, but there's a lot more to riding, obviously...

Just be careful, practice in a quiet area, and take it slow (don't get overconfident!) -- and you'll be okay. Start on a 125cc.

[mindmetoo]

Roads? Muahahah! Roads are for cars in Korea. The sidewalk is for motorcycles. Why put yourself at risk on the road when you can put dozens of children and elderly at peril?

[BigBlackEquus]

I took a 1 week course (or maybe it was 2) before I got my motorcycle license back home. One of the best things I've ever done. It taught me a lot, and has kept me from getting killed.

Too bad they don't have something like that for you here.

[Metsuke]

Thanks all for the responses...

Still not sure what side of the fence I'm on... but I suppose I got the winter to mull it over a bit. See I live in the city, so I'm not bad off with buses or getting a taxi if I need it... I just really like the idea of having a bike to jump on and do some exploring/touring around. But on the other hand... the roads here seem like a death trap at times even for cars. I wonder how do all those food delivery guys keep safe? Maybe I should try to find a riding safety course for food delievery men! lol

Thanks again...

[BigBlackEquus]

Just get a scooter. One of the automatic ones. They're easier to tool around town on, and drive between the cars with. And they are cheap. You can buy a used one from another teacher, drive it for a year until you're ready for something more, and sell it for not a lot less than you paid.

Trust me.

[Metsuke]

I hear what your saying... and it makes more sense... but if I'm going to be honest with myself... I would prefer to have a bike... not a scooter.

I have absolutly no good reason for this line of thinking... at all. Except for the fact that I want a sport bike.

[thekingofdisco]

If you get a proper bike.

Wear proper protection (not just a very good helmet).

You don't even want to know how they take the asphalt out of your skin after an accident.

[jay-shi]

[IlIlNine]

Speaking of leathers --

I just got a custom leather jacket and pants (with pads!) made at a shop in Songtan for resonable money. I'm too big for standard-issue stuff, so this place was a godsend. I just ordered some boots off of the internet..

For other stuff, check out http://www.bikemart.co.kr

Got my eye on the Hyosung Comet 650R!

[captain kirk]

I've been riding for five years. I learned in Korea. I was out in the country so the roads weren't hectic. Had a vs125 for a year. Learned from a Korean from the adult class. Going round and round a schoolyard until the janitor came out waving a broom. The adult student was in the middle of the schoolyard shouting, 'ok, shift up', or 'shift down'. The first time I went out alone it keeled over, me on it, and the stupid plexiglass windshield smashed (which I didn't like anyway). It was at the same schoolyard at six am one Summer morning. I didn't want anyone to see me not knowing what I was doing, felt self-conscious. I was going like 1km per hour when I keeled over, having turned the front wheel too sharply and keeerrrrrammmm.

So, anyway, I haven't been in any accidents worth mentioning in five years.

I think if I'd ridden a motorbike in Canada, then come over, I would have been at risk. Why? Trusting in people being good drivers, considerate, law-abiding, afraid to get a ticket drivers. In Canada the cops do hand out tickets for reckless driving. Here? Uh-uh.

So it's like, be prepared for anything here. Hang back and keep your eyes peeled for the wild card driver tearing through a red light and so on.

I looked on the web for a motorcycle safety course and there's one out of Florida. I printed it. Very comperehensive amounting to eighty pages or so. Some Uni in Florida. Look on the web there.

I appreciate you're wanting a bike and not a scooter. Scooter drivers miss out on the music of manual shifting.

[The evil penguin]

[quote="jay-shiriders.

My two bits of advice would be these:

2- Learn how to stop. The rear brake is your friend. The front brake is stronger but it will easily kill you in rain or curves. Practice riding at 10km/h and stopping using only the rear brake. Repeat the process at 20km/h, 30km/h and ... so on.[/quote]

Of course, if you need to actually stop effectively in an emergency situation while doing any reasonable velocity .......the front brake is ESSENTIAL...... The rear brake at any decent speeds is simply ineffective. The front wheel (when the bike is losing acceleration) is where all the weight (and therefore traction) is. The front brake is important- the idea is just to s q u e e z e the brakes and not just grab and hit 'em...

The only time you don't use need and shouldn't use the front is when you are tootling aorund in carparks and the like at speeds of under 20kms/hr

[xtchr]

Hi there,
Can someone please tell me; in Korea when is a bike considered to be a motorbike, and when is it considered a scooter?
I've heard you don't need a motorbike (or car?) licence for a scooter, but I asked at a motorbike/scooter shop (admittedly in a wee town in the sticks), and the guy there couldn't tell me what was what.
Is a 100cc a scooter or a motorbike? Is a 125 definitely a motorbike? Is there a website or somewhere that I can find out for sure?

Thanks