11. Can I legally ride a motorcycle or scooter with an international driver’s license from my home country?

Apparently, the law states that you can only legally ride a white plate motorcycle/scooter (250cc or less) for 30 days on your IDL.  After that, you must get an extension from the local DMV or get a local license.
 

 

12. If I have a big bike license from my home country, can I ride legally ride a yellow or red plate motorcycle in Taiwan?

The answer is no.  It doesn’t matter if you have been riding your entire life or you are Valentino Rossi.  You still must go through the testing procedure.  To make matters worse, you must hold a valid white plate license (51cc-250cc) for at least one year before you can apply to take the test for a heavy bike license. For more information please visit the link.

Link

 

 

13. Can I ride my scooter or 150cc motorcycle on the freeways or expressways?

No, as of now Taiwan only allows yellow and red plate motorcycles (251cc and up) to ride on expressways, but not freeways.  White plate motorcycles aren’t allowed to ride on either freeways or expressways and if caught will be given a heavy fine. 

 

14. How do I obtain a heavy bike license (yellow or red plate)?

First, you must hold a valid white plate license for 1 year before you can apply. After that, you will need to find a local heavy motorcycle testing center in your area.  The DMV can point you in the right direction.  You must make an appointment and take a half day training course.  Once you have completed the course you can start practicing for taking the road course test.  This will all be explained during the course.  The course is taught in Chinese, but there is usually someone there that speaks enough English to help you.  The process takes about a week and costs between 6000nt-8,000nt depending on the company.  The testing company supplies you with a heavy motorcycle which is usually a 600cc and only offers motorcycles for the test.  Even if you have your own heavy motorcycle, you will not be allowed to use it. 

 

*(As of now yellow and red plates use the same license, but it’s rumored that in the future a person will be required to hold a yellow plate license for a year until they can test for a red plate license.  I am unsure if or when these changes will be made.*

 

15. Can I import my motorcycle to Taiwan?

Can you get a license plate for it and legally ride it on the road?  The answer is pretty much no.  This has been asked thousands of times.  Trying to bring your motorcycle over to TW is the biggest waste of time and even if you did get it registered it would cost possibly 4 times more than the motorcycle is worth.  If you want to ride here, then buy a local motorcycle or scooter.  Trust me on this one.  You can import a motorcycle as a parts bike, but that bike will never be allowed to ride on the roads. 

 

16. Should I buy a new or used motorcycle or scooter?

This obviously is entirely up to you and your finances.  To answer this, I always ask the question, “How long are you planning on staying?”  If the answer is probably around 4-5 years or more, then I would recommend buying new and be done with it.  You most likely won’t have any problems with a new scooter for at least a few years and you will have a year warranty on it.  New scooters are usually priced around 50k-90k depending on the make, model, and cc size.  If you are only planning on staying 1-3 years then buy used.  You can find some great used scooter prices here.  You can easily pick up a reliably used scooter for 20-25k.  I do see a lot of older scooters that might be 20 years old selling for 10-12k.  These might get you from point A to point B, but if you plan to do a lot of riding I wouldn’t recommend buying a scooter under 15k.  Also, if you do buy a used scooter, buy a scooter with front disc brakes.  Disc brakes are so much safer than cable drum brakes. 

 

17. Where should I purchase a motorcycle or scooter?

The best answer I can give would be to buy from a friend, private seller or trustworthy mechanic shop that your friend recommends.  If you know someone that uses a trustworthy mechanic, then this can be a perfect place to buy a used motorcycle or scooter.  These small time mechanics would love to have you buy a scooter and keep you as a loyal customer.  So the chances of them ripping you off are going to be a lot less.  You can also buy from used motorcycle shops, but these shops have been known for their shady practices and unless you know what you are looking for you can easily be ripped off. I personally have seen some great deals at these shops, but as a general rule of thumb, you’re more likely to be taken for a few extra thousand dollars.  So, stay away from giant second-hand shops, unless you really know what to look out for. 

 

18. Where do I purchase motorcycle insurance?

Usually, the insurance that the previous owner had gets transferred over to you when you buy a vehicle at the DMV.  If the insurance is expired the first thing you do at the DMV if buy insurance.  If you buy from a mechanic or a second-hand motorcycle shops, usually all the transfer fees and insurance are included in the sale.  When your insurance is close to expiring, your insurance company will send you a payment notice in the mail to the address your vehicle is registered at.  If for some reason you don’t receive a notice then just renew your insurance at your local DMV.

 

19. What cc sized motorcycle or scooter should I buy?

This obviously is entirely up to you.  Just depends on how you plan to use your motorcycle or scooter.  I find that usually, a 50cc is a bit too small for almost everyone these days unless you are only using your scooter for a grocery getter.  Most 50cc scooters are 2-stroke as well and Taiwan is trying to phase these out because they pollute, so I don’t recommend a 50cc.  Just for zipping close to home a 100-110cc might be enough.  If you want to zip around town and also sometimes take small trips around the island, a 125-150cc is fine and can make it up mountain roads no problem.  If you will be carrying passengers and possibly doing longer trips and lots of mountain roads, you might want to think about buying something in the 180-250cc range, but unfortunately, there aren’t as many options for those cc sizes.  Also, you must remember anything over 150cc the vehicles get harder to park.  They are usually wider and heavier.

 

20. How often should I change my oil?

This question has been debated here many times and it’s your motorcycle or scooter so you can do your own research, but the general rule is that anything below a 250cc should be changing oil every 1000km.  That might seem like a lot, but riding in Taiwan is considered extreme because of all the stop and go traffic.  You are rarely just cruising in TW, but instead stopping every minute which is really tough on these small single cc engines.  If you have a reliable mechanic he will log your motorcycle or scooter into his system and periodically check other things as well like your air filter, gear oil, spark plug, brakes and even your air pressure.  So look at it as also keeping your motorcycle or scooter safe out there.

 

Oil change every 1,000-1200km

Oil filter-every other oil change (not all bikes needs this).

Gear oil every other oil change

Air filter, spark plug, brake inspection- inspection-every 10,000-15,000km

Check scooter transmission (rollers, pulleys, belt)-every 20,000-25,000km

Brake fluid-every 1.5-2 years depending on the use

 

21. What oil should I be using for my motorcycle or scooter and how much?

This is a question that will have many different answers.  I will keep it simple.  Most scooter mechanics in Taiwan use synthetic oil. They usually offer 10w-40 or even 15w-40.  In my personal opinion, these will be just fine for everyday riding.  Some mechanics will have a few different price options which are usually 150nt, 250nt, 350nt, 450nt and even 550nt.  Anything 450nt and over is going to be for a race application.  I personally would never pay 150nt for an oil change.  The oil is the blood of your vehicle and who knows what 150nt oil really is.  So saving 100nt on your oil change might not be the best idea.  Anywhere from 250-350nt should be fine for most people to pay.  If you are heavy on the throttle and ride your motorcycle or scooter hard you might want to consider paying a bit more for your oil.  Like I said, this is a very simplistic answer and many people will have their own opinions and experiences. I suggest you do your research if you want to know more about it.

 

22. How can I make my motorcycle or scooter faster?

Buy a bigger motorcycle or scooter.  Trying to pump out more horsepower out of these small cc motorcycles or scooters is going to take some major surgery and unless you are racing it, it really isn’t worth the trouble.  The best answer would be to just save up for something bigger.  Yes, you can upgrade the engine with a big bore kit and or change out your scooter’s CVT for a high performance one, but all this will cost you a fortune and take away from the vehicle’s reliability.  If you are a motorcycle enthusiast and your bike is a weekend warrior then be my guest as you probably already know what you are getting yourself into.  If you don’t know much about performance than I would suggest you stay away from trying to make your vehicle faster.  I have been modding vehicles for 2 decades, so if you want more speed, than seriously buy something bigger.

 

23. If I do decide to modify my motorcycle or scooter what are the best modifications?

The best thing you can do to help the performance of your motorcycle or scooter would be tires.  There are many different tire companies and different compounds, but tires will immediately improve the performance.  After tires, I suggest upgrading your front brakes like a caliper and if you want more bite, upgrade your front master cylinder.  You can even add a stainless steel brake line as well.  I wouldn’t upgrade the rear brakes as they don’t do much anyway.  The last thing I would upgrade would be front and rear suspension and an exhaust if you want your motorcycle or scooter to be louder and more stylish.  If you think your exhaust is going to boost performance then think again, because it probably won’t have any noticeable change unless you have done engine work. If you ride a motorcycle, you can always change your sprockets.  Most guys drop a tooth in the front sprocket for a little more acceleration. If that isn’t enough, go up a tooth or two in the rear.  Remember, you will lose top speed.  If you want more top speed do the opposite. You can also upgrade to a bigger carburetor as well, but this can sometimes create reliability issues.

 

24. What is a ghost motorcycle or scooter?

This is a term that many expats use to describe a motorcycle or scooter that is unable to have its registration transferred to another owner.  The reason for this is that the previous legal owner has either left the country or has sold the vehicle to someone else without legally transferring the paperwork.  Usually, ghost scooters will come with paperwork from the previous owner, but not always.  If you do have paperwork you can still retrieve them from tow yards.  Many expats have ridden ghost bikes for years and have never had any problems…others probably not so lucky.  Buying a ghost bike is going to be a risk.  If you did get stopped for a traffic violation, the police officer has no way of knowing it’s a ghost bike from just the license plate.  At any rate, a ghost bike is pretty much illegal to ride so ride at your own risk. 

 

25. Can I make my ghost motorcycle or scooter legal?

Nope, once it’s a ghost scooter it’s pretty much indefinitely illegal. The only way to change this would be to track down the last owner that the motorcycle was registered to and change the title over to you at your local DMV.  Usually, a copy of the previous owner’s ARC doesn’t work either.  The best option is to buy something legal.

 

26. What are the fines for some common traffic violation?

This is actually an extremely tough question to answer because it is hard to find a lot of solid information concerning this.  It seems that fines vary from city, type of vehicle you are riding/driving, and even possibly the police officer that pulled you over.  These are the numbers I have found, but don’t count on them being 100% correct.  It seems like there are a lot of variables that are associated with the traffic fines here.  If you aren’t sure, you can follow the instructions at this website to see if you have any outstanding traffic fines. Link

 

1. Speeding. Most speeding tickets are given via speed cameras throughout the cities, expressways, and freeways.  Speeding over 20kph (1200nt fine).  The faster you are riding the more expensive the ticket gets.  Fines usually start at 1200nt and will go up to 1400nt, 1600nt, 1800nt and so on.  Remember fines could be higher for yellow and red plated bikes.

2. Turning right on a red light. 900-1800nt

3. Making an illegal left-hand turn. 900-1800nt

4. Running a red light. 1800nt and up.

5. Not wearing a helmet. 500nt

6. Stopping on the pedestrian line (crosswalk). 1200nt

7. Noisy exhaust. 900nt

8. Riding without a license. 6000nt-10,000nt

9. Illegal parking. 600-1200nt

10. Putting a different license plate on a vehicle. 5400nt

11. DUI.  There are a lot of different variables involved in this. This depends a lot on what vehicle you are riding/driving, city, and the police officer.  First offense fines could possibly be under 30,000nt.  There are also options like jail time instead of paying fines.  Bottom line, don’t drink and ride.  Get a taxi.

 

27. What should I expect from a scooter or motorcycle accident here?

This can be a tough question to answer because so many people have had different experiences.  I have had a few small accidents myself and the procedure has been different every time.  If you are not carrying the proper credentials like a local license or an international license then you could be blamed for the accident even if it wasn’t your fault.  Your local license from your home country most likely won’t be of any help to you either, but it doesn’t hurt to carry it on you at all times. 

If you get into an accident, you are supposed to leave your vehicle where it stands and not move it out of the way until the police come.  Having an accident here can be a huge pain and can take hours off your day.  Usually, the police come and try to mediate between the parties involved. They usually determine who was at fault.  Then that party is responsible to pay any damages to your vehicle and or pay any hospital bills to you or anyone else involved.  If nobody is hurt and the damages are minimal, I suggest both parties work something out without the police getting involved.  I know in many cases the parties involved will happily pay cash on the spot to avoid the police.  If you don’t feel comfortable doing this, then have someone call the police for you. 

 

28. What scooter company should I buy?

All scooters here are going to have their pros and cons.  All of them will have their little problems too.  So you will be fixing them periodically.  It is just part of the fun of owning these little machines.  Some are going to be better than others, but the most important piece of advice is to take care of whatever you buy.  Get regular oil changes and maintenance checks.  When something breaks fix it immediately.  This should make your vehicle last a lot longer.

 

The tops brands that dominate Taiwan at the moment are Yamaha, Kymco, Suzuki, SYM, AEON, and PGO.  All these companies make their scooters in Taiwan, but prices and quality are quite different.  At the moment of typing this, Yamaha is probably the most successful scooter company here in TW.  It is pretty close between Kymco and Yamaha.  Both of these companies are good choices for scooters here.  I personally find that the quality is better with Yamaha.  Also, the resale value is strong with Yamaha.  I would suggest purchasing one of these brands, but they are usually more expensive too. 

 

SYM is another local brand like Kymco, but their quality control and resale value doesn’t come close to Yamaha or Kymco.  I am not saying that this is a bad brand by any means, but just a little cheaper.  They have been in business here just as long as Kymco too, so this company has a lot of experience.  My biggest problem with SYM is that they tend to discontinue parts on their older scooters, so sometimes it can be tough finding certain parts. I would suggest buying Yamaha, Kymco or Suzuki before SYM.  This is just my opinion.

 

Suzuki isn’t as popular here for some reason, but they make quality scooters. I would personally buy a Suzuki over any Taiwanese brand.  Their quality is good and they make reliable scooters.  The resale value is decent too.

AEON is a newer scooter/motorcycle company here.  I have heard some really good things about them, but also terrible things as well.  They are relatively new and not as popular as the other brands I have mentioned above.  They also just don’t have much experience as the other companies, but that doesn’t necessarily make them a bad company.  I have heard they have quality control issues. I would probably stay away from them.

 

PGO has been around Taiwan for a long time, but they just aren’t as popular here as the Japanese brands.  There is a niche market for them, but since they aren’t very popular it can be harder to find certain parts for them or even finding a reputable mechanic.  Some of their newer scooters have some nice options like ABS. I know some people like them a lot. I personally don’t have much experience with them myself.  I know some people swear by them. They do have a very low resale value.

 

29. I lost my scooter/motorcycle registration, what do I do?

Don’t worry, this is an easy fix.  Just go back to your local Department of Motor Vehicle (DMV) and bring your ID’s.  Take a number, wait in line and tell them your problem.  It shouldn’t take too long. There might be a small service fee of 100-200nt though. 

 

30. How do I ship my scooter/motorcycle to another city?

The easiest way would be to contact your local mechanic.  Most of them are able to call a shipping service for you. The service will come and pick up the vehicle at the mechanic’s shop.  You will need the name and info of the person picking the vehicle up.  You also don’t necessarily have to pay.  The person picking the vehicle up can pay the shipping fee. 

At this time, I think all trains have stopped shipping scooters and motorcycles.

 

31. What helmet should I buy?

There are many options here in Taiwan so it basically depends on how much money you want to spend.  NEVER EVER EVER buy a bowl helmet.  You need to buy a full face helmet.  I hear the arguments all the time as to why some people don’t like full face helmets.  These arguments are absolutely ridiculous.  Your face and brain are basically all you got.  With no brain you’re dead.  With no face you are hideous.  So get yourself a full face helmet.  There are many options and local brands that are perfect for what you need.

 

The Taiwanese have a few local brands like Sol, Astone, Zeus, THH, and M2R.  These are all DOT approved and ECE approved. If you want SNELL approved you will need to double check because most local helmets aren’t.  You always want to make sure your helmet is at least DOT approved, but ECE is better.  These will have the most protection.  You can find these brands selling at any local helmet shop from about 2000-6500nt.  Usually, the more expensive helmets have more colors or graphics and are usually lighter.  It’s just up to you, but remember you are protecting the most crucial parts of your body. So, don’t buy a cheap 500-1000nt helmet. 

There are professional brands like Arai, Shoei, AGV, BELL, Shark, etc. These helmets are amazing in every way, but will be extremely expensive (10-25k).  You don’t necessarily need a brand on this level.  I personally like to have a relatively inexpensive Taiwanese brand helmet for my daily riding.  It rains a lot here and I can just strap the helmet on my scooter hook when I need to park. With a nice helmet like one of these brands, I wouldn’t want it to take a beating from the weather and have it get stolen off my scooter or motorcycle.  I do like to have a professional helmet for when I am riding long distances or riding in the mountains. Anyway, this is totally up to you. 

 

Also, you need to pick the correct size too. Here is a great Youtube link to help you find the proper size for you.  Your local helmet shop should be able to assist you as well.

Youtube link

 

One last tip, please buy a helmet with a strap and loop.  It takes an extra 5 seconds of your life to put on.  Don’t buy a helmet with a snap or clip on.  These can possibly malfunction under a heavy collision.

 

32. What is the process at the DMV to buy or sell a scooter/motorcycle?

First, the buyer or the seller doesn’t have to be present at the DMV to buy or sell their vehicle. Usually, the seller does the transfer.  Many Taiwanese will get a third party to help them as well as a mechanic or even a friend.  If you don’t want to be present during the transfer you will need to give up your two forms of IDS (ARC and health card or ARC and Taiwanese license). You will also need a name chop or name stamp (印章) that either has your ARC’s Chinese name or English name on it.  This stamp can be made at almost any locksmith or key shop and should cost about 50-100nt and take 10 min to make. Don’t forget to bring your vehicle’s registration card and insurance card if it is still valid.  I strongly recommend going this route. I buy and sell scooters and motorcycles all the time and I have even sent both my IDs and name chop numerous times around the island.  Locals will do this and nothing will happen, just be sure to get a tracking number and send your IDs registered mail. It is extremely safe.  If a mechanic does this service for you, he will probably take a small service charge. If you buy from a second-hand shop that service charge is usually covered in the price.  It usually costs about $150nt for the transfer of ownership.  There could be other hidden costs though like insurance, taxes and unpaid speeding tickets.

If you want to do the transfer yourself and don’t have any Chinese skills it could be a bit tricky, but you will eventually figure it out.  If your vehicle is older than 5 years it will require an inspection.  If you have changed out some stock parts like an aftermarket exhaust or handlebars there is a good chance you won’t pass inspection. Usually, things like aftermarket brakes and suspension are fine, but if your bike originally had drum brakes and you changed them to a disc you most likely won’t pass inspection.  You can change the color on your vehicle, but this will cost you 100nt extra during the transfer process if you have changed the color.

 

So, if you plan to make the transfer yourself at the DMV, the first thing you will be required to do is buy insurance if it is expired. If not, you can transfer the existing insurance to the new owner at the counter.  If your vehicle is 5 years or older, you will need to have it inspected first too. There is usually a special counter you must first go to and then you can have the vehicle inspected outside.  Usually, the inspection process requires you to start the scooter and turning on the lights, and turn signals.  The inspection officer will check the engine numbers and a few other things. If you don’t pass you must get your scooter fixed and try again later. Also, if the tread on your tires is too worn, you will be required to buy new tires before you can pass.  Any aftermarket LED or HID lights won’t pass either.

 

If you pass then you will go back into the DMV and wait in line until your number is called.  Once again you will need your two forms of IDs from the buyer and the seller, a name chop if the buyer isn’t there, registration card and insurance card.  There will be some forms you need to fill out, but the staff usually helps if you can’t speak any Chinese.  The process can be a bit overwhelming, but it’s really not that bad. 

 

33. What is the drinking and driving limit?

0.15mg/L which converts to 0.03%. Don't drink and drive please!!!

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More information: If your questions aren't answered here, you can contact Robby or go join the Taiwan Motorcycles and Scooters Facebook group.