Skitch, same area I'd be going. If all goes well with the negotiation I'll be out there pretty soon. Not sure how the vehicle transport goes, but I guess I'll find out. All, thanks! I hope to meet some of you soon!
Sure, there's hardly a straight road especially when motorcycles are not permitted on the highways. I wish I could personally tell President Lee Myung-bak how antiquated that thinking is and to get it changed, at least to something with a mininum engine size. Yes, it gets cold. Think of New York City weather, pretty much. For weather protection there's always the ubiquitous blue cardboard stuff everyone cobbles together to make fairing lowers, handguards, GPS shades, etc. Get some tie-wraps and ugly green duct tape and you're all set. Hey, I just realized the perfect bike for Korea... A KLR!!! I hate rainy season, but mostly because Koreans don't seem to believe in clothing dryers so if you're staying with family you go around for a month feeling like a damp dish towel. There is also the yellow dust season a couple of months before that which can be problematic if you have breathing issues. It also makes mountain-top sightseeing a bit disappointing and vista photography nearly impossible. Not sure about Osan but around Seoul/Yongsan used bikes don't seem that hard to find, but you won't find much American, mostly Korean and Japanese. I recall seeing some shops around Namsan Town between the Beotigogae and Yaksu stations (#6). There were also a couple of shops behind where the BMW and KTM shops are (off the road leading to Hannam Bridge around Oksu, just south of Hannam Village housing). That just covers stuff walking distance from our place. Of course there is the motorcycle market area around Chungmuro. Don't forget the side/back streets there. There are web sites with used bikes but they're mostly in Korean so good luck. There is also a Craigslist in Korea, which becomes especially busy between semesters as Engrish () teachers come and go. You may end up with a two-wheeled "hooptie" but what the heck. Great place to buy other stuff cheap too. Speaking of web sites, this one is a life-saver for foreigners in Korea: http://www.korea4expats.com Terrific resource for all foreigners, run by great folks and the full of valuable information, and the forum can be really useful too. It also has a classifieds section. No bikes right now but you never know.
Looks good all around. Let's see how this week's negotiation goes, and I think we'll be all set. Hey, I'm going to make an assumption here, with all the Harleys around, there must be decent secured parking all over, right? How's that done? Also, how long (usually) does it take to ship a bike from the US (and I assume get it through Customs?)
My bike was picked up by the movers on 21 Sep and arrived at my dorm on 18 Nov, so about 2 months. I shipped it as part of a HHGs move paid for by DoD. Customs was a non-issue, and registration was relatively painless. I park my bike in a covered parking garage on Osan AB and have not had any issues.
Great shots. One of these days we'll have to meet in the middle and head east together. I sense you know where some of the best roads are in this country.
Sorry, just full of questions here... I might as well have new tires before I pack her up...Tourances or TKC's? I sure would love to find at least a little dirt while there, but I'm not sure how much replacement tires run there. (TKC's wear much faster)
I'd go with the Tourances. I think you will end up riding a lot more pavement than dirt. I'm running Conti Trail Attacks. I put a new set on the Vee before coming over with hopes they will make it the full year I'm supposed to be over here. Wear seems good and I like their on/off road handeling. But they are defintiely a pavement biased tire. You might check out the ROK Riders page on Facebook. Couple of GS riders posting there.
Hey, a few things to know about riding in korea 1 Bikes are not aloud on the big ass highways 2 Any bike over 125cc needs a Motorcycle license, the test to pass it is a pain in the ass but doable with practice 3 I have heard importing bikes can also be a pain, but that is only second hand knowledge. A lot of areas, especially north east and south west are pretty rural. Did you just join the Facebook group ROK Riders?
just thought I'd throw my experience in here-lived in Seoul and Gwangju for 2 years as English teacher (2000-2002). Bought a used daelim 125 sportbike and rode it all over the country-as far north as the outskirts of Seoul, as far east as Busan, and onto Cheju-do for a tour. The Korean 125's are great for the city: light, nimble, cheap to run and fix and easy to get parts for. For out of city riding a bigger bike would be better-lots of r1's, gsxrs, busas, harleys, wings... when I was there. Knowing the country the way I do, and the kind of riding I like to do (twisty roads, trails, beach tracks, farmroads... if I could choose any bike to take, a 400-650cc dualsport with 50/50 tires (tkc80's) would be it. I'd buy my gear there. Why they aren't allowed on highways? : a 125cc tops out at 135km/h on flat ground in full tuck-traffic runs 120-140km/h. At speed you can't tell how big a bike is, so it's easier to just ban them all-at least that was my take on it.
I was kinda' taken aback by how many natives I saw riding the bigger bikes. I would have thought it would be mostly expats. As for the highway restriction, they could (and should) just do like here in the US and set a minimum speed capability. But their concern supposedly is that motorcyclists will go on the highways and kill themselves by the thousands. I wonder if the Korean government is scared just because all the speed cameras are backward -facing and wouldn't be able to capture motorcycles' plates! I emailed the Korea Tourism Organization about this issue last year - lemme see if I can find their response... ================================= As you understand, it is not allowed that pedestrian or motor vechicles on the highway according to the Road Traffic Act(Article 63, see as follows) for some safety reasons. 도로교통법 제 63조 자동차(이륜자동차는 긴급자동차만 해당한다 외의 차마의 운전자 또는 보행자는 고속도로 등을 통행하거나 횡단하여서는 아니 된다. Article 63(Prohibition on Traffic, etc.) A rider of any horse except motor vechcles(two-wheeled vechicles are limited to emergency motor vechicles) or any pedestrian shall be prohibited from his/her horse or wallking any expressway or crossing any expressway. From some websearch, I found that Korea's Constitutional Court ruled the article 63 is constitutional on July 31, 2008(http://www.ccourt.go.kr/ case number is 2007헌바133) Therefore, I do not know but I do not think this policy could be changed in very near future. Please refer to some news articles related to the issue(in Korean) http://search.daum.net/search?w=tot...5%B7%CE+%BF%C0%C5%E4%B9%D9%C0%CC+%B1%DD%C1%F6 ================================= Feel free to run those links through translate.google.com for fractured but understandable English. The KTO by the way are very interested in making Korea tourist-friendly so don't hesitate to employ them as a resource if you have ideas or need something. And feel free to pester them about the motorcycle thing. We should never give up hope. Also, slightly off-topic but if you're sick of being treated like a n***** by the taxicab drivers, the KTO states: "In Seoul, you can just dial 120. From other parts of Korea, you can contact us [KTO] again. When you send your complaint, please be sure to include following details; date, time, taxi license number(7digit), name of the place(area) you got on(off) We will forward it to the local city government concerned so they can undergo investigation of the circumstance and take possible legal action against the driver."
I wouldn't say that is true about the parking. When looking for a place to live, you have to find a place that has adequate parking. some smaller or older villas don't even have any parking, or at best a carport (sometimes with parking spaces 2-3 cars deep, meaning you get blocked in). The big high-rise apartment complexes have underground parking available with big-ass open garages. Motorcycles usually are parked off to the side or in some unused area where cars won't fit. When out about town, most pay parking areas won't allow motorcycles to park, even if you pay them. Motorcycles are usually parked on the sidewalk in front of whatever business you are patronizing. Park on the street at your own risk. If touring, some of the cheaper hotels have either no parking or very limited, but most have at least a small parking area, often a carport style parking area at the base of the building, or outside but maybe with a canvas awning covering the parking spaces. I've stayed in some motels/hotels here that let me park my motorcycle in the lobby. this is especially welcome in the winter. Parking outside isn't usually an issue. I've never had any big problems with people messing with my bike, although one time I came out of a supermarket and some older gentlemen were admiring it, and one of them was knob-dicking and twisting my throttle. No harm done though. Just keep that some cultures don't have the same attitude about other people's property as you and I do.
This is ridiculous because, as intersections are the most dangerous place for motorcyclists, allowing travel on the expressways would likely save lives. But have you seen some of the crap that gets on the secondary highways here? Forklifts, tractors, ATVs, even senior citizens on their battery powered wheelchairs. I saw some guys on a 4-lane national highway riding those gas-motor powered skateboards, the big ones with the hand held throttle! Effin' crazy sometimes.
Sounds about like what I was expecting, actually. I've spent a lot of time riding in SE Asia and it's not unusual to walk out of a place and have a few Khmers or Thais playing with your throttle. A corner of a big high-rise apartment underground lot will work just fine. Thanks!
As to the highway thing, I heard they banned motorcycles "back in the day" because people riding on old crappy 125's (or lower) couldn't keep up with traffic and were driving like idiots. Now that the bike tech has caught up and even 125s can reach highway speeds I have heard some people saying that law may change. So from my understanding it's just an outdated law.
Motorbikes are not allowed on express ways in Korea. Express ways are those requiring a toll. I have been riding in Korea for a while, and the best riding is on the smaller highways, the east coast, and the 4x4 trails of Paju, Uijeongbu, and other points north. I have no desire to ride Gyeongbu expressway (the big highway 1). Traffic and progress is usually slower on that expressway compared to Hwy 45 or 17, or 43.
Hey guys, I should theoretically be in Seoul in about a week. The bike (GS) will lag behind, but is getting picked up by the shipper this week. It is currently shod with TKCs but also shipping with a set of Tourances. Depending on work (they usually do not work on weekends) is anyone available next weekend (Apr 28./29) to show me around Seoul a little? On foot/train, I won't have a bike for some time. Thanks!
