Riding in Korea - Ride With Ren

Hello, my name is Ren. I have been a member here for quite some time. Last year, right as corona broke out, I took a job in South Korea and moved here. Since arriving in Korea I wanted to start riding, of course. At first I didn't have a motorcycle license here, so I bought a Honda Cub. With a car license you can drive up to 125 cc here so the Cub was OK. Eventually I joined the big boy club and went through the process of getting my license here (easy but annoying process, more on that later), and sold the Cub. I then chanced onto a Harley Davidson Sportster 883 for an excellent price and bought that. The Harley got me moving, but it wasn’t my kind of bike. I owned that bike for little over one month, and when the opportunity came knocking I sold it for twice what I paid for it!



Selling the Harley gave me enough cash to buy a proper adventure bike here, and also have extra cash to buy gear without getting the wife mad. I then started the search for that bike which would be my next one. Dual sport and adventure bikes aren’t too common here so there was a narrow selection of bikes to choose from. I missed out on a BMW F650GS and at once even considered getting a Honda CBR400, but ended up buying what I know best… a Royal Enfield Himalayan.

You see, I still own a Himalayan in Texas, and I put 5000 miles on that bike riding around the El Paso area, to include lots of off road miles in New Mexico. Once I found a Himalayan for a good price here I jumped at the opportunity again. The bike was owned by a Russian Youtuber based in Seoul, and he used the bike to commute on good days, and he took very good care of the bike too. His asking price was fair, and we arranged to meet. After seeing his bike, a 2020 model in Lake Blue with ABS I wanted it. It was a motorcycle that felt like home to me, so I bought it.

Now I am back to exploring in a bike familiar to me, in a country I am not entirely familiar with, so that’s where the adventure begins. With a rudimentary grasp of the language, and with a strong sense of survival I will brave the madness that is Korean traffic and explore the Land of the Morning Calm. I will be sharing my short day trips here, and someday I’ll do a lap of the Korean peninsula by bike, although I get the feeling it will be more interesting to explore the interior… say tuned. I’ll be posting the first ride report soon after posting this intro.

PS: I am on a few online platforms as Ride with Ren: Facebook and Youtube are the main ones.

My old Honda Cub with a Daelim 100cc engine. It was a great vehicle to explore urban areas and farm lands as it would blend right in, but top speed was 85 km/h, about 50 mph, and it felt dangerous going on major inter-urban roads. It would be a perfect second bike in Korea, perhaps someday I'll buy another.


The short lived Sportster 883 Superlow. It was not my kind of bike, but it was the right bike at the right time, and allowed me to double my investment. That's good enough for me! The guys at work thought it would turn me into another Harley guy, but no, I did not replace this with a Dyna or Road King as they suggested...


Home sweet home... a Himalayan to me! I have put 5000 miles on a Himalayan in the USA and I am very familiar with this bike, its capabilities and its limitations. I like it enough to buy a second one... so here I go, I am exploring Korea by Royal Enfield.


My original Himalayan in the US... modified, slightly abused, scratched, loved but... mine! I do miss it like a child, and perhaps next year I'll bring it here to join me in Korea.

I look forward to this. I lived in ROK for a year and a half, and I have been nostalgic for it.

Question to you, the reader: do you prefer full images or thumbnails on ride reports, and why?

Military or teaching here? I lived here from 2002 to 2008, and I married a local girl. I spent 22 years in the Army and recently retired. She wished to come back home until my son graduates high school, so here we are! Life here as a civilian is much better, but of course with corona is a bit of a bummer... hopefully ths BS is over soon.

Full images.
I read this on a laptop or PC so have no bandwidth or speed concerns, and I don't have to click to see the full pic.
On a mobile device I may prefer thumbnails.

Short ride report

Date: 2 September 2021, late morning
Weather: mild temps, overcast and threatening to rain in the beginning of the ride, warm sunshine at the end of the ride. Wind was strong in the first half of the ride but died down later.
Location: Starting at Paengseong in Pyeongtaek, Gyeonggi province, going south between Asan and Cheonan cities, ended up riding two amazing valleys near Gongju, in South Chungcheon province.
Total distance travelled: 197 kilometers

When I went to sleep the night prior I was expecting to see light rain in the morning. But as I woke up everything was dry outside, despite the low hanging overcast outside. The temperature was mild, in the low 20s at 6 am. By 7 am my son has left for school and by 8 am the wife was busy with her college classes. What to do when I had the day off? Get on the bike, of course. I did a quick search of twisty roads on Calimoto and decided on a nice area in the map that showed lots of curves, lots of elevation lines, and a few creeks. It looked like a great place to ride, so I pointed my bike south, and following the navigation prompt on Calimoto I climbed on the Himalayan and left home.

I made a mistake at first because the route I initially designed on Calimoto was too curvy at the beginning, so getting out of urban areas was taking time as I meandered through the half-rural, half-urban areas between Asan and Cheonan cities. Both cities are directly south of my home, with national roads 39 and 45 going in between them. Asan is to the west, and the bigger Cheonan to the east. Both cities are growing well enough that in ten more years it will be one long urban sprawl between them. I stopped on the side of the road, rerouted my GPS to stick to the 39 and I made good time getting out of the city.

I found a problem with Calimoto when it routed me onto a closed highway. You see, here in Korea motorcycles are not allowed in expressways and in a few closed highways. This road, national road 21, is closed to motorcycles. Getting on one of these roads can come with a hefty fine of at least $300. Waypoint 1 on Calimoto was right on Highway 21, and I thought if I bypassed it and went for Waypoint 2 the navigation would automatically skip 1 and route me to 2. That didn’t happen, what happened instead is that the app sent me on a nice 10 kilometer loop through the countryside, and brought me right back to the entrance to highway 21. That loop was nice and I found a nice place for future exploration, a beautiful lake surrounded by farm land and coffee shops, but it wasted my time. I pulled over on the side of the road again, and redid my route, deleting waypoint 1.

The road from here started getting interesting, as the elevation rose a bit, and I got out of urban areas. At one section, climbing on a ravine between two hills I wondered if I would see rain today, as I felt the temperature drop some more, and looking up revealed darker and lower clouds. I didn’t want rain, but I was ready for it with my rain gear stuck inside my soft panniers. A few more kilometers I passed by a neighborhood labeled “Samsung Display City”, where Samsung develops components for their big screen TVs, and also a very nice and new high school named “Chungnam Foreign Language High School”. Korea impresses in many ways, and their focus on education is one of them. I have seen loads of focused high schools here, from agriculture, to business, and trade jobs, now I saw the one for future translators.

Finally I reached the area I had selected in Calimoto. I had never been here before, and had only selected it by seeing all the curves on a map and the greenery around the area. It didn’t disappoint. As I rolled off national road 618 onto this road I knew right there it was special. The first feature on the road was a double chicane around a farm plot, and from here I saw the road, a well paved ribbon, meandering uphill between two hills, with a nice creek to its side, and surrounded by vivid greens. Traffic was light to non existent here, and I resisted the urge to twist the throttle and go faster: I wanted to enjoy the road and see the surroundings. I quickly set into a comfortable pace that went from 35 to 65 km/h, and in tighter corners I could lean the bike and enjoy the road.

At one point I passed by a huge tree with thick arms jutting in every direction. I turned around and stopped by the big tree, enjoyed its shade a bit, and checked the weather to see if there was rain in the forecast. Even here it was still grey above me, but the road was still dry. The cell phone confirmed no rain for the next six hours, so the rain gear stayed in the panniers. After snapping a few photos under the old tree I continued riding uphill through the Korean farm land, passing plot by plot of fruit trees, orchards, a few rice paddies, and small animal pens. There were a few Buddhist temples and a few churches too, the temples a bit prettier than the churches as they were built in traditional Korean style. The the road got very steep and the switch backs started, and I was elated when I saw a sign announcing a 18% grade ahead.

I summited the road at the highest point of 475 meters, and took a break there. Here, right at the municipal line between Cheonan and Gonju the weather turned better. West of me, in Gongju the skies were overcast, while ahead of me, in Cheonan, it was breaking up, with the sun shining through fat white clouds. There was total human silence around me after I turned off the bike, all I could hear were the sounds coming from the forest on both sides. I hadn’t seen a vehicle in over ten minutes, a rarity in Korea, and I wanted to enjoy the calm. I took off my riding gear, sat down on the curb and had a snack there. After a few minutes relaxing right there I hear grunts coming from downhill on the Cheonan side, and I soon was met by a Korean guy on a mountain bike, struggling to make it to the top where I was. He stopped there, and we chatted a few minutes. Between his broken English and my broken Korean we made small talk and admired each other’s machines. His Orbea full suspension bicycle was very nice! He told me the road ahead for me was well paved but full of dirt and sand from the recent clouds. He saw the knobby tires on the Himalayan and said I would be ok. We greeted each other and parted ways going downhill, me going east, him going west.

Here things got even more interesting. The road was similar to the other side of the mountain, with steep grades and tight switchbacks, but the washed up sand, light mud and pebbles made it more fun than just plain asphalt. In one section there were golfball sized rocks on the pavement and I had to navigate slowly between them. When the road flatenned up it was at a heavenly place: a valley that went on for about 10 kilometers or more totally devoid of factories or industrial areas. All around were small farms, tiny towns, and nice coffee shops. The lack of industry was like heaven, as there were no large trucks on the road, the biggest dangers in Korean roads. Where I live is in Gyeonggi province, the most populated part of the country, which is packed full of factories everywhere, and traffic is often a nightmare. The large trucks, nicknamed Terminators by American motorcyclists here, don’t care about you and will push you around on your bike. Too often they run red lights and will merge onto your lane with total disregard to you, so it’s best to avoid them at all. Well, here in this valley there were none! I cherished all the kilometers I rode here, and when I go to the southern end of the valley I turned right onto another valley that was just like this! Another ten kilometers of nicely curvy rural roads, with excellent pavement, beautiful scenery, and lush green folliage around. These two valleys were perfect places to ride and I made a mental note to come back someday to ride them again.

One the road now for almost two hours it was time to head back north. I had a place to be at 2 pm, picking up my son from his school bus, and I had just enough time to get there without taking the shortest possible ride. I back tracked north, going west of Asan this time, not in between that city and Cheonan, and explored a few new areas. None of those roads were as good as those two valleys I had just gone through so nothing really captivated me. With one hour to go the skies really opened up and the sun came out in full force. Although not as hot as in summer, the sun hit my mesh jacket in full force and started to make me feel hot!

One more break for hydrating and to stretch, and I was back on the bike for the final few kilometers. Here I was what I consider to be my backyard, I already knew these roads well because I had ridden extensively here with the Honda Cub, so I didn’t slow down to sight see or explore. Quickly I made it home with some time to spare before my son got home from school. The bike was put away, the ride saved, and my notes jotted down to remind me to go ride those two amazing valleys again in the future… I’ll be back.

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This van followed me for a few kilometers, and when I stopped at a convenience store he stopped too. It was a Korean retiree with his with his wife on their camping van. He wanted to check out the Himalayan and asked me where the nearest dealer was. I spoke enough Korean to make small talk and to guide him to the dealer in nearby Cheonan.


Stopped by a tree that is over 400 years old on a side road. Korea was severely deforested in the first part of the twentieth century, so old trees are rare. Many old trees you see, like this one, have some sort of commemorative plaque telling its story. Unfortunately even the plaque here was old and weather torn, I could only read the tree's age.


Leaving Gongju behind. The road behind was narrow and windy, with a 18% slope at one point.


Heading down towards Cheonan. The rain of the last week left the paved road littered with dirt, dried mud, sand and small rocks. A piece of cake for the Himalayan.


My trusty steed.


Someone built a pyramid trestle over this creek, and now vines are covering the creek. Beautiful quirks of the Korean countryside.


A typical Korean countryside home with a nice gate, by a bus stop.


Cheap coffee at CU convenience store. The red tarp protects two outdoor seating tables from the rain and sun.


Was i shifting up or down when I splashed through the mud??

Really liking your trip report in Korea. Full pics for sure. PITA to have to open thumbnails all the time. Carry on and enjoy the R.E. and the countryside.

Looking forward to more posts. My wife is also Korean but I've just been to Korea once to visit her family. I really enjoyed my time there even though is was cold AF around xmas. Did your wife just prefer that your son complete his primary education in Korea?

Currently he is attending the American school at the local US Army base, as I am currently working as a US Army contractor here. We plan to stay for the long haul here and we might be moving away from the base, which would prevent him from going to school on base, in that case he will switch to a Korean school. He is fluent on both languages and already did 2nd grade at a Korean elementary school so it shouldn't be too hard on him. So, basically, it's all still up in the air...

And yes, Korean winters can be miserable, with wet snow and wind... I liked the winter in Alaska better...

Nuts!!

151 kilometers today on perfect weather. I left home around 9 am, and without too much planning I just headed south towards Gongju county to ride the mountains there. I had been there two weeks ago and loved the roads I had been on. A look at the map revealed many other roads like those in the area: windy asphalt ribbons following rivers and streams, surrounded by green hills. The lack of factories was just what I wanted as there would be zero industrial traffic, zero Terminator trucks to try to kill me. I got there today and explored four more roads on four valleys, passing by three mountain passes. I couldn't have asked for a better day to ride, everything was perfect, from the weather, to traffic, my gear, the bike...

Started at my local CU store for a quick breakfast of sausages, cheese, and cheap coffee, then I was off!


Coming off this mountain pass I was greeted with this beautifully verdant valley stretching for kilometers in front of me with no urban sprawl. I rode my bike down the hill then back up again just to enjoy it both ways, stopped to take some pictures, then went down the hill a second time again to continue on my way.


At another mountain pass, this straddling the county line between Cheonan and Gongju counties.


What a view! One house down the hill and to the left of this picture was extremely nice, definitely a multi million dollar home, with a manicured lawn and a beautiful swimming pool overlooking this beautiful valley. What a place to be.


Stopped again by the five hundred year old tree in Mungeum-ri.


A farm house on the distance.


I found a short dirt trail I could ride on, and enjoyed it for the two kilometers it went on. At the end of the motorable path the trail turned into a narrow hiking trail, and I turned around.


Some sort of Buddhist building on the side of the road. It looked to be fairly new, but in traditional style. The building was closed.


The circle on the gate is a three color taekug, the yellow symbolizes humanity, red and blue represent heaven and earth, respectively. This is a common image in Korean culture.


I stopped on the side of the road to put on my earplugs and I heard a constant thud sound falling from the trees... chestnuts were falling on the road side. Foraging edibles from the road side and forests is common in Korea and I believe it's totally legal, so I did like the locals do and brought some home too.


Thanks to leather motorcycle gloves I was able to crack open a few chestnut pods to gather fresh nuts.


Near home. Another CU for more cheap coffee.


CU stores are my favorite because they often have outdoor sitting.


Elated, satisfied, tired... whatever you call, this is the face of almost five hours riding through windy mountain roads.


Mr. Paik's vanilla latte is one of my favorite cheap coffee drinks here.


My loot of foraged chestnuts. It took me five minutes to gather these nuts to bring home.

Traffic in Korea is insane. You are very brave!! It scare the crap out of me in a car.

We used to call the front passenger seat the penalty box in Korea because you can see all the chaos. It’s much better to be in the back seat sleeping so you aren’t freaked out.

We toured the main police station in Seoul one time. Went to the room with all the video screens of the cameras all over Seoul and some outlying areas. We witnessed a pedestrian vs vehicle crash on the screens.


I really do like Korea however. One of my favorite places to visit.

Very nice report. In the old days we always took photos of our bikes like you have done. Now days all you see is a bunch of selfies.

Man, I love that you are doing this ride report. I was stationed in RoK in 1990-91, near Uijeongbu. It was a beautiful country with wonderful people. From everything I've heard, it's changed a lot but it's still beautiful and the people are still wonderful. I would love to go back.
Definitely full pictures, please.

full images please! the thumbnails are annoying to click through!

Very nice. Looking forward to more.

Yeah, the traffic is congested AF but there doesn't seem to the overwhelming sense of road rage that exists in the US when people are moving around each other. And I guess you know for sure nobody is going to shoot you, so that's a little reassuring.

I'm in for anything you care to post. When I was in uniform I spent a long time in Korea (total of 7 years over 3 tours) and learned to love it. I miss it and hope to be able to move back (I'm an Army civilian so I'd want to continue in that), but it seems like the job listings have slowed down during COVID...I'm assuming that a lot of the DoD employees have been allowed to extend.

Anyway, thanks for sharing and keep the pics & stories coming!

How do you like being an Army civilian? I am a US Army contractor now, life is good, good pay, etc only our hours suck. In my career field, aviation, it is hard to find a GS position. I have tried unsuccessfully to branch into another related field, logistics, human resources, etc, with no success. I haven't found the magic answer to score a GS job, they seem to be incredibly hard to get...

Lately I have been riding without stopping much for pictures. I get on the bike and I ride, ride, ride, for hours on end, no destination in mind. I just munch kilometer after kilometer. Sometimes it feels senseless, sometimes it just feels like the right thing to do. It almost feels like I'm gobbling up miles just in preparation for when winter comes and I have to hang up the helmet for a few months... anyone else ever feel this way?

Either way, I do ride by some amazing roads, and I'm finding little known roads I haven't heard of from local motorcyclists. This video is from a nice curvy road near this famous Buddhist temple called Magoksa. The area surrounding it is in the mountains in Gongju county, and there are no factories, no industry other than small farms there. The lack of factories makes the roads empty of big trucks, which are usually the biggest enemies of good motorcycling in Korea.

Enjoy the short video, it's nice and curvy...

When I first started applying for Army civilian jobs, I wasn't getting referred to the hiring managers at all...the screeners were consistently stopping forward progress with them. I was ideally suited for one job I put in for, wasn't referred, so I sent a note to the blind e-mail in the job listing asking why I wasn't referred. The servicing HR person got back to me and told me I wasn't referred because I didn't list how many hours per day/week/month I worked as an active-duty Army officer in each position I described, so they couldn't tell whether I worked full-time or part-time. I thought me specifying that I was on active duty for 22 years had that covered, but the HR person explained they are not allowed to assume anything. If it is not written down in the resume, it did not happen. That's when I completely redid my resume, turning it from a typical 2-page bullet comment resume into a 14-page detailed explanation of everything I had ever done. I started looking up the position descriptions on FASCLAS and making sure my resume matched those (when I could find them) and the job listing. If I shuffled a piece of paper from one office to another, I had it on my resume. I tailored the resume for every application by re-ordering the bullets on the front page to match the priorities of the job, and by reordering the descriptive paragraphs on subsequent pages. I basically wrote one resume to tick the boxes for the job screener (all the supporting paragraphs) and the hiring manager (the first page of bullet comments), so that someone could look at page one and learn what they needed to, and dig into the supporting pages if they wanted more detail. That's when I started getting referred to hiring managers, getting interviews, and getting offers.

I like being an Army civilian...it still lets me feel like I'm contributing like I was on active duty, but without the hassles of being in uniform. The security and benefits are good, but the money on the contracting side is definitely better from what I've seen. If you're looking to stay over in Korea long-term, you're better off staying on the contractor side due to the 5-year cap on staying overseas as a civilian. Also, since you're already there in Korea, you likely won't be considered for hiring over there because you'd be considered a local hire and therefore not eligible for the overseas housing allowance...you have to be hired from the US to get all the overseas benefits. I work with a lot of contractors in my current position...we're a tech-heavy organization and are therefore very contractor-heavy...and for some of the positions it's a revolving door because the jobs are very project-oriented. Personally I wouldn't want to do that because I prefer the security and long-term view the gov't side offers, but I understand why it appeals to some, because they can jump in, make a ton of money on a particular project, then move on.

Anyway...enjoy the riding when you can! I rode a scooter when I was stationed in Seoul, rode it year round, and had a blast with it!