Coral Yang

Posted in Taiwan | 4 comments

Today we talk to Coral Yang, a Taiwanese rider who rides a Kawasaki ZX-6R. Her description of riding on the island of Taiwan makes me want to go there Right. Now.  Tropical landscapes, mountains, water, delicious food at rest stops… what more could one want? [Rashmi Tambe, Editor]

Please introduce yourself. I am in the insurance and finance industry. My biggest hobby is motorcycling. I travel by motorcycle every day.

What made you want to ride? It was for a very simple reason at the beginning. I easily get travel sickness but I like to travel around Taiwan, so riding motorcycle is my best option.

I didn’t let my parents know when I got my first bike. They were angry when they spotted it and made me sell it. A few months later, I got my second bike and hid it well. My parents felt something was fishy but didn’t know what to do. It’s been three years now. Now when I’m going out in my riding gear, they just say: “Ride carefully”.

What is your first memory involving motorcycles? When I was kid, I was very impressed by postmen’s motorcycles because they were always being chased by angry dogs.

What bike did you first start on and why? A 150 cc bike of a legendary series of SYM called “Wolf”.

Describe your current motorcycle. It’s a Kawasaki ZX-6R. What I love in it is its power, how it handles, and great looks. It sets me free to move around in my city.

Have you done any long distance road trips? Yes, in October 2013, I did a round trip around Taiwan, a trip of 1017.4 km. 80% of the itinerary was on mountain routes. It was quite cold in October and there were huge temperature differences, 20° C at sea level and down to 6° C in the mountains. I also encountered heavy rain, dense fog, and construction, but I finished the trip!!

Do you prefer to ride alone or in a group? I prefer to ride in a group because it is safer and we can look after each other.

Do you belong to any motorcycling clubs? I don’t belong to any club but I have contact with most clubs. I participate in their activities sometimes.

Do you have any motorcycling heroes? Not really, but Andrea Lannone is cute.

Do you do track days or race on your ZX-6R? Presently I don’t. But I’ve passed the exam for race certification 2 weeks ago and might have a trace race this year.

 

RIDING IN TAIWAN

If I were to visit you and we went riding for one morning, where would you take me? I live in Kaohsiung in southern Taiwan. The trip to Kenting is 100 km away and a must-do. It has great views of sea, mountains, tropical forests and sands. It also has a hot spring area.

We could enjoy the beach and so many specialties we could taste in villages along the route. The view on the seaside route is great. If we have time we could even do some scuba diving. This is the most beautiful part of Taiwan’s beach.

What’s the best part about riding in Taiwan? Taiwan is surrounded by sea, and the Central Mountain Range is very high, consists of very rich landscapes all over the island. There are usually blue skies, clear sea and fresh air. The distance between the cities is not very far.  We have a lot of convenience stores, you never have to worry about starving. There are gas stations everywhere, so no worries of running out of fuel.

What are the top rides you would recommend? The best ride is to ride around the island. The east coast and the central mountains are the most impressive.

What are the best months for riding there? The whole year is quite good to ride, but we have seasonal rains in May and June. And often we have typhoons in July and August. Pay attention to the weather report during this season!

Is it safe to ride at night where you live? Yes, it’s very safe at night in Taiwan. There are 24/24 convenience stores and gas stations everywhere.

Is there a local motorcycling event that you try and attend regularly? I go to the big Kawasaki annual gathering in Taiwan. I myself am the host of all kinds of activities of bikers. For example, this coming 9th March will be my birthday party and a bikers gathering.

Are there any motorcycle specific laws? In Taiwan, the regulations regarding big bikes (over 550 cc) are the same as cars.

Are motorcyclists discriminated against in any way? Often people think those big bike riders are “bozokus” or motorcycle gangs or something. But now more and more people think better of motorcycling and quite often the media report us positively

How do the police treat motorcyclists? In Taiwan, the police is called “Uncle Cop”. They are well trained and rarely have any intention to find faults with motorcycle riders. Pretty much most of them are them are riders of big bikes too.

Can you describe the motorcycle license test? After you turn 18 you can try to pass the license test of license for bikes less than 250 cc. After one year, you can get a regular bike permit to ride any bike over 250 cc.

Are any motorcycle related sports popular where you live? More and more people are aware of motorcycle racing now. We have a race track“Da-Peng Bay” in the south and soon we’ll have another in the center of Taiwan. In the future this sport will become hotter and hotter, I think.

What is the traffic like and how does it affect motorcycle riding? In Taiwan, routes and super highway are relatively friendly. Nevertheless, big bikes are still prohibited in super highway by now. We hope the regulations are revised pretty soon!

How do car drivers treat motorcycle riders on the road? Most of them do know the rights of big bikes. We show mutual respect on the road.

Is motorcycle theft a problem? Not in Taiwan, because big bike riders care about their motorcycles and never park them out of sight.

How are women motorcycle riders treated by most people and by male motorcyclists? They always have an amazed look when they saw me riding. In Taiwan, male motorcyclists take good care of female riders and enjoy the ride with us.

Do you have access to high quality motorcycling gear in your part of the world? If not, what would you like to see more of?
Less choice for female riders. If we need some of higher end, we have to search on net.

Do female and male motorcyclists have the same amount of freedom to pursue motorcycling activities? Sure, we are equal in Taiwan.

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