Driving School

[Balazs]

Does anybody know a driving school in Taipei where it's possible to practice for the big scooter test? I've decided to do it but I haven't been on a motorbike for 6 or 7 years know and everything I've ever driven had proper big wheels as opposed to scooters which, in my view, are more difficult to handle.
I know it doesn't sound too confident but I'm really out of practice and would rather spend a few hours in one or the weekend than wasting too many days off of work...
Any idea is welcome.
Thanks,

b

[Joesox]

It would be good if you could go to the test centre for a little while to watch some people taking the practical. In Taichung you can stand outside the test circuit and watch and it's probably the same wherever you are.

The most difficult part of the practical is the slow straight-line bit. You have to ride along a narrow track, taking MORE than a specified time to complete it. The sides of the track are sensors which make a nasty noise if you touch them. If you do that, or if you complete the track too quickly, you are allowed ONE more try, and if you fail that you'll have to wait a week to retake the practical (though you won't have to retake the theoretical part of the test).

Both my friend and I failed on this first time and had to retake the practical test. My friend has been riding big bikes in the States for over a decade! So it's really worthwhile practising.

Within the Taichung DMV grounds there's a track for practicing this straight-line section. Check out your local center to see whether they have one too.

Once you successfully complete the straight-line section you take the much easier u-shaped section. Again, if you can watch some people taking the test you'll get the idea very quickly.

Scooters are really not difficult to handle. I wonder whether they may actually be more stable than motorbikes at very low speeds, because of the lower centre of gravity. But you do need to practise on a scooter of course. Not sure that you need to do it at a driving school though. Do driving schools offer scooter test preparation? I haven't heard of anyone doing this. I think that if you can find a suitable quiet open space to practise in for an hour or so, that would be fine.

[rob_the_canuck]

Here's a question:

My wife called a driving school near our house in Hsin Chuang (Xinzhuang) today to see about getting me some driving lessons before going for the car test and they told that since we'd gone to Hong Kong for a weekend in August, I have to wait three months before I can sign up. Is that true? They said if you leave the country for any reason, you have to wait a mininum of 3 months before you can take classes or go for the test.

[igorveni]

Here's a question:

My wife called a driving school near our house in Hsin Chuang (Xinzhuang) (Xinzhuang) today to see about getting me some driving lessons before going for the car test and they told that since we'd gone to Hong Kong for a weekend in August, I have to wait three months before I can sign up. Is that true? They said if you leave the country for any reason, you have to wait a mininum of 3 months before you can take classes or go for the test.

I just sign up for classes yesterday at the driving school right next to the National Aiprot in Taipei. They didn't ask me anything about my recent travelling schedules. They just took a copy of my ARC and my US driving license, then they signed me up.
So, you should be fine.

[llary]

Here's a question:

My wife called a driving school near our house in Hsin Chuang (Xinzhuang) (Xinzhuang) today to see about getting me some driving lessons before going for the car test and they told that since we'd gone to Hong Kong for a weekend in August, I have to wait three months before I can sign up. Is that true? They said if you leave the country for any reason, you have to wait a mininum of 3 months before you can take classes or go for the test.

The driving schools are invariably on some kind of grift or don't know their arses from their elbows. This particular school is in Bullshit Central territory.

If you have no license at all then you do indeed need to wait three months before taking the test but only if you are not studying at a driving school. The law states that you must either undertake 3 months of self study or study at an authorised driving school. The driving schools give you 20-odd hours of classes and will arrange for you to test on their own course, which pretty much guarantees an easy pass for all but the very worst drivers. Nothing is ever mentioned about the three months restarting if you leave the country (how do they even make this stuff up?)

If you have a license from your home country you can present this when taking your theory test and they will look it up in their little book then waive the delay completely. Those in this position may or may not be able to get a few hours practise in at their local school according to how much the admin staff feel like ripping you off that day. I was taken for NT$7,000 to sit in a car for 5 hours reversing around an S-curve and feel ashamed that I couldn't be bothered arguing. Ouch.

PS - I'll bet my buttocks that whoever drafted the three-month delay law had a particularly good pissup the night before at the expense of A-Lien's 'Super S' Driving School.

[golfmade]

Inquired at a few driving schools here in KH about practicing by the hour for the test and they said they're pretty much booked. My guess is because it is summer vacation. I don't need to drive now anyways, will just wait until school starts to practice the infamous S-curve.

[Stefan]

I would like to do a safety training here in taipei (or nothern part in general) for motorbikes. not necessarily intended to get the big bikes license, just a training for safe cornering, breaking and all the lot.
does anybody know where i can sign up for something like that? and where the trainers are not chewing betelnut all the time and understand at least the basics in english? my chinese is quite good, so I don't think that this would be the biggest problem.
are there any tracks that you can run a bike on or are these training facilities all but parking lots?
any insight would be of great help.

thanks a lot.

[peanut]

I would like to do a safety training here in Taipei (or nothern part in general) for motorbikes. not necessarily intended to get the big bikes license, just a training for safe cornering, breaking and all the lot.
does anybody know where i can sign up for something like that? and where the trainers are not chewing betelnut all the time and understand at least the basics in English? my Chinese is quite good, so I don't think that this would be the biggest problem.
are there any tracks that you can run a bike on or are these training facilities all but parking lots?
any insight would be of great help.

thanks a lot.

You might give the Hsinchu Safety Educational Center a try - http://www.e-hsc.com.tw. I went there for the big-bike licensing class and for a follow-up safety course. If you are looking to practice on a bike <250cc, their website says you can call them up and schedule time with them on a day-by-day basis.

It is basically a parking lot practice area (perimeter does form a small track) where you can practice cornering, breaking, etc. In addition they have the official licensing test course, and also another area where you can practice riding on other challenging road surface types like gravels, staircase, tubular roadway, V-channels, narrow I-beam, round beam, etc.

I don't know how well their English skills are -- I took normal scheduled classes with around 10 people per class -- and there was always a couple of people in my class who would help translate when the instructor/I couldn't understand each other.

[Stefan]

great, thats what I'm looking for.
thanks a lot.
any other places known to be good? what did they charge?

have a nice day

[Stefan]

are there any other places near taipei where i could get the training I want?
I don't have the time to go to xinchu for any length of time, so somewhere closer would be preferred. and what would be the cost of such a training?
any comment is welcome.