Taiwan's Custom Motorbike Scene Revs Up

TaiwanPlus News

Custom motorbike designers are thriving in Taiwan. And while the scene isn't as well established as in Japan or the West, Taiwan's designers have big dreams.

Transcript

00:00When Gao Xiangyan was a student, he never imagined he'd be a respected

00:06craftsman working on custom motorbikes. This was someone who'd studied

00:09telecommunications engineering, not the sort of person used to working with

00:13their hands. But a failed quest to trick out his first motorbike set him on a

00:17path that would become his life's work.

00:19Gao's career as a remodeler of motorbikes didn't start out smoothly. He says he

00:44had no credentials or reputation, and so getting customers was tough at first. But

00:49he ignored the temptation to give up, and now has a place as a professional in a

00:53niche but growing biker subculture.

00:55He's far from alone in the field though, as new talents are building a name and

01:02carving out a place for themselves all the time.

01:06Wang Minglong is 24, and was a rising star from his first attempt at turning a

01:12bike into a unique creation.

01:14Wang Minglong used to create a craftsmanship.

01:20At that time, there was a first time in the IIWA racing game. That was a

01:24tournament. I held it to win the first attempt at winning a professional

01:26design competition. But that was the first time I did.

01:30His dream now is to enter a competition in the U.S. and win, putting Taiwan's custom bike scene on the map.

01:52Motorbike redesigners like these are resourceful people.

01:55They often have to search out long discontinued parts from obscure overseas sources.

02:00They need a wide range of contacts, even furniture upholsterers to provide the right foam so the seats are perfect.

02:08They do their own part-making and DIY assembly as well.

02:16And of course, they have to test out their creations themselves too, checking to make sure everything is up to the highest standards.

02:23Maybe the hardest thing they have to do, though, is push back against misunderstanding about what they do.

02:29Taiwan has over 14 million scooters and motorbikes, but these are mostly standard models.

02:35And even though people have been customizing bikes in Taiwan for at least 20 years,

02:39there's still a sense that these bikes are dangerous, or worse.

02:42Taiwan's custom bikes are actually very perfect.

02:45But the main point is that it's the issue of認知.

02:48Today, no matter whether it's the people's認知, the警察's認知, or the檢驗員's認知,

02:54they're completely different.

02:56They believe that the custom bikes are approved.

02:58But they say this isn't what the law actually says.

03:04As the custom bike subculture grows, there are hopes in the community for even more explicit leeway from the government.

03:10In the future, if there's a better job, I can say, like, Japan, and the US,

03:15even though the government says,

03:17Hey, you can do it with an auto bike.

03:19You need to be safe.

03:20You need to be better.

03:21You need to be better.

03:22If that's what we want to do,

03:24if we want to do it,

03:25if we want to do it,

03:26or if we want to do it,

03:27we want to continue to do it.

03:28These DIY bike modders say,

03:30what they do is a form of art,

03:32and they hope for greater freedom to express themselves,

03:35and keep a thriving scene expanding.

03:37Luffy Lee and John Van Trieste for Taiwan Plus.

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