Yeah, it's funny that here I am, advising people on riding clubs from a continent away! Heh... Since moving to Japan, I've really fallen in love with riding... Unfortunately a bike license in this country is RIDICULOUSLY expensive... It costs in excess of $1300, and then you gotta go out and get a bike?

So the best I've been able to do is tool around on a little ol' Yamaha DT, as I don't need a special license to ride it. My regular, Japanese driver's permit is fine. But I've driven that lil' thing some fair distances though... All the way to the coast, around Mt. Fuji, to Tokyo and back... All several hundred km rides. (All in full head-to-toe gear though -- no kilts. I only ride my scooters around town kilted). The thing about Japan is, all the mountain roads and passes are so windy, anything bigger than a 400 is a waste... But most of the folks in these parts prefer riding on the wide, straight highways (toll roads) where they can open it up... That's where you see the 1300s, and all the guys with the crotch rockets.

You'd be AMAZED though, how few people ride in proper gear though. I've had guys on
Hayabusas, Ninjas, R1s, Buells, Ducatis, etc just blow past me doing double the speed limit, wearing little more than a regular jacket and a simple helmet. (They must think I'm completely daft to see me with my spineguard, kevlar gear, etc....)


Anyway... I'm hoping that someday (soon) we'll move away from Japan and I'll be able to get a bike license that doesn't cost $1k+, and get a decent bike.