train2bangkok

Quite confused.

The massage parlours on Ratchada are still operating. Cowboy and Nana still in business.

Needless to say prostitution is illegal in Thailand, so some level of (rampant??) corruption must be operating in order for this to be happening.

Land of Smoke & Mirrors. Corruption never dies.

The Cardomon mountains are the mountains/hills in western Cambodia. Forested, not developed, quite remote. The roads through it are graded dirt/loose dirt/rocky crap and sometimes pretty damn hairy (eg old road Koh Kong to Oh Soam).

Rainy season (June-Oct) may not be the best time to attempt it (big understatement). Mud holes galore and remote and unsupported in places, not recommended on your own or on an unreliable bike.

Yes, imagine they will erect a stage and sound system on a grassy area with plenty of room for parking.

You should easily locate it on the day by the hundreds of leather clad, chopper wielding Thais parking up on said grassy field in noisy fashion.

Enjoy. People in Loei are most welcoming!

It says at Chom Loei (The name of venue name, meaning "Loei View") on Malivan Road, Amphur Muang Loei (Loei City District) which is behind the provincial court I think.

Crossed recently at Poipet- green book(&2 copies) passport (& 2 copies) license (Thai ok-2 copies) insurance (2 copies) for Thai customs export papers.... $20 & photo for visa for Cambo immigration...

don't try to get Cambo customs documents, just tell the Cambo border guards that you have all the documents and will go to customs after getting some food and then just ride on.... insurance is anyhow somewhat useless in practical terms in Cambodia.. ride safe and watch out for suicidal cows and oncoming speeding vehicles..

rode out at Koh Kong no problems Cambo side don't care about Cambo customs forms - just stamp the passport out, Thai side need the bike export papers then passport stamped in easily.

Personally I pulled my headlight fuse out as its easy to get to -- but in 2000++km on road and off this trip not one check point and frankly the blue shirt cops are pussies. don't need to stop.

if brown or green it's military police- behave as they r nastier.. but they will most likely wave u on when they see u are not Cambodian.

Not sure that the single radiator is much of an issue on the CRF250L having done some 600 km (in a day) rides on asphalt without anything engine/radiator being particularly hotter than any other dual sport bike.

City riding 50-100km days again no heat issue from the bike, just the blazing hot sun, traffic fumes and whatnot!

But the D Tracker 250 or Honda CRM250 would certainly do the city job just as effectively. The smaller rims afford a road tire with a bit more rubber contact which is great for holding speed supermoto style through the corners and insane looking power slides (requires skill and balls), though a dirt/dual purpose tire can get you through potholes, scratchy roads and offroad much more easily and is fine on normal roads too.

I also prefer the higher seating position (more legroom too for 6ft people)with KLX or CRF's bigger rims which can also take an Enduro style 80/20 road/trail tire.

See which one you like the looks of most, sit on them all and and as previous posters mentioned rent & ride is the best way to know which suits you.

But realistically all of them Honda CRF250L/CRM250 or Kawa KLX250/D Tracker X can do the job you want just fine, so you are unlikely to be disappointed.

ridden and owned both.

crf250l rides and handles a little better/more fun both on and off road due to lower height/lower centre of gravity-- weak brakes on the front though not so fun at 130km/h when stopping on road. arguably less robust pedals when dropped-- but a few thousand baht on new folding-tip gear shift and brake pedals fix everything except the over-exposed single radiator. less clearance for v rocky trail or deeper rivers perhaps.

130,000ish new

suspension and brakes better on klx250, perhaps more top end power (once destricted) though not as torquey and fun lower down as the Honda. bit taller, feels higher. seem to last reasonably well- electrics can be a bit dodgy longer term in my experience. bit more robust for harder off road use, though reliability and service availability might not quite be as easy as a Honda. and there's the extra 20,000baht. Tho plenty second hand.

150,000ish new

You can use M35 2.25 front and M62 2.5 rear if you don't want oversize.

the oversize 2.5 /2.75 do pretty much fit and the sanding down cannot be seen and takes just a few minutes of time.

balance, stability and braking are much better and unless you are a demon traffic weaver you won't notice in terms of maneuverability.

the M62 is a very good STRONG and highly durable rear tire and excellent in wet, slippy, bumpy or potholed conditions. In 45,000km on them I also never had a puncture despite hitting several large nails.

I use Michelin too on my stock rims on a Wave125i but a bit oversized so you can load her up with two fat farangs and luggage and hope the little brakes (and more rubber on the road) will stop you.

M62 Gazelle 2.75-17 on the rear

M35 2.50-17 on the front (which requires you to sand down the inside front tip of the front fender a bit!)

The extra size makes 2 up rides better and much more stable at higher speeds or on faster roads when you are "making time".

Also for long rides (650km!) and long endurance (20,000++km) they are very good value for money.

Jaf