Riding in Thailand - any precautions?

[maximillian]

Went on a three week motorbike trip from South Thailand to North Thailand and to the East.

Almost daily I had one or two "close calls". I wasn't racing, rather travelling at ease and as careful as can be. Glad I survived.

Finally gave up big bikes as most of the time one has a Diesel fume exhausting vehicle in front. Overtake and get the next Diesel fumes and so on and so on. Not what I call fun.

Don't take the license thing too easy. Get a Thai DL, it's cheap and easy. Oh, and an accident insurance as well, please. Good luck.

[maximillian]

22 hours ago, Here It Is said:

Erm, not riding.

Best advise.

[JaiLai]

Best advise.

Your a bit of a drama queen aren’t you treacle?

You’re totally exaggerating regarding the fumes, it happens yes but very easy to avoid if you know how to drive.

There’s dangers involved with every mode of transport whether you’re in control or at the hands of others, you just have to manage it correctly.




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[Anythingleft?]

Poor blokes probably wishing he never asked now lol..

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[Kinnock]

10 minutes ago, Anythingleft? said:

Poor blokes probably wishing he never asked now lol..

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If you want someone to tell you what a good idea it is, then don't ask TV members ..... ask your Thai Girlfriend and she'll say "up to you".

[DILLIGAD]

From the todays Thailand News section:
 
“Every two days, an Australian dies in Thailand,” she said. “The roads there are the second-deadliest in the world, yet tourists get on a motorbike with no experience and ride along without a helmet or even shoes.”

As of this week, I believe Thailand has now beaten Libya to the prestigious first position worldwide. Finally a ‘hub’ for something truthful.


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[craigt3365]

2 hours ago, CLW said:

2 hours ago, Foozool said:

With 150cc to issan, 
With a 150cc bike ? 
You must be a brave man️️

Where is the problem? 150cc is enough for one person, especially for beginner

The tires are super small.  A bit of sand, a small crack in the road...bang...

[CLW]

The tires are super small.  A bit of sand, a small crack in the road...bang...

How small? You mean diameter or width?

[craigt3365]

6 minutes ago, CLW said:

11 minutes ago, craigt3365 said:

The tires are super small.  A bit of sand, a small crack in the road...bang...

How small? You mean diameter or width?

Mainly width.  I've seen some scooters with tires about the size of a bike....going 80kph.

[CLW]

Went on a three week motorbike trip from South Thailand to North Thailand and to the East.
Almost daily I had one or two "close calls". I wasn't racing, rather travelling at ease and as careful as can be. Glad I survived.
Finally gave up big bikes as most of the time one has a Diesel fume exhausting vehicle in front. Overtake and get the next Diesel fumes and so on and so on. Not what I call fun.
Don't take the license thing too easy. Get a Thai DL, it's cheap and easy. Oh, and an accident insurance as well, please. Good luck.

Sounds like you used the main road/highways.
I did several trips from Bangkok to northeast and east with not much traffic on the road.

[Barnabe]

Sounds like you used the main road/highways.
I did several trips from Bangkok to northeast and east with not much traffic on the road.

Any tips on how to plan such trips?

[JaiLai]

Sounds like you used the main road/highways.
I did several trips from Bangkok to northeast and east with not much traffic on the road.

It’s a trade off, although the smaller single lane roads are quieter they’re usually in worse condition plus you’ll get a lot of trucks and farm vehicles on them doing as they wish.

Much more scenic though, chance to see real Thailand, good and bad.


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[CLW]

Mainly width.  I've seen some scooters with tires about the size of a bike....going 80kph.

Mainly scooter. But just for example the Honda PCX 150 or MSLAZ has wide tires.

[JaiLai]

Mainly scooter. But just for example the Honda PCX 150 or MSLAZ has wide tires.

Small tires ( diameter ) are worse than width ( thin tires )


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[CLW]

Any tips on how to plan such trips?

Reading about trip reports on here and GT rider. It gives you an impression of some possible routes and their condition.
For the road system in Thailand as you might have noticed they all have numbers.
The more digits, the smaller the road.
For example all the highways have one digit number and go to 4 digits for provincial or local roads.
For route planning I mostly use Osm for Android and a in ear headset.
Sometimes also Google my maps and export the file.
You have many options for route planning tools tough.

[CLW]

Small tires ( diameter ) are worse than width ( thin tires )


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The opinions seems to be mixed see above post.
But I agree with you. I feel safer on wide diameter.
I have good comparison between gf's Scoopy (small diameter) and my GTO (big diameter).

[Familyonthemove]

19 minutes ago, CLW said:

24 minutes ago, craigt3365 said:

The tires are super small.  A bit of sand, a small crack in the road...bang...

How small? You mean diameter or width?

It's the diameter that's important for poor roads.  There's a reason dual sport and adventure bikes have 21 inch front wheels. I know some people ride Vespas across deserts, but they're crazy.

[EcigAmateur]

7 hours ago, JaiLai said:

 

I’ve generally found the police to be pleasant the more remote you are.


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Not true anymore. They do random roadside urine tests all around Esan. Day and night.

 

 

[Foozool]

3 hours ago, CLW said:

4 hours ago, Foozool said:

With 150cc to issan, 
With a 150cc bike ? 
You must be a brave man️️

Where is the problem? 150cc is enough for one person, especially for beginner

Ok.

You may lose control by trucks passing by. Not really stable at high peed. It will do the job, but what about the risks. 

I even don't do that with a 300cc. 

Good luck. 

 

 

[JaiLai]

 
 
Not true anymore. They do random roadside urine tests all around Esan. Day and night.
 
 

That’s good.

You’re quoting one area only, I’ve driven all over Thailand on big bikes, never ever had to give a urine test, this includes Isaan.


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[Anythingleft?]

 
 
Not true anymore. They do random roadside urine tests all around Esan. Day and night.
 
 

They can still manage to be pleasant and do their job can't they? Is it just the fact that they are enforcing regulations you find unpleasant? Not sure what your point is to be fair

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[CLW]

Ok.
You may lose control by trucks passing by. Not really stable at high peed. It will do the job, but what about the risks. 
I even don't do that with a 300cc. 
Good luck. 
 
 

But not for a beginner. It's more likely he'll have a accident because of too much power and the heavy weight of such a big bike.
I prefer a 150cc or 300cc bike for riding alone. Everything over this is useless Especially in Thailand where you can't go fast anyway.
You seem to be obsessed with big cc bikes. That is my opinion.

[Here It Is]

Just now, CLW said:

But not for a beginner. It's more likely he'll have a accident because of too much power and the heavy weight of such a big bike.
I prefer a 150cc or 300cc bike for riding alone. Everything over this is useless Especially in Thailand where you can't go fast anyway.
You seem to be obsessed with big cc bikes. That is my opinion.

Are you for real?  I thought the thread was about a long haul ride not a run about the local town.  

[CLW]

Are you for real?  I thought the thread was about a long haul ride not a run about the local town.  

I'm serious. The OP is beginner and asked about day trips or short rides.

[Here It Is]

1 minute ago, CLW said:

13 minutes ago, Here It Is said:

Are you for real?  I thought the thread was about a long haul ride not a run about the local town.  

I'm serious. The OP is beginner and asked about day trips or short rides.

Re-read the OP.

[chrissables]

10 minutes ago, Here It Is said:

Are you for real?  I thought the thread was about a long haul ride not a run about the local town.  

I have rode long distance on both a big bike and my PCX, down to the Singapore border was a big bike ride because of the good roads.

 

PCX most of Thailand from Kanchanaburi north including north Laos, the PCX was more fun.

 

Last year in Vietnam 10k + km south to the most northern point and back on a Honda Winner, 150cc.

 

So depending on what your goal is, both sizes of bike are ok.

[Barnabe]

But not for a beginner. It's more likely he'll have a accident because of too much power and the heavy weight of such a big bike.I prefer a 150cc or 300cc bike for riding alone. Everything over this is useless Especially in Thailand where you can't go fast anyway.

You seem to be obsessed with big cc bikes. That is my opinion.

 

This is getting off topic, but I agree with CLW. People in Europe are obsessed with big bikes, to the point that most brands don't offer many sub 500cc versions of their bikes in the EU.

I understand some people might like it, but for me the bike will be too heavy, spend too much fuel and too big for the average European city.

 

For anything else but full motorway riding, even a 125 will be enough, although pretty slow. For motorway riding with lots of cars and especially trucks, 300 is ok.

 

In most non motorways you can barely go above 80 km/h anyway, unless you have a death wish or would like to remain in a wheelchair for the rest of your life. A 300 will easily reach 160, which is enough to overtake any truck in the motorway, and a good 125 can do a sustained 80 km/h with medium effort.

 

[Foozool]

1 hour ago, CLW said:

But not for a beginner. It's more likely he'll have a accident because of too much power and the heavy weight of such a big bike.
I prefer a 150cc or 300cc bike for riding alone. Everything over this is useless Especially in Thailand where you can't go fast anyway.
You seem to be obsessed with big cc bikes. That is my opinion.

Larger engin does not mean higher speed only. There are at least a few different factors involve. Stability,  control, tire sizes, better breaks (discs in rear) and quicker if need to speed up in case.

It is all depends on the rider. I drive scoters locally only. 

[Ro54]

Beware, long post!) :-) 

I wrote to much, but don't feel like editing..... :-)

 

 

I had not been driving a 2-wheeler since ny youth, and tried again 40 years later in Jan.2017. An automatic scooter was not for me, I like driving manually, and feel I have more control going downhill.  Got my A licence during the summer in my home country, mainly because of insurance issues(had A1= 125cc). Bought a CB300F, and drove from Phuket to Ao Nang, with my wife on the pillow. a 1 cylinder engine resulted in lots of gear shifts on the main roads. Upgraded to 500X, which has enough power for 2 persons.

As far as I can see, car drivers are more polite when they see a big bike compared to a scooter. The most dangerous vehichles are the vans, buses and tuk-tuks.We always drive with good helmets(Bath >10 000,- Shark), jeans and jacket with armour and gloves(half gloves, I know it would have been better with full gloves, but, man, the heat...)

Have been doing several trips 250-300 km's in Thailand, and I think cardrivers in Scandinavia behave worse... except the fact that in Thailand you have to expect the unexpected....  I'm planning visiting Hua Hin by   bike next month..on the bike..

The 500X is not very heavy (<190kg), and the 2 cylinders behaves better in the traffic. Less gear shifts, more stable, etc. I would definately stay away from R- bikes in Thailand...

In Scandinavia, we're riding a 2001 600GSXR, rode one 950km trip this summer ++. 4 cylinders, enough power, and a more bent riding position... Not as nimble as the 500X, but a very good tourer...incredible seat.

Well I may have strayed away from the OP, but I feel a lot safer on a bigger bike down here, but would not ride a bigger than 500-700cc cause it would be a bit to much for daily trips to the market. 

I would also advice the OP to get a licence , as the training brought up a lot of forgotten stuff: dead angle(always check x 2 before you turn, etc.), positioning in the road, among others.

And yes, we are insured!

Summary:

1. Licence

2. Insurance

3. Safety( helmet, armoured jacket/pants, gloves, shoes

4.Ride training

5. Eyes open, expect always the unexpected

6. Avoid nightdriving

7.Drink enough water!

 

[EcigAmateur]

7 hours ago, JaiLai said:

 

That’s good.

You’re quoting one area only, I’ve driven all over Thailand on big bikes, never ever had to give a urine test, this includes Isaan.


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Just read this forum with more attention and you will end a bit smarter.