Good area for motorbike practice in central Chiang Mai?

[jimi]

Hi,

 

 

I want to practice some big bike slow driving (walking speed) techniques, and I'm looking for a good space where I can do this in central Chiang Mai. Preferably not too far from my apartment on Changklan Rd, as I want to be able to go there often (3-4 times/week) for short practice runs.

 

First I thought Prasertland in the nimman area would be perfect for this. But after going there a few times a serious looking security guard told me today, in no uncertain terms, that it was not allowed to drive like that in that place.

 

So, now I'm looking for a new place for this. Any one know of a good place? A paved road or parking lot, not dirt road or grass or anything like that. The practice track I build (using water bottles) is either a ~8 meter x 40 meter track, or a ~2 meter x 50 meter track for simple slalom practice.

 

I'm prepared to pay some money for this, if that would be needed. But like I said, I want to be able to do this 3-4 times per week, so I can't have the hassle of having to meet up with some person, or go through some long winding payment process, every time.

 

I'm also considering doing some courses at Honda Safety Riding Park. But even if I do that, I would still need a place where I can practice on my own, closer to the city, so I can go there when I feel like it without an appointment or anything, and practice for 1-2 hours, and then go home.

 

/Jimi

 

[thaibeachlovers]

As long as it isn't essential to be in central C M there are plenty of places nearby. The reservoir a bit to the north is 20 baht to enter and you can drive around the lake as slowly as you like.

Inside the moat- IMO no way.

[jimi]

21 minutes ago, thaibeachlovers said:

As long as it isn't essential to be in central C M there are plenty of places nearby. The reservoir a bit to the north is 20 baht to enter and you can drive around the lake as slowly as you like.

Inside the moat- IMO no way.

 

The reservoir you talk about, is that Huay Tung Tao lake? That was my girlfriends first suggestion when I first started looking.

Regarding the speed, it is not that I just need to be able to drive at a slow speed. I need to put up my make shift traffic cones (water bottles) on the road, building a track for my practice. If there are other traffic there it must be spacious enough so that I don't have to move things out of the way every time a car drives past. I don't remember exactly what the roads are like there, but on all the photos I can find online it looks like normal roads, ie no free big open parking lot.

But even if there would exist some big empty space there, being about 20 km away, or 35-40 minutes, one way, it is not really an option for me anyway. That would mean I would spend about 3.5 to 5 hours per week, just for transportation back and forth for this thing.

Of course, theoretically, I could go there less often, and compensate that by staying there longer time per visit. But the kind of practice I aim to do involves a lot of clutch and gas manipulation, and my hands hurt after a while. That's why I want to limit my practice time to 1-2 hours per occasion, and instead do it often (preferably every second day or so).

It isn't at all essential to be within the moat, or to technically be in the "center" of the city. I was just thinking about traveling distance from my apartment on Changklan Rd.

Edited January 28, 2018 by jimi

[FolkGuitar]

It sounds as if you are practicing for the Japanese driver's license. The slow-speed maneuvering requirements for that are a real ball-buster.  The national average for passing their motorcycle license test is 11 tries...   I met guys there taking the test for the 18th time!  Here's tip; do NOT take the test in a large city. Smaller cities are much less strict in their grading.  I failed my first attempt BEFORE I even got on the bike. I put up the kickstand with the wrong foot!  Fail!  Who knew?

[keo]

Car park at Royal Flora Ratchaphruek might be worth a look? 

 

Pretty sure they have large areas of car park that sit empty most of the time.

[scubascuba3]

Practice a U turn on a road without putting your foot down. I practiced this a lot for my test in the UK. Tricky with a big bike if still inexperienced

[happyas]

47 minutes ago, FolkGuitar said:

It sounds as if you are practicing for the Japanese driver's license. The slow-speed maneuvering requirements for that are a real ball-buster.  The national average for passing their motorcycle license test is 11 tries...   I met guys there taking the test for the 18th time!  Here's tip; do NOT take the test in a large city. Smaller cities are much less strict in their grading.  I failed my first attempt BEFORE I even got on the bike. I put up the kickstand with the wrong foot!  Fail!  Who knew?

Interested in where else in C/M apart from Hang Dog testing dept can one do this test.

Do you mean that he should go to Lamphun or other nearby smaller city to do this test?

 

[robblok]

3 minutes ago, happyas said:

Interested in where else in C/M apart from Hang Dog testing dept can one do this test.

Do you mean that he should go to Lamphun or other nearby smaller city to do this test?

 

I don't want to intrude.. but it seems clear as day to me that Japanese tests can only be done in Japan and not Thailand. IF this is about the test then he is just practicing in Thailand and will do that test in Japan. The other guy just said if in Japan do it in a smaller city.

 

The Thai motorbike test is not hard, though I would not do it on a big bike..  I would take my scooter. I love my big bike but why make things harder if not needed. 

[happyas]

1 hour ago, robblok said:

I don't want to intrude.. but it seems clear as day to me that Japanese tests can only be done in Japan and not Thailand. IF this is about the test then he is just practicing in Thailand and will do that test in Japan. The other guy just said if in Japan do it in a smaller city.

 

The Thai motorbike test is not hard, though I would not do it on a big bike..  I would take my scooter. I love my big bike but why make things harder if not needed. 

Huh?

On re-reading it,the OP never mentioned any tests for a start, in C/M even, let alone going to Japan to do it.

As far as i can see he just wants to practice riding a big bike to improve his own skills, [which in itself is a great idea].

Maybe best, next time, not to ,as you put it" intrude" when you don't want too.

The guy i asked and you jumped in on on his behalf was actually the one who confused you because he is confused himself, it appears.

 

PS   to OP  try the back of 89 Plaza..huge area unused there most days, ideal for what you need.

 

Edited January 28, 2018 by happyas

[Dante99]

Jimi are you the Jimih previously, not long ago, asking about big bike rental to practice for a test in England of Finland or someplace like that?

[jimi]

34 minutes ago, Dante99 said:

Jimi are you the Jimih previously, not long ago, asking about big bike rental to practice for a test in England of Finland or someplace like that?

 

Yes, that is/was me. Not sure why I ended up with two separate accounts. None of my accounts are new. I think I just registered one and then forgot I had one and registered another one, and on one of my computers I had the auto login for the other account. So I have been using two separate accounts in parallel for some time now it seems. Maybe there is a way to merge two accounts? (Just dreaming, I assume there is no such feature.) :)

[robblok]

1 hour ago, happyas said:

Huh?

On re-reading it,the OP never mentioned any tests for a start, in C/M even, let alone going to Japan to do it.

As far as i can see he just wants to practice riding a big bike to improve his own skills, [which in itself is a great idea].

Maybe best, next time, not to ,as you put it" intrude" when you don't want too.

The guy i asked and you jumped in on on his behalf was actually the one who confused you because he is confused himself, it appears.

 

PS   to OP  try the back of 89 Plaza..huge area unused there most days, ideal for what you need.

 

Seems the guy is training for a test.. not in Japan.. but also not in Thailand. 

 

I thought you were confused and I read something in your post that was not there. 

 

[jimi]

2 hours ago, FolkGuitar said:

It sounds as if you are practicing for the Japanese driver's license. The slow-speed maneuvering requirements for that are a real ball-buster.  The national average for passing their motorcycle license test is 11 tries...   I met guys there taking the test for the 18th time!  Here's tip; do NOT take the test in a large city. Smaller cities are much less strict in their grading.  I failed my first attempt BEFORE I even got on the bike. I put up the kickstand with the wrong foot!  Fail!  Who knew?

 

Yes, I remember you mentioned that before. Scary stuff that Japanese driving test. 

 

I'm doing the test in Sweden this spring. Not as tricky as in Japan, but still way more difficult than the Thai counterpart. And I prefer to err on the side of caution, so I rather practice way too much, than too little. Hence I plan to do these practice runs 3-4 times per week, 1-2 hours each time, for the next ~10 weeks while here in Thailand.

[jimi]

2 hours ago, keo said:

Car park at Royal Flora Ratchaphruek might be worth a look? 

 

Pretty sure they have large areas of car park that sit empty most of the time.

 

1 hour ago, happyas said:

PS   to OP  try the back of 89 Plaza..huge area unused there most days, ideal for what you need.

 

Thanks keo and happyas. I will look into both your suggestions. 

 

 

2 hours ago, scubascuba3 said:

Practice a U turn on a road without putting your foot down. I practiced this a lot for my test in the UK. Tricky with a big bike if still inexperienced

 

Yes, that maneuver is part of the slow driving exercise I already do. Although, a U turn in and of itself can be anything from super easy to super hard, depending on how much space one uses. That's why I prefer using my "traffic cones", since I then can measure the space I need in order to do a sharp turn like that. So even if I would have to be content with a smaller area for practice, I still think I would want to be able to put up these "traffic cones" as a bare minimum.

[happyas]

25 minutes ago, robblok said:

Seems the guy is training for a test.. not in Japan.. but also not in Thailand. 

 

I thought you were confused and I read something in your post that was not there. 

 

Confusion reigns!

[Dante99]

Maybe maybe maybe....Airport Plaza parking lot after or before hours.  There is also a large new parking lot west side of Hillside 4 condo that just might be empty early am. 700 year stadium parking lot or Convention Center parking lot on non evert days of which there are many.

[flare]

You memtioned the Honda Riding Center (which I'm guessing is the one on 118 just past the second PTT station on the right heading toward Doi Saket).  While it's a bit of a ride, if you go early there's zero traffic and you can get there in less than 10 minutes from town, and I see the front gate manned as early as 6:30am on Sunday mornings as I take my sunrise ride past the area.

 

It might be worth enquiring if it's possible to pay to use it at off times, as it's EXACTLY what you're looking for.

[FolkGuitar]

Slow-speed big bike handling is perhaps the most difficult skill to learn in motorcycle riding. Very few people are able to make a U-turn in a narrow street without putting their foot down, and fewer still able to do so when that street is on a steep hill!  Trying to stay on a 20cm plank that is only 15 meters long for 20 seconds, when begun from a dead stop is quite a challenge, but if that plank has  twists and turns in it, it's harder still. Take a look at these riders doing just that;  starting at the 1:44 mark of the video, you can see some amazing big bike handling. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AVEWhQd80Vs

 

There is almost NO need to practice for the Chiang Mai testing center's bike license. When I took mine, the tester was too busy with paperwork to watch me ride. I saw several people completely botch the slalom part, and obviously couldn't handle even the tiny motor scooter they were riding. But as long as they were able to return to the parking area behind the proctor, they passed.

 

Jimi, I hope that the Swedish test is a bit more gentle, and I salute your determination to learn the big bike handling skills. When I took the Japanese license test, I already had half a million miles of riding experience, the California SuperBike School, the American Motorcycle Safety Foundation, and the Swiss Alpine Racing School classes behind me. PLUS two intensive weeks of Japanese motorcycle school! It still took me 6 tries to pass the Japanese test... That small Figure-8 was a ball-buster!

 

 

 

[CheGuava]

The Royal Flora and Night Safari have really big parking lots. Mid morning onwards on a weekday they should be nearly empty.   Same for the 700 Year Stadium, and the Convention Center when nothing is on.

[jimi]

13 hours ago, Dante99 said:

Maybe maybe maybe....Airport Plaza parking lot after or before hours.  There is also a large new parking lot west side of Hillside 4 condo that just might be empty early am. 700 year stadium parking lot or Convention Center parking lot on non evert days of which there are many.

 

I'll consider Airport Plaza parking lot, but not so sure about having to do this on odd hours. I find the time around 10 am is the perfect practicing time for me, considering I'm not a morning person, and I like to stay at home in the evenings watching a movie or something with my girlfriend. The 700 year stadium is an option since before, just have to go there and have a look some day.

 

The convention center was a new idea, don't know why I didn't thought of that myself. But hang on, isn't there two different convention centers? One up north-west, on the 121. And one to the south-east of the city? Or maybe I'm confusing it with something else... 

 

4 hours ago, flare said:

You memtioned the Honda Riding Center (which I'm guessing is the one on 118 just past the second PTT station on the right heading toward Doi Saket).  While it's a bit of a ride, if you go early there's zero traffic and you can get there in less than 10 minutes from town, and I see the front gate manned as early as 6:30am on Sunday mornings as I take my sunrise ride past the area.

 

It might be worth enquiring if it's possible to pay to use it at off times, as it's EXACTLY what you're looking for.

 

Yes, I definitely plan to do that. Although first I will try out on of their courses (so cheep, one day for 1000 baht, that wouldn't even get me 20 minutes worth of driving lecture back in Sweden). Then when I am a paying customer, it might be easier for them to say yes to me borrowing some of their facilities sometimes. 

[Rama]

Honda has a track in Hang Dong especially to practice on. Go and ask the Big Bike place on Ratchadamnern (Sunday night walking street) where it is. I think its free and they give lessons as well.

[lordblackader]

There's a massive paved space directly behind The Hip Condo 2 in Nongpakrang (near Big C Extra) - No sure if it was supposed to be a car park but there's rarely anyone ever it in, and when there is it's only down the west end. Would be an ideal space to practice. 

 

Map here.

[leonardjones625]

you might be able to find somewhere quiet in Chiang Mai Land that's empty or the end of that street with orchid and the tower.

 

In terms of that area

[amexpat]

On 1/28/2018 at 8:02 PM, happyas said:

PS   to OP  try the back of 89 Plaza..huge area unused there most days, ideal for what you need.

 

True that.  They set up a market Monday and Wednesday evenings. Otherwise vacant. 

[jimi]

Yesterday I took a full day course at the Honda Safety Riding Park, and even though the overall experience was really good, I still have some mixed thoughts. I'll write them here, in the case anyone is interested:

Pros:

• Really experienced and confident instructors
• Helpful instructors, that notice and point out drivers faults in a friendly manner, and help correct them
• Lots of driving practice during the course day
• Strong focus on safety
• Decent selection of safety gear
• Good size of track, with many different areas for different kind of practice
• Track in good condition, with no visible debris
• Good facilities all around (classrooms, bathrooms, exchange rooms, waiting area, water cooler etc)
• Decent restaurant (they took food orders before class started) and coffee shop with decent prices

Cons:

• The safety introduction class in the beginning had a large part of it consisting of watching a Honda "commersial" video, and then some youtube videos with MC accidents
• About 90% of the instructions are in Thai, and 10% in English, even though I specifically asked them about an English speaking instructor before booking
• The course labeled Basic big bike was more advanced than I expected
• No introductions to the assigned bikes (I got to choose when booking the course, but I don't have any knowledge about different models)
• No introduction to the track, we just started driving (following the instructor)

The reason I consider the overall experience to be really good, even with those cons above, is partly that I already know most important safety stuff from my courses in Swedish (they focus heavily on safety) and partly because my basic understanding of thai, combined with understanding body language (most instructions were illustrated using the bike) made me understand a lot even when they spoke thai. Also, they translated some things, things that I think were considered the most important. But for someone with less knowledge about MC safety, and/or without any understanding of thai whatsoever, I think the course would not be suitable.

Also, regarding the difficulty level of their courses. I actually thought the basic course would mean something like beginner course. Ie a course for people who have little or none experience with riding a big bike. I selected it because I thought it could be good to re-practice what I already have learnt. Instead I ended up in a group where I was the least experienced one, and the driving part of the course started with each one being assigned a bike and then just following the instructor as he started driving the track. And he drove quite fast right from the start. I managed to keep up, just barely, and after a while talked with them about feeling a bit overwhelmed by it all. But a change to a less powerful bike (from 500 to 300, I had not driving a 500+ bike since last summer, and in total only been riding such bikes for maybe 50 hours effective driving time), combined with some new knowledge (I had been handling the throttle wrong in some situations), I managed to keep up with the pace and started to feel that I really was improving my skills.

So, anyone considering doing a course there, my advice would be to first carefully consider your skill level, and choose corse accordingly. If my description of the basic course seems a bit intimidating, consider their Pre-riding course.

 

Edit: I also talked with the one of the instructors (the one who spoke decent English, even though he needed a translator for some of my questions) about practicing outside their normal courses, and he said:

• It's not possible to rent/borrow their track (or part of it) for own practice runs
• It's not possible to get private lessons by the instructors

Edited February 4, 2018 by jimi

[jimi]

On 2018-01-29 at 1:10 PM, Rama said:

Honda has a track in Hang Dong especially to practice on. Go and ask the Big Bike place on Ratchadamnern (Sunday night walking street) where it is. I think its free and they give lessons as well.

 

Interesting. When I asked the people at the Honda Safety Riding Park about any place where it would be possible to practice on my own, they did not mention this Honda track in Hangdong that you talk about.

You (or someone else here?) don't happen to know what that place is called, or where in Hang Dong it is located? Sure I could go to Big Bike and ask, as you suggest, but I'm a lazy person, and if I can avoid a trip just to ask a question, then I try to 

[Genericnic]

When I need to do a self-refresher on slow/low speed riding, I head to Promenada Mall and use their parking lot. Because of the low level of people that go there, most park inside. That leaves the outside parking mostly bare. 

 

Here is a Google Maps link to shows where I am talking about.

 

David

[jimi]

On 2018-01-29 at 1:52 PM, lordblackader said:

There's a massive paved space directly behind The Hip Condo 2 in Nongpakrang (near Big C Extra) - No sure if it was supposed to be a car park but there's rarely anyone ever it in, and when there is it's only down the west end. Would be an ideal space to practice. 

 

Map here.

 

15 hours ago, Genericnic said:

When I need to do a self-refresher on slow/low speed riding, I head to Promenada Mall and use their parking lot. Because of the low level of people that go there, most park inside. That leaves the outside parking mostly bare. 

 

Here is a Google Maps link to shows where I am talking about.

 

David

 

Thanks guys. I'll try and check out both these places today.

[jimi]

On 2018-01-30 at 12:44 PM, leonardjones625 said:

you might be able to find somewhere quiet in Chiang Mai Land that's empty or the end of that street with orchid and the tower.

 

In terms of that area

 

Thanks. But just to be sure, is this the street you talk about?

 

https://www.openstreetmap.org/way/193294097#map=14/18.7630/99.0195

 

On 2018-01-30 at 6:05 PM, amexpat said:

True that.  They set up a market Monday and Wednesday evenings. Otherwise vacant. 

 

Good to know that about 89 Plaza. I'll try and check it out later this week, same time I go look at Chiang Mai Land.

[jimi]

30 minutes ago, jimi said:

 

 

Thanks guys. I'll try and check out both these places today.

 

Lol, I confused Promenada and Central Festival. I'll think I wait with checking out the Promenada parking lot until I go to Immigration Office, planned next week. :)