Riders of powerful "Big Bikes" will take separate tests and have different licenses to other motorcyclists

[tomacht8]

Before they think about differentiating there motorbike license, it would be better to have first a required number of driving lessons with a trained driving instructor. With a honda click you can kill yourself as fast as with a 1200cc, if you have not learned the physics and traffic rules first.

Edited August 22, 2018 by tomacht8

[Cabradelmar]

Lot of non riders on this thread or those who only ride bikes under 250cc. Big is liter class (1000cc}. You want to call 600cc and up big, fine). The issue is age and experience. Taking a written test only or a road test on a small bike to demonstrate capability to ride a big bike is not going to help. Anyone under the age of 25 should not ride anything over 600cc. All license should be segregated by class/size of bike. Road test need to be completed on comparable class of bike for which you are applying to ride. Insurance for liter class bigs should be much higher (I would hate this but it would keep the irresponsible squids off these bikes)

[smotherb]

10 hours ago, Scottjouro said:

A wise move i think...the average Thai who is used to riding a motocy struggles with a "big bike" and then we have the dumb ass farangs who cant even ride a motocy properly trying to ride a "big bike" as well...

 

I would think capping the motocy at 125cc and anything above that is considered a "big bike" 

You  would think anything over 125cc classed as big bike?  I would think you know far too little about motorcycles.

[overherebc]

5 minutes ago, Cabradelmar said:

Lot of non riders on this thread or those who only ride bikes under 250cc. Big is liter class (1000cc}. You want to call 600cc and up big, fine). The issue is age and experience. Taking a written test only or a road test on a small bike to demonstrate capability to ride a big bike is not going to help. Anyone under the age of 25 should not ride anything over 600cc. All license should be segregated by class/size of bike. Road test need to be completed on comparable class of bike for which you are applying to ride. Insurance for liter class bigs should be much higher (I would hate this but it would keep the irresponsible squids off these bikes)

Harley rider? 

Good to know so many people ride bikes originally built by a Scotsman.

??

Engine power should be the deciding factor as Holland does, not cc

Edited August 22, 2018 by overherebc

[Daveyh]

Big bikes are definitely not easy to handle if all you've been use to since school was a Honda Wave 110! Sadly ........ many Thai's have purchased these bikes now without rider training, so it's really a little too late & accidents are bound to happen due to this. They will continue to escalate on a daily basis because motorcycle accidents here have been numerous for years, no one looks where they are going & their mind set is all wrong. It's too late for the authorities to do anything & the police have an "uphill struggle" with most things because of it. Driving in general is out of control ...... police will enforce the law in the short term, but the energy expended trying to uphold it will eventually wane. This type of attitude is common in Thailand ....... there are all sorts of laws, many difficult to enforce & life just seems to sort itself out without the help of government here ...... fact.

[Ahab]

I would bet that the vast majority of people killed on motorcycles are killed while riding small scooters (under 125cc). More training is not a bad thing but it will do almost nothing to curb the amount of motorcycle deaths in Thailand.

[Get Real]

10 hours ago, Just1Voice said:

You going to say my son's 150cc PCX is a "Big Bike"?  What a joke.  

Yes, and it´s not a joke! In most countries 150cc is considered a big bike. As you refer to your son, then I guess he is a teenager. That just because nobody else would think a pcx tough enough.
Stop give your son toys, that can kill him, and if he is 16-17 just keep him away from the bike until he´s old enough to drive it.

[overherebc]

1 minute ago, Ahab said:

I would bet that the vast majority of people killed on motorcycles are killed while riding small scooters (under 125cc). More training is not a bad thing but it will do almost nothing to curb the amount of motorcycle deaths in Thailand.

Sadly that is most likely true.

School kids 3 or 4 on a bike who treat it like a sort of fast push bike.

[cyberfarang]

10 hours ago, Just1Voice said:

Big bikes START at 300cc.  Anything under that is a scooter.

 

It`s not the size that matters, but how you use it that counts.

 

Here we go again, lousy reporting, lacking vital details that becomes a guessing game.

[kannot]

Waste of time, I bet the bulk of deaths happen on small scooters 125cc and  under.

Already saw that mentioned but too idle to read  all 10  pages

Edited August 22, 2018 by kannot

[kannot]

1 hour ago, tomacht8 said:

traffic rules

rules????????????? I thought it was do whatever u want?

[metisdead]

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[overherebc]

What's a big bike, what's not a big bike, the arguement could go on forever.

It's down to size and weight of the bike and the BHP the engine produces.

Just a point, F1 cars now are 1600 cc and kick out in the region of 800 BHP.

Anyone remember the carryon a few years ago when in Europe it was argued that bikes should be limited to 100 BHP?

My arguement would be that anyone's first bike should be similar in power and performance to an NSU Quickly,  ( Looks downcast and admits to having one ) and then a steady advance in more powerful bikes.

Let's face it most of the BOF bikers, or ex bikers, like me, started back in Europe  when traffic was much less than it is today and sometimes you could ride a fair way without meeting a whole lot of cars bikes etc etc on the roads and making a mistake generally meant only you got involved.

We all know that measures to control speed etc on bikes here won't have much effect on most of the bike riders here because that's the way it is and the only input we have is bumping our gums about it on here.

 

 

[sometimewoodworker]

8 hours ago, tropo said:

250cc bikes can be very fast, and due to their size, even more dangerous than larger beasts.

 

In the 70's and 80's, I used to ride 1000 - 1100cc bikes. Bikes with half that engine capacity can go just as fast now, or even faster.

Too true, the last bike I had was a 250 4  (a CBR250R) had a top speed of about 136mph, 220kph though I almost never took it over about 170 it was around a 2000 model so it didn't have the speed limiter fitted to the later models.

Edited August 22, 2018 by sometimewoodworker

[Lokie]

2 hours ago, Cranky said:

Fair cop.  My first big bike - Suzuki GS 750 in 1976 - went like snot.  Still love an in line 4.

Have always loved Suzuki's and the GS's.

I class my first big bike as a GSX600F (before that I had had off rd bikes etc from being a kid up to 125s on the rd) Then started a family and mortgage, car etc. I then took my direct access (3 day course) and passed bike test that was 1993 and bought the T-pot above, I peaked with bikes I would say with a GSXR1000 K3, that was a very fast machine but after getting it set up on a dyno rd and dialled in, also had suspension set up (SAG etc) by Keis Suspension in Greater M/C UK the bike then came into its own and was a peach.

 

I now pootle about in LOS on a Forza and in UK on a 2013 Bonneville T100 (865cc) Personally would not want to ride a full on sports bike here in LOS and that would be stupid in this country OIMO of course, maybe I am just too old and certainly a bit wiser for that?

 

 

[snowflake]

Having ridden here in Thailand for many years I do have to say that the kids here are fairly good on bikes,  maybe training would be good, but if you consider how many kids get. On bikes here then it's amazing that there are not more accidents. 

 

The scale for the license should be beginner 0-200 cc (that covers most bikes and scooters 90 percent will use. 

Medium 201-500cc (for those who are interested in bigger bikes and wants to take the step up,  also an age restriction maybe 17 years old). 

Big Bike, 501 cc and up,  over 18 years.

This way you can also make. The testing more focused on the  riders.  All kids here should learn about riding in school. 

[Basil B]

Presume any one riding a bike on a foreign licence (& IDP) would be limited to the small bikes. 

 

(That's going to hit the GoFundMe people hard).

[thesetat2013]

16 hours ago, Just1Voice said:

I started on "mini bikes" when I was 10, and have spent my life (I'm 69) on one kind of bike or another, both on and off road.  After my wife of 27 years died, I spent the next 4 years on a 650cc Kawasaki, hitting EVERY state in the Continental U.S.  So I would venture that I know a hell of a lot more about bikes than you do.  

However my comment to your post was that anything above 125 cc be considered a "big bike", which is laughable to anyone who knows anything about bikes.  In the U.S. a 300cc bike is considered a "starter bike".  

 

i fail to see the relevance to your comment. we are not talking about foreigners here.. we are talking about immature thais who never look when entering intersections and police qho onlyenforce laws at collection points to fatten their pockets.  Any licensing they make is rarely to never enforced throughout most of Thailand or can be made to pay a small fine or a pushups on the side of the road before being let go to drive home or wherever. Laws need to be changed, but what good is making them when they are not enforced? or only used as a means to collect money? 

[Thian]

13 hours ago, Gulfsailor said:

Licenses in the Netherlands;

 

16 years old; max 50 cc (or 4 kW electric), Max construction speed 45 km/h. Automatic license if in possession of bigger moto or car license.

 

18 years old; max 125 cc. Max 11 kW. Max 0.1 kW/kg dry weight. 

 

20 years old; max 35 kW. Max 0.2 kW/kg dry weight. 

 

23 years old (of after having above license for 2 years); no limitations.

(Possible to get the license at 21 or 22, but will have restrictions as per above license until 2 years pass or rider turns 24). 

 

Plus the limitation of max. 100 hp for ANY new bike...also for a new Hayabusa...

[sometimewoodworker]

2 hours ago, Basil B said:

Presume any one riding a bike on a foreign licence (& IDP) would be limited to the small bikes. 

 

(That's going to hit the GoFundMe people hard).

Why would they be limited? It would probably follow the conditions of the licence if the information is in English.

 

Though probably my Japanese unlimited licence would only be good for small bikes as its all in Japanese and the IDP doesn't go into detail.

[kannot]

12 hours ago, Thaidream said:

Speeding is the number one cause of accidents.

simply not  true, total  lack of  attention is the number one  cause

[Ks45672]

13 hours ago, Bill Miller said:

Size of the engine is completely immaterial.

If you slam into an object at 60 kph on a 125 cc scooter you will, barring a miracle, be just as dead.

Training and enforcement of existing laws would go a long way. Stop allowing obviously underaged and thus unlicensed kids to operate bikes of any size. Require proof of licensure for sale or rental of any bike.

Meaningful penalties for breaking of laws that often result in injuries and death.

Even that wouldnt help

Mum or dad would register the bike for the kid to go to school on 

 

[overherebc]

3 hours ago, Thian said:

Plus the limitation of max. 100 hp for ANY new bike...also for a new Hayabusa...

I can't remember all the details on that whether it was going to be a choice for the manufacturer or a law all over the EU. If it applies in the Netherlands does apply in other EU countries? I honestly don't know.

[moose7117]

4 hours ago, Thian said:

Plus the limitation of max. 100 hp for ANY new bike...also for a new Hayabusa...

 

this is a troll or if not the poster is completely deluded.

 

anybody who actually has driven on a Thai road can see the major safety concern is the general lack of interest Thai people show in obeying the road rules.

changing the training required or increasing the fines will have little or no affect on roads safety, all you have to look at is the Thai attitude , they live in a "free" country and it is "up to you", they will not inconvienence them selves in any way, they even are allowed to lie when it saves them face.

the instances of people changing statements, denying the bloody obvious, and turning the blind eye to to the truth are displayed in daily life.

it is really simple , if you are not Thai and you don't like the way they play the game here , go away, go home to your country of origin and stop complaining, its their country so love it or leave it. 

 

 

[Spectrum2200]

An excellent move, now let bikes over, say, 500cc on the expressways.
 

That would be a plus... Power and speed be higher than most... and would not cause any congession.

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[Kerryd]

Another thought on the "training and licensing" argument.

 

If it works so great in "civilized" countries (as so many like to describe them) then why are there so many accidents and deaths in those countries as well ?

 

You know, those countries where everyone has to be trained and tested before getting a license. The countries where everyone (usually) is on their best behaviour - during the testing - and then throws it all out the window the instant they get their shiny new license.

 

The big difference is, most of those countries have decent law enforcement and will crack down on people that break the law, regardless of position or wealth.

Driving without a license ? Vehicle impounded, ticket and date to appear in court issued (if you want to contest the ticket otherwise you just pay it).

Driving with no insurance/registration ? Vehicle impounded, ticket and date to appear in court issued (if you want to contest the ticket otherwise you just pay it).
Driving while under suspension, or while "under the influence" ? Vehicle impounded, ticket and date to appear in court issued (in some places you are likely to get jail time for a first offence).

Riding with no helmet ? Vehicle impounded, ticket and date to appear in court issued (if you want to contest the ticket otherwise you just pay it).

In Thailand ? For the same offences you (maybe) get a ticket, pay the fine and then drive away !

The first time I was stopped and I realized I'd forgotten my IDP on my other bike, I thought I was screwed. I called a friend to come get my scooter. He told me to just pay the fine and then come to his place. I thought he didn't understand what was happening but of course, he did know.

I paid the fine, showed the receipt to the guy holding my keys, got my keys, hopped on the scooter and rode away. My buddy told me that if I was stopped again in the next week all I had to do was show that I'd already been ticketed for driving without a license and they'd let me go scot-free !

 

Accident rates (and deaths) in "Western" countries tend to be less because people get hit in the pocket book, hard, if they screw up. People still do stupid things, but they usually end up paying for them through heavy fines and increased insurance premiums. Most people however will try to drive safe and comply with the law because they don't want to risk the consequences.

Everyone hates the "traffic cops" but without them they'd have a similar level of carnage on the streets and highways as countries like Thailand do.

 

Regardless of how much "training and licensing" is done.
 

[Spectrum2200]

simply not  true, total  lack of  attention is the number one  cause

Bigger bikes has better handling and brakes. Which makes them safer. And A bit of extra power will sometime pull u out of trouble. Accidents is cause by what's goes on in the helmet.

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[mikebell]

Any bike that offends my ears should be banned; any bike modified to offend my ears should be banned; any bike without lights etc.

[hotchilli]

21 hours ago, Scottjouro said:

A wise move i think...the average Thai who is used to riding a motocy struggles with a "big bike" and then we have the dumb ass farangs who cant even ride a motocy properly trying to ride a "big bike" as well...

 

I would think capping the motocy at 125cc and anything above that is considered a "big bike" 

I would disagree slightly, there are many 150cc automatic scooters around PCX & the like, 

I would say anything from 250cc plus should constitute extra training before allowed to own one

[twizzian]

22 hours ago, Scottjouro said:

A wise move i think...the average Thai who is used to riding a motocy struggles with a "big bike" and then we have the dumb ass farangs who cant even ride a motocy properly trying to ride a "big bike" as well...

 

I would think capping the motocy at 125cc and anything above that is considered a "big bike" 

One of my big bikes is a 150cc PCX “Scooter.

Now I’m confused!!!