90km with the bike to the beach - no fun

[OneMoreFarang]

Yesterday I rode from Bangkok Sukhumvit along Bangna Trat to Bangsaen. Big trucks and bigger trucks and lots of dust and dirt. No, I didn't enjoy that trip.

Normally I ride 99% in Bangkok and I am familiar with that and feel "comfortable" with that situation.

But on Bangna Trat lots of big trucks and sometimes bad road surface needs constant concentration and it seems a small error could be deadly.

Do you enjoy trips like that? Or did I just select the worst possible road out of Bangkok?

At least it was dry and daytime. I really don't want to be on that road in the rain at night...

 

Edited November 7, 2018 by OneMoreFarang

[ezzra]

Those images of you on your hog cruising the highway and byways with the winds in your hair are not applicable to Thailand, here it's more like who's gonna run you over from behind and pretty much from all sides at any moment now and how much dust and humidity can can your lungs takes...

[poanoi]

no, they have scared the living shit out on me on sukumvit when they

make a U-turn and are hellbent on crossing all 3 lanes, leaving me

with no lane to carry on with my life, i'm not going back on a voluntary basis

[Lungstib]

I regularly do Tha Ton to Doi Saket to visit my son. 400kms round trip through some lovely scenery which I never get to see because eyes MUST be glued to the guys driving straight at you in your lane from the front and the crazy fool behind who wants to overtake despite it being a sharp corner. There is no time to relax even on country roads. And you are right, add rain and darkness and its double trouble.

[richard_smith237]

I think the lorries etc within BKK etc are fine... for the most part they are careful enough and we can ensure that we are defensively positioned.. its the other motorcycles which I find to be a PITA within Bangkok.

 

The U-Turns are just lethal on any road and, yes, as Paonoi mentioned when the lorries U-Turn and take up 3 lanes it leaves little to do other than hit the anchors while at the same time all the other vehicles are jockeying for position and leaving braking until the last moment. 

 

And on to the Bang-Na Trat road... It's lethal - whenever driving a car I go on the upper stage just to avoid it. There are so many lorries and as you mentioned, OMF, the road surface is deadly, its uneven from all the HGV passage and polished, any wet weather and it must become very slippery and dangerous - I'd avoid at all costs and perhaps take the road past Bang Phli to the South. 

 

To be honest, I think most of the roads out of Bangkok have fallen foul of heavy use and have become polished and uneven.

 

It would be helpful to us all if any good road out of the city can be outlined / identified. 

 

 

The Trip to Bang Saen otherwise seems like a decent idea for a day trip out of the City...  obviously, after your post, OMF, you've convinced me otherwise !

 

Edit: And to add: I already avoid riding at night, motorbikes are just too invisible... and the quality of roads is so poor, where possible avoiding riding in any wet weather is clearly much safer. 

 

 

Edited November 7, 2018 by richard_smith237

[jackdd]

I think nobody enjoys trips like that, but that's what you have to endure if you want to drive from BKK down to Pattaya on the shortest route ????

But it can be worse than that: I once road somewhere in the area between Ayutthaya and Saraburi (can't remember which roads exactly), this is even way worse than where you have been, so hot, so much dust and just unbelievable amounts of trucks on roads which have just one lane for each direction.

[JonnyF]

Bang Na Trat is the worst road in Thailand IMO. The only place (touch wood) I've had an accident, about 8 years ago when I hit some idiot reversing up the road to visit a food stall.

 

Much better to go on the back roads near Chachongsao. Still not great (and adds 50kms to the trip) but far more enjoyable and safer.

[moe666]

It is a bit longer but I rode from Pattaya to Bangkok thru Chachongsao and around to minburi a few years ago not free of traffic but a bit safer. 

[eisfeld]

On 11/7/2018 at 4:04 AM, OneMoreFarang said:

But on Bangna Trat lots of big trucks and sometimes bad road surface needs constant concentration and it seems a small error could be deadly.

 

Funny. I never rode that road but this is how I feel whenever I have to ride into BKK ????

[OneMoreFarang]

10 hours ago, eisfeld said:

Funny. I never rode that road but this is how I feel whenever I have to ride into BKK ????

Ride that road and after that you will feel soooooo much better and relaxed in Bangkok traffic.

Believe me, on that trip I counted the last kilometers on that road before the turn into Sukhumvit.

It felt like on Sukhumvit I started breathing again...