Heading to the Thai Red Cross near BTS Ratchadamri. On car rides I notice no scooters or even motorcycles on the highway. Just wanted to check with you guys if this route can be done on a 125cc motorbike:

 

Google map from pattaya to Thai Red Cross

 

 

If not I'm open to alternative routes, thanks.

Did you notice the signs on motorway 7 forbidding motorcycles?

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[There is  a Red Cross operation in SiRacha]

I am usually asleep on those long highway rides. Unfortunately I need to go to the Red Cross in BKK as it's a special clinic that gives cheap Prep pills in exchange for anonymous research

It''s not the route you should be concerned about, rathar the safety factors of riding a scooter on a hwy where everyone is speeding including giant lories who will sideswipe a little scoot and will not feel a thing...

Ok then. Can someone advise on a route I can take that is legal and comparatively safe? If other Thais ride scooters along that route it would be safe enough for me.

13 minutes ago, Hal65 said:

Ok then. Can someone advise on a route I can take that is legal and comparatively safe? If other Thais ride scooters along that route it would be safe enough for me.

What a crazy question, what is a safe route? No route anywhere here is safe.

It is not how you drive/ ride. it is all the crazy bar stewards drive.

Take the damn bus from Jomtein to airport...take sky train to down town...walk to your destination...live to tell your story...arrive alive and relaxed...????

Not open to public transport suggestions. Hopefully someone who doesn't mind riding a little scooter around Thailand can chime in

try an app called "WAZE" you can get it to avoid tollways and freeways.

then wear your earphones under your helmet.

you can get directions and listen to music.

just remember not to loud so you still can hear traffic otherwise the net nannies will say you shouldn't be doing that.

i bought a cheap bluetooth hedset that fitted up to my helmet.  it works a treat.

Follow the old Hwy 3 all the way through Chonburi Town, then left at Bang Pakong skirting the Gulf of Thailand all the way through Samaut Prakan To Bang Na then follow Sukhumvit to Rama IV to Lumpnini Park turn right and you will be there. 

If not staying over night you can park near me at Bang Na and take the BTS to Ratchadamri to avoid riding in unfamiliar traffic.

 

Your mobile phone will not guide you that way and you will need to know where you are going first. OR you ask your phone to do it in stages. Pattaya-Chonburi. Chonburi-Bang Pakong. Bang Pakong-Samut Prakan etc.

 

You maybe able to fool your phone by setting home and Red Cross as work and set it up for commuting and select "motorbike"

 

Send me a PM if you need some assistance 

 

OP, its basically follow Sukumvit Rd. (follow signs for route 3) Set the route on your phone, some places it will have you on expressways etc, drag and drop the route back to Sukumvit rd (3).

 

 

16 minutes ago, Peterw42 said:

OP, its basically follow Sukumvit Rd. (follow signs for route 3) Set the route on your phone, some places it will have you on expressways etc, drag and drop the route back to Sukumvit rd (3).

 

 

I'm not clever enough to drag and drop on my phone 

11 minutes ago, VocalNeal said:

I'm not clever enough to drag and drop on my phone 

Maybe easier to do on laptop then send to phone. 

I think in the OP case, just follow route 3, or literally follow the bikes at major intersections. 

17 minutes ago, JaiLai said:

What do you suggest, stay at home and never go out?


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Why can you not come up with useful suggestions rather than posting stupid comments.

Why can you not come up with useful suggestions rather than posting stupid comments.

Pot / kettle / black


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5 hours ago, Hal65 said:

Ok then. Can someone advise on a route I can take that is legal and comparatively safe? If other Thais ride scooters along that route it would be safe enough for me.

 

5 hours ago, colinneil said:

What a crazy question, what is a safe route? No route anywhere here is safe.

It is not how you drive/ ride. it is all the crazy bar stewards drive.

He did say “comparatively” safe. 

He was asking for directions, not a lecture.

 

23 minutes ago, colinneil said:

Why can you not come up with useful suggestions rather than posting stupid comments.

 

According to Waze it looks like the non highway route will take over 3.5 hours. That's more time than taking a bus + the initial wait. So I guess that will be my best option short of renting a car for a day.

OP

papa has ridden small bikes all over Thailand, Cambodia, Laos.

many 10s of thousands of kilometres.

...have ridden the route you suggest several times.

..would not do it again.

filthy, dangerous, slow.

Maybe 5 hours if you don't get lost.

Bus is cheap. Skytrain cheap.

but up to you.

Let us know how it turns out.

????

Yep and the bus drops you at Ekamai a stone's throw from the BTS.

google maps in settings you can put motorbike and avoid tollways easy

2 hours ago, Hal65 said:

According to Waze it looks like the non highway route will take over 3.5 hours. That's more time than taking a bus + the initial wait. So I guess that will be my best option short of renting a car for a day.

Hope the PrEP is free considering the trouble you are going to, to get it.

I thought all the research on PrEP had concluded 

 

Not open to public transport suggestions. Hopefully someone who doesn't mind riding a little scooter around Thailand can chime in

why not? the big bus from North Pattaya bus station goes to Ekamai, 107 baht and much safer than a scooter. I've been to Red Cross it's not an area that's easy to park.

 

There is motorbike parking next to North Pattaya bus station, 30 baht a day

 

 

I rode on Bangna Trad with my 390cc bike once from Bangkok to Bang Saen beach. Yes, it can be done and yes, I survived it.

But it was a horrible trip. Lots and lots of big trucks, dangerous U-turns, etc.

And on the way back some cars racing between the trucks.

No, that was definitely no fun and dangerous - even on a bike with enough power to accelerate to 150 or something like that.

I wouldn't do it again.

I started a thread about that trip in this forum probably about 10 months ago. And basically everybody agreed that road should be avoided.

10 hours ago, Hal65 said:

Not open to public transport suggestions. Hopefully someone who doesn't mind riding a little scooter around Thailand can chime in

There's a few Thai scooter enthusiasts on utube that ride all over Thailand and vlog.

Maybe get in touch with them although I haven't seen any that speak English in their vlogs.

Theres a Vespa chic (The Wandering Wasp - utube) rides hardcore all over Thailand from Malaysia and she speaks English search her and contact her would be my bet!

Get yourself some road maps and plan your trip via small backroads. If you have time to cruise along on the backroads why not. KEEP OF BIG ARTERIAL ROADS ... AND CAN'T RIDE ON FREEWAYS - ILLEGAL!!! 

Take 2 days to do the trip. Thai roads are bloody dangerous but f it, you only live n die once, flip that kick-stand up and feel the wind in your face.

It's the journey not the destination man! 

11 hours ago, Hal65 said:

Not open to public transport suggestions. Hopefully someone who doesn't mind riding a little scooter around Thailand can chime in

First, have you ever ridden your 125 CC, that distant you are talking about 140 KM or more depending on the route that is taken. It is not only harsh on your body but harsh on the bike since it is air cool only. 

From Pattaya, I've not done it since they started all the construction on Hwy 7, for the toll plaza there was a time before they started operation you could take your bike regardless of the sign you got to be really unlucky especially a Farang would get stopped. I've been using my motorbike from Nongprue Hwy 7 for years even today to Sukhumvit regardless fo the sign never a problem but today if you are going towards Bangkok the toll booth is open and you won't be allowed. Before the booth was opened I use to do a yearly ride on my mountain bike from Pattaya to Bangkok Nana area using Hwy 7, all the way to Chon Buri then getting off 7 to Route 34 which runs to Sukhumvit. Or as noted you can go down Route 3 Sukhumvit, all the way through to the end of Chon Buri then to Route 34, slow and lots of signal lights.

Why motorbike?  when you can catch the bus for 108 each way to Bangkok, the gas alone for the trip would be more than the cost of the bus ride.???? I usually take it to Ekamai then BTS or motorbike to Red Cross. It is safe and most of all A/C 2.5 hours instead of on your 125CC 4-6 hours by the time you get there it might be closed. Whatever your reason think about it!

 

I've driving there quite a few times with a Honda PCX, but i always continued on highway 3 until the Chonburi by pass.

You should definitely take the Highway under the Motorway and stay away from the frontage road. Yes, there are always many trucks, but in general they just drive straight, no big risk, they become risky when they are entering or leaving the frontage road. Actually it's not allowed to drive there with a motorbike, but the two times when i passed a police check point there they didn't try to stop me, they were only interested in trucks.

The speed depends on the traffic, there is often so much traffic that the majority of traffic isn't moving faster than 70-80km/h, so even with a 125cc bike it's no problem to flow with the traffic. If there is not much traffic just pay attention to people who drive fast and will overtake you.

For Gods sake!!!  Get a bus!

you could take direct bus to Suvarnabhumi airport which is much quicker,

airportlink to Makasan and MRT Petchaburi (short walk from Makasan (skybridge) to Silom.

12 hours ago, papa al said:

Did you notice the signs on motorway 7 forbidding motorcycles?

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[There is  a Red Cross operation in SiRacha]

How about I re-phrase the question: do you want to die/live a crippled life?   Or maybe it doesn't matter to you, either case good luck on Thai roads, I hope you are never part of the statistics here. 

It doesn't appear to be a fun journey Pattaya to Red Cross. Have a fun ride another day