Swarms of bikers on suicide missions

[Brunolem]

When I arrived in Thailand 20 years ago, I first settled in Pattaya which really was the Extreme City at that time, without the need for an "Hollywood" kind of sign to prove it. 

 

Among the many intriguing things was the very large number of motorbikes and the small number of cars. 

 

(I was able to park my car anywhere I wanted, notably along Second Road, at anytime of the day). 

 

Meanwhile, for bikers and pedestrians, moving around the city was not always safe, far from it. 

 

The first had no regard at all for road rules and notably for one way roads, which they often rode the other way, because it was obviously more convenient... 

 

Pedestrians had to carefully watch the oncoming traffic from both sides, even if they were about to cross a (supposedly) one way road. 

 

But one of the most surprising thing concerning the bikers was the incredible number of them who forgot to kick back the bike's side stand before going on whatever mission, that would often turn out to be a suicide mission because of this pesky side stand. 

 

The problem became so acute that some manufacturers later decided to fit their bikes (at least the scooters) with a system that made it impossible to start the engine as long as the side stand was down. 

 

And when, some years later, I bought a scooter for my wife, I expressely chose one fitted that way... better safe than sorry... 

 

Of course, in the good old days, no one was wearing a crash helmet since the 200 baht fine had not yet been invented. 

 

So you had these swarms of bikers zooming in and from all directions, with no helmet and their side stand down... what could go wrong? You tell me... 

 

Yet, since these bikers were all doing the same stunts, some felt that they needed to add something to stand out from the swarm. 

 

Among them were some young girls riding their bikes in the middle of the day, wearing their... pajamas! 

 

After all and contrary to side stands, ridicule doesn't kill... 

 

And of course there were the families of acrobats who managed to fit 5 members on a small bike, yet only after having negociated with the local temple a discount for a mass funeral. (I am making that last one up). 

 

I don't know how are things today because, like many others, I fled the city after it morphed into some kind of failed family tourism destination, but it is likely that the bike stunts are still going on... 

 

 

Edited July 23, 2019 by Brunolem

[Isaanbiker]

What's your point? 

 

 

 

  

Edited July 23, 2019 by Isaanbiker

[Puchaiyank]

Many bikers are still a lawless bunch...observed a lady in a car trying to turn left to merge onto a busy highway...waiting for what seemed like forever...she has an opening and quickly takes it...only to be hit by a biker running at high speed from the opposite direction...on the wrong side of the road driving against the flow of traffic...

 

Another lawless biker out of commission for awhile...

[EVENKEEL]

12 hours ago, Isaanbiker said:

What's your point? 

 

 

 

  

Not everything needs a point. Sometimes it's just a bored individual who posts.....hey wait a minute, I resemble that comment.

[Brunolem]

29 minutes ago, EVENKEEL said:

Not everything needs a point. Sometimes it's just a bored individual who posts.....hey wait a minute, I resemble that comment.

Not everything has a point. 

 

Many threads report on tourism in Thailand these days, there is no point to them, only to provide information. 

 

Same for the weather reports and many others...