Young French motorcyclist killed after coming out of ABAC uni in Bang Bo

[Lemsta69]

20 minutes ago, rattlesnake said:

I get out plenty, thanks.

 

I know a couple of Thais with larger bikes too, that does not change the relevance of what I am saying. Each time I see a large 2-wheeler on the horizon, I know it's a farang and I am rarely wrong. Admittedly this applies to coastal regions (where I have always lived) which these types tend to favour. You seem to be referring to the 'dek waen', lots of them in Bkk which is a street-racing hotspot or in remote villages where often their bikes are just pumped-up mopeds.

mate I know the difference between a real bike and a moped. plenty of cashed-up Thai boys in my area. those souped-up moped riders you speak of (seen plenty in Patts) would give their left nut for a proper racing bike.

[roo860]

38 minutes ago, Lemsta69 said:

mate I know the difference between a real bike and a moped. plenty of cashed-up Thai boys in my area. those souped-up moped riders you speak of (seen plenty in Patts) would give their left nut for a proper racing bike.

Absolutely! The garage where I have my bike serviced etc in Chiang Mai has regular flow of Thai owned superbikes, also the group I ride out with has a large percentage of Thai riders.

Not your 2 week hire a big bike tourist which frequent the beach resorts. 

Edited July 10, 2022 by roo860

[Lemsta69]

2 hours ago, Liverpool Lou said:

...with the exception of almost every Thai who is able to get finance fairly easily, and I'd guess that most of those purchases are financed one way or another.

ah so that's why all my Grab delivery boys are riding CBR900s or Ducati 996s or whatever the latest fashion is. as stated above I know very little about donorcycles except that "big bikes" are hideously expensive and go like stink.

[rattlesnake]

2 minutes ago, Lemsta69 said:

ah so that's why all my Grab delivery boys are riding CBR900s or Ducati 996s or whatever the latest fashion is. as stated above I know very little about donorcycles except that "big bikes" are hideously expensive and go like stink.

Never seen that, I'm sure it exists but definitely not the norm.

 

1 hour ago, Lemsta69 said:

mate I know the difference between a real bike and a moped. plenty of cashed-up Thai boys in my area. those souped-up moped riders you speak of (seen plenty in Patts) would give their left nut for a proper racing bike.

My initial post was about the average Thai, of course there are exceptions but at the end of the day what I'm saying is Thailand is not motorcycle-friendly and the average tourist jumping on a machine he is not trained to drive usually learns it the hard way.

 

Have a great day!

[richard_smith237]

On 7/8/2022 at 4:49 PM, rattlesnake said:

Seems like most of those who kill themselves on "big bikes" are foreigners who don't have a clue about traffic rules here. Most Thais know only too well how dangerous their roads are don't go near them.

Not really.... 

 

‘seems’... because thats what you read on forums such as this where the news is more ‘wester-centric’ and involves stories of westerners meeting their demise. 

 

The reality is there are a lot of Thai’s riding around on large motorcycles...  If you were to read the Thai news and follow forums such as ‘Pantip’ you would read of a lot more accidents involving Thai riders of large machines, a lot of that coverage also makes it to these pages. 

 

On 7/8/2022 at 4:49 PM, rattlesnake said:

There should be a mandatory course on driving in Thailand before anyone is allowed to rent/buy a vehicle, especially a 2-wheeled one.

I am a biker myself but since moving here I have only driven scooters.

 

There is...  and the Law states that people cannot ride or rent motorcycles without a motorcycle licence. 

So what happens ??.... the shops that rent out motorcycles don’t pay any attention to the law.

 

I’ve just stepped down to a scooter (300cc Vespa), its noticeably less stable than a motorcycle and the brakes are poorer.

 

Not only that, there is the ‘visibility factor’... on a larger ‘real motorcycle’ other vehicles seem to notice you more, whereas on a scooter you are just another Somchai who can be cut off, cut up, blocked, not seen etc etc....  

 

I’m wondering if riding a larger bike is not actually safer, even in central Bangkok - the issue is of course size and storage, scooters are just a lot more convenient. 

 

 

 

 

 

[ThailandRyan]

On 7/8/2022 at 10:39 AM, Emdog said:

I guess this student has learned his lesson...

Unfortunately he gets the wrong type of a passing grade for his life, but he did leave his mark.  RIP

[BTB1977]

Guessing he had a death wish. Only one person to blame here. 

[rattlesnake]

2 hours ago, richard_smith237 said:

Not really.... 

 

‘seems’... because thats what you read on forums such as this where the news is more ‘wester-centric’ and involves stories of westerners meeting their demise. 

 

The reality is there are a lot of Thai’s riding around on large motorcycles...  If you were to read the Thai news and follow forums such as ‘Pantip’ you would read of a lot more accidents involving Thai riders of large machines, a lot of that coverage also makes it to these pages. 

 

 

There is...  and the Law states that people cannot ride or rent motorcycles without a motorcycle licence. 

So what happens ??.... the shops that rent out motorcycles don’t pay any attention to the law.

 

I’ve just stepped down to a scooter (300cc Vespa), its noticeably less stable than a motorcycle and the brakes are poorer.

 

Not only that, there is the ‘visibility factor’... on a larger ‘real motorcycle’ other vehicles seem to notice you more, whereas on a scooter you are just another Somchai who can be cut off, cut up, blocked, not seen etc etc....  

 

I’m wondering if riding a larger bike is not actually safer, even in central Bangkok - the issue is of course size and storage, scooters are just a lot more convenient. 

 

 

 

 

 

I see your point regarding coverage of Westerners vs Thais. For foreigners involved in these accidents, the main issue is often lack of knowledge and experience on Thai roads (aside from intoxication which doesn't help). Which is why I mentioned training specifically aimed at foreigners. A day course where you learn that when people flash their lights it does not mean they are giving way but that they are coming fast and will not stop, that the larger vehicle always has right of way, that people drive on the wrong side of the road all the time, that they cross the road without looking etc. You'd be surprised at how many newbies just don't know these things.

 

And I do think a lot of Thais are weary of these big bikes as I hear them say it on a regular basis. When my dad, who is a very experienced Harley driver, was considering a road trip here, most of my Thai acquaintances advised against it for safety reasons. The bottom line is its just too dangerous and your average Thai knows it.

 

About safety of scooters vs mororcycles, yeah it's debatable. To me the core issue is speed: you can ride safely on a real bike 90% of the time, however if you're doing 80 km/h or more and someone cuts you off (which statistically is very possible in the long run) it's over. On my scooter my average speed is 40 and I can anticipate a lot more things.