Another Dead Tourist

[canuckamuck]

Can you describe the Ninja training, sounds very unique.

BTW you are not ready for 1000 CC

especially if you mean as you said. Not in the daytime, not on slow roads. I think you will find 400CC will supply enough adrenaline for a beginner, anything more is just an attempt at compensation for something else. Actually the 400CC is just as capable of snuffing your candle. Your line of thought is exactly what got this thread started in the first place.

[1stbase]

Can you describe the Ninja training, sounds very unique.

BTW you are not ready for 1000 CC

especially if you mean as you said. Not in the daytime, not on slow roads. I think you will find 400CC will supply enough adrenaline for a beginner, anything more is just an attempt at compensation for something else. Actually the 400CC is just as capable of snuffing your candle. Your line of thought is exactly what got this thread started in the first place.

Well basically in Cambodia driving goes in all directions with minimal traffic laws so you gotta watch out for hundreds of other bikes, cars, cyclists, pedestrians, cows, dust, dogs, and anything else making its way to your path. With aggressive cycling experience back home in downtown Toronto I was able to hit the main roads in Phnom Penh immediately after a 30 min lesson on a dirt road. By the third day I was able to drive like a true Cambodian making driving a motorbike in Thailand seem like a joke. Now like I mentioned earlier, I am not suicidal. I would never race or pop wheelies but i do enjoy going fast on a street where I can easily be alert for obstacles. My theory is that going relatively fast usually eliminates passing danger behind you so you can focus on what's in front. I might appear like an idiot for that comment but like it or not it's true.

Anyways, back to me trying to work my way up to 1000cc. I am basically learning to ride so when I get back home I can ride my best friends R1. The 150cc bike I rented a few days ago was super fast and I imagine the 400cc I plan to rent soon will be overwhelming. If I think I am ready for 600cc or 1000cc then I am going to give it a safe go. Right now life is more valuable to me than every, I am in great health and shape and have no stress so I wouldn't dare touch a bigger bike than 400cc unless I think I can handle it and am well equiped incase of an accident.

Which brings me to another question, anyone know a good place in Pattaya where I can buy some leather motorcycle pants?

[1stbase]

Arabs are by far one of the best drivers in the world.

Lol. A wee bit of pee seeped out the end of ma boabie when I read that one.

Hilarious.

No really, the driving conditions in their home country are one of the worse so foreign roads are a joke to them.

Edited December 19, 2007 by 1stbase

[Gary A]

I'm just a kill joy. I consider any tourist riding a bike in Pattaya as having a death wish. The young people think their skill will save them and if their skill doesn't save them it really doesn't matter because they are bullet proof. The best rider in the world cannot avoid the mother and her three kids riding a raggedy 100 cc bike pulling out in front of them. Baht buses pretty much do as they want. Buses and ten wheelers are in a class of their own. Good luck, you'll need it.

[canuckamuck]

We get lots of folks comin to visit us for a spell. Half of them rent bikes, most of them crash. And they are only renting scooters. It isn't their skill that is an issue. It is the understanding of Thai traffic that is missing. If you try to predict what will happen next, you will get it wrong. You need to know all the stupid things that are possible and expect all of them to happen. And just when you get used to the traffic, beware the dogs, coconuts on the road, cloud of hot chili gas, car eating pothole marked with a branch, bugs getting into your helmet, butterfly the size of a bird smacking you in the face, and my favorite, puddles of stinky fish water that leaked out of some overloaded pickup while waiting at the light. When you are the master of all these, you might be ready for a big bike in Thailand.

[1stbase]

We get lots of folks comin to visit us for a spell. Half of them rent bikes, most of them crash. And they are only renting scooters. It isn't their skill that is an issue. It is the understanding of Thai traffic that is missing. If you try to predict what will happen next, you will get it wrong. You need to know all the stupid things that are possible and expect all of them to happen. And just when you get used to the traffic, beware the dogs, coconuts on the road, cloud of hot chili gas, car eating pothole marked with a branch, bugs getting into your helmet, butterfly the size of a bird smacking you in the face, and my favorite, puddles of stinky fish water that leaked out of some overloaded pickup while waiting at the light. When you are the master of all these, you might be ready for a big bike in Thailand.

That's where my trip to Cambodia played an important role in feeling comfortable on Thailand roads. I think what makes a safe driver here isn't his knowledge of his bike/roads, his experience driving at home, but how alert he is and how he uses his eyes, breaks, and steering wheel to manover around and avoid situations. Especially going in between cars in slow traffic, I always slow down passing each vehicle to make way for other motorbikes coming in, dogs, or even worse drunk or stupid pedestrians. I have over 20 windows open right now with safety information on bike riding and I plan to read most of them over the next few days.

Heres the best reading so far =

http://www.webbikeworld.com/Motorcycle-Saf...udy-summary.htm

[Gary A]

We get lots of folks comin to visit us for a spell. Half of them rent bikes, most of them crash. And they are only renting scooters. It isn't their skill that is an issue. It is the understanding of Thai traffic that is missing. If you try to predict what will happen next, you will get it wrong. You need to know all the stupid things that are possible and expect all of them to happen. And just when you get used to the traffic, beware the dogs, coconuts on the road, cloud of hot chili gas, car eating pothole marked with a branch, bugs getting into your helmet, butterfly the size of a bird smacking you in the face, and my favorite, puddles of stinky fish water that leaked out of some overloaded pickup while waiting at the light. When you are the master of all these, you might be ready for a big bike in Thailand.

That's where my trip to Cambodia played an important role in feeling comfortable on Thailand roads. I think what makes a safe driver here isn't his knowledge of his bike/roads, his experience driving at home, but how alert he is and how he uses his eyes, breaks, and steering wheel to manover around and avoid situations. Especially going in between cars in slow traffic, I always slow down passing each vehicle to make way for other motorbikes coming in, dogs, or even worse drunk or stupid pedestrians. I have over 20 windows open right now with safety information on bike riding and I plan to read most of them over the next few days.

Heres the best reading so far =

http://www.webbikeworld.com/Motorcycle-Saf...udy-summary.htm

You feel like you are skillful and bullet proof. Over confidence is often fatal mistake. Good luck with your travels. I really do hope your accident is NOT fatal. It's not a question of if you will go down, it's a question of when.

[madjbs]

Is this the poor guy that was just killed avoiding a dog? If not I will keep an eye on the headlines.

[Petch01]

Is this the poor guy that was just killed avoiding a dog? If not I will keep an eye on the headlines.

http://www.pattayadailynews.com/shownews.p...NEWS=0000004586

[Gary A]

Is this the poor guy that was just killed avoiding a dog? If not I will keep an eye on the headlines.

http://www.pattayadailynews.com/shownews.p...NEWS=0000004586

Anyone else have a problem with this website? Bit Defender says it contains a Trojan called Clicker. Be careful.

[canuckamuck]

Yeah I thought that site was acting weird, it took a long time to open and it clicked about 6 times in a row just before it opened. My Norton didn't say a thing though, typical.

It doesn't matter I am reformatting the hard drive on the weekend anyway.

[paulsmithson]

Old guy here.Rode em and raced em most of my life.

Broke my neck at 28 on a race track ,then 30 yearsaccident free

. Ten 2 years ago came off a yam at 160 MPH ---Took down a telephone pole with my shoulder ( had it been my neck I would not be here) Lay undiscovered in tall grass for one annd a half hours then a helicopter flight to the nearest hospital,

I am so lucky to be alive, and this FOOL thinks he can step up to an R1 in a matter of weeks.

My condolances to your family FOOL.

[1stbase]

Old guy here.Rode em and raced em most of my life.

Broke my neck at 28 on a race track ,then 30 yearsaccident free

. Ten 2 years ago came off a yam at 160 MPH ---Took down a telephone pole with my shoulder ( had it been my neck I would not be here) Lay undiscovered in tall grass for one annd a half hours then a helicopter flight to the nearest hospital,

I am so lucky to be alive, and this FOOL thinks he can step up to an R1 in a matter of weeks.

My condolances to your family FOOL.

Whats a Yam?

So I just got back from my last night stroll at 100cc, checking out where I am going to drive my 400cc Friday, noticing potholes etc. Sukumvit seems like a good candidate for anything over 80km/h. Anyways, I stopped on 3rd road near south pattaya road to wipe the fog off my helmets face cover and I hear bang and look 5 meters infront of me and a motorbike just crashed into another motorbike with a food stand attached, at a really high speed too. My bike was parked so like everyone else in that area I rushed to see if i can assist. From what I imagine, the food stand bike was making a turn onto 3rd road and the motorbike must have been destracted and wham. The guy on the motorbike was wearing head helmet and received a nasty cut to his eye, the other driver wasn't wearing a helmet and his head was bleeding. At first he stood up but then he laid on the floor for 5 minutes with a towel to his head. Looks like they are both okay as the guy with no helmet was later sitting up. Now this is very ironic the same day I was considering progressing to an R1 and you'd imagine that I'd be an idiot to want to drive one now but no. It's more of a lesson to me to keep paying attention on the road, and to but a full face helmet instead of the half face one i just purchased a few days ago. As I read earlier at the link I provided above, this scene that occured today is one of the main causes for motorcycle accidents. The number one cause is a car making a left turn without seeing the motorcycle but that shit probably doesn't happen much here as opposed to in the USA where motorcycles are rare and no one expects them when turning. I am also going to invest in some good gear so when and if I do crash, as long as its not at a super high speed and some car doesn't run me over well i lying on the pavement or running off the highway, then I should live to see another two wheeler, a wheelchair.

[Macx]

cloud of hot chili gas,

car eating pothole marked with a branch,

:D

Yep! Spot on, bud!

The firs time I got the chili gas cloud, it was horrible! Thought I was gonna go blind. Only experience that in LOS though.

As for the second point, now even a sprig of greenery in the road gets my full attention

Over fifteen years on motorcycles and I'm still nowhere as confident as some of these newbies on bikes.

[Crossy]

Whats a Yam?

I am also going to invest in some good gear so when and if I do crash, as long as its not at a super high speed and some car doesn't run me over well i lying on the pavement or running off the highway, then I should live to see another two wheeler, a wheelchair.

Learn what a Yam is before getting on one http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yamaha_YZF-R1

Unfortunately it doesn't work like that, I had a good mate killed many years back at less than 30 mph IN A CAR!!! (don't even think about telling me you're safer on a bike, I have the scars to show you're not).

Are you really contemplating that a life in a wheelchair is worth a couple of blasts on a beast?

I can only reiterate what everone else is saying, get two YEARS rather than two weeks of riding experience then think about the big machine.

Edited December 20, 2007 by Crossy

[solent01]

I have been riding Bikes since I was 9 years old, first bike was a 50cc Scrambler, I started riding on the road on my 16th birthday (was legal to ride on the road at that age). I am now 38 and have owned a great number of bikes, mostly high powered Superbikes. I consider myself to be a very experianced rider both on and off road, and the No.1 consideration for me is safety, I would not call riding in Thailand safe, @ 1stbase, riding fast so the danger is behind you ???????? What are you talking about, riding in Cambodia for a few weeks makes you an experianced safe rider ?????? What are you talking about, your now looking to ride a 1000cc Superbike (yet you havn't the skill/experiance to ride anything more powerful than a 125/200cc machine) ????????? WHAT ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT!!!!!!!! I agree with others that with the mind set you are posting with here, you will soon be a statistic.

Edited December 20, 2007 by solent01

[Chris78]

We get lots of folks comin to visit us for a spell. Half of them rent bikes, most of them crash. And they are only renting scooters. It isn't their skill that is an issue. It is the understanding of Thai traffic that is missing. If you try to predict what will happen next, you will get it wrong. You need to know all the stupid things that are possible and expect all of them to happen. And just when you get used to the traffic, beware the dogs, coconuts on the road, cloud of hot chili gas, car eating pothole marked with a branch, bugs getting into your helmet, butterfly the size of a bird smacking you in the face, and my favorite, puddles of stinky fish water that leaked out of some overloaded pickup while waiting at the light. When you are the master of all these, you might be ready for a big bike in Thailand.

Great comment canuckamuck. One of my favourites is getting a facefull of stinky black exhaust smoke from the car in front of me that apparently hasn't been serviced in 10 years. I find it really enhances the riding experience.

[onethailand]

Funny stuff... no matter how safe YOU are, it's always the OTHER idiot that's going to cause the accident, trust me. All the preparation in the world isn't going to help you avoid accidents.

1000cc? Don't make me laugh. I drove 400cc bikes for ages and ages until some nitwit turned left from two lanes out and there was nothing I could do but try to find a good place to land. The one time I got on a 750 I nearly ditched it three times - with NO traffic on a deserted road inside a military base.

And driving in Cambodia will *not* prepare you for driving in Thailand, how silly is that?

Soon be a statistic? The instant he even LOOKS at a 1000, he will be a statistic...

P.S. Where can I sign up for the "special ninja style no holds bar training"? Is it possible for me to walk-in and book or do I need to book two years in advance?

Edited December 20, 2007 by onethailand

[JimsKnight]

Old guy here.Rode em and raced em most of my life.

Broke my neck at 28 on a race track ,then 30 yearsaccident free

. Ten 2 years ago came off a yam at 160 MPH ---Took down a telephone pole with my shoulder ( had it been my neck I would not be here) Lay undiscovered in tall grass for one annd a half hours then a helicopter flight to the nearest hospital,

I am so lucky to be alive, and this FOOL thinks he can step up to an R1 in a matter of weeks.

My condolances to your family FOOL.

Whats a Yam?

So I just got back from my last night stroll at 100cc, checking out where I am going to drive my 400cc Friday, noticing potholes etc. Sukumvit seems like a good candidate for anything over 80km/h. Anyways, I stopped on 3rd road near south pattaya road to wipe the fog off my helmets face cover and I hear bang and look 5 meters infront of me and a motorbike just crashed into another motorbike with a food stand attached, at a really high speed too. My bike was parked so like everyone else in that area I rushed to see if i can assist. From what I imagine, the food stand bike was making a turn onto 3rd road and the motorbike must have been destracted and wham. The guy on the motorbike was wearing head helmet and received a nasty cut to his eye, the other driver wasn't wearing a helmet and his head was bleeding. At first he stood up but then he laid on the floor for 5 minutes with a towel to his head. Looks like they are both okay as the guy with no helmet was later sitting up. Now this is very ironic the same day I was considering progressing to an R1 and you'd imagine that I'd be an idiot to want to drive one now but no. It's more of a lesson to me to keep paying attention on the road, and to but a full face helmet instead of the half face one i just purchased a few days ago. As I read earlier at the link I provided above, this scene that occured today is one of the main causes for motorcycle accidents. The number one cause is a car making a left turn without seeing the motorcycle but that shit probably doesn't happen much here as opposed to in the USA where motorcycles are rare and no one expects them when turning. I am also going to invest in some good gear so when and if I do crash, as long as its not at a super high speed and some car doesn't run me over well i lying on the pavement or running off the highway, then I should live to see another two wheeler, a wheelchair.

If you have the money then buy some of the latest leg armour (lamilar is best) and a bikers jacket with an integrated shock buffering system (if you fly off the bike the trigger pin, connected to the bikes chassis, will inflate the jacket).

See photo:

I'm sending you a PM with a link.

You know seeing that accident could be a sign to jack-in this challenge you're setting yourself.

But then you must find out your own destiny in life not us.

[1stbase]

Lot's of great posts here. Did the 400cc yesterday on a CBR RR. My main problem at first was progressing into first at a traffic light or stop. I stalled a bunch of times because I figure its better to stall then to over rev and do an unintentional wheelie. I drove around for 4 hours, up hill, turns, highway, down hill, traffic, etc. This bike was really powerful and I can just imagine how hard it will be to get on a 1000cc bike. If I was to rent one which I probably will end up doing within the next couple weeks, I would have it taken to a empty street so I can get the hang of things outside of traffic and risk. I also bought some bike pants and a jacket and I am the only one in Thailand I have seen wearing out of my 2 months here. Might try an R6 tomorrow.

I think my main concerns are over reving getting into first and potential risk from reving 1st up to lets say 15k RPM thinking the high speed and wind might flip the bike over. As far as driving on the highway in traffic, once the bike is moving I am ready to go.

That jacket looks nice, I will look into one of those

[Tony Clifton]

We get lots of folks comin to visit us for a spell. Half of them rent bikes, most of them crash. And they are only renting scooters. It isn't their skill that is an issue. It is the understanding of Thai traffic that is missing. If you try to predict what will happen next, you will get it wrong. You need to know all the stupid things that are possible and expect all of them to happen. And just when you get used to the traffic, beware the dogs, coconuts on the road, cloud of hot chili gas, car eating pothole marked with a branch, bugs getting into your helmet, butterfly the size of a bird smacking you in the face, and my favorite, puddles of stinky fish water that leaked out of some overloaded pickup while waiting at the light. When you are the master of all these, you might be ready for a big bike in Thailand.

That's where my trip to Cambodia played an important role in feeling comfortable on Thailand roads. I think what makes a safe driver here isn't his knowledge of his bike/roads, his experience driving at home, but how alert he is and how he uses his eyes, breaks, and steering wheel to manover around and avoid situations. Especially going in between cars in slow traffic, I always slow down passing each vehicle to make way for other motorbikes coming in, dogs, or even worse drunk or stupid pedestrians. I have over 20 windows open right now with safety information on bike riding and I plan to read most of them over the next few days.

Heres the best reading so far =

http://www.webbikeworld.com/Motorcycle-Saf...udy-summary.htm

Reading you, it feels like we`re reading some of your very last words. You sound way too confident in a country where death strikes many times a day on the roads of each and every each province.

Can one write his will while on Thaivisa?

[1stbase]

Without doing any research, I am almost certain that there is a bigger bike:death ratio in the USA than in Thailand. There are far more bikes than cars here in Pattaya so someone dying everyday is no different than someone (well a lot more than 1) dying everyday in New York riding a car.

[canuckamuck]

I looked this up once before, but I am not going to do it again tonight.

The per capita death rate from motorcycle accidents in Thailand is higher than the total motor vehicle (including bikes) death rate in the states.

I don't have the bike only stats for the US, but I can tell you the death rate is much higher in The land of smiles.

[1stbase]

I looked this up once before, but I am not going to do it again tonight.

The per capita death rate from motorcycle accidents in Thailand is higher than the total motor vehicle (including bikes) death rate in the states.

I don't have the bike only stats for the US, but I can tell you the death rate is much higher in The land of smiles.

Whats the bike stats for Thailand?

USA =

"In 2005, for example, the motorcycle fatality rate was 73 per 100,000 registered motorcycles compared with 13.7 per 100,000 registered passenger vehicles, the DOT says."

[canuckamuck]

I looked this up once before, but I am not going to do it again tonight.

The per capita death rate from motorcycle accidents in Thailand is higher than the total motor vehicle (including bikes) death rate in the states.

I don't have the bike only stats for the US, but I can tell you the death rate is much higher in The land of smiles.

Whats the bike stats for Thailand?

USA =

"In 2005, for example, the motorcycle fatality rate was 73 per 100,000 registered motorcycles compared with 13.7 per 100,000 registered passenger vehicles, the DOT says."

Sorry man I am off to bed, and then I am off to my wife's village for 5 days. If you don't believe me do the research. I did it once and I believe me.

Cheers everyone, Merry Christmas, and sawatee bee mai

I guess I will miss the post election chatter. I will catch up when I can.

[rikkie]

mmmmm

you are going to die soon i hope you are budist so you can come back lol

i am 47 and drive a super bike from when i whas 18, but i don't want to drive in thailand annything more then a normal scooter.

so to drive in thai is a good learning school but will get you killed more easy (and i don't mean you are not a responsible driver)

just keep on the 100 cc and live will be great.

[Lickey]

I really dont see what all the fuss is about? if 1stbase wants to ride a 1000cc bike then fine, the throttle works both ways, it will go as slow as a 100cc if you want, he has already stated some good road sense [ not the go fast bit and leave your troubles behind you bit ] but keep your eyes peeled and ride defensivley, not agresssivley, ride with care and have the thought in your mind that everybody is out to get you, Personally, i dont ride my 1200 Yamaha at night, because it looks just like any other bike on the road, and you cant see the other vehicles that dont have lights, specially an R1 with twin headlights, looks like a car in the distance, so i would say go for it, hire the big bike, poodle around town keeping with the traffic ect, head for the open road and give it some head, and stay in the middle of the road, this allows for the locals who join the big road who dont stop or look right!! Happy biking 1stbase, let us know how you get on, Cheers, Lickey..

[JimsKnight]

You sound like you may be ok as long as you keep that fcking right hand and wrist under control when you're out and about on the streets and highways.

Don't race ANYONE as you're still learning the ropes.

Go out sober and during the quiet hours (be aware the drunks are out then usually), carry your insurance documents too.

I'd advise against going into central BKK on that 400cc machine, stick to the outskirts as you'll get tired working a big bike through the gears constantly. Tiredness and big bike in traffic can lead to a prang. Believe me you don't want to drop a big bike in bangkok traffic as picking it up again will be a ninja test with traffic blasting around you.

The impact buffer protection jackets cost in the region of 12,000 baht. I advise you get one. Pattaya is biking central so they probably do have them.

If you buy and use one don't forget to disable the firing pin every time you get off the bike. This prevents firing the air cylinder by accident and looking like the michelin man

Abandon the 1000cc challenge you are setting yourself. Get the experience first, then think about one of those rockets!

Experience is a harsh teacher, she gives the test first and the lesson afterwards.

Learn the ways of the 400cc first, THEN the bigger bikes.

The eyes of the forum are on you!

It would be good to see you come back on here with a ripper of a trip report and prove your critics wrong, instead of us seeing another news article about another fallen rider in an fatal accident.

Good luck!

PS Three oil worker dudes I know live the lives of riley in Bangkok, one of their number thought he was Mr Streethawk out on his bike. Until he got messed up in an accident with a broken leg! Not good! He's out of work for months cause of this (no sick pay either!).

Keep it cool out there Firstbase...

Edited December 21, 2007 by JimsKnight

[Tony Clifton]

Another dead farang in Pattaya this evening, collided with another motorcycle, small ones, both are dead.

[Tony Clifton]

Without doing any research, I am almost certain that there is a bigger bike:death ratio in the USA than in Thailand. There are far more bikes than cars here in Pattaya so someone dying everyday is no different than someone (well a lot more than 1) dying everyday in New York riding a car.

Nonsense. How many years have you been driving around these parts?

After only 5 years, I can assure you it's getting worse year after year, same goes for police performance.

I've driven pretty well everything except for 18 wheelers and want out of here because the roads are just too dangerous. The cost of living is cheap, so is our lives. There are incidents every time you take these roads and it never takes more than a few minutes.

You don't need research, you're in one of the best if not the best labs in the world to observe first hand road deaths and bad driver behavior.

Look at the frequency at which spray painted outlines appear on the road, the same applies wherever you never venture.

Any good driver can spot a minimum of a hundred infractions an hour here, I guarantee you that road deaths follow that curve regarding their frequency.

Edited December 21, 2007 by Tony Clifton