The Samui Driving Directory

[Jamo]

Hello All, i would like to share with you, all of which i have learned in regards to safe driving in Thailand over my 25 years of visiting and living here.

Follow these simple steps and we guarantee your chances of having an accident and seriously injuring yourself will be greatly reduced.

-Always wear a full face helmet… what is the use of a lid style helmet when you hit your chin and shatter your jaw?

I would recommend a moto-cross helmet as they are built to withstand hard core shocks and falls on rocks and rugged terrain. It also allows for far better air-ventilation and the option of wearing glasses or goggles underneath. White coloured is preferable due to light reflectivity.

-Relax and enjoy the driving experience here, don’t fly around like your bum is on fire.

-Always, always remember that, even if you know the road you are driving on like the back of your hand, new lines, potholes and sand patches can be created over night. Therefore assume at all times that a new obstruction is awaiting your wheels just around the corner.

-Wear jeans at all times when driving.. Put a t-shirt on, but always wear denim, it will literally save your skin in the event of an accident. Bare in mind your legs are most likely to be the first point of contact with the road in the event of a fall.

-Learn how to use your brakes properly. You must apply the back brake first, always, and only when necessary begin applying the front brake as this will ensure if there is sand, and you skid, the back end is far easier to control and correct. The front brake should be kept for emergencies only. If the back brake is a disk, and not a drum then this is definitely sufficient in stopping you safely so long as you are not going over 60 kmh or accelerating rapidly.If you have a disk brake on both front and back wheels hover two fingers over the middle (not the very end) of the lever as this creates excessive leverage when pulled, and a disk brake on a motorbike front end is a sure fire way to lock up the wheel when used in excess and quickly result in a crash. Practice using you fore finger and index finger on the front brake on a clean, non-sandy area like a parking are and repeat until you are confident of a rapid deceleration using back, then front brakes WITHOUT skidding at all. If you skid on clean tarmac, you will definitely skid on the open road.

-If you do skid on your front wheel try very hard not to panic, when you panic, your reactions are impaired. British special forces are trained in a particular scenario over and over and over again to ensure when the real thing takes place, your mind does not ‘flap’ and your reactions are accurate and speedy.

You must, in the event of a skid on the front wheel, immediately ease off the pressute and apply more to the rear.Steer the wheel slightly into the skid while leaning the back out at an angle simultaneously. Not sure what I mean, or maybe thinking this cannot be good information? Get online and check out Speedway driving on bikes and this will clearly demonstrate this technique. These guys literally spend the entire race skidding on the front wheel, and seldom crash! Neither do they have a front brake!!

-Follow the two second rule while distancing yourself from other traffic. Simply take a tree or any fixed object ahead next to the road, and as the driver in front reaches it with his front wheel, say in acalm way to yourself, only a fool breaks the two second rule. If by this time, you have reached that object, you are too close, back away and repeat until you reach the marker AFTER finishing the phrase.

-Buy some quality Shock absorbers for your bike, these will give you more stability and comfort in general. Gazi make some good models but they should not cost too much, expect around 3.500 to 4000 for the front, and about 1700 to 2000 for each rear shock. This really will transform the ride of your bike, and you will definitely be pleased with the results.

-By some alloy wheels for your bike, they are cheap here, and are worth their weight in gold when it comes to improving ride quality and safety. How? Well, the spinning alloy wheel will generate more centrifugal force when spinning and therefore give you more torque to the road, thereby better stability.

-Invest in some wider tires, the wider the better for obvious reasons.

-Drive with your thumb hovering over the horn, and don’t be afraid to use it. As a bike driver, you are less visible than a car, or truck and so if you suspect someone has not noticed your presence, simply beep once abruptly and take it from there. The importance of this cannot be underestimated.

- Upgrade your headlights to HID or Zenon bulbs. Again, not expensive, but very useful.

-Change your grips on the bike for good quality, fatter ones. This will give you more control over the speed and balance.

-Wear a surgical face mask any time setting off on a journey further away than the house down the road. The air quality here on Samui is terrible, totally filled with heavy dust particles, pollutants, chemicals from building and who knows what else. A simply surgical mask, preferably carbon filtered, will ensure your lungs do not become clogged by long term dust inhalation.

-Remember, if a car or bike flashes its headlights at you, it means they want to come through or pass the object ahead first. Do not attempt to get their first, simply give way.

-Buy a good set of brake pads, very cheap, very effective in stopping you quicker and more safely.

Regards..

James

[LaoPo]

Welcome to Thaivisa...after your "25 years of visiting and living here."..Samui that is.

May I suggest to forget about your rules and NEVER drive a motobike on Samui ever again ?

Instead: drive a car and fasten your seat belts

LaoPo

[chavy]

& take plenty of money when using the thieving taxi drivers

[sbk]

Perhaps better in the motoring forum?

[H2oDunc]

I have to say it started off well then lapsed quickly into the biggest load of bollO^%$s ive ever heard. Obviously havent spent that long riding bies. When it got to the " buy some alloy wheels as they spin faster and the centrifugal force gives you more grip " I had to stop. Alloy weels are probably worse on Samui due to the terrible pot holes about. Bouncng some nice thin alloy wheels around is expensive. Give me solid, steel wheels here any day. The bit about wider tyres here also is a no no. With all the sand on the roads, probably the biggest cause of accdents here, the wider the tyre the bigger the chance of a lock up. I had a back tyre with a 240 section tyre, the biggest tyre on a production motorcycle and it was horrendous. Either locking up or spinning. Im now running a Nouvo, I parked the big boy up here, and have not had 1 lock up or spin. The wear a helmet and jeans are top advice and having a thumb over the horn another good one but the rest ?????????????

[zepplin]

I have to say it started off well then lapsed quickly into the biggest load of bollO^%$s ive ever heard. Obviously havent spent that long riding bies. When it got to the " buy some alloy wheels as they spin faster and the centrifugal force gives you more grip " I had to stop. Alloy weels are probably worse on Samui due to the terrible pot holes about. Bouncng some nice thin alloy wheels around is expensive. Give me solid, steel wheels here any day. The bit about wider tyres here also is a no no. With all the sand on the roads, probably the biggest cause of accdents here, the wider the tyre the bigger the chance of a lock up. I had a back tyre with a 240 section tyre, the biggest tyre on a production motorcycle and it was horrendous. Either locking up or spinning. Im now running a Nouvo, I parked the big boy up here, and have not had 1 lock up or spin. The wear a helmet and jeans are top advice and having a thumb over the horn another good one but the rest ?????????????

TOTALY AGREE STEEL RIMS ARE MUCH MORE DURABLE HERE ON SAMUI,ISLAND OF POTHOLES AND BAD ROADSWORST ROADS IN THAILAND BY FAR .IT SUX SAMUIMAKES 10 BILLION BHT/YEAR BUT DOES ANY COME BACK?ALSO-ALITTLE KNOWN FACT-THERE ARE ROAD SWEEPERS ON THE ISLAND BUT THE HOSPTALS KEEP THEM OFF THE ROAD SO THE HAVEMORE ACCIDENTS/MORE MONEY GREAT ISNT IT...

[Patsycat]

May i add also a complaint from a pedestrian - please don't speed up when you see someone trying to cross the road who subsequently has to jump back and incur the proverbial samui tatoo on their ankle.

[warfie]

I have to say it started off well then lapsed quickly into the biggest load of bollO^%$s ive ever heard. Obviously havent spent that long riding bies. When it got to the " buy some alloy wheels as they spin faster and the centrifugal force gives you more grip " I had to stop.

agreed... perhaps better advice found here... Tips for Driving in Thailand