Your Thoughts On Big Bikes On Our Roads

[hendrix]

Love 'em or hate 'em?

[crudy21]

Neither love em or hate em but only for the very brave or very crazy, or both!

[crudy21]

P.S. The bike in the picture is neither a Harley or a Chopper!

[philliphn]

Too much power for Thai roads and local driving conditions.

Not munuverable enough for Thai roads and local conditions.

[Kerryd]

P.S. The bike in the picture is neither a Harley or a Chopper!

Nor is it even in Thailand (notice the licence plates have been conveniently blurred out to hide the fact).

But I still Love Them !

[Taijitu]

It's not the machinery that is the problem, it's the selfish owners/riders and their antisocial behaviour. They're concerned mainly with themselves and their own egos and advantages to the exclusion of others. A cretinous Harley owner started, and revved his unsilenced agricultural machine, only a few feet from my 2-year old daughter. She thought that it was the end of her young world and then had nightmares for several days.

Some of these people can be disruptive to any normal standards of social behaviour. (Note the word "some")

The poll says it all......I hate them with a passion.

Edited August 31, 2008 by Taijitu

[doctormann]

I'm not a biker but I guess that these big bikes are fine on the open road. They do seem singularly inappropriate for use in a city environment though, especially in narrow sois.

As has been pointed out previously, it's not so much the bikes that are a problem but the inconsiderate riders. There is really no excuse for riding one of these large, very noisy machines, at high speed, down a narrow soi, making pedestrians, noodle vendors and everyone else dive for cover!

DM

[Kerryd]

It's not the machinery that is the problem, it's the selfish owners/riders and their antisocial behaviour. They're concerned mainly with themselves and their own egos and advantages to the exclusion of others. A cretinous Harley owner started, and revved his unsilenced agricultural machine, only a few feet from my 2-year old daughter. She thought that it was the end of her young world and then had nightmares for several days.

Some may be like that, but from what I've seen they are in the (very small) minority.

My landlady's granddaughter (15 months old) squeals and claps her hands whenever I start up my bike, or pull up in front of the building from wherever I've been.

Speaking of "selfish owners/riders and their antisocial behaviour", I saw on the news last night that the Jesters Motorcycle Club raised over 7 million baht for charity at a recent event.

Imagine what they could have done if they weren't so selfish and anti-social !

[gmac]

I agree with a number of the responses here. Choppers and Harleys are too big for the local Soi's, too noisy to drive in town, especially when driven inconsiderately as they are by a number of their riders. Occasionally a group of them pass down my Soi, probably on the way to some m/c club meeting, and the noise is horrendous. I hate them with a vengeance!

[johnh101]

Personally I have a much bigger problem with the unlicensed 14 year olds riding unregistered 80 cc customised death traps.

[Naam]

Your thoughts on Big Bikes on our roads

Confucius says: "big farang on big bike on thai roads have small pecker."

[Kerryd]

Confucius says: "big farang on big bike on thai roads have small pecker."

My g/f disagrees with that last part (vigorously) !

[aussiechick]

I will agree with Kerryd - a very small minority are selfish and ignorant. You will notice that these are usually the tourists that come and hire a "big bike" so he can prove what a man he is with the T G/F clinging on the back. I watch them scream down 2nd road night after night!!

The majority of guys that live here are not irresponsible - Harleys cost to much to be an idiot.

Kerryd - the Jesters Care for Kids Children's Day is on 14 September - the 7 million baht raised is the amount from sponsors so far - more to come. There you will also see lots of MC's from all over.

[imaneggspurt]

Up to you, i say,but after riding sportsbikes all my life im now riding a dual purpose on /off road bike as it suits the type of <deleted> roads in thailand, i would say anything from a honda xr250 to an africa twin is the way to go on this continent depending on distance and how sereious you are off road,.anything other than that in my opinion is for show,and not practical,. as for the harley furguson types well i cant have have one as i cant grow the beard ! .ps kawasaki have just released a klx250 in thailand, PERFECT,,

Edited August 31, 2008 by imaneggspurt

[imaneggspurt]

P.S. The bike in the picture is neither a Harley or a Chopper!

She can have a ride on my chopper anytime she wants !.

[Naam]

Confucius says: "big farang on big bike on thai roads have small pecker."

My g/f disagrees with that last part (vigorously) !

exceptions prove the rule

[Gary A]

I dislike them all equally. I think you have to have a death wish to ride ANY motorcycle in Pattaya.

[Kerryd]

...as for the harley furguson types well i cant have have one as i cant grow the beard !

Beards are optional in Thailand ! Of the 30+ guys (mostly Thai) I ride with, one has a bit of a goatee. No one has a beard, only a few have tattoos, and a couple have a little extra padding around the middle.

It may be different in clubs that have mostly farang members though.

And you don't have to have a Harley. The other night at a party I looked at the various bikes parked outside. Half were Harleys, the rest were Yamahas, Hondas and Kawasakis (many customized). Haven't seen a club (yet) that was restricted to just Harleys (though they may be out there).

Sure there are some nutty drivers, but everyday I see far more examples of hazardous driving from people on 100s/125s. Obviously there are more of those on the streets than big bikes, but if there is a problem (accident) it's also far more likely to involve one of those than a big bike.

As aussiechick mentioned, many tourists come to town and rent the biggest, baddest bikes available (you've seen all those vendors along Beach Road), and ride around like they have some special immunity.

They are often easy to spot. Big-assed-bikes (all types) driven by someone wearing shorts and flip-flops, tearing down Beach Road/#2 Road/etc like they have a licence from the Almighty his/herself. Their main saving graces is that those two roads are one-ways. Most of those people would be totally screwed on the normal 2-way (or as we know, 6-way) streets in the rest of the city, even if they are used to driving on the "other" side of the road.

The guys I know wear boots, long pants, t-shirts or long-sleeved shirts, vests, helmets and glasses/googles while driving in the city. (Add jackets, gloves and face-covering bandanas for the open road)

Most tourists don't pack that kind of gear when going on holidays, and a lot of them seem to think it's not needed here. I'm sure if they were riding their nice, safe, regulated roads back home (if they are even allowed to drive motorcycles back home), they wouldn't act or dress the same way.

But that's the kicker, isn't it ? How many of those people aren't qualified to drive (motorcycles) in their home country ? Or have a scooter back home and figure that qualifies them to drive a 1,200cc+ bike here ? From what I've heard, a lot of the vendors aren't too concerned about your qualifications, as long as you have money and a copy of your passport (or your passport itself).

When I was posted to Germany in the 80's, we had to take (and pass) a motorcycle course before being licenced to drive. Problem was, the course was taught in a little closed-circuit course using 125cc bikes, and you never went over 15 km/hr (10 mph). Once qualified, there was nothing stopping you from running out and buying some 1,200cc crotch-rocket and testing it on the autobahn.

Which is exactly what some of our guys did.

9 vehicle accidents in the first 3 months of our tour. 6 were people wiping out on motorcycles (pretty much all of them the same cause, couldn't handle the big bikes at high speeds. Crashed on curves, or while trying to brake suddenly, or while trying to do a lane change, etc).

Big bikes driven on the side sois are probably being run by locals that have been doing that all their lives. They know, and the other people on the street know, how each other is normally going to react, and drive accordingly.

If anything, it is the various farangs you encounter that present the biggest hazard. They (often) don't know how the locals have been doing things for years, and expect them to operate like they do back in their home country.

Here the (unwritten) rule seems to be that pedestrians yield to vehicles, not the other way around. I see a lot of farangs get upset when they have to move aside to let vehicles pass (happens a lot around TukCom everyday).

Like other aspects of life here, it seems a lot of people forget that they aren't in their home country anymore, and figure people here should act the same as they would back home. When that doesn't happen, they get upset.

(Personally, I find the speaker-trucks, and the people selling produce out of the back of their trucks while announcing their prices over a loud-speaker, to be far more annoying than any of the big bikes that go by once in awhile).

[poshthai]

A mate of mine has a 1100 cc bike(blackbird i think) and its so powerful my arm nearly gets ripped off when he accelerates.

[dotcom]

The OP's picture is Myrtle Beach Bike Week.

Quite a pair of buns huh?

poshthai. This is the Kawasaki version of Blackbird. ZZR1200. Stupid fast. Superb Motorcycle. 240k baht.

[Taijitu]

It's not the machinery that is the problem, it's the selfish owners/riders and their antisocial behaviour. They're concerned mainly with themselves and their own egos and advantages to the exclusion of others. A cretinous Harley owner started, and revved his unsilenced agricultural machine, only a few feet from my 2-year old daughter. She thought that it was the end of her young world and then had nightmares for several days.

Some may be like that, but from what I've seen they are in the (very small) minority.

My landlady's granddaughter (15 months old) squeals and claps her hands whenever I start up my bike, or pull up in front of the building from wherever I've been.

Speaking of "selfish owners/riders and their antisocial behaviour", I saw on the news last night that the Jesters Motorcycle Club raised over 7 million baht for charity at a recent event.

Imagine what they could have done if they weren't so selfish and anti-social !

Please, please note......I did emphasise the word "some".

Good for the Jesters that they gave up their time and raised such a huge amount of money for charity. They are to be very highly commended.

But, you miss my point. Whatever they, or others, do to promote the public good or otherwise, there is no <deleted> excuse at all for some of them to raise Cain with the noise from their machines. And please don't tell me that the Jesters ensure that their machines are driven quietly, because they don't. There is absolutely no need for this racket and that's what I'm talking about.

Edited August 31, 2008 by Taijitu

[Taijitu]

...........Oh, and by the way. I am not anti big bikes. I was a big-bike enthusiast in my 20s and I was the very proud owner of a 500 c.c. single cylinder Velocette Venom Thruxton. (That was a big bike in those days but obviously not as big as a Vincent or an Ariel Square Four....but it was fast). Maybe you're too young to know this machine but it still holds the world record for averaging 100 m.p.h. for 24 hours. The sound of the bike from the fish-tailed silencer was a deep and rythmical "boom". Totally inoffensive compared with the unsilenced "tractors" made by Harley-Davidson.

[mr.buffalo]

And while we are on the subject of inappropriate traffic going down the small sois what about the d;ckheads in the huge 4x4s Toyotas, Isuzus et al trying to squeeze past pedestrians vendors etc surely they are the ones with small privates as what the hel_l are they doing with those types of off road vehicles ( chelsea tractors ) in such confined spaces ? Going round showing off no doubt.

[imaneggspurt]

...as for the harley furguson types well i cant have have one as i cant grow the beard !

Beards are optional in Thailand ! Of the 30+ guys (mostly Thai) I ride with, one has a bit of a goatee. No one has a beard, only a few have tattoos, and a couple have a little extra padding around the middle.

It may be different in clubs that have mostly farang members though.

And you don't have to have a Harley. The other night at a party I looked at the various bikes parked outside. Half were Harleys, the rest were Yamahas, Hondas and Kawasakis (many customized). Haven't seen a club (yet) that was restricted to just Harleys (though they may be out there).

Sure there are some nutty drivers, but everyday I see far more examples of hazardous driving from people on 100s/125s. Obviously there are more of those on the streets than big bikes, but if there is a problem (accident) it's also far more likely to involve one of those than a big bike.

As aussiechick mentioned, many tourists come to town and rent the biggest, baddest bikes available (you've seen all those vendors along Beach Road), and ride around like they have some special immunity.

They are often easy to spot. Big-assed-bikes (all types) driven by someone wearing shorts and flip-flops, tearing down Beach Road/#2 Road/etc like they have a licence from the Almighty his/herself. Their main saving graces is that those two roads are one-ways. Most of those people would be totally screwed on the normal 2-way (or as we know, 6-way) streets in the rest of the city, even if they are used to driving on the "other" side of the road.

The guys I know wear boots, long pants, t-shirts or long-sleeved shirts, vests, helmets and glasses/googles while driving in the city. (Add jackets, gloves and face-covering bandanas for the open road)

Most tourists don't pack that kind of gear when going on holidays, and a lot of them seem to think it's not needed here. I'm sure if they were riding their nice, safe, regulated roads back home (if they are even allowed to drive motorcycles back home), they wouldn't act or dress the same way.

But that's the kicker, isn't it ? How many of those people aren't qualified to drive (motorcycles) in their home country ? Or have a scooter back home and figure that qualifies them to drive a 1,200cc+ bike here ? From what I've heard, a lot of the vendors aren't too concerned about your qualifications, as long as you have money and a copy of your passport (or your passport itself).

When I was posted to Germany in the 80's, we had to take (and pass) a motorcycle course before being licenced to drive. Problem was, the course was taught in a little closed-circuit course using 125cc bikes, and you never went over 15 km/hr (10 mph). Once qualified, there was nothing stopping you from running out and buying some 1,200cc crotch-rocket and testing it on the autobahn.

Which is exactly what some of our guys did.

9 vehicle accidents in the first 3 months of our tour. 6 were people wiping out on motorcycles (pretty much all of them the same cause, couldn't handle the big bikes at high speeds. Crashed on curves, or while trying to brake suddenly, or while trying to do a lane change, etc).

Big bikes driven on the side sois are probably being run by locals that have been doing that all their lives. They know, and the other people on the street know, how each other is normally going to react, and drive accordingly.

If anything, it is the various farangs you encounter that present the biggest hazard. They (often) don't know how the locals have been doing things for years, and expect them to operate like they do back in their home country.

Here the (unwritten) rule seems to be that pedestrians yield to vehicles, not the other way around. I see a lot of farangs get upset when they have to move aside to let vehicles pass (happens a lot around TukCom everyday).

Like other aspects of life here, it seems a lot of people forget that they aren't in their home country anymore, and figure people here should act the same as they would back home. When that doesn't happen, they get upset.

(Personally, I find the speaker-trucks, and the people selling produce out of the back of their trucks while announcing their prices over a loud-speaker, to be far more annoying than any of the big bikes that go by once in awhile).

I agree, most bike gangs here dont mind what you ride and the thais i know that have these bikes are good guys, you dont usually see these guys going at breakneck speed in thailand, and just as well, big sports bikes are out for me since i got launced in the air by some road works debris, !..speed kills, i used to think it was propaganda but in thailand its sound advice for bikers !

[BigSnake]

Love seen them crusing in the roadway. If I could accord one I would be right beside them. Ride On, my riding buddies.

[moo9]

I have a big bike, at least it weighs 260 kg without me, but it is fun anyway to cruise the city. I have to admit that I dtive defensively, I do not mind to get passed by crazy Honda Waves or whatever. By far the bigger problem are the big bikes for rent, which are mostly driven by crazy Arabs, who have no idea how to handle the horsepower.

Regards

Moo9

[TexasRanger]

I just rode a Harley Fat Boy from Austin Texas to LA and it was the coolest trip ever, I'm still high from it, I want one here but sadly I only feel comfortable driving "up country" here and the roads where we live have tons of pot holes so a low bike like that would be out of the question. As for Bangkok, I just don't have the balls / kamikaze tendencies for that

That's me and the baby on the left...........

Edited August 31, 2008 by TexasRanger