Motorcycle Touring In Thailand

[rideswings]

I will be getting married in march and my fiancee wants to honeymoon for a few days in Chiang Mai, but I want to go to Phuket after that for some sun and water. She currently owns a 125cc Honda, but thats not suitable for long range touring. Is there a place in Thailand that I can rent a bigger bike, maybe 1000 or up thats good for touring? I want to try and avoid buying one because I would not want to keep it. The best bike for the job would be a Goldwing, Harley Ultra, or BMW R or K 1200 with bags and top box.

Also, does anyone have anything bad to say about long range touring? Dangerous? Any pitfalls?

The alternative would be renting a car or taking the bus or plane to Phuket, but to me thats not as much fun.

Edited February 2, 2009 by rideswings

[yabaaaa]

Motorcycles in Thailand = almost certain death. It probably wont be your fault but that doesnt change the outcome,and I am and experienced biker.

[Kan Win]

The alternative would be renting a car

Much better idea than a bike. Pack your load into it and have a safe trip. Bit hot in March BTW so air-con car is a must.

Yours truly,

Kan Win

[Thanyaburi Mac]

I will be getting married in march and my fiancee wants to honeymoon for a few days in Chiang Mai, but I want to go to Phuket after that for some sun and water. She currently owns a 125cc Honda, but thats not suitable for long range touring. Is there a place in Thailand that I can rent a bigger bike, maybe 1000 or up thats good for touring? I want to try and avoid buying one because I would not want to keep it. The best bike for the job would be a Goldwing, Harley Ultra, or BMW R or K 1200 with bags and top box.

Also, does anyone have anything bad to say about long range touring? Dangerous? Any pitfalls?

The alternative would be renting a car or taking the bus or plane to Phuket, but to me thats not as much fun.

I'm a 4-wheeler and happy with such, still have my knees. elbows, etc. However, for those motorized 2-wheelers here in Thailand and elsewhere in the region, take a gander at:

[reason for edit url to forum removed - see forum rules]

Mac

[threelegcowboy]

I will be getting married in march and my fiancee wants to honeymoon for a few days in Chiang Mai, but I want to go to Phuket after that for some sun and water. She currently owns a 125cc Honda, but thats not suitable for long range touring. Is there a place in Thailand that I can rent a bigger bike, maybe 1000 or up thats good for touring? I want to try and avoid buying one because I would not want to keep it. The best bike for the job would be a Goldwing, Harley Ultra, or BMW R or K 1200 with bags and top box.

Also, does anyone have anything bad to say about long range touring? Dangerous? Any pitfalls?

The alternative would be renting a car or taking the bus or plane to Phuket, but to me thats not as much fun.

Boy you sure know how to spend a honeymoon. Something right out of Seager's Fire Lake. I dont know many Thai gals that like ridding long distance on any bike. Unless they can stop a million times and eat.

To make you both happy why not just fly to Phuket or Chaing Mai and rent a small or large bike. There are so many beachs and mountains to see and when you do get tired head back to your room. I have done this method many times.

Also traveled cross country. After so many near death experences on long trips it can be NOT SO ROMANIC. So pick your poison.

[draggons]

Got to be ultra alert when riding on your own out here, no problem if your in a large group though. I'm out on the bike every day, some great roads around but some are just fuc_king terrible.

Nothing better than touring about on a bike.

[jtp]

I will be getting married in march and my fiancee wants to honeymoon for a few days in Chiang Mai, but I want to go to Phuket after that for some sun and water. She currently owns a 125cc Honda, but thats not suitable for long range touring. Is there a place in Thailand that I can rent a bigger bike, maybe 1000 or up thats good for touring? I want to try and avoid buying one because I would not want to keep it. The best bike for the job would be a Goldwing, Harley Ultra, or BMW R or K 1200 with bags and top box.

Also, does anyone have anything bad to say about long range touring? Dangerous? Any pitfalls?

The alternative would be renting a car or taking the bus or plane to Phuket, but to me thats not as much fun.

Riding from Chiang Mai to Phuket(Or any major distance)is almost guaranteed to kill you,or your fiance....But you may get lucky...Could you live with yourself if your fiance was a quadriplegic? All the riding experience in your home country means SQUAT in Thailand!Along the way you will have holes the size of footballs,cement barriers in the MIDDLE of the road,flash storms where so much rain comes down,you cannot see...And let us not forget the Foretuners going at 160+ kms/hour.... I love motorbikes,but i would never ride mine to BKK from where i live.Your riding may be perfectly safe,but you can not account for other road users...Do yourself a favour,get a car...Something safe like a new Camry or Accord,and enjoy your honeymoon.I hope you have a great wedding and a fantastic honeymoon.Don't fall into the trap as so many foreigners do,that is speeding and reckless regard for other road users....I smashed a new car near Pattaya on my honeymoon,was a huge hole in the road that i simply did not see,had that been a motorbike at 100 kms/h,both my wife and i would be dead.

[jdinasia]

Lots of people tour on bikes ... there are a few places in BKK that will sell on a guaranteed buy back (assuming you don't kill the bike)

I'd personally fly and rent a bike in Phuket as the long rides on the roads here are very draining

[jdinasia]

BTW -- yes there are risks involved in riding (anywhere in the world) but not nearly the risks like stated above "almost guaranteed to kill you or your fiance'" is a load of <deleted>

[pattaya_girl]

On my first trip to Thailand 7 years ago, we wanted to rent a car and do some touring, but the car rental place told us that we cannot take the car far away from Pattaya, its against the rules of the renting firm, there insurance does not cover for touring and going to the other side of the Country. We flew in the end, it was great and not as expensive as we thought it would be.

[jtp]

BTW -- yes there are risks involved in riding (anywhere in the world) but not nearly the risks like stated above "almost guaranteed to kill you or your fiance'" is a load of <deleted>

<deleted>?? Is that actually a word?Would you like me to put up the stats on people killed per week in Thailand,riding motorbikes? Would that be considered <deleted> also?And these are experienced Thai riders... What chance does a foreigner,new to Thailand roads have?

[jtp]

QUOTEWith just 16% of the world's cars, trucks, buses and motorcycles, Asia accounts for more than half of the roughly 1.2 million traffic fatalities that the World Health Organization (WHO) estimates occur globally every year. More than 600,000 Asians are killed and another 9.4 million are severely injured in traffic accidents annually.

Those statistics make Asia's highways the meanest streets in the world. In Thailand, for example, road accidents are now the third leading cause of death after aids and heart attacks, according to the country's Ministry of Public Health............

Thailand's road safety Operations Center (unofficially known as the "war room") is where the country's authorities are trying to bring the national accident rates down to the level of many Western countries. (With an average of 36 deaths a day, Thailand ranks sixth in the world in road fatalities, according to the WHO.)..........

Yordphol Tanaboriboon, a transportation-engineering professor at the Asian Institute of Technology in Bangkok, says one of the few generalizations that can be made is that the high proportion of motorcycles on Thailand's roads (of the country's 26 million registered vehicles, 12 million are two-wheelers; according to Nikorn, there are another 6 million unregistered motorcycles) is linked to a higher death rate. As many as 80% of all fatal accidents in Thailand involve motorcycles,.......

With reporting by Simon Elegant/Kuala Lumpur, Robert Horn/Bangkok, Huang Yong, Kaiser Kuo and Jodi Xu/Beijing, Sara Rajan/New Delhi and Phil Zabriskie/Hanoi

[jdinasia]

Yes <deleted> is a word and why would I need to have you quote silly statistics to me? Your "experienced Thai riders" will include kids that are not yet even teenagers to old people far past the ability to see the road much less react to it. It will also include people pissed to the gills that haven't breathed a sober breath in months etc etc!

What it won't include are very many adult riders on bigger bikes etc.

I ride 100+kms every day and yes I know about the risks .. as does ANY experienced rider anywhere in the world.

[jtp]

Yes <deleted> is a word and why would I need to have you quote silly statistics to me? Your "experienced Thai riders" will include kids that are not yet even teenagers to old people far past the ability to see the road much less react to it. It will also include people pissed to the gills that haven't breathed a sober breath in months etc etc!

What it won't include are very many adult riders on bigger bikes etc.

I ride 100+kms every day and yes I know about the risks .. as does ANY experienced rider anywhere in the world.

It still doesn't negate the fact that one hit from a car at 100km/h + will kill you on a bike.I believe the actual death toll is much higher then published.100 + km/s a day,it's only a matter of time before you have an accident,hopefully it will not be serious.

[gobs]

Being a big bike rider myself, I do agree with jdinasia...

Statistics never "speak by themselves"!

And I think threelegcowboy gives the best advice to have a happy honeymoon both...

Have good times,

Gobs

[jdinasia]

Yes <deleted> is a word and why would I need to have you quote silly statistics to me? Your "experienced Thai riders" will include kids that are not yet even teenagers to old people far past the ability to see the road much less react to it. It will also include people pissed to the gills that haven't breathed a sober breath in months etc etc!

What it won't include are very many adult riders on bigger bikes etc.

I ride 100+kms every day and yes I know about the risks .. as does ANY experienced rider anywhere in the world.

It still doesn't negate the fact that one hit from a car at 100km/h + will kill you on a bike.I believe the actual death toll is much higher then published.100 + km/s a day,it's only a matter of time before you have an accident,hopefully it will not be serious.

WoW!

I hope you make it to Asia some time in the near future and get to ride a bike (but I doubt you ride anywhere) .. You quote an un-cited source and then then us you don't believe the source! Your source states there are 18 million bikes on the road in Thailand and that there are 36 deaths a day (total .. not just including bikes and we KNOW that riding in minivans and busses are dangerous propositions ... then there are the plane crashes and the boats .....) so ...

18,000,000/36=500,000 I have a one in 500k chance of dying? .. wait that doesn't include the cars etc ... so less ... and wait, I am not a teen or decrepit, ... and wait I don't DRIVE DRUNK .... so what's that make it 1:1,000,000 per day chance? hmmm at 44 and having ridden most of my life maybe life experience cuts that in half again? So I can expect to die in a bike crash some time in the next 5,500 years! hel_l if I make it another 20 years without a major coronary I will be doing well!

[jtp]

Being a big bike rider myself, I do agree with jdinasia...

Statistics never "speak by themselves"!

And I think threelegcowboy gives the best advice to have a happy honeymoon both...

Have good times,

Gobs

I personally love big bikes,i own a VTX1800 as well as a number of Airblades,but i also like the idea of living a long and healthy life.I know all to well how dangerous it is to tour by yourself on Thai highways...Last time i was in Pattaya i saw a chap rent a GSXR 1000,revved it up and drop the cluch...Came so close to crashing,but still insisted on the big bike...Came back from the zoo,one foreigner on the road,presumably dead after being hit side on by a ute,the other still in the windscreen..Big bike,once again...I don't need statistics to tell me you have a good chance of dieing on the road on a bike.. Besides i am merely pointing out to the op,that it is dangerous,far more dangerous on Thai roads then in his country of birth.

[jtp]

Yes <deleted> is a word and why would I need to have you quote silly statistics to me? Your "experienced Thai riders" will include kids that are not yet even teenagers to old people far past the ability to see the road much less react to it. It will also include people pissed to the gills that haven't breathed a sober breath in months etc etc!

What it won't include are very many adult riders on bigger bikes etc.

I ride 100+kms every day and yes I know about the risks .. as does ANY experienced rider anywhere in the world.

It still doesn't negate the fact that one hit from a car at 100km/h + will kill you on a bike.I believe the actual death toll is much higher then published.100 + km/s a day,it's only a matter of time before you have an accident,hopefully it will not be serious.

WoW!

I hope you make it to Asia some time in the near future and get to ride a bike (but I doubt you ride anywhere) .. You quote an un-cited source and then then us you don't believe the source! Your source states there are 18 million bikes on the road in Thailand and that there are 36 deaths a day (total .. not just including bikes and we KNOW that riding in minivans and busses are dangerous propositions ... then there are the plane crashes and the boats .....) so ...

18,000,000/36=500,000 I have a one in 500k chance of dying? .. wait that doesn't include the cars etc ... so less ... and wait, I am not a teen or decrepit, ... and wait I don't DRIVE DRUNK .... so what's that make it 1:1,000,000 per day chance? hmmm at 44 and having ridden most of my life maybe life experience cuts that in half again? So I can expect to die in a bike crash some time in the next 5,500 years! hel_l if I make it another 20 years without a major coronary I will be doing well!

Sorry,uncited? You have problems reading the entire post?Of course you doubt i ride anwhere,you are the only one in Thailand that has a motorbike... I hope you prove me wrong by living a long life. I am having some difficulty understanding your post... Why come here to pick a fight?By telling the op everything is fine,go for your life on a big bike,in a foreign country,don't worry you're perfectly safe,you will get him killed. And i seriously doubt you would care,probably post a "Oh well,<deleted> happens".

[yabaaaa]

Yes <deleted> is a word and why would I need to have you quote silly statistics to me? Your "experienced Thai riders" will include kids that are not yet even teenagers to old people far past the ability to see the road much less react to it. It will also include people pissed to the gills that haven't breathed a sober breath in months etc etc!

What it won't include are very many adult riders on bigger bikes etc.

I ride 100+kms every day and yes I know about the risks .. as does ANY experienced rider anywhere in the world.

It still doesn't negate the fact that one hit from a car at 100km/h + will kill you on a bike.I believe the actual death toll is much higher then published.100 + km/s a day,it's only a matter of time before you have an accident,hopefully it will not be serious.

WoW!

I hope you make it to Asia some time in the near future and get to ride a bike (but I doubt you ride anywhere) .. You quote an un-cited source and then then us you don't believe the source! Your source states there are 18 million bikes on the road in Thailand and that there are 36 deaths a day (total .. not just including bikes and we KNOW that riding in minivans and busses are dangerous propositions ... then there are the plane crashes and the boats .....) so ...

18,000,000/36=500,000 I have a one in 500k chance of dying? .. wait that doesn't include the cars etc ... so less ... and wait, I am not a teen or decrepit, ... and wait I don't DRIVE DRUNK .... so what's that make it 1:1,000,000 per day chance? hmmm at 44 and having ridden most of my life maybe life experience cuts that in half again? So I can expect to die in a bike crash some time in the next 5,500 years! hel_l if I make it another 20 years without a major coronary I will be doing well!

Yeah right good job some Thais dont drive drunk either too then, or with no lights, wrong side of the road, on phone, u can be the best most observant person ever better tell all the dogs when u r going out too let alone the Kwais, advise highway dept please fill all holes over 30cm diameter too and notify change form tarmac to dirt which I often see.

I believe its 13000 motorbike deaths a year (not injuries) doesnt matter if the riders are 10 yrs old its THEM that will hit you dont forget they have this wonderfull Buddhist Philosphy. Ps I have owned in order Suzuki gsx 250ex 1981, Suzuki gsx 750esd 1984, gsx 750 efe 1989 Gsx R 1100n 1990ish GsxrR 750wn Gsxr 1100 w Suzuki Gsx1100s Final edition Katana 2000 what do I know about bikes, never had an accident though, all in the UK

I would dearly love to blat down a Thai road but the place IS a deathtrap for bikers, I particularly like when u r on the motorways and they close the outside lane with no warning!!

Best i ever managed was 169 MPH (270kph) on the 1100 wn!!! Trip back from Edinburgh over the lake district.

[scottyd]

Mate, if it's something you want to do, go and do it. Everything is dangerous, but we don't all lock ourselves up in our houses do we? (that isn't safe either because 100% of domestic accidents happen in the home 555555555)

Enjoy your bike tour mate hope you have an excellent time!

[bazmlb]

Yes <deleted> is a word and why would I need to have you quote silly statistics to me? Your "experienced Thai riders" will include kids that are not yet even teenagers to old people far past the ability to see the road much less react to it. It will also include people pissed to the gills that haven't breathed a sober breath in months etc etc!

What it won't include are very many adult riders on bigger bikes etc.

I ride 100+kms every day and yes I know about the risks .. as does ANY experienced rider anywhere in the world.

It still doesn't negate the fact that one hit from a car at 100km/h + will kill you on a bike.I believe the actual death toll is much higher then published.100 + km/s a day,it's only a matter of time before you have an accident,hopefully it will not be serious.

WoW!

I hope you make it to Asia some time in the near future and get to ride a bike (but I doubt you ride anywhere) .. You quote an un-cited source and then then us you don't believe the source! Your source states there are 18 million bikes on the road in Thailand and that there are 36 deaths a day (total .. not just including bikes and we KNOW that riding in minivans and busses are dangerous propositions ... then there are the plane crashes and the boats .....) so ...

18,000,000/36=500,000 I have a one in 500k chance of dying? .. wait that doesn't include the cars etc ... so less ... and wait, I am not a teen or decrepit, ... and wait I don't DRIVE DRUNK .... so what's that make it 1:1,000,000 per day chance? hmmm at 44 and having ridden most of my life maybe life experience cuts that in half again? So I can expect to die in a bike crash some time in the next 5,500 years! hel_l if I make it another 20 years without a major coronary I will be doing well!

Sorry,uncited? You have problems reading the entire post?Of course you doubt i ride anwhere,you are the only one in Thailand that has a motorbike... I hope you prove me wrong by living a long life. I am having some difficulty understanding your post... Why come here to pick a fight?By telling the op everything is fine,go for your life on a big bike,in a foreign country,don't worry you're perfectly safe,you will get him killed. And i seriously doubt you would care,probably post a "Oh well,<deleted> happens".

After riding for many years both in Australia countryside and here i would agree with JD on most of the points that the statistics aren't that bad, having dodged Kangaroos and Wombats on the ride home from work each day on a zx9r at umm highish (150k+) speeds and windy country roads compared to what i ride here and these obstacles are a lot less predictable than anything on the road here and have never dropped a bike once touch wood, the risks are there wherever you ride is what i am trying to say, just don't be complacent, having a lot less motorcycles on the road where i was from means people were also thinking about them less and never gave a hoot about bikes, the thing that saved me there more than anything was having a real loud carbon fibre exhaust that people could here you there, whereas here they seem to look for bikes more.

[sassienie]

BTW -- yes there are risks involved in riding (anywhere in the world) but not nearly the risks like stated above "almost guaranteed to kill you or your fiance'" is a load of <deleted>

I agree.

Before I continue, a definition of the word, <deleted>:

Meaning:

Make a mess of, destroy or ruin

Classified under:

Verbs of political and social activities and events

Synonyms:

balls up; flub; fluff; foul up; fuc_k up; louse up; mess up; mishandle; muck up; bungle; bumble; botch up; bobble; bodge; <deleted>; <deleted> up; <deleted>; <deleted> up; botch; spoil; muff; screw up; fumble; blow

I used it all the time back in London, but than again, I’m as common as muck, so is my father and his father before him. I get away with it because I have money, but you wouldn’t want me as a neighbour.

Anyone, back to the topic:

I have over 42 years motorcycling experience. Had one bad accident in 1981 (Essex, UK) and was laid up for 7 months.

Just living our lives is a risk, whatever we do, and if our times up, it’s up, nothing we can do about it, so no point in getting paranoid.

For a long haul trip I would recommend a Honda Phantom 200cc. Very comfortable large bike, will cruse along at 80 to 100 kph, which is ample speed on Thailand’s roads.

The problem with big bikes for touring is that they are not equipped for carrying large amounts of luggage. So it’s a backpack job, which does become rather uncomfortable after a few hours on the road.

If you don`t have at least 2 years experience of driving on Thailand`s roads, than yes, you are taking a big risk going that far on a motorbike. The object here is, throw the highway code into the bin and aim.

[Bard]

I am very very tired of seeing stupid posts like riding a bike in Thailand will kill you for certain, I am riding for my 10th year in Thailand and I am still alive also a lot of my mates ride bikes for 1000's of km and are still alive. Most accidents with bikes in Thailand involve alcohol as we all are very aware of. To stay safer do not ride at night as that is the time of the day with most drunk drivers. There are a lot of other traps in traffic here so ride safely and alert all the time, also riding fast on unknown roads are asking for trouble. Also use safety gear, it pays off in WCS.

Enjoy it man have fun and stay safe.

And for the certain death people, do you know it's higher risk of getting seriously hurt or killed riding a horse than a motorbike? Don't see many parents refusing there kids riding though. We can all predict doom and gloom which leads nowhere, or we can pinpoint of the hazards to help people stay safe and spread positivity.

Cheers Bard

[Zzinged]

Indeed. Chances of survival improve dramatically if you have half a brain, an ounce of common sense, and no need to rush everywhere at excessive speeds. If you're an experienced rider and you know to be wary of ALL traffic, all you'd need to do here is assess local conditions, plan the trip well and try to stick to the larger routes.

And these are experienced Thai riders... sad.gif What chance does a foreigner,new to Thailand roads have?

Experienced Thai riders make up a very small percentage of the Thai population on 2 wheels. A foreigner new to Thai roads has a chance if they wear helmets and protective gear of some degree, and don't ride into oncoming traffic! I swear, sometimes I see as many motorcycle headlights as I do tail lights o.O

[richard_smith237]

I refuse to ride a bike in Thailand because of the risks I perceive.

From my observations drivers of cars in Thailand have no or far less respect for the ‘personal space’ normally offered to bikers in the west.

Last time I was in the UK I saw a bike taken out, by a car driven by someone who was simply not paying attention. I see the ‘not paying attention’ type of bumps a lot more in Thailand and when on a bike the same bump becomes something of far greater consequence.

I’d be too scared to take a loved one on the back of a bike anywhere… Hire a convertible (if its possible).

IF you do chose to hire a bike - double check your travel / medical insurance, it may limit you to 50cc

[rideswings]

Thank you for all the great posts and warnings. I have spent many months in Udon on the back of my GF's 125 Honda which we used as our daily commuter around 60km per day. I am aware of many of the problems involved in riding including obstacles, drunk drivers and inattentive drivers. In the rural countryside I see maybe one in 10 people wearing helmets which surely contributes to the horrible statistic of injuries and fatalities. In BKK, I see moto-taxis weaving in and out of cars and in between buses and the like, and speeding through railroad crossings, tempting injury and death at every intersection. I also see so many people riding 4 or 5 to a motorbike many times with their babies on the handlebars. As cute as this is to see, I imagine many of those kids never reach maturity. Im guilty of not wearing anything on my head but sunglasses many times.

So, Im still planning on going, but where I will be able to find a ride is another question. I will look into the guaranteed buy-back, and thanks for the insight Jdinasia.

In 2006 I took a tour of the USA and put around 15,000 miles on my bike in 4 months. I rode through snow, ice, torrents of rain, hit a few road critters.

Maybe a convertible, rental car or plane is a more comfy way to go, but I never took the common road usually opting for the road less traveled...

[yabaaaa]

http://narendhorn.moph.go.th/englishnewyear.ppt

2002 figures and break down ......chilling reading but of course it wont happen to you right?

Edited February 2, 2009 by yabaaaa

[rideswings]

Yabaaaa - did my mom put you up to writing this??

Actually if you weigh my chances of living until a ripe old age, they arent very good. I am an avid scuba diver, private pilot, and am getting married to a Thai woman (chance of survival until old age being married to a crazy Thai woman is sketchy at best). So add that to my motorcycle riding and if I live past 60 they will probably have me stuffed when i die and make me an exhibit in the Smithsonian Museum in Washington as "A Rare Breed" or "Endangered Species."

Edited February 2, 2009 by rideswings

[dbrenn]

I rode a bike in Thailand for years and went touring all over the country, first on a 400cc Honda CB1 and then on an 1100cc Honda Blackbird. Had a fantastic time.

Thailand's roads are not for beginners - I nearly killed myself a couple of times when I was just starting out on big bikes in and around Bangkok, mainly because I was young and silly at the time. In Thailand, defensive riding is a must - trucks in particular are prone to very erratic lane changes and on one occasion I was run off the road by a truck overtaking a truck that was overtaking another truck! Luckily, I just had time to slow down and get off the road. Main highways should also be avoided at night as that's when the really crazy drivers are about. Avoid riding over the Songkran holiday, when everyone is drunk and groups of idiots will throw buckets of water at you.

For an experienced and competent rider, Thailand is a great place to enjoy two wheels. Not recommended for beginners.

Edited February 3, 2009 by dbrenn

[CroBiker]

I have been riding big bikes in Thailand since 1993 and never been in serious danger. It all comes down to experience and driving attitude.

If OP is experienced biker and tours country slowly he won't have much trouble. There are thousands of experienced bikers in Thailand who never got involved in serious accident.