Long Road Trips On 125 Cc

[Happinesss]

Interesting topic. I too have thought about long trips on my 1979 Honda C70 (cannot even outrun the buses acceleration). If you look at the bright side, I will have plenty of time looking at the surrounding nature.

[Focus]

Dear ThunderDuck,

Your circumnavigation around the Kingdom certainly is inspiring and proof that the sort of trip I have in mind is absolutely within the realms of possibility and sanity. Thanks.

Focus...

[Gary A]

The 125's are certainly more comfortable than a bicycle. People tour all over Thailand by bicycle so on a 125 motorbike, it would certainly be easier. I think it all depends whether you are in a hurry or not.

[davidgtr]

Captain Slash has ridden all over Thailand on his Honda Wave 125 on 2004-5.

Then repeated it on a Phantom , then on a BMW650 & now on a Phantom for the 3rd time.

The bike is never the problem, only the rider.

And the best bike Slash reckons is the Phantom, but you can do it on whatever you fancy riding - big or small.

Edited November 18, 2009 by davidgtr

[paulchiangmai]

Frequantly done Doi Saket to Burma border and return the same day on my Honda injected wave 125. Exactly 500 k's. Usually take a small cushion to ease the pain. My wife has also done it on an identical wave to mine, I would use more than half as much fuel again as she did, she's a paltry 43kilos and I am slightly heavier at 96 kilos. Great fun.

[Focus]

Gary A, that's a good point-- if lots of people ride bicyles long, long distances, what's the problem with riding a 125 cc longer?

Just for the sake of discussion, one difference might be with a 125 cc motorbike there is more that can go wrong mechanically than with a bicycle. E.G. a friend of mine recently was on his KoLao and the throttle got stuck and he did his best to slow the bike down with the hand brakes slow enough so he could run it into a wall and stop to turn the bike off.

Focus...

[Mosha]

I'm thinking of doing a round trip to Surat Thani from Phuket on one of my tarted up Honda Cubs. Probably this one, 1981 Honda C90.

On a Discovery Channel programme the Honda Cub was voted the worlds best motorbike. The things they did to that bike and it still ran. Even dropped it from a building and it still fired up.

Edited November 18, 2009 by Mosha

[VocalNeal]

Focus,

Fixing any small bike in Thailand is a breeze and you will meet new people. Petrol for small bikes is available at many roadside "shops". You'll see it hanging up. I mention this because the tank is quite small and you will need to stop more often than on a big bike. I don't think the modern ones have reserve so keep a close eye on the mileage.

Where possible plan to stay off main roads, as you will probably be going slower than most traffic and will be passed a lot so that is where your concentration needs to be focused.

If you don't have any special saddle bags buy yourself a cargo net. You can find them at Tesco etc in the car/motorbike section that will be good for securing your luggage to the rear of the seat.

Chose hotels/guest houses based on bike security not necessarily price and other amenities. If the bike has rear disk brake buy two disc locks Tesco again. If not one disc lock and a chain lock. You will sleep better!

Have a good trip.

[threelegcowboy]

Several years ago I went on a 10 day trip on my fairly new 125 Wave. I left Udon Thani to Mai Sot to Mai Sai to Chang Rai to Golden Triangle back to Udon. Look at the map it was a long haul and the best part was the Golden Triangle in the winter. Staying at guest houses along the Mekong.

One problem was a flat but happened in at the best location.

If you are traveling accross a national part then it can be a bit scarry as there are no petrol stations in parks. I could hardly pass up a station.

Another problem was the chain. When the engine gets hot it tends to bake the chain and the lube drys up. Best to lube the chain more often because of this heat. I replaced both sprokets and chain after this trip. Still not that expensive.

Happy trails,

[VocalNeal]

Another problem was the chain. When the engine gets hot it tends to bake the chain and the lube drys up. Best to lube the chain more often because of this heat. I replaced both sprokets and chain after this trip. Still not that expensive.

Happy trails,

You can make a simple chain oiler from a plastic transparent brake reservoir, some future board and a length of plastic pipe. Not sophisticated but basically you fill the reservoir when starting out and the oil drips onto the chain otherwise carry an aerosol can.

Have pics if needed, also could be found on GT Riders maybe.

Edited November 20, 2009 by VocalNeal

[poldebol]

I live in beautiful Sa Kaeo. There are many good dirt roads here. At least three times a week I make a tour on my Yamaha Nouvo. I do between 120 and 180 km in a day, depending on how many km I do on hard roads.

Start as early as possible. The hours between 05:30 and 08:30 are the most beautiful ones. You will see a lot of birds. When the roads heat up, you might encounter a few snakes.

Carry a small amount of drinking water. You will always find a little shop, but if you have an accident or a puncture, you will be happy with the water you carry.

Know where you are: I (try to) remember road numbers and always try to know my position related to a few big roads. If people have to find you, that might be handy. Some of these dirt roads are very lonesome.

Do not drive more than 90 minutes. Take a short or long break as soon as you feel you are getting "hypnotised" by the road.

Avoid riding full throttle long time. It will cost you more gas and you will have to stop more often. On hard roads, I go around 80, sometimes slower, sometimes faster.

If you go on dirt roads: the ones with electrical lines usually carry you to a next village. The ones that do not have electrical lines sometimes lead nowhere. A water castle directs you to houses.

Use a safety helmet, unless you want to lie in the sun in the middle of Sa Kaeo for a few hours with a cracked skull.

Do not wear flip-flops. Shoes can make the difference between going on on two or on one foot after an accident.

Hope some of this is useful. Have a nice ride.

[JimsKnight]

Did a long haul from Phitsanoluk province down to Bangers about 5 years go on a Honda Sonic.

It was worth the blast but I won't be doing it again in a hurry.

Just be patient with pootling along at 80 kph and hugging the inside lane and you'll get their in the end.

[DickDastardly]

I rode from Pattaya to Sihanoukville a few months ago, 1200Km round trip on a Suzuki Step 125. Great fun. PM me for a link to the trip report I posted on Pattaya-Addicts.

[anthrosciguy]

It'll be a little slower on hills, but okay if you take some breaks. We did this (two up) last year with no problem; went over to Big C first and bought a couple of cushions, square ones maybe about 2 inches thick, and sat on those. Really helped. Actually felt like the bike had a better suspension over bumps. Frankly it was more comfortable than the V-twin cruiser we took on the same trip the year before.

[boogiewoogie]

hello , wanna take my yamaha mio to a 200km ride. is it even possible? will i have any troubles with cops on high ways? or i need to avoid highways.

do i need papers on bike? im just farang on vacations and all i have is license and my buddy's bike. will i be ok?