A Wow Of A Ride

[monty1412]

Met up with a few friends on Saturday at PTT just north of 121 on 118 and then journeyed up 118 for about 25K then turned off at police box on LHS and wound into a lovely resort called Tharntong Lodge.. great scenery , great food.

Even though I had already done Samoeng loop in morning was feeling like having a bigger ride so left the group and headed North on 118. Road was great, nice sweeping curves with not allot of commercial traffic and a noticeable absence of those white or silver mini vans driven by folks who have got their license from a Corn flakes packet and are depriving their village of its idiot.

Turned off onto 1052 towards Phrao... ohhh baby what a road.. road surface in good condition mostly with 1 or 2 washouts but overall great sweeping curves and non of the switchback bends like you have on samoeng... wound into Phrao and then home on the 1001...

Got up this morning ( sunday) and decided it would have to be done the other way.. smoke and haze not too bad. 1001 nice and cool in wee hours with little to no traffic and just the normal contingent of dogs along the road... coffee at PTT Phrao then off on 1052 .

Going toward 118 on the 1052 is even better that the way i did it yesterday.. not a soul on the road in fact at one stage near one of the peaks i stopped near a glade of pine trees ( what is collective pronoun for group of pine trees). Took some pics and was there about 10 minutes without a single car or bike go by.. in fact the silence was noticeable if you know what i mean.

1052 onto 118 and headed back to CM. Its a long haul run.. stupid me forgot to record the odometer at the start but i estimate 280-350kms thereabouts.

Thing i really like about this ride its got nice long fast bits with sweeping curves and then the tight bits in the mountain.. allow a good 3- 3.5 hours with coffee break... I know some folks on thsis board will jump on this straight away and say "I did it in 25 minutes" but Im not at that stage yet

Just a great ride...

( Not sure what was happening in Phrao at 8am in morning on Sunday but there were hordes of nicely dressed women ( Im sure hordes is correct collective pronoun) at the 7-11 at the PTT station.. a few had their photo's taken next to my bike... of course with the obligatory two fingers tilted to side of head.. what is that all about.)

For me my newest fav ride route.. this is what I love about CM and environs.. when you first come here you think slippery ole Doi Suthep is great then you think Samoeng is cool and then this one.. whats next Nan/ Pai who knows but its all good.

Smoke and haze wasn't too bad as stated , view from mountain peaks are still obscured but it wasn't hard on the eyes riding as say it was a few weeks ago up near Fang.

got to love getting out on the bike...

[KarlHatton]

Any Photos ?? (Girls and scenery... )

[CMX]

I too enjoy the ride north to Phroa on 1001. Going eastward thereafter, as has OP, I find that the first half is in good fettle; the second features some ripples, potholes, and washouts (plus construction). Many acute twisties all along the length of the route.

But I like the road westward from Phroa (1150 on my map) as much, as it's in good condition - though the curves are more gentle. True, one meets the 107 too soon, but there's Chiang Dao for a break and southward on the 107 there are sometimes opportunities to simply open up.

I mean, local bikers cannot live by the Samoeng Loop alone, what?

[monty1412]

I too enjoy the ride north to Phroa on 1001. Going eastward thereafter, as has OP, I find that the first half is in good fettle; the second features some ripples, potholes, and washouts (plus construction). Many acute twisties all along the length of the route.

But I like the road westward from Phroa (1150 on my map) as much, as it's in good condition - though the curves are more gentle. True, one meets the 107 too soon, but there's Chiang Dao for a break and southward on the 107 there are sometimes opportunities to simply open up.

I mean, local bikers cannot live by the Samoeng Loop alone, what?

Actually though about hitting 118 then turning around and redoing the 1150 ( you are correct) all the way through to Chiang Dao.. done that section ) P-CD) a few times before but hallelujah on the fact that we have such choice here

[Garry]

What no photos, it's all lies

[monty1412]

What no photos, it's all lies

Yes you saw through me.... Chiang Mai is just the pits to ride in.. I made it all up.. all of us know there are no nice roads around here and the only good riding in Thailand is between soi 71 and soi 12 on sukhumvit about 4pm of a friday afternoon. ha

[Garry]

What no photos, it's all lies

Yes you saw through me.... Chiang Mai is just the pits to ride in.. I made it all up.. all of us know there are no nice roads around here and the only good riding in Thailand is between soi 71 and soi 12 on sukhumvit about 4pm of a friday afternoon. ha

Hi Monty,

Have you been to Chiang Rai, if you had gone further up the 118 to Mae Suai, you have some excellent twisties after that. You could also turn left onto the 109 at Mae Suai. Lots & lots of twisties, more scenic than speed but still enjoyable. few rough patches though which almost shook some fillings out

Before you hung a left onto the 1150m there is a nice run where you can turn right onto the 120 and there is a bunch of fun ride.through the hills. You can take it to highway 1, do a U Turn and ride back.

Edited March 11, 2012 by Garry

[BigBikeBKK]

What no photos, it's all lies

Yes you saw through me.... Chiang Mai is just the pits to ride in.. I made it all up.. all of us know there are no nice roads around here and the only good riding in Thailand is between soi 71 and soi 12 on sukhumvit about 4pm of a friday afternoon. ha

Hi Monty,

Have you been to Chiang Rai, if you had gone further up the 118 to Mae Suai, you have some excellent twisties after that. You could also turn left onto the 109 at Mae Suai. Lots & lots of twisties, more scenic than speed but still enjoyable. few rough patches though which almost shook some fillings out

Before you hung a left onto the 1150m there is a nice run where you can turn right onto the 120 and there is a bunch of fun ride.through the hills. You can take it to highway 1, do a U Turn and ride back.

120 ROCKS!

[BigBikeBKK]

Agree the 1150 both east and west from Phrao is a beautiful road. A bit rough in spots, but some amazing views and fantastic twisties.

This clip is heading east out of Phrao on the 1150-

*forgive the shaky video- this was the last vid I took before the camera snapped off! >.<

[CMX]

Yeah, the 120 - that's our beloved 118 to Payao Road, well engineered, sound surface, and has many lovely curves along the way (all as shown by Tony) rather than the tougher twisties. Lotsa green for viewing as well, w/few villages.

Whereas the 1150 is more of a challenge, as also shown by Tony, when going east from Phroa.

And all just a bit of a while from our doorsteps!

(Of course, it is so smokey here now that pictures only show 1/2 km, and that darkly).

Edited March 12, 2012 by CMX

[BigBikeBKK]

Another great ride out of Phrao is the 1346 north to Nong Bua. It's a small road, not very fast, but really really beautiful! Check it out next time you're up that way- you won't be disappointed!

http://maps.google.com/maps?saddr=Route+1150&daddr=Route+1346&hl=en&ll=19.478245,99.339752&spn=0.524996,1.056747&sll=19.645983,99.163713&sspn=0.065557,0.132093&geocode=Fd6KJwEdzLzpBQ%3BFbjeKwEdItvoBQ&mra=me&mrsp=1,0&sz=14&t=m&z=11

[monty1412]

What no photos, it's all lies

Yes you saw through me.... Chiang Mai is just the pits to ride in.. I made it all up.. all of us know there are no nice roads around here and the only good riding in Thailand is between soi 71 and soi 12 on sukhumvit about 4pm of a friday afternoon. ha

Hi Monty,

Have you been to Chiang Rai, if you had gone further up the 118 to Mae Suai, you have some excellent twisties after that. You could also turn left onto the 109 at Mae Suai. Lots & lots of twisties, more scenic than speed but still enjoyable. few rough patches though which almost shook some fillings out

Before you hung a left onto the 1150m there is a nice run where you can turn right onto the 120 and there is a bunch of fun ride.through the hills. You can take it to highway 1, do a U Turn and ride back.

120 ROCKS!

Tony, your a bad influence. Im up there again next weekend so will 120 it but certainly scenery is a dull brown with blackend edges at present. Cheers

[monty1412]

Yeah, the 120 - that's our beloved 118 to Payao Road, well engineered, sound surface, and has many lovely curves along the way (all as shown by Tony) rather than the tougher twisties. Lotsa green for viewing as well, w/few villages.

Whereas the 1150 is more of a challenge, as also shown by Tony, when going east from Phroa.

And all just a bit of a while from our doorsteps!

(Of course, it is so smokey here now that pictures only show 1/2 km, and that darkly).

all will be ventured forth on again next weekend.. getting a condo up here was best thing I've done.. secure parking for bike.. I just jump a flight from BKK each Friday night with only carry on and voila Im there. Great thing too.. security guard at condo washes and cleans bike for 70 Baht each week.

[wana]

Yeah, the 120 - that's our beloved 118 to Payao Road, well engineered, sound surface, and has many lovely curves along the way (all as shown by Tony) rather than the tougher twisties. Lotsa green for viewing as well, w/few villages.

Whereas the 1150 is more of a challenge, as also shown by Tony, when going east from Phroa.

And all just a bit of a while from our doorsteps!

(Of course, it is so smokey here now that pictures only show 1/2 km, and that darkly).

all will be ventured forth on again next weekend.. getting a condo up here was best thing I've done.. secure parking for bike.. I just jump a flight from BKK each Friday night with only carry on and voila Im there. Great thing too.. security guard at condo washes and cleans bike for 70 Baht each week.

thats great ,i have to pay 80 thb to get my bike washed

[monty1412]

Another great ride out of Phrao is the 1346 north to Nong Bua. It's a small road, not very fast, but really really beautiful! Check it out next time you're up that way- you won't be disappointed!

http://maps.google.c...&sz=14&t=m&z=11

Ok the plot for this weekend is early sat morning departure from Condo, up 1001 to Phrao ( coffee stop) then out on 1150 to 1346. 1346 to 107 south and then turn back on 1150 and do the whole 1150 back to 118 and then back to CM.

Any takers PM me.

Should be a decent ride.. estimate a few hundred kilometers

Let no-one say Im not doing my bit for global warming.....

Ill try and take some happy snaps but its just such a hassle to stop bike pull over and frig around with camera.. yes I know that is a very slack excuse....

what did I do with myself before I had a bike ????

[Fishenough]

No pictures than it didn't happen.....

This route,http://maps.google.ca/maps?saddr=Unknown+road&daddr=18.7911219,99.4922516+to:18.9423589,99.3572369+to:%E0%B8%8A%E0%B8%A1.+3005&hl=en&ie=UTF8&ll=18.866006,99.388847&spn=0.22709,0.41851&sll=18.85959,99.284735&sspn=0.056775,0.104628&geocode=FfDIHwEdRtvqBQ%3BFdG6HgEdmyHuBSltnmfQBJfZMDEgDxPPxUYDEw%3BFZYJIQEdNBLsBSkh14ufqJLZMDGwPzTPxUYDEw%3BFaFPIAEdAJ7qBQ&oq=chiang&mra=dme&mrsp=0&sz=14&via=1,2&t=m&z=12 is great, provides the quietest country twisty's close to Chiang Mai, have heard it called the wildness route. For a long day ride, connect this route with easy gravel roads to the iron bridges route for a nice day out

Edited March 14, 2012 by Lite Beer
Link to another forum removed.

[monty1412]

No pictures than it didn't happen.....

This route,http://maps.google.c...ia=1,2&t=m&z=12 is great, provides the quietest country twisty's close to Chiang Mai, have heard it called the wildness route. For a long day ride, connect this route with easy gravel roads to the iron bridges route for a nice day out

Now that sir looks like a ride and a half.. got dizzy and scrubbed tyres just looking the google route. At sensible speed what would you estimte travel time as ??

Looks like it might be easiest to find coming in on 1252 off 118 ??

[Fishenough]

No pictures than it didn't happen.....

This route,http://maps.google.c...ia=1,2&t=m&z=12 is great, provides the quietest country twisty's close to Chiang Mai, have heard it called the wildness route. For a long day ride, connect this route with easy gravel roads to the iron bridges route for a nice day out

Now that sir looks like a ride and a half.. got dizzy and scrubbed tyres just looking the google route. At sensible speed what would you estimte travel time as ??

Looks like it might be easiest to find coming in on 1252 off 118 ??

Always under 4 hours, commonly leave for this ride at 3 ish and return home before dusk. You can ride these 2 quiet roads, and if you get lucky, will not see another vehicle in the mountain portions.

[monty1412]

No pictures than it didn't happen.....

This route,http://maps.google.c...ia=1,2&t=m&z=12 is great, provides the quietest country twisty's close to Chiang Mai, have heard it called the wildness route. For a long day ride, connect this route with easy gravel roads to the iron bridges route for a nice day out

Now that sir looks like a ride and a half.. got dizzy and scrubbed tyres just looking the google route. At sensible speed what would you estimte travel time as ??

Looks like it might be easiest to find coming in on 1252 off 118 ??

Always under 4 hours, commonly leave for this ride at 3 ish and return home before dusk. You can ride these 2 quiet roads, and if you get lucky, will not see another vehicle in the mountain portions.

Any reason you would recommend afternoon to do this as opposed to morning ? ( Nt trying to take you too literally , just asking) cheers and thanks

[Fishenough]

Only reason for the afternoon ride is wanting to get away the city after a fighting traffic in the city. The ride is just as nice when you start with the sun.

[mrclough]

I quite like to travel down to Lampang on Highway 11, jump on Highway 1 up to Phayao then the lovely 120 over to Mae Kachan (forgive the spelling lol) then left onto the 118 back down to Chiang Mai.

Highways 11 & 1 are quite curvy in these sections so it's quite good.

Another one is to go through Mae Rim, Mae Tang, Chang Dao, Fang, Thaton oner Doi Mae Salong and head over to Chiang Rai for the night then head down to Chiang Mai via Phayao the next day. Quite a long first day ride but the second part is nice and easy.

Phrao loop is very good as is Samoeng loop but like you say, there's only so many times you can do it until you get bored with it.

[monty1412]

The 120 was conquered today wow.. what a ride.. great roads and no traffic. At the end where you intersect with 1 there is a house on RHS were the builder is trying to make it like a shire house from lord of the rings.. very strange.. it has mermaid concrete relief at front.. not sure what is going on but had to take a photo to at least prove I was there

Now to address all you doubting thomas's which by the derivation of this term stems back to one of the biblical apostles.. just thought you would like to know this.. here is 1050 shot from previous weekend.. stopped here amongst a stand of pine tress. not a car or bike for 109 minutes... ( its Ok I know you all were joiking)

Its off again in morning.... 120 is a really cool road .....ride safe all cheers

[monty1412]

The 120 was conquered today wow.. what a ride.. great roads and no traffic. At the end where you intersect with 1 there is a house on RHS were the builder is trying to make it like a shire house from lord of the rings.. very strange.. it has mermaid concrete relief at front.. not sure what is going on but had to take a photo to at least prove I was there

Now to address all you doubting thomas's which by the derivation of this term stems back to one of the biblical apostles.. just thought you would like to know this.. here is 1050 shot from previous weekend.. stopped here amongst a stand of pine tress. not a car or bike for 109 minutes... ( its Ok I know you all were joiking)

Its off again in morning.... 120 is a really cool road .....ride safe all cheers

That was supposed to read 10 minutes.. Ive told myself 1,235,972 times to stop exaggerating.. 5555