Motorbike Courses Needed (Seriously)

[Dolgure]

Hi guys

Sorry if I sound funny, but I have just moved to the island. Back home I don't have a driver license.

Riding a motorbike may not sound a big deal to you, but I never have and it doesn't seem a good idea to create a danger on a road.

So, how can I learn and obtain a license here, pls?

Thank you in advance

[Boater]

I don't think there are any driver training schools for bikes here .. Just go with the flow

[Dolgure]

Thanks, but not such a good idea to me, as I've never ridden anything more powerful than a plain bike.

Plus, I don't have a license....how do Thai kids get it anyway?

Sad but true...

[Tropicalevo]

Thanks, but not such a good idea to me, as I've never ridden anything more powerful than a plain bike.

Plus, I don't have a license....how do Thai kids get it anyway?

Sad but true...

Most Thais that I know do not have a license

[crazykopite]

To get a motor bike permit you go to the transport office in Lipa noi sit a computor test and then you jump on a bike ride a 50 mtr straight line and make a left turn if you do not use your indicater when making the turn you fail it is that simple you then hand over a couple hundred baht to get your permit which will last for 1 year . You can not renew the permit until it has run out I tried to do it 48 hours prior and got turned away they told me to come back in a couple opf weeks which I did I then paid 500 baht and got a permit for 6 years. my understanding is that if you have this permit you can then return to the UK AND ARE ALLOWED TO RIDE THE BIGGEST MEANEST BIKE ON THE ROAD which is farcical to me I suggest you find a nice quiet road and ride up and down until you are happy good luck !!!!

[Dolgure]

Thanks a lot!

[Dolgure]

Errr... The computer test is in Thai, isn't it?

[PoorSucker]

Errr... The computer test is in Thai, isn't it?

You can choose between English and Thai, up to you.

[NHJ]

[samuijimmy]

Errr... The computer test is in Thai, isn't it?

It is not difficult .... a case of Monkey see.... Monkey do.... during the tests, ( or don't do) ,,,,,, your first test will be for colour blindness.

But as suggested, it would be a good idea to find a quite area and practice for a few days or much longer.... before going to Lipa Noi.

You'll need letter from immigration and a doctor as well...

[marstons]

Thanks, but not such a good idea to me, as I've never ridden anything more powerful than a plain bike.

Plus, I don't have a license....how do Thai kids get it anyway?

Sad but true...

its a case of teach yourself or dont ride a bike. On the mainland some honda dealers organise them including the bike forum sponser but Samui just have to learn the hard way and look forwards to the Samui tatoo club. On ething i learned was to never use the front brake, hit that on sand and your gone. Edited July 15, 2012 by marstons

[PoorSucker]

Wear jeans, boots, jacket and HELMET.

[NHJ]

On ething i learned was to never use the front brake, hit that on sand and your gone.

Lol you have to use front brake, that's certainly because of this way of thinking that honda introduced combi brake on all their bikes.

[PoorSucker]

On ething i learned was to never use the front brake, hit that on sand and your gone.

Lol you have to use front brake, that's certainly because of this way of thinking that honda introduced combi brake on all their bikes.

You should use 70% on front brake and 30% on back break to get most efficient stop.

There's a reason why big bikes have better front breaks.

[aussiebrian]

On ething i learned was to never use the front brake, hit that on sand and your gone.

Lol you have to use front brake, that's certainly because of this way of thinking that honda introduced combi brake on all their bikes.

You should use 70% on front brake and 30% on back break to get most efficient stop.

There's a reason why big bikes have better front breaks.

If you don't use your brakes right you can end up with many breaks both in your body and your bike.

Big bikes have better front BRAKES and back for that matter because they are heavier.

The front brake is your most efficient brake. On a good dry road, use front/rear about 80/20. On a wet road, about 50/50 and on a gravel/dirt road about 20/80. If you don't use your front brake, best you don't ride or you will wish you never tried to ride.

Many people learn to ride in Thailand, some make it, others don't. Motorcycles can be dangerous at the best of times, but trying to learn in an environment that you don't understand can add further risk.

Get in a large area with no traffic, practice throttle control, set up some 8 or 10 plastic bottles about 2 metres apart and try riding between them without hitting them. Practice countersteering. If you don't understand this term, google it.

Practice braking, but don't jump on your brakes, squeeze them. Read as much as you can about riding and good luck. Best to learn how to handle a bike before you jump out onto the road. Trail riding is a great way to start, but not sure where you can do that here. There are some good videos on youtube. One of my favorites is a twist of the wrist. Great for riders of all levels.

It amazes me how many people say just get on and ride. Many people that try that approach would not suggest that if they were still here to tell you that.

Make sure you are insured at least for injury. Many travel insurance policies won't cover you for riding motorcycles, others won't cover you if you are on a bike over 250cc, most won't cover you if you don't have a helmet on and none will cover you if you don't have a licence.

If you still really want to ride start on something small. And of course, wear good protective gear and a good helmet, preferable a full face if you like the look of your face.

Honda does have a riding school in Bangkok, but how good it is, and how often they have classes, I don't know. They have a homepage, but looks like it is in Thai. http://www.aphonda.co.th/hondasafety/riding_center.asp Learn to ride properly, then you will enjoy it the most.

Edited July 15, 2012 by aussiebrian

[Dolgure]

Thanks a lot

[spacedcowboy]

I've been riding motorcycles in the Uk and Thailand for over 20 years I thought myself to be pretty competent until my last visit to Samui.

Riding along at 15 mph maximum all the necessary precautions in place, last day after 2 months on Samui riding around enjoying the sun.

I was actually returning the bike to the Chaweng rental shop thinking to myself "this has gone well" when out of a shop, barking runs a Jack Russell dog attempting to chew the front wheel off the bike.

Fortunately I managed to avoid both killing myself and the dog and avoided damaging the scooter "quite how I don't know"

I won't be riding in Samui anymore.

[marstons]

On ething i learned was to never use the front brake, hit that on sand and your gone.

Lol you have to use front brake, that's certainly because of this way of thinking that honda introduced combi brake on all their bikes.

You should use 70% on front brake and 30% on back break to get most efficient stop.

There's a reason why big bikes have better front breaks.

true on clean tarmac roads, but on sandy dusty roads the front brake will lock the front wheel and the bike is lost, if the back wheel locks its controlable. Still just my experience of driving around the island for 8 years and luckily left unscathed, how ever visiting friends used the 70% front rule and usually ended up in a heap on the floor. Honda based their research on roads where sand was not constantly on bike lanes on the road. I did have a bike with disc front and back so the back brake did the job for the speeds i drove at. Anyway each to there own, i only advising on how i got through 8 years unsacthed on some of Thailand worst roads. Edited July 17, 2012 by marstons

[samuijimmy]

On ething i learned was to never use the front brake, hit that on sand and your gone.

Lol you have to use front brake, that's certainly because of this way of thinking that honda introduced combi brake on all their bikes.

You should use 70% on front brake and 30% on back break to get most efficient stop.

There's a reason why big bikes have better front breaks.

true on clean tarmac roads, but on sandy dusty roads the front brake will lock the front wheel and the bike is lost, if the back wheel locks its controlable. Still just my experience of driving around the island for 8 years and luckily left unscathed, how ever visiting friends used the 70% front rule and usually ended up in a heap on the floor. Honda based their research on roads where sand was not constantly on bike lanes on the road. I did have a bike with disc front and back so the back brake did the job for the speeds i drove at. Anyway each to there own, i only advising on how i got through 8 years unsacthed on some of Thailand worst roads.

yes I would certainly agree there.... front brakes on sandy sections of road can be a wipe out!

I rarely use front brake first.... on any road condition ....

[robsamui]

On ething i learned was to never use the front brake, hit that on sand and your gone.

Lol you have to use front brake, that's certainly because of this way of thinking that honda introduced combi brake on all their bikes.

You should use 70% on front brake and 30% on back break to get most efficient stop.

There's a reason why big bikes have better front breaks.

true on clean tarmac roads, but on sandy dusty roads the front brake will lock the front wheel and the bike is lost, if the back wheel locks its controlable. Still just my experience of driving around the island for 8 years and luckily left unscathed, how ever visiting friends used the 70% front rule and usually ended up in a heap on the floor. Honda based their research on roads where sand was not constantly on bike lanes on the road. I did have a bike with disc front and back so the back brake did the job for the speeds i drove at. Anyway each to there own, i only advising on how i got through 8 years unsacthed on some of Thailand worst roads.

My advice to the OP would be to ignore the conventional advice on how to brake - as already mentioned Samui is a special case in several respects, not the least of them being the survival factor,

Always always always use the back brake when you want to stop. If, after a moment, it aint enough, then gently squeeze the front one to add more stopping power. Get into the habit every time, even when the road is that nice dark tarmac which brilliantly shows up the chalk-lines that the police so thoughtfully draw round the bodies of accident victims. That way when you do find yourself on gravel or sand you'll instinctively do the back one first. Samui motto? Best to see those outlines from the outside not the inside.

R

[marstons]

On ething i learned was to never use the front brake, hit that on sand and your gone.

Lol you have to use front brake, that's certainly because of this way of thinking that honda introduced combi brake on all their bikes.

LOL i did 35,000 km on samui not using it, so dont HAVE to use it. I have a PCX 150 now, usage of the front brake is minimal compared to the back. how much research do you think honda did based on sand and gravel.

Advice from road saftey training when on sand and gravel.

I believe that when we panic, our brains resort back to whatever habits we have and in a scary gravel or sandy situation, many riders will grab the front brake. At our off-road school, I ask street experienced riders to use only the rear brake at first

Edited July 17, 2012 by marstons

[PoorSucker]

LOL i did 35,000 km on samui not using it, so dont HAVE to use it. I have a PCX 150 now, usage of the front brake is minimal compared to the back. how much research do you think honda did based on sand and gravel.

Advice from road saftey training when on sand and gravel.

I believe that when we panic, our brains resort back to whatever habits we have and in a scary gravel or sandy situation, many riders will grab the front brake. At our off-road school, I ask street experienced riders to use only the rear brake at first

Hope you realize that the PCX has a combi break.

[marstons]

Hope you realize that the PCX has a combi break.

yes did mention it in first line, probably not clearyly but when i said pcx usage on the combi is minimal compared to the back as in its not full on with the front. thankfully now riding on mainland so less sand. have tried findng out how much usage is put on font brake on the combi brake as it does not feel much. guess one way to find out is find some sandy road use comi brake and see which wheels or wheel locks up.

Edited July 19, 2012 by marstons

[BigC]

i don't know what country u r from but you might want to take your test and do lessions back home. they teach you allot in england. over 3-5 days fro 0800 to 1700 then test on last day.

then when you come to thailand you just pay 500 baht dhow them your countries lisence and they give you a thai bike lisence equivlalent.

i did myu test on a 500 cc back home i hjave 2 lisences out here car and bike. i had to pay 500 baht for each. do the brake test and ajustment test then everyone else went to watch the video and take the written test and drivng test whilst i already had been donw stairs had my photo taken and had my lsiences in my pocket becuase i aldreay had uk bike lisence and car,

[Trapper]

Errr... The computer test is in Thai, isn't it?

This will help, it's the computer test in English, so you can practice before you go.

http://apps.dlt.go.th/driving_hp/ELearnning/E-Learning2.swf

Edited July 22, 2012 by Trapper

[PoorSucker]

Errr... The computer test is in Thai, isn't it?

This will help, it's the computer test in English, so you can practice before you go.

http://apps.dlt.go.th/driving_hp/ELearnning/E-Learning2.swf

Do you have a link the embedded flash is very small.

[BigC]

The bike test in Samui may give it to u but if u want it safe then real lessons hardcore shall keep u safe