Expats Riding Motorbikes In Bkk?

[DavidMavec]

Hello...

I am going to be moving down to BKK from CNX and was thinking about bringing my Honda Click. When I have told some Thai people about this, they strongly caution me not to, saying it is too dangerous. Do many expats ride motorbikes around town instead of taxis, BTS, etc? Is it really THAT dangerous compared to other Thai cities?

[cgphuket]

I rode my cycle in BKK for 1.5 years without an incident (except the occasional fine for riding while white). I think riding in places like Phuket or Samui is more dangerous, be cause people dont pay any attention. In Bnagkok they drive fast and there is a lot of traffic but less room for error so the drivers seem to pay more attention. If you can drive super defensive and adjust to the traffic flow, you should be fine.

[Langsuan Man]

Just be careful to watch for the NO Motorcycles signs that are all over Bangkok, unlike CM, many BKK roads prohibit motorcycles and not just on the expressways

[mooro_uk]

I've been driving my Honda Wave around Bkk almost every day for 5 years now. Never had any major incident.

Make sure you know exactly where you are going (hesitation can be more dangerous than speeding in fast flowing traffic), definitely don't drive drunk and be aware of everything that's around you and you should be fine.

[Travel2003]

Lived 10+ years in BKK.

Saw foreigners on motor bikes daily.

Always on bigger bikes.

Never observed one single accident with a foreigner involved.

[asiaexpat]

I occasional ride my Honda Wave around the Mubaan and on short trips, but never on to the main streets. Unless you have been riding in heavy traffic for quit some time, I suggest going with a great deal of caution.

[ayayay]

Lived 10+ years in BKK.

Saw foreigners on motor bikes daily.

Always on bigger bikes.

Never observed one single accident with a foreigner involved.

I have seen foreigners involved in motorcycle accidents.

Furthermore, it is much less likely to see a foreigner involved, than a Thai, cause Thai motorcyclists simply outnumber the foreigner motorcyclist by far.

[Newguy70]

Hello...

I am going to be moving down to BKK from CNX and was thinking about bringing my Honda Click. When I have told some Thai people about this, they strongly caution me not to, saying it is too dangerous. Do many expats ride motorbikes around town instead of taxis, BTS, etc? Is it really THAT dangerous compared to other Thai cities?

Ride almost every day, even in the rain. As long as you are aware of the dangers...

[Amusements]

I rode my bike round Bangkok for a year, and the only problem I had, was getting lost. I have arrived at Bangkok train station twice on my bike, and both times been totally disorientated by the one way system and turn left/right only signs, and more recently road works. If you can read Thai road signs you will have no problem:)

[thrilled]

I started riding motorcycles in 1967.With bantgkok traffic it's only a matter if time before you'll be t-boned or pancaked.The only way I would ride A 2 wheeler in Bangkok is with A group of other motorcyclist.And thats for many large cities around the world.Good luck to ya.

[bangkokrick]

Rode my bike in Bangkok for years without incident, just got to keep your concentration. The worse danger is the BIB stopping you for tea money, in my experience.

[bermondburi]

Rode in BKK for many years , only had one serious accident when I broke my arm . Don't drink and drive is the motto there . Ease yourself in slowly , don't start going into the centre when you don't know where you're going . So get a good map . Watch out for bridges you can't go over and subsequent police fines . And stay on the left too . Do get a good helmet and use it . Get some good waterproofs and some good sunglasses . I quite liked driving in BKK really . Once you know where you're going it's okay .

[mobiryder]

Drove a moto in BKK the last 10 years. Drove a moto in CNX for 1 year. I saw 5x more crashes/wrecks in CNS during this time than I ever saw in BKK. You're getting advice from country bumpkins.

[NoshowJones]

Rode my bike in Bangkok for years without incident, just got to keep your concentration. The worse danger is the BIB stopping you for tea money, in my experience.

I will never give the BIB any tea money when driving my car or riding my bike if I am 100% certain I have done nothing wrong, same applies in any other occasion.

[JCaligula]

Hello fren,

Please do it in Pattaya or Phuket instead.Don't encourage it in Bangkok,enough with too many accidents involving mostly bikers and it's too noisy.Already have some self claimed Hell Angels showing off in Bangkok,they should organise some shows in Pattaya or Phuket probably can get some free booties...

[candypants]

^^^???? ^^^

anyways, it is no big deal at all. many do it.

i fail to see the issue

[Fullstop]

I have arrived at Bangkok train station twice on my bike, and both times been totally disorientated by the one way system and turn left/right only signs

That was my problem a few years ago in Yarrowat. I was literally going in circles for an hour trying to get out of the place.

[hubahuba]

Rode my bike in Bangkok for years without incident, just got to keep your concentration. The worse danger is the BIB stopping you for tea money, in my experience.

Have been riding my Nouvo Pattaya now for 18 months and no accident yet, but very many close shaves, especially at Songkram. In my opinion most Thai driver's ? riders have no regard for anyone else but themselves. I do not think the word courtesy exists in their language/dictionary. They have two speed's. flat out or stopped. The BIB are I agree only interested in tea money. I have been stopped many times as soon as they see you are a Falang. So now wear a full face dark visor and long sleeve shirt to cover white skin. When stopped seems it does not matter if you have licence/insurance they will always try to find something wrong with bike so they can ask for their "tea money"

[how241]

I've been driving my Honda Wave around Bkk almost every day for 5 years now. Never had any major incident.

Make sure you know exactly where you are going (hesitation can be more dangerous than speeding in fast flowing traffic), definitely don't drive drunk and be aware of everything that's around you and you should be fine.

+1

[Psych01]

I have been living in BKK for a little under a year now, use my motorcy to go most places around the area I live and haven't had any probs yet [touch wood].

If I want to go anywhere new, I use Google maps to find it and get the directions and then select the street view to identify the junctions, so that I have a visual of it in my head.

[Halion]

Riding a motor bike / scooter in any country constitutes an increased risk owing to the added need to defy gravity and the lack of protection. In EU and UK it is common to see boots ,leathers etc however, here in Thailand it is rather impracticle owing to the heat and humidity . Should you have a spill in Thailand you are more likely to incur injuries owing to the lack of protective gear, and that said I personaly find a motor bike an econical and effective means of transport, low fuel consumption ,reduced impact from grid locked traffic and easy parking but riding in Bangkok requires a very high level of concentration and awareness and as has been mentioned earlier a sound knowledge of where you are going. Second only to the poor quality of the roads and street lights here are the rediculous road signs. So if you are venturing out of familiar territory check your route on a good map.

Most Thai drivers on the road are relatively good drivers in the sense that they can control the vehicle, however, the problem starts that they are careless and there are really few rules and Thai drivers only think about themselves. When approaching a main road a Thai driver may think twice about pulling out in front of a truck,however, he will not give a motor bike a second thought. They have little if any lane disipline and changing lanes is another area where motor bikes are constantly put at risk. They are bigger so they simply move over and force you to swerve or brake.

Been driving in this country for many years, both bikes and cars and although it is truly chaotic in every sense of the word, it is managable. Adjust your driving to suit the conditions. One of my main concerns for bikes is at night where a bike has a significantly reduced depth perception in the rear view mirrors owing to glaring headlight behind and also that there are very few bike models with really good headlights which can pick out the pot holes at a safe enough distance to allow you to avoid them.

Good luck.

[garzhe]

I agree, Ive riden a lot in Bangkok and my biggest problem is getting lost. Much more dangerous in Pattaya or Phuket with many farangs renting bikes and riding after several beers.

I rode my cycle in BKK for 1.5 years without an incident (except the occasional fine for riding while white). I think riding in places like Phuket or Samui is more dangerous, be cause people dont pay any attention. In Bnagkok they drive fast and there is a lot of traffic but less room for error so the drivers seem to pay more attention. If you can drive super defensive and adjust to the traffic flow, you should be fine.

[tingtongfarang]

Riding a honda wave in bkk since 7years now ...35000km, I think nothing of traveling all over bkk with the motocyc...I used GE for a mental image of my route until i knew my way around better than the taxis,

I decided years ago if i could,nt accept the risks then i could,nt live in bkk, last time i used any form of public transport or even a taxi is well over 5 years,

I do have a car but would never get the idea to drive around bkk..mostly 2 days per week i travel distance and thats when the car gets used,

When i first came there were 2 occasions when i started riding here that the bib extorted money from me, It pissed me off for days after each time until i found a way around it.

[besth]

I've been driving my Honda Wave around Bkk almost every day for 5 years now. Never had any major incident.

Make sure you know exactly where you are going (hesitation can be more dangerous than speeding in fast flowing traffic), definitely don't drive drunk and be aware of everything that's around you and you should be fine.

I agree.

I ride in Bangkok and in Pattaya and I feel a lot safer in BKK. Always being extremely careful, but you will learn the no-rules of BKK chaos and adapt to them.

Be safe.

[asupeartea]

Please share your way around it.

Riding a honda wave in bkk since 7years now ...35000km, I think nothing of traveling all over bkk with the motocyc...I used GE for a mental image of my route until i knew my way around better than the taxis,

I decided years ago if i could,nt accept the risks then i could,nt live in bkk, last time i used any form of public transport or even a taxi is well over 5 years,

I do have a car but would never get the idea to drive around bkk..mostly 2 days per week i travel distance and thats when the car gets used,

When i first came there were 2 occasions when i started riding here that the bib extorted money from me, It pissed me off for days after each time until i found a way around it.

[tingtongfarang]

Please share your way around it.

Riding a honda wave in bkk since 7years now ...35000km, I think nothing of traveling all over bkk with the motocyc...I used GE for a mental image of my route until i knew my way around better than the taxis,

I decided years ago if i could,nt accept the risks then i could,nt live in bkk, last time i used any form of public transport or even a taxi is well over 5 years,

I do have a car but would never get the idea to drive around bkk..mostly 2 days per week i travel distance and thats when the car gets used,

When i first came there were 2 occasions when i started riding here that the bib extorted money from me, It pissed me off for days after each time until i found a way around it.

Then it would get abused and of no use to me, but i give you a tip,

I believe that when the bib stop you with intentions of committing a crime regardless of how way off their moral compass is, somewhere in the back of their heads is a guilt complex, use it.

[ragpicker]

Drove both big & small bikes in Bangkok for over 10 years. No problems. Since then been driving bikes in Pattaya for 18 years. Because much of the driving in Bangkok is reduced to a crawl, I feel it's more likely I'd have an accident in Pattaya. Having said that, Pattaya isn't far off from being exactly like Bangkok, especially on weekends. I use to frequently help support the BIB in Bangkok. I got pretty fed up with that. Usually the "keep left at all times" nonsense.

[Flyboy767]

You need to think like a Buddhist. When your time is up, you will be gone in a flash and won't know what hit you, if you are lucky. On the other hand if you number is not up, you will be fine. I have ridden Motos for 40 years, in all kinds of conditions and countries, without incident. However in the last couple of years, we have had 2 buddies killed in head-ons. These guys were the most cautious of our riders, so it is not about you, we can all learn to deal with BKK traffic. I just drove 9000 km in 2 months and never left the city limits of BKK and without incident. The way my friends and I look at it, we are all in our mid 60s, and we have pushed our luck just about as far as we can, so we have all quit to enjoy what years we have left. On the other hand, if you really need to ride for transportation, and you are young and feel lucky. Have fun, but watch out for OTHER motos, they are your worst enemy. There are collisions everyday due to the sheer volume of bike commuting.

[tingtongfarang]

In europe i mostly owned and rode big bikes, kawasaki z1000-z1300-gpz 600r,bmw 800gs-600gs, and both bmw1100gs-ducati 900monster i used from my boss in germany for the 220km daily commute, At home i still have a yamaha xt600 and husqvana 420,

So often here i yearn for a big bike again, have tried a cbr 400-cbr 750-cbr 250 from friends but in bkk i find i end up stuck in the traffic and have to actually move out of the way to let smaller bikes through...i decided to stay with the honda wave

[Flyboy767]

Big bikes are great but don't work very well in BKK.

If it were me, I would get a dual purpose light bike such as the Honda Tornado 250. Fast when you need it, but very agile.