Expats Riding Motorbikes In Bkk?

[Khunangkaro]

Moving around BKK on my Yamaha SR250 was my pleasure for about one year after I got my bike ready to drive. Extremely much quicker than bus, boat, etc.. Need good map(s) when leaving your area. Many main roads have numbers. Be aware of most fly overs forbidden for bikes and right lanes are no go zones in BKK, which is a nuisance when spotted by the BIB, BHT100 tea money.

Having mirrors for intensive use is a must. Driving at least a bit faster then the flow feels comfortable. Driving in straight lines, no sudden moves left/right.

People who cannot drive don't drive in BKK!!

Now in Isan with little traffic I get scared in one day more than in two months in BKK.

Concentrate and anticipate continuously!

[tingtongfarang]

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.

since years with the honda wave i go though traffic jams here weaving my bars almost stationary between wing mirrors with my shortened mirrors and i became talented, and dare i say for fear of flack...if others take to the sidewalk because of traffic or flash floods i,m up there with em,

Unless i lost quite a few cm from the bars of a honda tornado i assume it just would,nt cut it in the rod tid thing, clip ons?

My journey times around and often across bkk can be very short...20 minute journeys could take as much as 3-4 hours if i used the car, if i,m stuck in the traffic with a bigger bike its going to be somewhere between,

I had thought about either an old or new model cbr 150 but hav,nt tried either yet, The cbr 250 which was quite new with abs was tempting when tried but felt like an elephant trying to squeeze through a jam,

Btw the wave i ride is a Z model ie hand clutch and 4 gears, The only things i ever changed are the tires 3 times, front brake pads, chain and sprockets and dropped the rear one from 33-31 teeth, i change the oil every 2 months and tank it full with anything 95-91-E20,

never changed the spark plug even,

Still i yearn something bigger.

Edited April 27, 2013 by tingtongfarang

[vijer]

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

Ya, so what, I see motorcycles on the highway all the time even though there is a sign at every entrance, and I have seen the motorcycles drive past the BiB and they are never stopped. Most traffic laws here are not enforced, unless the BiB need tea money, and then it is usually for not wearing a helmet.

[vijer]

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"

My wife is afraid of me driving in BKK but I keep pointing out to her "see that idiot is endangering his/her own life, he/she just went past me on the right side as I was about to turn" or the idiots that cut inside of you to make the U turn while you are making a U turn or some other stupid move. Or all the motorcycles (and cars) with lights that don't work riding at night. Nope it's not the cars hitting the bikes it's the bikes hitting the cars. When I see a motorcycle accident I always assume it was the motorcyclists fault.

[vijer]

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.

Do tell, we could all use enlightenment.

My way has been to never carry more than 40 baht and I tell them that is all I have. When they say the ticket is XX I tell them give me the ticket I will go to the station and pay it tomorrow. They either take the small amount or give up.

[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.

Do tell, we could all use enlightenment.

My way has been to never carry more than 40 baht and I tell them that is all I have. When they say the ticket is XX I tell them give me the ticket I will go to the station and pay it tomorrow. They either take the small amount or give up.

40 bht is quite a lot, thais i know would hand over 20bht,

I know farangs who ride around with 2 separate wallets and i guess thats an option, it just seems a bit strange (scary) that people should have to travel around with 2 wallets in fear of getting robbed by hardened criminals hanging around at the side of the road.

Edited April 27, 2013 by tingtongfarang

[rammis35]

Riding around Bkk will be ok, but why do you want to bring your click with you. It would be cheaper to buy a new one here then to pay the tariff on yours. The last time I checked (of coarse it was a few years ago) it was close to 300% to bring in a bike. I decided to sell my bike back home and buy another once I arrived in Thailand.

[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

Ya, so what, I see motorcycles on the highway all the time even though there is a sign at every entrance, and I have seen the motorcycles drive past the BiB and they are never stopped. Most traffic laws here are not enforced, unless the BiB need tea money, and then it is usually for not wearing a helmet.

So what is when you are stopped and escorted off of a road that you are not supposed to be on. The major effect is the difficulty of getting out of Bangkok to go to either Pattaya or Hue Hin / Cha Am

[davidstipek]

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.

What did you do to find a way around the Tea Money? Not that I have run into it yet, buth subject is brought up alot. lt would be good to get a Veterans perspective

[bangkokrick]

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.

What did you do to find a way around the Tea Money? Not that I have run into it yet, buth subject is brought up alot. lt would be good to get a Veterans perspective

I got stopped by the same cop virtually every day with many trumped up charges, so i said to him 'if you give me your bank account number i will set up a direct debit to make life easier'. I think he got the message because he never stopped me again.

[DavidMavec]

Thanks a lot for everyone's tips, they give me a good range of opinions and experiences. I think I will bring my bike down to BKK, and ride it around sois and small roads until I get comfortable going long distances. Sounds like a good idea to know where I am going before I head out as I understand hesitation is dangerous. Would hate to get t-boned or otherwise but it sure is a fun way to travel so I will not throw caution to the wind.

[DavidMavec]

As a followup question, how do people go about keeping their bikes from getting ripped off when parked? Is one lock enough? In CM I don't use anything during the day but I imagine BKK is a whole different world and there are more professional motorbike thieves...

[Newguy70]

In Bangkok I never lock my scooter, did the 1st year but after that just got lazy.

However, my second bike (Ninja) I use two locks. A throttle lock and a lock on the rear plus I loop a cable through the gate at my apt.

[HarryMilton]

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.

Very useful, thanks for that tip.

Think you mean you don't have a way around it.

[Razzler1973]

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.

Mate, I am like that around there when I am bloody walking so christ knows what it's like when driving!

[toybits]

Best time to ride your Honda Click in Bangkok is during "RUSH" hour. ha ha but NOT KIDDING. The cars will be stuck in traffic and the only vehicle moving at that time will be you and the other hundreds of thousands of motorbikes. You will always end up near the stop light so when it changes, you are the first ones to go. You won't get stuck at an intersection for two, three or four cycles. Go for it dude....

[DLock]

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.

"Riding while white".

Funny.

[huahinjoe]

Best time to ride your Honda Click in Bangkok is during "RUSH" hour. ha ha but NOT KIDDING. The cars will be stuck in traffic and the only vehicle moving at that time will be you and the other hundreds of thousands of motorbikes. You will always end up near the stop light so when it changes, you are the first ones to go. You won't get stuck at an intersection for two, three or four cycles. Go for it dude....

It very good to drive bike in BKK saying after a year daily usage, before 6y in samui with bike teach me and i kinda enjoy this massive traffic while passing all the cars and i can travel freely. Only problem is the heat, smog and the police.