Is Thailand the only country you've ridden in where locals.....

[332]

.... on smaller CC bikes and scooters need to try and aggressively race you? and not in a fun bit of sportsmanship, but risk life and limb to win and beat you?

Most of my riding (about 60%) in Australia. Around 30% has been in the UK and around Europe, and around 10% here. Just wondering as it's only in Thailand that it happens from my experiences. Every day, very strange. Your experiences?

Edited May 29, 2014 by 332

[BSJ]

Never really noticed. Their driving standards are non-existent and a lot of the women especially shouldn't be allowed to ride anything. If I had a hand gun I would probably go through 3 packets of ammo a day eliminating the problem drivers I come across.

[dave_boo]

Only had it happen once to me...perhaps I am so fat they figure it wouldn't be a fair race to me?

[332]

^ Haha.

To be fair I've really only noticed it in Bangkok. Which is where I mostly ride.

[wantan]

For racing it needs at least two. So why not just let them pass and forget it? Or open throttle and gone you are...

[dave_boo]

^ Haha.

To be fair I've really only noticed it in Bangkok. Which is where I mostly ride.

The rare occasion I have been in Bangers I hadn't noticed anyone attempting to race me...perhaps they were and I incorrectly assumed it was just typical city slicker driving habits. The incident I alluded to in my last post happened way out in the middle of nowhere not far from my house though.

I usually see the comradeship out in the country. "Big bikes" (CBR 150 and above) riders wave to each other. Even last November when I was returning from a Kachiniburi ride I ended up next to a CBR 250 somewhere north of Bangkok. We rode side by side for quite a ways until we pulled into a fuel stop. Through my very limited Thai, we discovered that we live ~100 km apart and continued riding until he veered off towards where he was going with a goodbye wave, tooting of the horn, etc.

[332]

For racing it needs at least two. So why not just let them pass and forget it? Or open throttle and gone you are...

I always just let them pass and go on, can't see the need to race someone on the streets of bangkok haha. Especially aggressive do or die stuff.

What's your experiences with it Wantan? as a social aspect and cultural insight it's quite fascinating imo. Never had it happen once in other countries.

[hanno]

China, Vietnam, Laos, Cambodia. Just from personal experience. But I never get suckered in, just not worth it.

I was riding a 400cc years ago in Vietnam when most of the population were still on Honda Cubs and Dreams; they still wanted to race. Usually the freshie boys.

Edited May 29, 2014 by hanno

[yankee99]

5 years no one has ever tried to race me. Maybe they are scared!

[ll2]

I have ridden through the same behavior in many other countries but mostly Asian ones.

Nowadays scooter and small bikes don't mess with me much but still I notice that occasional cbr150 tailing me aggressively

[332]

China, Vietnam, Laos, Cambodia. Just from personal experience. But I never get suckered in, just not worth it.

Thanks. Perhaps a SEA thing.

I could empathize with doing such stuff as a bit of fun and playing around when the roads are free etc, but the aggressive - into head on traffic at top speed while your lanes are gridlocked to get ahead - antics are both bizarre and a fascinating social and cultural insight.

[moe666]

Never seen it up around CM. In Surin did have a young guy follow me to hotel parking lot and ask if I had really ridden all the way from Chiang Mai he had a hard time believing me but eventually he did.

[wantan]

For racing it needs at least two. So why not just let them pass and forget it? Or open throttle and gone you are...

I always just let them pass and go on, can't see the need to race someone on the streets of bangkok haha. Especially aggressive do or die stuff.

What's your experiences with it Wantan? as a social aspect and cultural insight it's quite fascinating imo. Never had it happen once in other countries.

To be honest, i don't notice much of this. How do i know that someone wants to race me? In Bangkok usually i do my best to get all vehicles out of my way and have a safe ride. Sometimes on some rural streets guys with Waves or scooters pass me. I dont give a damn. Let them be happy. All i want is to enjoy a safe ride

Edited May 29, 2014 by wantan

[Big Guns]

Yes it happens a bit. I often notice some young lad on a scooter trying to race me from the lights on my Ducati M795.

[Familyonthemove]

I mainly ride in BKK (unfortunately) - and everyone else seems to be in more of a hurry than me - but only a few of the "Dec-wen" seem to want a good natured drag race at the lights.

I've also been impressed with the speed of some of the Honda Waves out of Bangkok - they must be flat out and I guess it tool all day to get up to top speed ..... but they can shift!

Edited May 30, 2014 by Familyonthemove

[guzzi850m2]

Here in Pattaya everybody rides pretty sensible until the school boys in their uniforms (no helmets) are hitting the road for going home.

Some of them are riding like mad, I can't understand why the police never do anything about them.

[Wong!]

Had an idiot place his bike right in front of mine at a main junction this morning. He then dawdled arond the corner blocking me and everyone else and looked surprised when he got a loud "are you f**king stupid!" shouted at him. I reckon he was only about 14 and sported the brain-dead look that is so typical here.

As for racing, I've only had it from other foreigners. A Duke 390, a Kawa 250 Ninjaette and a Hells Angel wannabe on a Hardly Ableson monstrosity who ploughed up the main road from Promenada at full throttle and then had the joys of cars coming from all directions as they do on that stretch of road (I tend to force myself to chill on that 2km stretch of mayhem).

Sent from my GT-P3100 using Tapatalk

[RubberSideDown]

I never instigate it, but I get it at a stoplight on rare occasions- if traffic is clear, the road surface is decent, and it's a literbike or larger that wants to jump, I don't mind playing in a straight line for a couple hundred meters (I usually leave the TC on which takes some of the risk out of it, though it costs me off the line). Smaller bikes I just let go. I never race in the twisties and will only 'ride my own ride'.

I can't say I see aggressive riding (aimed in my direction) very often, though- I do see plenty of dumb moves that have nothing to do with anyone but the riders making them.

[Wong!]

Oh, and I left one of those ZX14 thingys for dust on the wife's Wave the other day!

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[RubberSideDown]

^

I've certainly been passed by a few.

[ll2]

^

Some bored up scooters go crazy!

[dave_boo]

^

I've certainly been passed by a few.

It's because everybody knows that Honda > Kawasaki...even if the Kawi is ~12x the displacement (although the green Kawasakis automatically are 25% better so a given Honda is only as good as a green Kawi that's 9x as big as the Big H bike).

Discuss.

[H1w4yR1da]

^

I've certainly been passed by a few.

It's because everybody knows that Honda > Kawasaki...even if the Kawi is ~12x the displacement (although the green Kawasakis automatically are 25% better so a given Honda is only as good as a green Kawi that's 9x as big as the Big H bike).

Discuss.

Yeah. I would if I knew what that was all about!

Suzuki GSX-R1000 L3 182 hp in-line 4 Superbike

[dave_boo]

^

I've certainly been passed by a few.

It's because everybody knows that Honda > Kawasaki...even if the Kawi is ~12x the displacement (although the green Kawasakis automatically are 25% better so a given Honda is only as good as a green Kawi that's 9x as big as the Big H bike).

Discuss.

Yeah. I would if I knew what that was all about!

Suzuki GSX-R1000 L3 182 hp in-line 4 Superbike

Sorry:

! Honda 125cc >= Kawasaki 1400cc ⇔ Honda 125cc >= Green Kawasaki 1125cc

Hope that clears it up....

[DualSportBiker]

Late one night in the mid 90s I was surrounded by a troop of dec-weng at the lights at Asoke-Petchaburi, approaching Fortune on my way home to the Chinese embassy soi. They made it pretty clear they expected me to race, and as the lights were about to change, I 'prepared' myself... The lights changed and I sat still waiting for them all to go. One held back and once he saw I was not going to play, gunned it. They all turned into the same soi as I was headed to, an unfortunate coincidence.

When I got to the one of those poorly made bridges, I saw the kid who held back on the floor, his bike twisted up and he was bleeding dark blood from the body and head. He was still jerking, but was dead in a few more seconds.

Needless to say, I don't have high opinion of those who race on the streets or encourage them.

The only place to race is the track... but you all know that already

Sent - how is not that important...

[332]

^ I've sometimes, twice or trice now, come across the nightly drag races practicing on the highway in the evening. Usually a gang of them hanging back and 3 or 4 of them racing ahead on their souped up, stripped down 2-strokes, t-shirts or vests as riding gear, not a nice place to be riding. All cars also on edge as hitting one would likely mean a full clip of 9mm being shot through the windscreen.