Planning a Trip to CM from Korat. Any Suggestions on a Route Changes?

[ll2]

get the heavier one. roads are not very smooth in Thailand dont forget so i am sure you can compress that heavy spring and i am sure it has an adjustability, no?

[RubberSideDown]

^

It has a range of adjustability, but that doesn't mean it will suit the rider's needs- the stock spring is adjustable as well, but that didn't help, did it? Compressing it too much limits the travel, which makes for a harder ride, and not giving it enough compression (in the case of a too-heavy spring) could lead to a pogo-stick effect.

The maximum rating is one thing- it's the minimum that you need to be concerned with with a 105 N/mm-150kg spring- if it's in the acceptable range (which it may well be) great, but a bit of research is required before installation.

Edited February 7, 2015 by RubberSideDown

[Shurup]

Yes the shocks are adjustable. I was thinking a heavier spring too, as my wife and myself (with no luggage) are about 140 kg geared up, myself is just over 90 with gear.

Most of my rides, especially the longer trips, are 2 up.

But I shall ask on the Ducati board, if the 90 N/mm spring is the next step up, it might just do the trick on the stiffest preload.

[Shurup]

Back on topic of the trip report.

Day 1.

Made it to some small Na Noi village (junction of 1026 and 1083) after a ferry crossing on 1339.

1339 was twisty but very narrow and with some sharp turns and some bad patches on the road surface so took it slow.

It started getting dark while waiting for the ferry and once past it I had to ride in the dark.

Was glad to check into the hotel (recommended by Dave_boo) by the end of the day as we were getting tired.

Before we turned off the HWY 11 we passed a few groups of bikers on their way up North.

We covered a lot of ground due to us staying on the main highways up until we turned off into1246.

Weather was nice and sunny but not too hot - great day of riding.

Daily trip.

Before taking off on a trip.

Waiting for a ferry. My wife was talking to that lady in the restaurant and mentioned camping so we were offered to camp at one of the floating houses on the deck. No thanks!

I had an urge to stuff this little cute puppy into my pocket. LOL

Ferry, finally!

Wife posing with a bike.

Edited February 7, 2015 by Shurup

[dave_boo]

Back on topic of the trip report.

Day 1.

Made it to some small Na Noi village (junction of 1026 and 1083) after a ferry crossing on 1339.

1339 was twisty but very narrow and with some sharp turns and some bad patches on the road surface so took it slow.

It started getting dark while waiting for the ferry and once past it I had to ride in the dark.

Was glad to check into the hotel (recommended by Dave_boo) by the end of the day as we were getting tired.

Before we turned off the HWY 11 we passed a few groups of bikers on their way up North.

We covered a lot of ground due to us staying on the main highways up until we turned off into1246.

Weather was nice and sunny but not too hot - great day of riding.

Jan 25, 2015 (Medium).png

Daily trip.

Thai Trip North (12) (Medium).jpg

Before taking off on a trip.

Thai Trip North (22) (Medium).jpg

Waiting for a ferry. My wife was talking to that lady in the restaurant and mentioned camping so we were offered to camp at one of the floating houses on the deck. No thanks!

Thai Trip North (29) (Medium).jpg

I had an urge to stuff this little cute puppy into my pocket. LOL

Thai Trip North (32) (Medium).jpg

Ferry, finally!

Thai Trip North (34) (Medium).jpg

Wife posing with a bike.

Yeah, nebula and I had to ride that section after the ferry in the dark also. Was due to not knowing where the ferry was and the procedure to get it to come. That's why I make sure I always mention that information! Those LED lights I have sure helped navigating the dark.

Hope you didn't get the bungalow right behind the car park; it has 2x bathrooms but the one on the left didn't have hot water so nebula, my pillion and I all had to share (not at the same time) the other bathroom.

[Shurup]

Day 2.

After we got up, shower and had a breakfast, wife asked if there were any sightseeing in the area. There was a place not very far from where we stayed and it would have been a nice place for camping, if we knew of it earlier. Took some pictures and were back to town shortly and on our way.

Wife had a plan to visit some place North of Nan but scrapped that for some reason so we went to Chiang Rai.

Just before the Chiang Rai went through a construction section where they were rebuilding the road, it was dusty but a minute before me a water truck passes and sprayed the road with water turning it into a dirt road. Got my bike dirty!

To my surprise we didn't stop in Chiang Rai as wife found some nice place up in the mountains NW of Chiang Rai near the border. Mae Salong. It was a pain to get there as the mountain road she asked me to follow was very narrow and surface was missing for the long stretches. I found a proper way out on our way back though following my GPS.

Again it started getting dark when we started looking for a place to stay. Originally we were planning camping there but couldn't find any campground so started looking for the hotel/resort/guest house...

Stopped at the Mae Salong Flower Hills Resort, wife went to inquire about the room cost and then went to check the room. Room was OK, a little pricey, but when she went to book it they told her a different (higher) price so we left. Next resort down the hill was OK and they also had a small campground so it was a 1st camping night, with hot water shower and toilet, view from the campground was nice too.

Mae Salong looks like a small part of China, lots of Chinese architecture and most of the restaurants are Chinese. Furthermore it seems to be a popular tourist destination among the Asians as well as Westerners.

Daily Trip.

Breakfast at the restaurant before leaving the resort.

Campground near the Na Noi where we stayed.

Checking out Mae Salong Flower Hills Resort.

Set for the night.

[Shurup]

A few more shots in addition to Day 2.

Night sky, made with setting a camera to a moderate ISO speed, wide aperture and a long exposure.

Camera on a tripod.

Sunrise and a view from the campground.

[Shurup]

Yeah, nebula and I had to ride that section after the ferry in the dark also. Was due to not knowing where the ferry was and the procedure to get it to come. That's why I make sure I always mention that information! Those LED lights I have sure helped navigating the dark.

Hope you didn't get the bungalow right behind the car park; it has 2x bathrooms but the one on the left didn't have hot water so nebula, my pillion and I all had to share (not at the same time) the other bathroom.

I'm sure glad it wasn't a very long ride after the ferry!

The resort has a little weird room setup with shared bathrooms (we stayed in the main building and not in bungalows), but thankfully the resort was not even half full so we didn't need to share our bathroom with anyone else.

[dave_boo]

Yeah, nebula and I had to ride that section after the ferry in the dark also. Was due to not knowing where the ferry was and the procedure to get it to come. That's why I make sure I always mention that information! Those LED lights I have sure helped navigating the dark.

Hope you didn't get the bungalow right behind the car park; it has 2x bathrooms but the one on the left didn't have hot water so nebula, my pillion and I all had to share (not at the same time) the other bathroom.

I'm sure glad it wasn't a very long ride after the ferry!

The resort has a little weird room setup with shared bathrooms (we stayed in the main building and not in bungalows), but thankfully the resort was not even half full so we didn't need to share our bathroom with anyone else.

Good to hear. Hope you found the restaurant also...although the food wasn't good.

And speaking of eating, nebula sure is...frugal...to the point he makes me look like a show-off with my money.

A side note, bump up your exposure length and possibly consider a wider aperture. If you have a Nikon, I recommend the 35mm 1.8G. Cheap as chips and gets really good dusk time photos. In fact, a lot of times I have to go a stop down as it will let in too much light and not give a satisfactory picture that shows the time it was taken.

[Shurup]

Day 3.

After packing up we were on our way out of the mountains, somewhere along the way stopped for a breakfast before hitting the HWY 1. Riding through Chiang Rai I stopped and snapped a few pictures at the White Temple, which was full with tourists, we didn't make any other stops in the city. Passed the Chiang Mai without stopping there as well, other than for the fuel.

Wife planned to stay at some campground with a lot of those pink flower trees, which are blooming the end of Jan - beginning of Feb, but it appeared you have to go off-road to get there. A few Km into it I said, "F*** it" and "sorry" and turned around, I love off-roading but not on this bike. There was quite a few 4x4 getting in and out after I got back on the HWY 1095 and we found out that the campground was almost full anyways. A few km earlier we passed another campground in the national park so we went back there and camped again. Had so set up a camp in the dark again This time there was no hot water so I only washed my head and private parts. It was very cold that night, only 8*C.

Daily Trip.

Breakfast stop out from Mae Salong.

Chiang Rai White Temple.

Camping.

Well she found her flower tree, just one but better than nothing.

View from the campground.

Posing with the bike.

[Shurup]

Yeah, nebula and I had to ride that section after the ferry in the dark also. Was due to not knowing where the ferry was and the procedure to get it to come. That's why I make sure I always mention that information! Those LED lights I have sure helped navigating the dark.

Hope you didn't get the bungalow right behind the car park; it has 2x bathrooms but the one on the left didn't have hot water so nebula, my pillion and I all had to share (not at the same time) the other bathroom.

I'm sure glad it wasn't a very long ride after the ferry!

The resort has a little weird room setup with shared bathrooms (we stayed in the main building and not in bungalows), but thankfully the resort was not even half full so we didn't need to share our bathroom with anyone else.

Good to hear. Hope you found the restaurant also...although the food wasn't good.

And speaking of eating, nebula sure is...frugal...to the point he makes me look like a show-off with my money.

A side note, bump up your exposure length and possibly consider a wider aperture. If you have a Nikon, I recommend the 35mm 1.8G. Cheap as chips and gets really good dusk time photos. In fact, a lot of times I have to go a stop down as it will let in too much light and not give a satisfactory picture that shows the time it was taken.

Honestly we almost got lost behind the resort looking for their restaurant, lol.

I didn't take my big camera with me (Canon) but took my Panasonic Lumix LX-7, which is great for what it does and it has all the manual adjustments the bigger cameras have. Didn't have a room for anything bigger than that, bags were full and we ended up strapping even more stuff to the rear rack, like plastic bags with fruits, etc... no matter how many bags you take, if you're with a woman, you will always be our of space!

The night picture from Day 2 was shot at the 1.4 aperture (that's the max), ISO-800 and 15 sec exposure. Longer exposure turns the stars into tiny streaks, as seen on the night shot from the day 3, which was shot with aperture 1.4, ISO-400 and 60 sec exposure. 30 sec seems to be just perfect as in this shot (A-1.4 ISO 800 and exp 30s)

I have one of those great cheapo fix focal lenses for my Canon, it's 50mm f-1.8. If you're getting too much light in, turn down the ISO, unless you're already at the lowest. Lower ISO is also better for clear picture, less noise.

Edited February 7, 2015 by Shurup

[Shurup]

Day 4.

HWY 1095. Oooffff... too many twisties, got a good workout for the bike and for myself. Stopped at a few places along the way to take pictures but passed by that pull over at the top of the mountain where there was a sign that it was the highest point on the road and that you just passed 1500 twisties, wife didn't tell me right away what we passed and I didn't want to turn around to go back and take pictures.

Went to another national park - Pang Tong Under Royal Forest Park 2 (Pang Ung) where wife wanted to camp again but I said no and said I want to sleep like a white man tonight. Rented a Lake view bungalow. Nice view but no toilet or a shower in the bungalow so had to use the common facilities. No hot shower. Almost died from hypothermia. Wife was laughing as she heard me screaming when I poured the cold buckets of water on myself, she didn't think it was that cold. It was my turn to laugh when she went to take a shower.

The bungalows were probably made for midgets as I bumped and cut my head on the roof in front of the stairs, had to duck really low getting in and out to avoid more injuries. Also it was just slightly larger than my tent, power came on for a few hours in the evening (and in the morning), so it was almost like another camping night.

There is a tiny village near the park, within a walking distance with some restaurants and more guest houses, but no view. Locals, being very close to Burma, don't look very Thai but Burmese instead. The park was jammed with tents by the way.

Daily trip.

Stopped at one of the up high places along the highway to take a few pictures. Wife didn't even want to get off the bike so was back in the saddle shortly.

At the park.

Checking in.

My bungalow and a view from the bungalow.

One of the resorts at the local village.

Breakfast. This small restaurant makes really good real coffee and without a coffee machine (well they don't have electricity often enough to use it even if they had a coffee machine). If I don't have a coffee in the morning, I feel like something is missing in me, so I was happy when I pulled out of there.

[Shurup]

The last 3 days report will post tomorrow - going to bed now.

[dave_boo]

Honestly we almost got lost behind the resort looking for their restaurant, lol.

I didn't take my big camera with me (Canon) but took my Panasonic Lumix LX-7, which is great for what it does and it has all the manual adjustments the bigger cameras have. Didn't have a room for anything bigger than that, bags were full and we ended up strapping even more stuff to the rear rack, like plastic bags with fruits, etc... no matter how many bags you take, if you're with a woman, you will always be our of space!

The night picture from Day 2 was shot at the 1.4 aperture (that's the max), ISO-800 and 15 sec exposure. Longer exposure turns the stars into tiny streaks, as seen on the night shot from the day 3, which was shot with aperture 1.4, ISO-400 and 60 sec exposure. 30 sec seems to be just perfect as in this shot (A-1.4 ISO 800 and exp 30s)

Thai Trip North (166) (Medium).JPG

I have one of those great cheapo fix focal lenses for my Canon, it's 50mm f-1.8. If you're getting too much light in, turn down the ISO, unless you're already at the lowest. Lower ISO is also better for clear picture, less noise.

Yeah, that picture is much better. The little sensor on the Lumix just isn't there compared to the DSLR as well as 'only' ISO800. Hard to get people to stand still long enough for a good twilight picture for even 15 seconds. You may also check to see if you have an "EV" setting, I am always surprised at the effect that has on night shots.

[Shurup]

Yeah, that picture is much better. The little sensor on the Lumix just isn't there compared to the DSLR as well as 'only' ISO800. Hard to get people to stand still long enough for a good twilight picture for even 15 seconds. You may also check to see if you have an "EV" setting, I am always surprised at the effect that has on night shots.

For pictures with people it's also doable to use the slow (or 2nd) curtain flash to get the background with ambient light and the flash is for the people in the foreground. I don't like using flash however as the natural colors are usually lost (at least partially). Yeah, nothing beats the large sensor but it's a pain to drag that big camera around. Thinking of it, it's been years since I used it last time, just don't feel like carrying a backpack with all the lenses and other stuff anymore.

[ll2]

Great report and photos shurup. Thanks

[dave_boo]

Yeah, that picture is much better. The little sensor on the Lumix just isn't there compared to the DSLR as well as 'only' ISO800. Hard to get people to stand still long enough for a good twilight picture for even 15 seconds. You may also check to see if you have an "EV" setting, I am always surprised at the effect that has on night shots.

For pictures with people it's also doable to use the slow (or 2nd) curtain flash to get the background with ambient light and the flash is for the people in the foreground. I don't like using flash however as the natural colors are usually lost (at least partially). Yeah, nothing beats the large sensor but it's a pain to drag that big camera around. Thinking of it, it's been years since I used it last time, just don't feel like carrying a backpack with all the lenses and other stuff anymore.

The new mirror-less aspc cameras are interesting. Unfortunately they seem to only come from Samsung, Sony, and Fuji. Meaning we'd have to buy new lenses. The Foveon X3 used in the Sigma DP is interesting also. And of course there's Leica's M8+...if you like rangefinder cameras.

**edit**

Fixed Leica reference.

Edited February 8, 2015 by dave_boo

[Shurup]

Day 5.

Day 5 was very event-less, I can say, had a fairly good and long sleep (had to use our own sleeping bags as the bed sheets looked dirty and it was cold), breakfast at the village and we were on our way. Got back to 1095 and followed it (1095 - 108 - 105) all the way down to Mae Sariang where we stopped at the real resort.

Resort was very good and cheap, away from the main road, with a restaurant nearby. Too bad it's not even on a map as they are loosing business. The lady owner was kind enough to let me wash my bike there and she even provided the sponge and car shampoo.

Here's the resort location in case anyone wants to try it:

Daily trip.

In the restaurant after checking in the resort.

Morning dew.

Also make a short video of the sunrise at the lake where we stayed the night before.

The video is a series of pics shot with GoPro at the 1 shot/min interval.

I set is outside the bungalow at night time and got it back in the morning.

Edited February 8, 2015 by Shurup

[Shurup]

Day 6.

From Mae Sariang 105 goes straight South to the border and then along the border almost all the way to Tak. Note to myself, never take that route again, unless I'm on a different bike like a Versus or a Hyper/Multi Strada, etc... That part of 105 from Mae Sariang to the boarder was so bad for so long I seriously thought about turning around and going back to Mai Sariang and taking 108 back to Chiang Mai. The bad road sections don't start right away from Mae Sariang but somewhere around when you cross from Mae Hong Son to Tak province. Also not a whole lot of proper fuel stations along the way, many towns that I passed had those wooden shacks/shelters set up with 2 fuel drums with hand crank pumps that they called the fuel stations. Obviously I didn't risk getting fuel from them but I also doubt they carry 95 fuel. Made it through without running out though but if I was on something like a Hyperstrada with smaller fuel tank, I'd have been stranded.

Once you make it to the border where 105 starts running along the border, that part of route is very scenic. In many places it runs very close to the river that separates the 2 countries and you could see Burmese hills on the other side of the river, could see their wooden shacks build on the hills in the jungles, could see kids splashing in water... I thought military check posts would be more frequent and they would be stopping vehicles and checking documents, but I passed them all without a hiccup.

Once we got to Mae Ramat, Mae Cha we were back to civilization and at Mae Sot where we turned to AH1 from 105, there was traffic again which got worse the closer we got to Tak. Not far from Tak we pulled over to some roadside fresh fruit market to get some fruits, then checked into a small but clean guesthouse in Tak and went for a supper.

Didn't take many pictures as was tired that day physically and mentally, all those bad roads and worrying about running out of fuel made me very exhausted.

Daily trip.

Fresh fruit market near Tak.

[Shurup]

Day 7.

The last day was very dull, everything around us was flat and boring again and the roads were straight but fast. Was not sunny that day (good for riding) but this also means all the bugs were out from their hideouts so was making frequent stops to clean my helmet visor. Got home around 3 PM, unpacked and cranked open a cold beer and that was it. All the cleaning was done day(s) after. Took no pictures as there wasn't anything worth taking pictures of.

Daily trip.

[Gweiloman]

Day 6.

From Mae Sariang 105 goes straight South to the border and then along the border almost all the way to Tak. Note to myself, never take that route again, unless I'm on a different bike like a Versus or a Hyper/Multi Strada, etc... That part of 105 from Mae Sariang to the boarder was so bad for so long I seriously thought about turning around and going back to Mai Sariang and taking 108 back to Chiang Mai. The bad road sections don't start right away from Mae Sariang but somewhere around when you cross from Mae Hong Son to Tak province. Also not a whole lot of proper fuel stations along the way, many towns that I passed had those wooden shacks/shelters set up with 2 fuel drums with hand crank pumps that they called the fuel stations. Obviously I didn't risk getting fuel from them but I also doubt they carry 95 fuel. Made it through without running out though but if I was on something like a Hyperstrada with smaller fuel tank, I'd have been stranded.

Once you make it to the border where 105 starts running along the border, that part of route is very scenic. In many places it runs very close to the river that separates the 2 countries and you could see Burmese hills on the other side of the river, could see their wooden shacks build on the hills in the jungles, could see kids splashing in water... I thought military check posts would be more frequent and they would be stopping vehicles and checking documents, but I passed them all without a hiccup.

Once we got to Mae Ramat, Mae Cha we were back to civilization and at Mae Sot where we turned to AH1 from 105, there was traffic again which got worse the closer we got to Tak. Not far from Tak we pulled over to some roadside fresh fruit market to get some fruits, then checked into a small but clean guesthouse in Tak and went for a supper.

Didn't take many pictures as was tired that day physically and mentally, all those bad roads and worrying about running out of fuel made me very exhausted.

Jan 30, 2015 (Medium).png

Daily trip.

Thai Trip North (229) (Medium).jpg

Fresh fruit market near Tak.

If you remember, DSB mentioned about the bad section of road on the 105. I also mentioned it in my ride report and taninthai had posted up a video (

).

However, once you clear the road works, doesn't the 105 just opens up beautifully? I would do the bad section again just to ride the good section down to Mae Sot.

[Shurup]

Trip recap.

Took 7 days for a round trip and put about 2450 km total on a bike. Wanted to keep track of how much fuel I use for the trip but gave up the 1st day.

It turned out to be a scouting trip as my wife didn't do her homework properly. I (with some help) planned the main route and she was supposed to plan all the side trips, where to stay, where to go from the main route... All her plans apparently included seeing those pink flower trees... Next trip I'd have to plan everything myself and will make the whole trip shorter but spent more time at places worth staying.

Round trip.

Chicken strips.

[Gweiloman]

Great report Shurup. Sounds like you had a ball of a time.

What sort of speeds were you averaging on the good high speed sections? Top speed reached on the whole trip?

[Shurup]

If you remember, DSB mentioned about the bad section of road on the 105. I also mentioned it in my ride report and taninthai had posted up a video (video edited out).

However, once you clear the road works, doesn't the 105 just opens up beautifully? I would do the bad section again just to ride the good section down to Mae Sot.

You're right I remember reading it now but I never bothered to look on the map to see where the bad roads were, so it kind of went into one ear and come out of the other one. I don't remember all the (most of the) road names as some other posters so I rely on technology (GPS), maybe a little too much.

I was getting frustrated as I didn't know (didn't remember) the length of the bad sections and at the pace I was taking it, I didn't want to stay overnight somewhere near the border as there aren't any fair size cities or towns on the way, didn't feel like camping in da jungles. Your bike is also better suited for this sort of terrain than mine. But I agree once past the bad sections the road was beautiful (in some places)!

[Shurup]

Great report Shurup. Sounds like you had a ball of a time.

What sort of speeds were you averaging on the good high speed sections? Top speed reached on the whole trip?

Had a blast! And would do it again, preferably with more riders and not only my wife.

My top was probably abound 160-170 but they were short bursts while passing, with my bike it's too easy to get up high speeds and it happens very fast!

On good highways I was cruising up to 160 on the 1st day, then my wife complained to me later in the evening and asked to slow down a bit.

Normally on 4 lane highways I go 140-150 and 2 lane roads 120-130. All depends on many factors I take into account when deciding what speed is safe.

[dave_boo]

Great report Shurup. Sounds like you had a ball of a time.

What sort of speeds were you averaging on the good high speed sections? Top speed reached on the whole trip?

Had a blast! And would do it again, preferably with more riders and not only my wife.

My top was probably abound 160-170 but they were short bursts while passing, with my bike it's too easy to get up high speeds and it happens very fast!

On good highways I was cruising up to 160 on the 1st day, then my wife complained to me later in the evening and asked to slow down a bit.

Normally on 4 lane highways I go 140-150 and 2 lane roads 120-130. All depends on many factors I take into account when deciding what speed is safe.

Hope my route suggestions were worth something.

When I arrive back in the Kingdom I'm planning an Umphang ride..would you be interested?

[taninthai]

Haha loved the good and bad bits of the 105,although some parts would have loved to be on a crf/klx,yep obviously not really suited to the diavel,great report...?

[Shurup]

Hope my route suggestions were worth something.

When I arrive back in the Kingdom I'm planning an Umphang ride..would you be interested?

Yup they were worth a lot and thanks for that!

I'd be up for any long trip but it depends on when.

Need to know long in advance so I can plan my days off around it.

Where's Umphang??

[Shurup]

OK, Umphang is a province South of Tak. So 2-3 days ride?

If nothing else comes up I may plan a ride to Oa Nang / Krabi, stay there for a bit and then back.

[dave_boo]

OK, Umphang is a province South of Tak. So 2-3 days ride?

If nothing else comes up I may plan a ride to Oa Nang / Krabi, stay there for a bit and then back.

Exactly. It can be done in a day from Nakhon Sawan, but that's pushing it. I've done it over 2 days (once on my CBR 150 and once on the Ninja 250...the second time with billd when we did the now affectionately-right guys?-named goat mountain [1175] through Mae Tuen) and it's more enjoyable.

There is also Thilo Su waterfall there (15.927301, 98.753794) that is pretty nice; however it is going to be dry season so not running at full capacity. But we can still go check it out.

As far as the route goes, imagine the [2331], but even tighter, and 84 km long.

https://maps.google.co.th/maps?saddr=16.47099,+98.8415&daddr=Route+1090&hl=en&ll=16.354074,98.96862&spn=0.289241,0.528374&sll=16.474773,98.843651&sspn=0.018066,0.033023&geocode=Fc5T-wAdnDPkBQ%3BFYad9wAdGpPlBQ&mra=ls&t=m&z=12