Motorcycles on Koh Phangan.

[marcusmarsh]

Next month I will be moving to the island from Chiang Mai and am very much looking forward to it

A couple of years back I bought a 500cc motorcycle for the roads up there and its fair to say I loved every minute of it (apart from time spent in the really central part of the city though even that was easy enough).

Now I am moving here and have decided to bring my bike with me. Its a bog standard Honda CB500F motorcycle so not a racing/sports type by any means and a pretty boring bike to many.

But I love it and found it rode well on open roads and even in central CM city (nipping in and out of traffic with ease). Not a pain to ride at all. But now Im coming to KP and not sure if bringing it is the best idea ?

Would REALLY be hard for me to part with it so I suppose what im hoping for is other 'big' bike owners (yes I know to many people you wouldnt consider the CB500 big but you get my point) to tell me of their experience riding around on the island ?

Fun or frustrating ? Any roads good to ride on ? Or is it a case of getting on the ferry with the bike from time to time and hitting any decent roads just over the water ?

ANY words are appreciated on peoples experience owning/riding 400cc plus bikes here on the island. Positive or negative.

Edited May 13, 2015 by marcusmarsh

[samuijimmy]

Where are all the KP people here?

Well it sort of depends on time of month, at busy FMP times, there will be a lot of people on some of the roads, especially on the Tongsala... Ban Tai to Haad Rin road...

It's about 12 to 14 Kms from Tongsala to Chaloklum, depending on which of the three roads you use.... towards the north end it's a bit hilly..... 500 cc on KP roads is a bit over the top! (IMO!!)

Going to the mainland would be better for a big bike of that sort of cc~~!!! ... I usually rent a 150 PCX when I am over, (a few times a year, and I lived there for nine months) ..... but even a Honda Click will do it!

There are times when you hardly see anyone on the roads from south to north and back! Times that are generally busier other than FMP time are when people are heading back and forth to work... or leaving places like Mae Haad Beach...

Now for all roads are dangerous crowd to pipe in! Most are not! .... Drive at a safe speed and be aware!

[cornishcarlos]

Think you'll find it a bit limited.. It's a lovely island to ride around but as Jimmy says, PCX is plenty.

I have the same bike as you and live near Donsak on the mainland, roads are great around here Well they were till I had to go back to work !!

[Razzler1973]

That road to Thong Nai Pan is fully paved now, isn't it?

There's some empty road out that way non-full moon time

[marcusmarsh]

Thank you for replies.

Ive decided to bring it with me and see how I fare for the first 6 months then decide to keep or sell. Will take it on ferry and ride the mainland from time to time when desperate to open her up.

I have to say, riding the current 125cc automatic Ive hired here on the island is awful, I hate it (though guess id get used to it in time) ! Hit a little bump and the whole bike shudders like there,s been a earthquake , I feel very unsafe on it.

[cornishcarlos]

Give the CB a go but look at getting a PCX150... I hired one up in CM for a week and it was great, 2 up with luggage. Went everywhere on it

[joninthailand]

Hi Marcus,

A 500 will be fine on KPG. you can pootle around at island pace on a cb500 too!

It's not really the kind of place to go on long rides, but as the roads get better and more parts of the island get connected you can go on some nice journeys.

You might find after a while that you want to swap to a bike which is slightly more appropriate but you'll work that out quickly.

Enjoy those beautiful coastal views on your sunset rides

Jon

[Laisze]

Marcus, as you probably know by now, there are a grand total of five roads in tiny KPG - and you can cover the whole lot within a 2-3 hour ride. After the 10th ride it begins to get monotonous.

You're going to miss that Chiang Mai twisty mountain road to Doi Suthep!