ozzmanrocks Posted June 22, 2015 Share Posted June 22, 2015 Hi just wondered if anyone has done this ride before. At the end of next month I will have 4 days off work as it is national holiday and would like to visit my friend in Loei. I have a Honda CRF 250 (converted to motard style) and my mate has a Kawasaki Z300, so it would be cool to go on some short rides when I arrive. I have only ever done this journey on the night bus, so never seen any of the scenery. Are the roads fun to ride or just boring highway? What is the most interesting route to take? Can I do it in a day or will I be exhausted (guess this question more depends on the individual)? Basically is it a good ride and worth doing or an I better off just stick to the night bus? If any one can give me a bit of advice that would be of great help! Thanks Oliver Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bitcoinbob Posted June 22, 2015 Share Posted June 22, 2015 You do know Thailand is number 2 worldwide in road deaths, the U.N. is putting pressure on them to cut their death rate in half by 2020. I have driven it always a shocked how many roadside deaths you see. the Chiang Mai to Chiang Rai road drunk female mowed down 5 cyclist just happen in May. How long have you driven in Thailand? if you do never during holidays drinking and driving is a national sport, never at night,and thai's will never stop after an accident.do not want to have to pay out for there mistake. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bredbury Blue Posted June 22, 2015 Share Posted June 22, 2015 Have a look at this website (example only)... http://www.rideasia.net/motorcycle-forum/thailand-ride-reports/4547-magical-road-connect-two-legendary-loops-loei-nan.html Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
invex Posted June 22, 2015 Share Posted June 22, 2015 Will be hard to ride the trip in 1 day with your motorbikes. Shortest route between CM and Loei is 480 Km. Roads are quite good. A few times dangerous in the mountans and better be alert all time. Take Chiang Mai (11), Lamphun (11), Lampang (11), Den Chai (11 &101), Uttaradit (11), Nakon Thai (1143), Dan Sai (2013), Phu Rua (21), Loei. Do not go over Phitsanulok; big detour and nothing to see. Go East a few miles South of Uttaradit heading for Nakhon Thai. To enjoy it however, I think 4 days for a return trip will be too short. I drive CM-Loei a few times a year. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheKnave Posted June 22, 2015 Share Posted June 22, 2015 Just do it. There are many options for your route, and it goes without saying that safe and defensive driving is of utmost importance. In 2011, my wife and I bought a diesel pickup in Chiang Mai and toured that part of the country, driving through Chiang Rai, the Golden Triangle, Nan, Dan Sai and Loei, on our way to Nong Khai. I can't remember exactly where we decided to trust our GPS, but we took a clearly marked road that turned out to be a single track cut into the forest for about 40 km. Covered in leaves, it appeared to have been nearly unused for years, although there was a traffic sign somewhere in the middle, covered in moss. There were a couple of scary moments, when we encountered a steep rutted section, but the little 2wd Mitsubishi made it. Almost certainly a foolish thing to do, but we had a great time, saw some great country, and lived to tell the tale. On a motorcycle, you'll have a great time in that area. Report back on what you find. Good luck. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alant Posted June 22, 2015 Share Posted June 22, 2015 I have done this ride, most enjoyable. Highway 11 until we turned off onto the 1214. We did it on a Forza, this leg in 1 day very enjoyable. See http://www.gt-rider.com/thailand-motorcycle-forum/showthread.php/40594-The-Issan-Ride-Elephants-and-all?p=302984#post302984ehttp://www.gt-rider.com/thailand-motorcycle-forum/showthread.php/40594-The-Issan-Ride-Elephants-and-all?p=302984#post302984 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Deli Posted June 22, 2015 Share Posted June 22, 2015 Go for it and make sure to have a long massage upon arrival Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bruce404 Posted June 22, 2015 Share Posted June 22, 2015 In 2014 I took the "hypotenuse" route by car from Chiang Mai that Invex described above (avoiding the "right-angle" south to Phitsanulok and east from there), except for the final highway 2013 heading northeasterly to Loei, as our destination was Kalasin. It was quite beautiful, through quiet, small towns, with little or no traffic until we reached the major east-west highway 12 east of Phitsanulok, about 15 km before the border to the east with Phetchabun, followed further east by Chaiyaphum and Khon Kaen. I was thinking it would be a nice trip by my motorbike, as one avoid the heavy trucks and traffic into Phitsanulok city and then east on major Highway 12. But 12 also goes through some beautiful mountain passes and country when crossing the Nam Nao National Park (16.677306N, 101.527748E) on the border between Phetchabun and Chaiyaphum. I think it's really going to require two full days, though, to take one's time leisurely to stop on a motorbike and enjoy the scenery. And finding comfortable or even any overnight lodging when you need it on the "hypotenuse" may be a challenge. It's not a major tourist area. instead of turning northeast on 2013 towards Loei, if you are willing to detour a bit for day-1 lodging (~30 km), you can turn south instead on highway 2013 (as we did) to reach highway 12, then west about 10 km towards Phitsanulok city. There are some small but decent hotels squeezed between 12 and the Khek River that it follows for some miles. I cannot remember which one we stayed at -- the "Rain Forest Resort" sounds familiar. Then you could return the next morning to highway 2013, northeast-bound. See the attached screen capture. There is also a Sansuk Resort Hotel right along the hypotenuse route, northeast of and near the "tee" junction of 1143 and 2013. Safe travels. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ericjt Posted June 22, 2015 Share Posted June 22, 2015 Take 2 days. It's a great trip. Don't let the nervous nellies rattle you. Go through Phayao, Nan if you can fit it in, Phrae, Uttaradit, and try to stop at the Queen Sirikit Dam which makes the Q. Sirikit Resevoir. Very neat stop. I'm pretty sure we went through Phitsanulok before heading east to Loei, but if it's bad there now, I don't see any other roads on the map I'm looking at to get from Uttaradit to Loei without going through Phitsamulok. Wife and I did it a few years ago on a BMW R1100R and had a great time. It wasn't a one day ride for us, though, even on a large touring bike, so I'd give yourselves 2 days on smaller bikes -- unless you're young, tough, and don't mind a little pain and heat. Have a great time! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fullstop Posted June 22, 2015 Share Posted June 22, 2015 I've ridden a 125cc Click from Chanthaburi to Nakhon Sri Thammarat, Chanthaburi to Mukkdahan, Chanthaburi to Phnom Penh (+ more) .... I don't think a 250cc is going to have any problems CM to Loei. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RedQualia Posted June 22, 2015 Share Posted June 22, 2015 (edited) Based on the original post, I assume OP lives and works in Chiang Mai. If so, he can do Phayao and Nan most any time. Indeed, Nan should be its own separate trip spanning several days. Have done the ride from Chiang Mai to Loei/Phetchabun many times. Comments relating to travel there: Advice of others to travel south on 11 to just past Uttaradit, then take highway 1214 east to Nakhon Thai, is spot on. The intersection of highways 11 and 1214 is pretty clear these days. Believe there's a traffic light there now. It's about 15-20KM south of Uttaradit. 1214 will change to highway 1143 30 or so KM along the way. Mostly, just follow the signs for Nakhon Thai, but do pay attention. Fill up in Uttaradit. Next station will be in Nakhon Thai, a fair distance away. The station in Nakhon Thai is Susco. Can't miss it. There's a woman who has a coffee shop and women's clothing store near the station entrance. The coffee is OK, and so nice enough place to take a break and stretch your legs a bit. Tell her the American from Chiang Mai who rides the white motorcycle said hello... From Nakhon Thai, highway 2013 will take you toward Loei in the most direct way, and that's probably advisable since you'll have ridden most of the day by then. Pretty good road, last time I was on it. Nice enough towns with gas stations and eats out that way. Return trip: Look on a map for highway 2016, south of Loei. It's quite a nice ride through mountains. Good roads, not too stressful. So find your way from wherever you're staying in Loei to highway 2016. If you like curvy mountain roads at all, then I would strongly recommend you take highway 2331 back to Nakhon Thai. You shouldn't be too tired if done on the way back, and too, you should have plenty of daylight for that leg. Be sure to take a camera. Again, look on a map. Highway 2016 to 2216 west to highway 21 will get you pretty close. Your friend could ride a good bit of those roads with you, I imagine. Up to him as to when he might turn back to Loei. Highway 21 is a straight shot home for him, but he could also go on to Nakhon Thai if he's not too tired, and go back to Loei on the same highway 2013 that I mentioned above. The Khao Kho area is also nice to ride around/through and could be a good one day trip, out and back. There's a nice temple up that way, a military museum, and one of the royal palaces, if you're into that sort of thing. Good roads, kinda twisty. Lovely scenery. Cooler weather, mostly. Rainy season now, so expect rain. Khao Kho is south of highway 12, west of highway 21. Look for highways 2258, 2302, 2196. If you should end up riding in that area, try to come out of Khao Kho on highway 2196 at highway 12. There is a newish temple near there that's "relatively spectacular." Name is Wat Pha Sorn Kaew. Search google maps for "Wat Pha Sorn Kaew, khao kho, thailand," and it'll point it out quite nicely. Worth the visit, and again, have a camera on hand. Small warning/advisory: they're STILL working on highway 12 in that area. Probably won't be finished for another year or so. It's a main highway!!! But for now, expect it to alternate between old pavement, patched pavement, bypass stretches of asphalt, gravel, and mud. And it does like to rain a bit in that area. Another comment: stay away from highway 2195, up near Laos. Going east from Loei, it's nothing but extremely bad road. An interesting ride for you some day, maybe! But you'll need to be pretty determined. A wee bit of nice scenery, but it's very slow going out there, with very few towns or settlements, no gas stations, no food, until you get to Na Haio, and then where are you? Middle of nowhere, with no direct and good way to go on. Save it for another day. All of these things seem to be pretty much in line with a trip from Chiang Mai to Loei and back, and so are quite doable. Just a matter of whether you'll want to when the time comes, or are too tired, etc. Have fun. Edited June 22, 2015 by RedQualia Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NoshowJones Posted June 22, 2015 Share Posted June 22, 2015 You do know Thailand is number 2 worldwide in road deaths, the U.N. is putting pressure on them to cut their death rate in half by 2020. I have driven it always a shocked how many roadside deaths you see. the Chiang Mai to Chiang Rai road drunk female mowed down 5 cyclist just happen in May. How long have you driven in Thailand? if you do never during holidays drinking and driving is a national sport, never at night,and thai's will never stop after an accident.do not want to have to pay out for there mistake. I don't know how bad the roads are in the Chaing Mai ChangRai area, but they are dreadful in the Phichit and Phitsanulok provinces, especially on Highway 117. Been like that for the near ten years I have lived here. As the post above says don't ride at night, you won't see the potholes and bad surface in the dark. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MESmith Posted June 22, 2015 Share Posted June 22, 2015 You do know Thailand is number 2 worldwide in road deaths, the U.N. is putting pressure on them to cut their death rate in half by 2020. I have driven it always a shocked how many roadside deaths you see. the Chiang Mai to Chiang Rai road drunk female mowed down 5 cyclist just happen in May. How long have you driven in Thailand? if you do never during holidays drinking and driving is a national sport, never at night,and thai's will never stop after an accident.do not want to have to pay out for there mistake. Thanks for the advice, but I've already got one mum Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Just1Voice Posted June 22, 2015 Share Posted June 22, 2015 I took a week to go from CM to Loei, then Udon Thani, Khon Kaen, then back to CM on my CBR 250 a couple of years back. Made lots of stops and took tons of pictures, and met nothing but very nice, friendly people along the . Did it just after rainy season, when the temps were a little cooler, which is good when riding with a full kit on. It's a fun ride, but don't advise riding at night. Too many drunk idiots that you can't see. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
1FinickyOne Posted June 22, 2015 Share Posted June 22, 2015 I have driven the above recommended route w/the map going out of Phitsanalok and through Northern Petchabun - plenty of national parks to visit along the way but riding through the mtns there is very pleasant, good clean air - have had a good lunch at Rainforest Resort and stayed at Sapprawan Resort - it is quite nice - big pool too - lush decor - if any downside, there were not many guests and dinner was very slow, but we went early and not sure where the cook was… so, stay there but eat at Rainforest - Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CNXTim Posted June 22, 2015 Share Posted June 22, 2015 You do know Thailand is number 2 worldwide in road deaths, the U.N. is putting pressure on them to cut their death rate in half by 2020. I have driven it always a shocked how many roadside deaths you see. the Chiang Mai to Chiang Rai road drunk female mowed down 5 cyclist just happen in May. How long have you driven in Thailand? if you do never during holidays drinking and driving is a national sport, never at night,and thai's will never stop after an accident.do not want to have to pay out for there mistake. Putting "pressure" on Thailand? i'd like to see that LoL Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
malt25 Posted June 23, 2015 Share Posted June 23, 2015 You do know Thailand is number 2 worldwide in road deaths, the U.N. is putting pressure on them to cut their death rate in half by 2020. I have driven it always a shocked how many roadside deaths you see. the Chiang Mai to Chiang Rai road drunk female mowed down 5 cyclist just happen in May. How long have you driven in Thailand? if you do never during holidays drinking and driving is a national sport, never at night,and thai's will never stop after an accident.do not want to have to pay out for there mistake. Bob, mate ! OP lives in Thailand... works in Thailand.... rides a bike in Thailand... has done some travel in Thailand. You think he might have just a bit of an idea of road & traffic situation ? If you can't offer something positive, constructive to his question..... why bother. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ace of Pop Posted June 23, 2015 Share Posted June 23, 2015 Just do it. There are many options for your route, and it goes without saying that safe and defensive driving is of utmost importance. In 2011, my wife and I bought a diesel pickup in Chiang Mai and toured that part of the country, driving through Chiang Rai, the Golden Triangle, Nan, Dan Sai and Loei, on our way to Nong Khai. I can't remember exactly where we decided to trust our GPS, but we took a clearly marked road that turned out to be a single track cut into the forest for about 40 km. Covered in leaves, it appeared to have been nearly unused for years, although there was a traffic sign somewhere in the middle, covered in moss. There were a couple of scary moments, when we encountered a steep rutted section, but the little 2wd Mitsubishi made it. Almost certainly a foolish thing to do, but we had a great time, saw some great country, and lived to tell the tale. On a motorcycle, you'll have a great time in that area. Report back on what you find. Good luck. That happens. When your GPS is set to shortest route Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
khwaibah Posted June 23, 2015 Share Posted June 23, 2015 You do know Thailand is number 2 worldwide in road deaths, the U.N. is putting pressure on them to cut their death rate in half by 2020. I have driven it always a shocked how many roadside deaths you see. the Chiang Mai to Chiang Rai road drunk female mowed down 5 cyclist just happen in May. How long have you driven in Thailand? if you do never during holidays drinking and driving is a national sport, never at night,and thai's will never stop after an accident.do not want to have to pay out for there mistake. Bob, mate ! OP lives in Thailand... works in Thailand.... rides a bike in Thailand... has done some travel in Thailand. You think he might have just a bit of an idea of road & traffic situation ? If you can't offer something positive, constructive to his question..... why bother. Friend does Chiang Mai to Prasat 860 km on a Honda 250 on a regular bases in 11 hours and NO problems. So Chiang Mai to Loei of about 470 km should be NO problem. Enjoy and don't listen to the nay sayers. Enjoy the ride and be safe. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jdiddy Posted June 23, 2015 Share Posted June 23, 2015 Ive done Chiang Mai to Mukdahan in 1 day, 12 hours on a 320cc sports bike, bit stiff and sore at the end but an awesome ride, Lorei should be no prob If you go along Road 12 make sure you visit วัดพระธาตุผาซ่อนแก้ว, its pretty awesome. Its a fun road to ride along too, mountain ranges, twisties and great scenery http://f.ptcdn.info/210/027/000/1420610973-IMG9388-o.jpg Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ozzmanrocks Posted June 23, 2015 Author Share Posted June 23, 2015 You do know Thailand is number 2 worldwide in road deaths, the U.N. is putting pressure on them to cut their death rate in half by 2020. I have driven it always a shocked how many roadside deaths you see. the Chiang Mai to Chiang Rai road drunk female mowed down 5 cyclist just happen in May. How long have you driven in Thailand? if you do never during holidays drinking and driving is a national sport, never at night,and thai's will never stop after an accident.do not want to have to pay out for there mistake. Yes I know the roads in Thailand are extremely dangerous, this is something I'm very aware of. I have lived in Thailand for 2 and a half years now and I would say either drove a car, rode a scooter or bigger bike pretty much everyday. I have also done riding trips in Vietnam. I have road bikes for many years in England I had a Yamaha R1 and me and my friends would ride every where, Wales, Spain, France, Yorkshire, Isle Of Man, wherever - we just loved riding bikes and anything to do with them. Yes they are dangerous and you have to be very, very cautious on the roads in Thailand. Always ride defensively and never trust another driver or motorcyclist. Thanks for your concern. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
khwaibah Posted June 23, 2015 Share Posted June 23, 2015 (edited) Ive done Chiang Mai to Mukdahan in 1 day, 12 hours on a 320cc sports bike, bit stiff and sore at the end but an awesome ride, Lorei should be no prob If you go along Road 12 make sure you visit วัดพระธาตุผาซ่อนแก้ว, its pretty awesome. Its a fun road to ride along too, mountain ranges, twisties and great scenery http://f.ptcdn.info/210/027/000/1420610973-IMG9388-o.jpg Just for general info. Highway 12 from Phitsanulok to Lom Sak is being made into a 4 lane dual carriageway. Construction is on going but its getting there. From Lom Sak to Chum Phre is still and very excellent 2 lane. Just be aware of the construction part on 12. I was just on the route 2 weeks back. Fantastic scenery. Edited June 23, 2015 by khwaibah Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fullstop Posted June 23, 2015 Share Posted June 23, 2015 I know the roads in Thailand are extremely dangerous Mostly dangerous for dim witted Thais. Anyone with common sense shouldn't have many problems. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Berkshire Posted June 23, 2015 Share Posted June 23, 2015 I know the roads in Thailand are extremely dangerous Mostly dangerous for dim witted Thais. Anyone with common sense shouldn't have many problems. Dangerous for dim witted Thais, but not for dim witted farangs? Yeah, you make a lot of sense. OP, go for it. Sounds like fun. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HyperRai Posted June 23, 2015 Share Posted June 23, 2015 When you are in Loei go to the Saloon. Bar and restaurant. It`s the club house of LGMC (Loei Gerntleman Motorcycle Club). They ride every weekend, some of them every day. Guest rider are always welcome. Ride from Loei to the relax bar. N16.78227, O101.65866 on route 2216. All roads are nice riding! Have fun. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ozzmanrocks Posted June 23, 2015 Author Share Posted June 23, 2015 Thanks so much to everyone for spending some of your time to give me some advice on possible routes and times etc; really appreciated! Yes I do live and work in Chiang Mai. I have had my CRF 250L for about a year now but only ever ride to work and back or round the samoeng loop (nothing special or extensive). Seems like a waste of owning the machine. I have made many adjustments to the bike, such as fitting 17 inch road tyres onto it, changing the front sproket from a 14 tooth to a 13 tooth, fitting and EJK (Electronic Jet Kit), and many other common modifications. As I will a have a few days off work next month and will visit my mate in Loei, I thought why not just ride there. Unfortunately as I'm on a time limit I wont have the luxury of extending my trip, so 4 days will have to be enough. I'm sure my ass will be sore and my shoulders will ache a bit, but that's riding for you. The small fuel tank on the CRF will force me to stop and re-fuel every 150km or so anyways. So have a stretch and drink some water. I am an experience motorcyclist just in-case of you wondered. Riding motorbikes is dangerous where ever you are riding in the world, they are dangerous machines, but we love to ride, the freedom and adventure. So its about time I took myself and my machine on a little adventure. Once again thanks to all of you for the information is it extremely helpful and thanks for sharing your knowledge with me, Cheers! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fullstop Posted June 24, 2015 Share Posted June 24, 2015 I know the roads in Thailand are extremely dangerous Mostly dangerous for dim witted Thais. Anyone with common sense shouldn't have many problems. Dangerous for dim witted Thais, but not for dim witted farangs? Yeah, you make a lot of sense. OP, go for it. Sounds like fun. Seeing as dim witted Thais FAR outnumber dim witted Farangs on Thai roads ... it sure does make sense. Thanks for agreeing with me. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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