Pattaya to Chiang Mai (and back).

[Nebula]

I admire such riders. If someone s going this way on a pcx ( via the mentioned Major) I m ready to join with my pcx. If forza or a motorcycle not much more powerful than my Cbr250 also can make group trip. I am saying this coz you know some people with more cc just won't be patient enough ). I d really like to go around riding those small roads without trucks.

[Swamp Thing]

The ride is on, within the next couple of weeks.

I'll be following this route, (broadly, without going into detail on road numbers). Pattaya - Chachoengsao - Nakhon Nayok - Saraburi - Lopburi - Phitsanulok - Uttradit - Lampang - Chiang Mai.

This comes to approx 900 kms on Google maps, so I'm thinking of an overnight stop at 450 km. This is around

Nakhon Sawan. I will probably use my usual method of finding accommodation, and wing it, but if anybody has any recommendations of where to stay around there, please feel free to share.

The machine is due for a service soon, so I'll have this done before I leave.

[Furryman]

The ride is on, within the next couple of weeks.

I'll be following this route, (broadly, without going into detail on road numbers). Pattaya - Chachoengsao - Nakhon Nayok - Saraburi - Lopburi - Phitsanulok - Uttradit - Lampang - Chiang Mai.

This comes to approx 900 kms on Google maps, so I'm thinking of an overnight stop at 450 km. This is around

Nakhon Sawan. I will probably use my usual method of finding accommodation, and wing it, but if anybody has any recommendations of where to stay around there, please feel free to share.

The machine is due for a service soon, so I'll have this done before I leave.

Unless you are going balls out with no rest stops or sightseeing I don't see you doing 450 Kilometers a day. 250 or 300 a day you might be able to pull off, but that still leaves little time for rest breaks or any sights.

Luckily there are lots of places to stay all over, so as long as you end your day in about any medium sized town you should be able to easily find a place to stay each night.

[Swamp Thing]

Good point. One I had considered.

That means staying somewhere around Lopburi, then again at Phitsanulok, then on to CM.

[guzzi850m2]

Yes 450 clicks per day on a PCX is a bit long, since you average speed will perhaps be 80 km/h which will give you app. 5.5 hours in the saddle.

I have sometimes done 600km in one day during my HD ownerships days here, but felt tired after that, speed around 120-140km/h.

Well maybe, it depends all on you off-course, start early and as mentioned, avoid riding after dark.

Wear some good safety gear, full face helmet, gloves, sturdy shoes/boots, the more the better.

Have a nice trip and hope you will post some trip reports with photos.

[Swamp Thing]

I rode 300 km yesterday, testing the route toward Nakhon Nayok, nice and easy, enjoyed it.

I am not looking for an endurance test, so around 300 will be a good daily rate.

Hopefully this will be the first of several longish rides. There are unknowns in the plan, but that's part of what makes it interesting.

I am certainly planning to post trip reports with photos.

Edited July 2, 2015 by Swamp Thing

[twocatsmac]

And nearly forgot unpredictable everything......yes, that is what makes Bangkok the greatest city in the world and my lovely home for ever.

So you agree with most of what I said.

Get off your Bangkok high horse

and get a life.

Good luck and safe ride to you guys on the long run.

[twocatsmac]

And I nearly forgot, try learning how to spell in English.

Edited July 6, 2015 by twocatsmac

[Swamp Thing]

Greetings from Chiang Mai.

I set off at sparrowfart on Thursday and reached Lopburi at 1:00 pm. I thought I would push on. I arrived at Nakhon Sawan at 4:00 and, walking bow-legged and wincing slightly, booked into a hotel.

Yesterday I again set off at sf and, after a wonderful ride through the hills/mountains, arrived at Chiang Mai in the afternoon.

I'm really enjoying this trip. Thanks to Dave_Boo for the route suggestion, it is perfect. I will spend today strolling around Chiang Mai.

I'm writing up a trip report which I will post, with pics, when I get back.

[Furryman]

Glad to hear you are having a great trip. The Thai countryside is a really beautiful place to ride.

[Lucky33]

I'm glad that you had a good ride, we will be looking forward to your photos.

[Swamp Thing]

The trip is done.

It was one of the most interesting trips I have ever been on, with or without the PCX.

I'll post a report tomorrow. Food and rest is needed at the moment.

[Swamp Thing]

This was an interesting trip on several levels.

I enjoyed the scenery. I enjoyed the fresh air. I enjoyed being able to travel on the PCX for a distance, without traffic lights, cars pulling out, songthaews pulling in, etc. I enjoyed not having a definete plan, apart from the fact I was heading to Chiang Mai. I had nothing booked, I didn't know how far I could go in one day and there were other variables that made the trip unpredictable and an adventure. And a challenge.

The first stage of the journey, to Nakhon Sawan, was happily uneventful. It was nice to be riding on unfamiliar roads and seeing things i hadn't seen before. The roads, for the most part, were smooth and in good condition and I had many breaks for snacks, coffee, water and relaxation. Road 1 was a bit lumpy, which slowed me down. There were some worryingly deep ruts to be found occasionally in all of the roads, some of them 30+ cm deep with high ridges. I could see that they could easily unseat an unwary rider.

I stayed overnight in a hotel in Nakhon Sawan and headed off again at break of dawn. (460 kms covered so far. I decided to go off route and take a little short cut at one point, which, as I then got lost, added considerably to the distance and time taken...).

At some point after Phitsanulok, I got this view, and realised the landscape was about to change.

As I entered the hills, I found this little spot to sit and relax. Very peaceful.

[Swamp Thing]

Road 11 to Chiang Mai was excellent. Well maintained and very scenic. The PCX performed very well, maintaining it's speed going uphill, and slowing down by use of the engine going down. I am very happy with this machine. I rode into Chiang Mai having thoroughly enjoyed the trip so far and booked into a guesthouse. Then found a restaurant and ordered a dinner. Lovely. (514 kms from Nakhon Sawan. 974 kms covered since leaving home).

All good.

I decided to spend the next day in Chiang Mai. I had a great time wandering around stopping for breaks at coffee shops and restaurants. I was impressed at how clean and well-maintained the area is. I had a nice walk around the moat.

There were lots of tourists around, but I didn't see any follow-the-flag-on-a-stick tourist groups. I saw many young backpackers, families and old farts, all apparently having a nice relaxed time. Quite different to Pattaya.

I decided to head off the next morning, as I was enjoying the ride so much.

As you can see in this pic of Road 11, the road surface is in very good condition. I found this to be the case for the vast majority of the whole trip.

Edited July 21, 2015 by Swamp Thing

[Swamp Thing]

The advantage with travelling early on Sunday morning was that I often had the road to myself. Fresh air, scenery and an open road. Could it be better?

As I came down out of the hills, farms started to appear again.

So far I had been lucky with the weather. I had rode through a few light showers, which were refreshing more than anything else, and I soon wind-dried when I had rode out of them. But, just after Phitsanulok, just when I was thinking I might have two dinners when I arrive at Nakhon Sawan, I saw ominously dark clouds ahead. large spots of rain started to hit me, which I know from experience can mean a soaking is on it's way.

I pulled up and wrapped my bag in my hi-tech all-weather luggage protector. (A bin liner). I put on the plastic cape I had been given before leaving for the trip, which looked like it had potential, but was untested. I could see a deluge occurring a few hundred metres further along the road. I thought, should I shelter and wait. But from the look of the dark clouds, it didn't look like something that was going to blow over soon, so i decided to go for it.

The cape kept blowing up like Marilyn Monroe's skirt in the famous pic. (To be honest, that was the only similarity with the famous pic of MM). With a bit of folding and sitting on the fold, the cape stayed down and I joined a line of traffic travelling at 50 km/hr through a cloudburst for 20 kms. When I emerged from the other side, my gloves and sleeves were wet and the lower half of my trousers, but the rest was dry. The hi-tech luggage protector worked perfectly. I was still about 20 kms from Nakhon Sawan and by the time I got to the hotel, I had largely wind-dried.

Apart from the crotch of my trousers, where the rain had run down the seat, which was unfortunate when dealing with the reception at the hotel. And the palms of my hands had turned black from the dye in my gloves. This was noticed when I put my hand out to take my key. Oh well.

(Approx same distance covered as NS to CM, though slightly less, strangely).

Edited July 21, 2015 by Swamp Thing

[Swamp Thing]

Some of the rice fields at this point in the journey were looking healthy.

These rocky hills provided a nice backdrop for a break on the journey back. (Somewhere around Lopburi, I think, maybe somebody will know. I was going to make a note of it, but I thought I would be able to remember. Hah!).

439 kms from NS to home, so 1,808 kms travelled. Enjoyed it.

As I said previously, this trip has been one of the best i have been on, with or without the PCX. I'm extremely glad I did it. Thanks to all who gave encouragement and thanks to dave_boo and technologybytes for the route suggestion.

This trip will lead to others, it was a great way to travel through Thailand. It was an experience I will never forget, which, for me, is an important element in life.

A final pic of the road coming down from the hills in Chiang Mai.

Edited July 21, 2015 by Swamp Thing

[Rhys]

Wow.. you did it.. good for you.. me, still planning the bucket ride..

Well done mate

On the pegs

[Namplik]

Nice report Swamp Thing

Can I ask one thing, how long can you drive in one stretch on the PCX before getting a sore ass? I guess its quite individual and depends on your height and weight? Or what about neck and shoulders, get tired there?

[papa al]

You must be out of your mind. Are you on some sort of medication?

It takes a day to drive there in a car and you want to do it on a scooter in 2.

My advice is dont do it, but if you do I wish you the very best of good luck. These roads are far to dangerous to do such a trip and you wouldnt catch me doing it.

Ive been knocked off my scooter standing still at traffic lights by these crackpots, and a mate of mine got knocked off waiting at a junction.

Wow.

My advise is: desist from standing still at traffic lights & waiting @ junction?

Edited July 22, 2015 by papa al

[Swamp Thing]

Nice report Swamp Thing

Can I ask one thing, how long can you drive in one stretch on the PCX before getting a sore ass? I guess its quite individual and depends on your height and weight? Or what about neck and shoulders, get tired there?

Hi Namplik. I don't get sore ass problems on my PCX. (Or anywhere else, I'm happy to say ). I regularly go for 100-200+ km rides. The rides are a hobby of mine. I don't get a sore ass when riding, probably due to this familiarity with the seat.

When on this ride, I was taking breaks every hour or so, for 5-10 minutes, sometimes more. When I arrived at Nakhon Sawan, I had a bit of stiffness in my thighs, so from that point on, I made sure I had a walk around as part of my breaks. This solved the stiffness problem. I had no problems with neck and shoulder stiffness. I am tallish and not fat.

I had most of my breaks in these yellow-roofed bus shelters to be found at the side of most roads.

I found an unexpected bonus of having my bag strapped to the seat in this manner was that it provided lumbar support for my back. As it was strapped on with bungee cords, it was adjustable to an extent, and when seated, I could push back into it to support my lumbar region. This made the ride much more comfortable.

This was a nice place to have a break, and a coffee to keep up the concentration levels. I also had a stroll around their garden area to stretch my legs. All good.

[moe666]

I did a similar ride 2 years ago and rode CM Ploke, Khoen Koen, Surin, Pattaya, Bangkok, Ploke, Cm in 8 days. I had stays in Surin and Pattay of a couple od days. It is a good ride not that dangerous as some think. I did get caught in some real good thunder storms out side Ploke and KK

[Namplik]

With a PCX moe666 or some other bike?