[Trip Report] Crazy Four Nation Trip on P-Plate SP

[shong]

As me and my gf were planning our graduation trip around SEA, the original plan was travelling with whatever we can get, bus, train, boat. We were both from China, studied here for almost 10 years and never really see how the countries between SG and China looked like since we would just take a plane. Somehow a crazy idea was formed, travelling by bike! Thanks to many here who wrote inspiring and interesting trip reports, and one quote which made me decided to do this.

 

"20 yrs frm nw, u'll will be more disappointed by the things u didn't do, than by the ones u did."

 

and pardon my bad English too:angel:

 

Total distance: 7000km on bike, another 1000km on train and slow boat.

 

Duration: 13th May to 15th June

 

Places:

- Malaysia: Penang, KL

- Thailand: Krabi, Koh Phi Phi, Hua Hin, Aran Yapra Thet, Chiang Khong, Chiang Mai, Bangkok

- Cambodia: Siem Reap, Kratie

- Laos: Pakxe, Thakhek, Vientiane, Vang Vieng, Luang Prabang, Pak Beng, Huay Xai

 

My ride: NSR150SP registered on Dec 1999. I'm the 9th owner.

 

My exp: I was still under p-plate during the trip. Furthest I have been to Maleka once, next is Kulai.

 

My passenger: Oh well, my GF.

 

My budget: 2,000 SGD

 

My equipments: 1 x wired intercom, 1 x 30L backpack, 1 x soft saddle bag, 1 x 2-person-raincoat , 1 x huge umbrella (to shelter us when we wearing the raincoat), 2 x body armor (with back protector), 2 x pair of shin guard (covers knee too), 1 x 2L Waterbag, 1 x Water purifier, 1 x tyre repair kit, some cameras, some zip bags, clothes to change and some children books we decided to carry along to donate to some orphanage in Cambodia.

 

Speed: I was riding around 90-110 km/h on my meter. Rest 30-45 min every 2 hours to prevent overheating. Not very fast, but we are able to cover max 750km before sunset.

 

Maintenance: Bike was full seviced before the trip. During the trip, I just oil and lube the chain every time before we leave for next destination. There were more than enough bikeshops and petrol stations along the way, but do plan your fuel stop well to prevent any hassle. Best 2T i could get was Shell advance VSX in metal bottle cost 5 USD per litre (sold at limited stores)

 

Wear & Tear & Loss:

Had my rear tyre replaced after 5000km as previous puncture was beyond rescue. The chain went uneven despite my constant care, pending change. At least 4 screws were lost due to vibration. But nothing a duct tape cant fix.

Edited June 25, 2010 by shong

[shong]

13th May

 

There is a Chinese saying, 万事开头难, the hardest part is always the beginning.

 

Our goal was to reach Penang before sunset, covering around 720km in 12 hours. We wanted to wake up and leave at 6 but how the hell can we slp well with all the excitement and anxiety:dot: After we had our breakfast, its almost 7.

 

My workhorse loaded up

http://i47.tinypic.com/2jeshp5.jpg

 

Struggle with the velcro

http://i48.tinypic.com/rbz9xd.jpg

http://i48.tinypic.com/wlorpk.jpg

 

Soon we hit 2nd link and run on NSHW. Weather was okay in the morning. We manage to reach the mid-point during lunch time. However it started to rain in the afternoon. It rained 3 times and we are blowed dried 3 time, as the it was not heavy enough for us to take out one huge raincoat. However it did slow us down significantly. Besides the rain, the scenery along the road was magnificent around Ipoh area, but due the annoying rain we missed some great photo shoot point. For one moment I just wish to ride forever.

 

Soon the sky seemed to have enough of light drizzle and decided to give us a heavy downpour. We have to pull into a petrol station and wait for rain to stop. However, clock's ticking and sky's getting dark, we finally decide to pull out our raincoat and ride in the heavy rain. The visibility was extremely low. Luckily we got enough light to show our presence. Hazard light and helmet light were both on and we ride on the road shoulder at around 60km/h.

 

We were unable to reach Penang on time. In fact, we were still 100+km away from Penang after sunset. I decided to keep the raincoat to go faster. And my gf was in charge of wiping my visor so that I can see clearly. The rain never stop, only occasional lightning and traffic would brighten the dim road.

 

We finally reach the hostel after 9pm and all we wish for, was just a hot bath.

[shong]

The night we arrived at Penang

 

My gf grew anxious and was extremely worried about the rest of trip. What if the future road contion is tougher? What if it keeps raining? What if we cant get to a petrol station before our tank goes dry? What if... Oh well, that was pretty much of what she rumbled. To tell the truth, it was getting on my nerve and shaking my confidence. So we tried to discuss about the situation and some possible solution, such as shipping the bike back, and the discussion went nowhere as we cant just leave our bike alone. I smelt termination of plan.

 

I guess the god finally decided to send someone to help us at the point. A British guy approached my gf in the dorm and asked if we ride here. Then my gf just started to complain about how lousy our very first leg of the trip was. He was smiling and started sharing his trip. He had been riding his Africa Twin from England to SEA for 6 month. Had his AT shipped to Indonesia, he was heading there to meet a friend and continue his trip there. We found out he's doing the exact same route as us but just in reverse order, so we asked for some tips. He just marked out some major fuel stops on our map and adviced us cut the distance of each leg to no more than 600km. Since he had done the route just before us, he guarantee us the road condition is good enough to travel at least 500km per day. I also asked about the feasibility of travelling long distance on small capacity sports bike. He show us his very first bike, a retro ninja 250r. He brought it furthest to Africa:faint: where he had a serious crash causing a wound exposing bones on his arm. Lucky enough for him, there was a nurse camp nearby. Had the bike and him stitched up, he continued the trip.

 

Clearly, my gf had some over exposure of pure awesomeness. She was suddenly too excited and confident of the rest of the trip. We went through the original plan and glad to see the remaing each legs never exceed 600km each. So the discussion switched to owning an Africa Twin next time for more trips:cheers:

[Bad_Man]

Looking forward to ur continuation...

[shong]

15th May

 

We are leaving for Thailand, with super high morale! Got up early to avoid any traffic problem but soon we were caught in a sudden downpour. When we finally break out of rain zone, we were completely wet. Riding with my feet soak in wet shoes sure was not comfortable at all. Somehow we developed a new rain-repelling trick, singing any song with the word 'sun' in it and hope for the sun to come out. We are glad that we bring along a wired-intercom, so that we can sing to each other, talk freely and have my gf navigating for me and acting like a rear view mirror:thumb:

 

Reached the border at last, time to take pics!

http://i47.tinypic.com/4l6k9s.jpg

http://i49.tinypic.com/2079vr7.jpg

 

one young japanese guy riding rtw on bicycle

http://i48.tinypic.com/r1ail2.jpg

 

so far, so good

http://i49.tinypic.com/ifqr1s.jpg

[wait4me]

swee la ..

and ups for u .. .

sp rocks

 

u even carry umbrella

[shong]

so i can just stop at road side, open umbrella and take my own swee time to wear my one piece raincoat which covers my pillion too!

 

sp rocks haha

[4th_Espada]

so far the best thread i've read..more continuation!!!!

[wait4me]

story story ..

 

wa 12 hours. with pillion uite fast liao

my first time alone up , i took 11 hours.

[J-B]

nice experience thanks to share it:thumb:

[lwfc]

wah nice..

[Demues]

deserved all respect from a fellow cl2 rider yet keep complaining about his sore bum for anything above 400km....

[èèæ]

wow nice thread.. i'm a fellow sp rider hahaha are you thinking of doing more trips like this again bro?

[shong]

so far the best thread i've read..more continuation!!!!

 

Thank you thank you:cheeky:

 

story story ..

 

wa 12 hours. with pillion uite fast liao

my first time alone up , i took 11 hours.

 

1st day it took us almost 15 hours to reach penang..due to rain..but after we gain more exp, it was only 10 hours from chiang mai to bkk. both around 720km

 

nice experience thanks to share it:thumb:

 

wah nice..

 

thank you! Just wan share something i learnt so next ppl wont need to go thru some of the sh@t.

 

deserved all respect from a fellow cl2 rider yet keep complaining about his sore bum for anything above 400km....

 

add more sponge haha..we practise half squat once in a while to relief the numbness..and some pothole can really kill our butt..

 

wow nice thread.. i'm a fellow sp rider hahaha are you thinking of doing more trips like this again bro?

 

not in any near future man haha..both me and my bike need some time to recover from the trip. And im graduating, so most likely i would have to work soon = no more long holiday like this:cry:

[fx110]

respected

[xXxRatedxXx]

Ups for you!!!

[pablek]

solid stuff !

[Cpt.ZR]

power...

 

last time i went to hatyai took me 13 hrs... because the 2 hours are spent taking picts at the border and its rained all the way until after ipoh.. lol

[s4dreamer]

Kudos to you, shong!

 

I'm very sure that it's an experience you'll never forget! Post more! I'm keeping my eyes peeled to this thread!

[wait4me]

shong after re reading it again

i think yr gf also damn power

 

not many gals will sit and endure such journey

it should be a good bonding session for u

[gixxer 73]

Upps bro,nice pix.

[Atremis]

respect man! will be following this thread.

[shong]

The border crossing was not easy. Since both of us are holding China passport and we did not apply for visa before hand, we had to pay for visa on arrival at the border and that was 3000 baht in total. Unfortunately we did not have enough baht too! So we had to walk into Sadao town and search for a money changer.

 

Apparently there were not many business in the early morning. So we walked 200 metres into Thailand without visa:sian: but there were quite a lot of bikers, seemed like going for Phuket Bike week or something. Anyway, we finally locate a kind woman to exchange money, but her dog was barking fiercely despite its tiny size. It made it hard for us to approach her. Just in time, a green Versys came to our rescue. The roaring beast sent the puppy flee with tail between its legs.

 

After doing all the paperworks, we continue our way to Krabi.

[shong]

shong after re reading it again

i think yr gf also damn power

 

not many gals will sit and endure such journey

it should be a good bonding session for u

 

yea sshe sure deserve the iron butt award of the year:angel:

 

 

 

Thanks for all your encouragement!

[allenkey]

probably the most amazing trip story i've read.

 

btw, sgd2000 is quite a tight budget for such a trip... did u meet it?