[Q&A] Northern Thailand Ride

[feeufee]

Am planning a northe THA ride, gotta few questions for riders who have been up there:

1) Is it possible to reach ChiangRai instead of ChiangMai from Hua Hin? May have to do night riding on route 1 before reaching ChiangRai, will it be safe on that route? eg. lotsa of twisties? Thus am thinking of stopping at Lampang for the nite, and up to ChiangRai the next day, main point is to make a visit to Golden Triangle and ChiangRai instead of stopping at ChiangMai first.

 

2) If I do make ChiangRai first, will it be too tough to make it to MHS from CR? (Measured abt 390km) Or is it better to start from ChiangMai? Went through previous posts that says CM to MHS takes 4-5 hours for all that curves, so plus the route from CR will be possible?

 

Appreciate any help.....

[luminox]

1) yes it is possible. here's a gauge, HuaHin--->Khon Kean( approx.800km) took me the whole day at conservative speeds. From then onwards it's probably another 800km to CR thru the nite. It's straight super highways to CM n CR, i cant speak on your behalf whether it is safe, but it has been done before.

 

2) From CR to MHS is possible too( anything is actually,just a matter of what time u reach. ), here's how the final run-in figures out. From Route 107 to the turnoff to Route 1095 at the Mae Taeng junction, if u hit there at 1400hrs thai time, u can hit MHS before sundown(1800hrs). Be forewarned, Route 1095 to Pai enroute to MHS is twisting mountaineous roads. U'll probably have to sprint from corner to corner and race against the setting sun to hit MHS before dark.

 

Mae Taeng---Pai (99 km) 90mins approx

 

Pai----MHS (150km) 120mins approx

 

Fill up full tank before going into the mountains, gasoline costs more up there.

[razsurfer67]

Walau ur avatar distracting leh to read the post kekekeke

[PaLmEr]

getting fuel would be a problem at night

[luminox]

bro feeufee,is this your 2nd or 3rd trip up north thai? coz north of bangkok,the roads are pretty scenic and relaxing, it'd be a shame to pass them by in the night.

u'll need to rest too ya? so why not get up earlier n ride longer hours in the day,where u can absorb in the scenery,eat all the good food and take pretty pictures?

 

I'm with u either way. sometimes u have to be in the dark to know how light looks like.

[feeufee]

This is the first trip up for me & my group of fellow bikers....I am actually planning for day rides only as mostly old birds riding with me (Not that I am that young anyway). The main reason is visit Doi Inathanon NPark, Golden Triangle and Mae Hong Son. Staying in Chiangrai will give us more time to GOlden Triangle, instead of doing day trip, and having to rush back to Chiangmai. I was thinking spending 2 nights each in Chiangrai, MHS & lastly Chiangmai before heading back south. If using Chiangmai as base, the trip to MHS will definitely need to spend a nite there, thus requiring to return to Chiangmai again (Not that there is anything wrong) to rest before heading south. But may still revert back to Chiangmai as base after calculating the distances...no point risking safety for night riding or rushing through the 1k plus curves to MHS.

 

Anyway thanks for the info...and it true your avatar is making my nose bleed...haha

[luminox]

Sounds good.

 

But instead of staying at Chiang Rai,consider staying at this place Mae Salong instead. It's about 60km away from Golden Triangle, beautiful beautiful place up in the hills, cheap lodgings(150-250bht/nite),delicious Chinese cooking( 3 dishes+1 soup = 200bht ), friendly Thai-Chinese village. U might wish to stay more than 1 nite coz alot of scenic day rides.

 

Leaving MaeSalong -- MHS , u can take Route 1089 towards Fang---Chiang Dao (Route 107)---Mae Taeng ( turn right into Route 1095 ) ----Pai(80km)---MHS( 100km)

 

I left MaeSalong at 930am,rode very slowly (had lunch,took photos)till Route 1095 which is 1400hrs. Then i raced against the setting sun and managed to reach MHS at 1830hrs. U can stay at Pai if u wish to,many guesthouses n good food too,i had an early dinner at 1645hrs before setting off to MHS.

 

There's no rush in any case, so ride within your safety threshold. And top up your tanks full before riding diagonally upwards.

 

I made alot of silly miscalculations in my trips, this is not one of them.

 

http://img46.imageshack.us/img46/2190/cimg6671hi5.jpg

[jason_fz6]

hi when are you guys going? can i join too?

[flowers]

i interested too! is there an open invitation?

[feeufee]

Luminox

Thanks for the extra details....will keep that in mind....Looks more like you are riding alone?

 

Jason X9 and Flowers

Sorry this is only a very early plan for Dec07 ride with some kakis...not ready to open to others yet....

[Guest tangolima]

Originally posted by luminox@May 15, 2007 12:36 am

http://img46.imageshack.us/img46/2190/cimg6671hi5.jpg

i am curious.how much your bike cost you?

[luminox]

Originally posted by feeufee@May 17, 2007 10:40 pm

Luminox

Thanks for the extra details....will keep that in mind....Looks more like you are riding alone?

 

I wasnt alone, my gf was the one taking the photo. I am not an easy person to get along with, i even argue with myself sometimes,so it is best i travel one bike.

 

the other reason i went alone is i didnt know when i was goin to come back, i didnt bring a single spare, so it wont be fair for people to wait up for me IF my bike breaks down. 24 days of riding,it didnt break down once.i'm lucky,i guess.

 

tangolima,my bike is 9 yrs old and badly trashed up,not putting up for sale. i bought it for $14K 3 yrs back.

[feeufee]

I guess you can be the ad for BMW then for riding a reliable machine....

The pic only showed an alu rear box, or you had more with you? And please feel free to give other advise, like clothings, hotel recommendations, or GPS coordinates if you use one. I like to record GPS coordinates of the places, especially makan places in MAS & THA, that I have been to. So will be willing to share with other riders.

Thanks.

[luminox]

Hi, back from a sickly weekend, flu,fever n all...

 

I am not a BMW fan,it just happened that i am riding one. Yes,it's a Hepco n Becker 42l Gobi topbox only for the 2 of us, more than sufficient.

 

GPS i dont use, too heavy. 1 piece foldable map of Thailand is lighter. I enjoy a certain degree of uncertainty when i tour, it's the thrill of the unknown that keeps me alive.

 

My most memorable trip is the 1st trip, i dont want to spoil it for you by telling you too much.

[ok3]

Hello. Am heading to N. Thailand in April on my gixxer for a three week road trip. Even starting with fresh sport-touring rubber, they won't last all the way back to SIN. Anyone have any recommendations/experience for shop/shops that stock/fit tires for sportbikes in Chaing Mai? Also, from what I gather, weather should be hot and mostly dry. Anyone with experience with the weather up there at that time of year?

 

Between this forum and http://www.gt-rider.com , loads of info!

 

Thanks!

 

OK3

[Al-Simmons]

Hello. Am heading to N. Thailand in April on my gixxer for a three week road trip. Even starting with fresh sport-touring rubber, they won't last all the way back to SIN. Anyone have any recommendations/experience for shop/shops that stock/fit tires for sportbikes in Chaing Mai? Also, from what I gather, weather should be hot and mostly dry. Anyone with experience with the weather up there at that time of year?

 

Between this forum and http://www.gt-rider.com , loads of info!

 

Thanks!

 

OK3

 

i suggest u get ur tyres from bangkok instead.....might need to pre-order from shops in chiang mai to get the tyres ready although there's quite a number of big bike shops in chiang mai they might not have tyres in stock...

 

bangkok sure got plenty...

 

april will be the hottest season of the year....not much of rain there..

if you happen to be in chiang mai during songkran water festival...get ready for water war...

i think they still celebrate songkran water festival for 7 days in chiang mai...

[PaLmEr]

I enjoy a certain degree of uncertainty when i tour, it's the thrill of the unknown that keeps me alive.

 

My sentiments. Did exactly the same thing. NO GPS!

[rizaldinho]

can anyone pillion me to thailand? haha