Gentle reminder about Issan riding

ray23

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Oct 14, 2005
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I'm know for being slow and cautious. Reason it's not death heck we are all going to die sometime no way around it, so I have very little fear of that.

Now laying up in some hosptial going through pain now that scares the heck out of me.

I really enjoy riding in Issan and I really look forward to the day I go. Can't do much of that from a hospital bed.

We were on a ride yeasterday schedlued to be slow and easy 260 Klms in eight hours. Now that is hardly speedy travel in that ride I avoided three acccidents and one was just luck.

First One Thai Bo, a Thai lady pulled in frot of me with the hubby and kid on baord. I had slowed doewna lot maybe 40 Klms a we wewre in town, She looked at me it was like it just didn't register she was making a left turn. She pulled in front of to make a left turn at the intersection and just stopped. Sometime I donlt hink they relaize what it takes to stop and manuvere big bikes. Well I saw i coming goot on the brakes adn got around here. IHad I been going faster or inattentive they would have had 900 pounds of drag star and riders T bone that bike, They had no helmets. My wife and I probably would have came out of with some road rash, they more then likely would have been dead. Yuo rioght wornog or indiffernt a to the other person riding in all honesty I would have felt very bad about that. Not to mention I would probably been in route to jail until things were sorted out. One of the reaon I alway carry my lawyers card with me and have her phne number programmed in my phone, You never l know no one has the intention of getting in accident when you start out, thats why they are called accidents.

Believe it or not that one didn't even upset me, that is just normal riding here and even more so the further you go out in the country. The further I get from main road the slower I go.

I trimmed a banana tree on the side of the road with mirrors pickup passing going the other way to heck with the bike in front of it, again vrey norl mal suff out in the sticks got adn mot that onew pissed me off a bit but it goes with ther territory

The second one is where he luck really came in Between Nom Som and Ban Phu. The road isnt the best yuo can ride it hard but it will beat you to deah if you do. I see a low moving vehcilce ahead of me a fram Tractor adn a Tuk Tuk behind it. They are doing what they are supposed to be doing on the far left side of the road. Two lane road and a pickup coming from the other direction. I had plenty of room pass. I had been watching the vehicles for 300 yards looked like they were together. I make my pass turn signla on so the pickup can see I;m coming his way. On his side of theroad is open ditch. all of he sudden just as I am next to the Tuk Tuk he dcies he want to pas, The pickup had no where to go and niehtre did I. I don't hink you could have gotten piece of paper between my bike and that tuk tuk. He pulled out without ever looking behind him Again not anything unusual for farm people. We were simply lucky getting through no amount of skill or equipment would have made a difference.

The last one on the stretch of road between Ban Phu and the Nong Khai Highway pretty good road by Issan standards. we come to an area where there is four lane section have a slow moving pickup in front of us. The guy in the lead is on a Gold wing takes the left lane and goes around him. I notice his bike bounce a bit but nothing unusual. All of sudden we hit a major dip. it was huge pot hole in the making the asphalt hadn't broken up almost impossible to see, The gold wing had hit the edge we hit it dead cnete, almost throw me and the wife right off the bike at about 80. I used tha handle bars to hold myself on because no other part of my anatomy was touching the bike. The wife grabbed my shirt. Plus we had have a sizzy bar on the back designed to give back support Attach bags for trip on and something to keep her on the bike when thing go bad. Worth every baht I spent on it yesterday.

Rmember on those Issan roads expect the unexpected, because in all honesty that was great ride but things can and do happen quickly.

One last commnet o if yuor leading a group and yuo arew passign r,e,erb the rest of the group ha to catch up to , so if your doing the max safespeed something we all like to do the only way they are going to catch up is to exceed the maixmum safe speed. So low down a bit and let them catch up. So everbody enjoys the day.
 

DavidFL

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Ray
Hope you're ok mate - in hospital for?
Reading your report it sounded like you never came off, but gave yourself a good scare.
Whatever. Take care & get well soon.
 

ray23

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Oct 14, 2005
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As usual my stupid writing avoided the ground and the hospital, I'm fine but it was a good reminder for me. Just sharing it.
 

ray23

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Oct 14, 2005
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I think what made this different is simply that I wrote about it other then that it is typical ride in the rural country side. I've been on the route several times, each changes in different ways each time.

Not changing nothing for me, been like this for five years. There are risks, but the joy I get form riding far out weigh them. :wink:
 

Marco

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Oct 15, 2006
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ray23 wrote: I think what made this different is simply that I wrote about it other then that it is typical ride in the rural country side. I've been on the route several times, each changes in different ways each time.

Not changing nothing for me, been like this for five years. There are risks, but the joy I get form riding far out weigh them. :wink:
Hi Ray

Sorry to hear your you been hospitalized,, take care broa nd get well soon, hope the missuas is ok.

It seem more and more every day that thai's especially in rural areas do not have any kind of sence of reality for the road safety, that was the main thing why i did installed airhorn to my bike,,so i can make my self's heard as soon i can see any one coming from side roads, and yes it wont help for those who are coming from back,, they as thai style is literally stop front of the bike or sweeze in front of you carelss if one ride bike or car.
It has been sad month as many or riders been having luckily minor accident's but my freind just pass away in KK coused by driving accident.
He simply missed junction and one's off road he was throun off from bike and head first to electrical pole, that was night time, well lighted road to his home what he drove every day.He was the owner of Pizza Uno in Khon Kaen left behind 2mth old boy and wife.

ok, Ray take care and i'll see you when i come back home,, now we are in Antarctica and it's cold here,, enjoy warm and say hello to frenchy with GW.