I'm a new member to this site despite having lived here for a good while and have enjoyed reading the posts .What I am most intersested in is the actual bikes that are being ridden around Chiang mai and what it is really like to run and ride one around here . I see there are some nice bikes amongst you all like Africatwins , Ducatis , TDM's and one lucky man even seems to have a GSXR 1000 .Also , reading a road test from you would save me having to pay 350 Baht for an imported motorcycle magazine !
road tests
- Thread starter jon
- Start date
hi jon i think i am that lucky man you speak of with the gixxer if you like sportbikes drop by somchai paint shop on the superhighway coming into the airport plaza, have just been riding today with 3 R1's a hayabusa and a selection of other 400's from customers of the shop, so if thats your thing drop by for a chat...
Thanks for that suzukiluke .Your ride out must have been good .Where did you go and how did your bike go compared with the R1's and Hayabusa? and what about the 400's ,were they able to keep up ? I used to find it a bit hairy riding in a group as I would get carried along faster than I should have been going .I come from N.Ireland and have seen them racing RI's and 1000 Suzukis on really small bumpy roads at amazing speeds .I even have some videos of road racing in Ireland ,including on bike footage of Michael Rutter breaking 200 mph on a a road at the North West 200 on his fireblade .I will try to get them put on a disc .
Jon,
After being over here for a bit now I'm slowly seeing what bike riding means to the Thais. Luke and I hooked up with Som chai and his crew at his shop. We were told to meet there quickly within 1/2 hour if we wanted to ride with them.
We hurredly got suited up and sprinted to his shop. Where for the next two hours we sat around on our arses chatting and drinking...not riding. We finally got the bikes fired up and proceeded out for a ride 2 hours later. this ride consisted of howling through traffic at manic speeds, pretending you were 16 years old again. wheelies, burnouts, the lot. Our ride destination...the 700 year stadium to watch a car drag race. So far we have 4KM under our belts now in 3 hours. Then we had to choose the most conspicuous spot to park the bikes. this involved much consternation by the Thais and involved moving the bikes a few times for best poser position.
They finally decided a ride up Doi Sutthep was in order so we got a quick ride up the mountain. However only to the lookout before actual Doi Sutthep. See we had to park the bikes and look good there for more prattling about.
Quality of bikes they had was typical Thai. Looked good but in knappy condition. The owner of the shop was really a nice guy and offered me a CBR 400 to ride. it looked brilliant in its new paint scheme and knockoff brembo brakes. However in the first bend you realized it had no fork oil as it pogo sticked around every bend. The owner of the shop could ride really well and muscled his hayabusa round the 11 corners we did really well. the rest of them...well...come along and you be the judge. they seem to love breakneck speeds along the highways and posing with their pretty bikes. Not gobbling up Km's on twisting rodes.
Overall a nice bunch of guys to hang out with for a laugh and perving at girls. Just not much riding.
best bike for the style of riding we did this day was the Hayabusa. However Luke kept up with his GSXR 1000 no problem.
Cheers all.
"Formerly known as the twat, racer55"
After being over here for a bit now I'm slowly seeing what bike riding means to the Thais. Luke and I hooked up with Som chai and his crew at his shop. We were told to meet there quickly within 1/2 hour if we wanted to ride with them.
We hurredly got suited up and sprinted to his shop. Where for the next two hours we sat around on our arses chatting and drinking...not riding. We finally got the bikes fired up and proceeded out for a ride 2 hours later. this ride consisted of howling through traffic at manic speeds, pretending you were 16 years old again. wheelies, burnouts, the lot. Our ride destination...the 700 year stadium to watch a car drag race. So far we have 4KM under our belts now in 3 hours. Then we had to choose the most conspicuous spot to park the bikes. this involved much consternation by the Thais and involved moving the bikes a few times for best poser position.
They finally decided a ride up Doi Sutthep was in order so we got a quick ride up the mountain. However only to the lookout before actual Doi Sutthep. See we had to park the bikes and look good there for more prattling about.
Quality of bikes they had was typical Thai. Looked good but in knappy condition. The owner of the shop was really a nice guy and offered me a CBR 400 to ride. it looked brilliant in its new paint scheme and knockoff brembo brakes. However in the first bend you realized it had no fork oil as it pogo sticked around every bend. The owner of the shop could ride really well and muscled his hayabusa round the 11 corners we did really well. the rest of them...well...come along and you be the judge. they seem to love breakneck speeds along the highways and posing with their pretty bikes. Not gobbling up Km's on twisting rodes.
Overall a nice bunch of guys to hang out with for a laugh and perving at girls. Just not much riding.
best bike for the style of riding we did this day was the Hayabusa. However Luke kept up with his GSXR 1000 no problem.
Cheers all.
"Formerly known as the twat, racer55"
yep id go along with that stern response from justin, the guy could really ride that hayabusa and drove it up doi sutthep like it was a 600, not some 215kg behemoth! yep the thai way is kind of more about the destiantion, the girls and the way we park the bikes more so than the actual riding, although the ttraffic weaving is a sight to behold !, the gixxewr was gobbling up the " R1's" read FZR's done in new R1' bodystyling and paint although the guy was the hayabusa was sadly unattainable! am currently nursing a broken wrist and am spending most of today realising what a silly boy i was to ride ...justin by the way we are supposed to be doing visas on wednesday not thursday as previuosly thought.whoops. p.s i would phone but have lost the battery charger but a currently in central airport getting another one so will give you a bell later...