Touring between Chiang Mai, Pai and Chiang Rai for newbies.

Mar 28, 2012
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I will be travelling through Thailand for a few weeks with friends, terminating in Chiang Mai for Songkran. I only plan on spending a couple of days in Chiang Mai before moving on by myself. I'm thinking about possibly hiring a bike for a week or so to look around Chiang Mai, travel to Pai, on to Chiang Rai, then back to Chiang Mai. I have my own bike in Suratthani and have been riding it around in Thailand for 1 and a half years but have never been up north so don't know what the roads are like or how easy it is to travel between these places. Also, I would prefer to hire a 200cc bike or a 125+ scooter- what would be reccomended for this type of trip if it is possible?

Are there any sites that I could visit to see if there are other people looking at doing something similar so that I could maybe join up with others? It's always more fun with company :)

I won't be able to take my bike north with me so will need to hire one there but have been told so many horror stories about unexpected extra charges and difficulties getting passports back that I'm a little nervous about the situation - I'm realistic enough to know that many are exaggerations or based on stupidity on the persons part but there is always that concern. The other concern is that due to Songkran there may not be any bikes available for hire. I'm hoping that someone on here has done this and/or can reccomend an operator in the Chiang Mai area.

Thanks, J
 
Nov 2, 2008
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Cheers J

Can't tell you what bike is best for you, only you can do that! Songkran is the most inappropriate time for fast riding, as even passing trucks in the country side will splash you, so let that be a factor in choosing a rental bike. GT riders offers good advice on rentals and company's to choose from. What kind of bike do you ride?

Not only is it easy to travel between these places, it's downright fun. I 2 will be on the road for Songkran, I prefer the small town festivities. So far have spent time during Songkran in Pai and Chiang Dao, and we enjoyed it.

To see almost every paved road in Thailand visit Captainslash.com, and http://www.couchsurfing.org is commonly used by travels to meet up and travel together.

Many companies will allow you to pre book the bike of your choice. One tip, that is likely in that GT Rider link, is if any damage happens to your bike take it yourself to a recommended repair shop or dealer - any repairs will be done (hopefully) properly and most often far cheaper than the rental shop. A recent house guest rented a 125 cc Dream for 3 weeks, happily taking it to a shop for new front brake pads, a quick service, and to install a working horn for the grand total of 350 baht. This gave him extra security, and he wasn't that disappointed when the rental shop would not reimburse him 120 for a new horn.

Happy travels!