Two day trip from Bangkok to Uthai Thani, Suphan buri, Khao Thevada

[Fritzltouw]

This was a two day trip I made just after new years. The first day we rode to Huay Pa Pok, Amphur Ban Rai where we stayed at a crappy, overpriced resort. The next day was up to Khao Thevada. The road is reasonably good during the cool season but there are quite a few loose rocks and sometimes unexpected ruts that are covered up by sand adding to the fun normally but with two up, luggage and not riding my own bike I took it easy. I had to rent a Vstrom because my Himalayan had a ripped front tire and I was only able to get that fixed 10 days later (more on that see the thread on 'tires where to get, what to buy'. So it was a ride with two up and luggage but the Vstrom did quite ok. I made the same trip during the rainy season on my RE Himalayan two years ago and it was slippery as hell and the RE riding solo was a lot of fun in the mud. Up at Khao Thevada, the staff of the NP at the campsite was moody as always (at least the woman is, the guy is quite easy and friendly) and trying to charge us 200 baht just to look at the campsite so we decided to just spend most of our time exploring the area instead. The villagers were super friendly and we had a nice chat with them and it was fun listening to their stories. After that it was time to gear up for a long and dusty 300 km trip back home to BKK. Khao Theavada and the surroundings are lush and green in the rainy season and a bit dry and very dusty during the cool season but both are nice times of the year depending on your mode of transportation. A guy from Ayuthaya and his GF rode up on a CB650. Needless to say the GF was not amused once they got to the top and was dreading the way down. Lots of guys on enduro bikes storming up and down the road having lots of fun obviously.

It was a nice ride but a bit busy on the way back since everyone was rushing back to BKK in the wake of rumors that we'd all have to quarantine upon return and an unexpected zone red designation of BKK and all surrounding provinces.

 

[DavidFL]

Looks like you enjoyed the trip & riding the Vstrom, at ease, even on the dirt.
Nice to see you wave to the other riders too. Well done.

 

[Fritzltouw]

Looks like you enjoyed the trip & riding the Vstrom, at ease, even on the dirt.
Nice to see you wave to the other riders too. Well done.

Thanks for watching the video. Yes I did. The Vstrom was a treat to ride and I was thankful for the experience of trying out another bike. It's such an easy bike to maneuver on dirt as well even with two up. It's nice to have the extra bit of power on the highway as well. The RE Himalayan lacks that at times while making up on other things. It just makes getting to the interesting parts of a trip a bit more doable. From BKK it's always a good 100+ km before the fun starts. I'll definitely keep an eye out for a second hand Vstrom.

Yes, I try to wave to other riders here as well. I try to keep the camaraderie up also here in Thailand. It's a habit I've always had and I don't mind it that much if people don't wave back.