Motorbiking Thai Style

Chris Spedding had a hit in the 70's with a song called "Motorbikin" and there's certainly lots of motorbikin' going on in Pattaya at any hour of the day or night! If you've already been to Pattaya or are resident here you'll only be too well aware of how many bikes ply the main roads, the small sois and even the footpaths!

All the top models including Honda, Yamaha and Suzuki can be seen in great numbers on the streets and are relatively inexpensive to buy here compared to many other locations around the world. The most popular types tend to be the 125 cc models and many look very impressive, finished to a standard you would expect from much bigger models.

While some people would opt for the traditional gear models, particularly the local people and members of the expat community, the most popular option would be for the fully automatic versions where you just turn the key, press the button and hey, away you go.

If you intend to buy one of the automatic 125's from any of the brand leaders you can expect to pay somewhere in the region of 40,000 baht (less than €1,000), but good secondhand models are available for a little more than half that price. If you're a biker and the gears are second nature to you well Platinum Motorbikes have a 125 cc electric start bike availabe at the moment for just less than 20,000 baht with a three year warranty. That price for a brand new bike won't break the bank for most people, and they also do a fully automatic bike for around 24,000 baht.

For those of you planning to rent a bike while in Pattaya on holidays it would be a wise idea to stick with an automatic because you'll have enough to do concentrating on the many crazy maneuvres you'll witness on an all too often occasion. Just in case you might make the assumption that when you rent a motorbike in Thailand you'll automatically be covered by insurance, this is not the case as insurance for motorbikes here is NOT compulsory.

For a fairly small extra cost you can have the peace of mind of being covered in the event of an accident which sadly occur on a regular basis when it comes to bikes. It's also worth noting that if you hit a local you will probably end up paying regardless of whether you feel you were in the right or not.

A word of advice for those of you who are planning your first trip here to the Land of Smiles when it comes to renting a motorbike for a day, a week or the duration of your holiday. Don't just go to the nearest Rental shop and pay the price you're quoted.

Try a few places and if you intend keeping the bike for a few days bargain for the best rate you can get. Some places are asking for 250 baht a day, which if you take my advice, is far too expensive as it's possible to get them for around 150 or even less!

And a final word of warning to anyone who can't wait to get on those bikes, rev up the engine and feel the freedom of the open road, always wear your helmet! You will without doubt see the locals at times going around on their bikes with no helmets but remember, they generally know when its safe and where the police are usually waiting for their next victims.

If our course you were pulled over for not having a helmet the fine won't mean the end of world — currently about 200 baht — but bear in mind the minute you're stopped the police take the keys of the bike and you only get them back after you've gone to the police station, paid the fine, and produce the receipt to the police when you get back to where you were stopped.

If you're a long way from a police station it could be very costly if you hire a baht bus or motorcyle taxi to take you to the station and back. You have been warned!

All that aside, it's a great way to see Pattaya. Enjoy the experience!

Submitted by : The Expat, Pattaya
24-Dec-09

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