If you are a complete novice or have never ridden a large bike before, we ask you to STOP and think!! ...
Really think about what you are letting yourself in for.
Most of the expat riders we meet here in Thailand have ridden large capacity bikes and taken their tests in their respective countries.
These tests are very comprehensive and have given these individuals the skills to ride safely. Most riders have also honed their craft on smaller capacity bikes for a few years before stepping up to larger bikes, giving them a solid grounding that helps them keep the wheels on the tarmac.
We realize that many foreigners come to Thailand and rent or buy scooters and then get bitten by the bug!!
We have all seen them riding around in singlets, shorts and sandals with out a care in the world, and I personally have seen some of these same people involved in accidents or very near misses that could have been easily avoided.
A license is easily obtained in Thailand and the law currently allows you to ride any capacity bike you want with virtually no training.
Thats right you can jump from a scooter to a 1000cc fire breathing sports bike.
"We Believe Some Motorcycle Training Is Better Than No Training."
Our suggestion is if you do want to ride a bike and ride safely and learn the craft, then we have a number of smaller bikes for rent (200cc) and some closed off roads where we will be happy to show you the basics. This is not a full training course, but we will take our time with you and give you an idea of what you're getting into.
We will show you around the controls of the bike, look at starting and stopping and proper clutch control.
Turns and emergency stops, correct braking procedure and gear change.
Slow riding practice, figure of eights ovals and tight turns.
Then comes safety, correct use of mirrors, correct signaling, moving off safely, road position, weather conditions, riding defensively, riding on different types of road surfaces, correct speed and hazard perception. All these and more are vital to riding a bike safely.
We can talk "Safety Equipment" and look at whats available in Thailand.
Helmets, jackets, pants, boots are all different and need to be tailored to suit what sort of riding you wish to do.
Last is real road craft, put everything you have learned into action.
In Thailand as we all know there are many more hazards than we are used to in the western world. Those that have been trained in the UK, Europe or elsewhere in a modern western society are not used to some of these hazards, it's not everyday you come around a corner to meet a slow moving elephant, but with the skills we were taught we can judge and react quicker than those with none or minimal training.
If you are new to riding, always ride with some one with experience, take your time and start on a smaller capacity bike.
We realise there are very little riding schools in Thailand for motorbikes and most of these will be in Thai language.
WE ARE NOT INSTRUCTORS, I want to make that perfectly clear.
Between us we have a combined biking knowledge of 50 years and been riding in Thailand for 19 years.
If you are considering buying and riding a motorbike in Thailand we can help and advise.
We would be happy to explain these riding fundamentals with you if you rent our smaller capacity bikes and depart knowledge and safety know how.
There is no substitute for real world class training we understand that but we believe some training is better than none and we want you to stay alive and enjoy riding !!
If you would like to rent a smaller bike and chat with us about bike safety then drop us a line on our Contact Us Page.
