It was early May of 2021 when the world was just beginning to recover from the Covid-19 pandemic. I was in Thailand throughout the entire pandemic period. Thailand was under a strict lockdown, usually between sundown and sunrise, and I was bored out of my mind, desperately needing something to do. Completely out of the blue, at the young age of 71, I had the undying urge to learn how to ride a motorbike. Afterall, I was in Thailand, and their main source of transportation was motorbikes. Not withstanding the only two wheel device I had ever rode on was a bicycle, and I hadn’t done that since I was 12 or 13. Still, I wanted to give it a try.
I spoke to my friend Teddy, a retiree from the U.S., whom I knew on occasion had rented motorbikes here in Thailand. Teddy was polite, but definitely tried to talk me out of it. Thailand is not a place for many experienced riders much less for someone just starting out was his words. I appreciate the fact that he didn’t mention my age. Anyway, I thought about what he had said but decided I would go ahead with it any way. My mind was made-up, and I was determined to see it through.
I enrolled into a two day class that assisted me in passing the required written test. I also had a friend of mine (Jim) take me out to an empty lot for a couple of basic riding lessons. After passing both the written and road test, I received my Thailand motorcycle driver’s license. A few days later I went out and bought a motorbike, a Yamaha n-max. In most cases the difference between a motorbike and motorcycle is that most motorbikes are automatic, smaller, weigh less, and are generally easier to ride. Motorcycles are altogether a different story; They are heavier, with gears that must be manually shifted, have much more horsepower, and are far more challenging to control.
After riding my n-max around Pattaya City for awhile, I realized that the seat was not very comfortable, particularly after a ride of an hour or more, so I decided to trade it in on a slightly bigger motorbike, a Yamaha x-max300. The x-max gave me more comfort and more stability, particularly out on the open road. Now, just to put things in perspective, the time it took between my initial desire to ride a motorbike, obtaining my motorcycle license, purchasing my first and second motorbike was all less than 30 days. And yes, as I’ve said before, once my mind is made-up, I am relentless in seeing it through. My sister, who seldom agrees with me on anything, would quickly agree with me on that.
Over the next year or so I developed into a fairly good rider. I learned how to blend in with the other motorist on the road, which, more often than not, was a hectic and frantic style of driving. Very few drivers in Thailand obey the rules, and getting from point A to point B can be more of an obstacle course than anything else. In fact, obeying certain rules at the wrong time could actually get you in serious trouble. But overall, well after Covid, I am still enjoying the riding experience.
Occasionally I would join other riders for short day trips to various locations of interest. On one such occasion, while my friends and I were riding along at a pretty quick pace, ( 80 mph), we were suddenly passed by a lone motorcyclist. I always knew that motorcycles were faster, and much more powerful, but I was surprised at the speed in which that rider passed us, it was like we were standing still. I was intrigued. As soon as I got back to my room I went on YouTube to get an understanding of how to operate a motorcycle; shifting gears, proper use the clutch, etc… My curiosity eventually lead me inside a motorcycle shop where I began looking through their inventory. After a while I came across a 2018 Honda CBR650F. It was a used motorcycle with barely 3,000 miles on the odometer. The salesman came over and informed that a female originally purchased the bike, but soon realized it was too big for her and, therefore, didn’t ride it very much. I explained to the salesman that I was interested in the Honda, but that I had never rode a motorcycle before. He said “no problem, I could come anytime and practice riding the bike on the dead-end-street in back of the shop”, which I did over the next few weeks. Of all the times I went there to practice, he never once tried to sell me the bike, which I thought was a little unusual. Maybe he was just that good of a salesman because I eventually ended-up buying the Honda. Having two bikes now I decided to use the Yamaha X-max300 primarily for city use, and designate the Honda for road trips.
For those of you who are experienced motorcyclist, you know that the most dangerous road surface to ride on are the ones made of gravel and have sand scattered around. You also know that the two most difficult maneuvers to make are U-turns, and controlling your bike at slow speeds. I wanted to be a better rider, so I searched for an area that would allow me the opportunity to practice on all surfaces. I found an empty lot just outside of Pattaya City which seemed to be the perfect place. It had a gravel surface with patches of sand spread all throughout. It also had very little road traffic, and it was large enough to allow me room for mistakes. There was, however, one slight problem that I had to overcome. It was occupied by a pack of feral dogs.
The moment I pulled into the lot they immediately made it very clear that it was their territory, and proceeded to chase me out. Not to be discouraged, I went over to a near-by 7 eleven store and picked-up a bag of dog food. I returned to the lot and parked on the opposite side of where the dogs were gathered. I spread the dog food out, then moved off the lot to see what would happen. One by one they eventually went over and began eating. As they were eating I began riding slowly around the lot. Other than an occasional bark, they stayed put, and did not run at me as they had done earlier.
I would go there to practice once a week each time bringing them food. Overtime they became more and more comfortable with me being there. I even felt as though they actually looked forward to seeing me. The dog that I call Brownie was the friendliest, and would even allow me to pet him. He reminded me of a dog I once had. It was a wining situation for both me and the dogs. I was able to practice, and they got their food. I seldom go there anymore. The last couple of times I was there Brownie was no where to be seen. Life is not easy for feral dogs no matter where they are in the world. I can only hope that he is doing okay.
For those of you who are considering riding around Thailand on a motorbike or motorcycle just remember, as Teddy said, even the most experienced of riders would have a difficult time getting around. The hectic and chaotic disarray taking place on the roads, that only Thai people seem to understand, are probably not worth the risk. Most Thais do not even have a driver’s license, which is why so many of them ignore the rules. They simply don’t know what the rules are. A sample of this chaos is displayed at the end of this video. Thank you for your time. And remember, your comments are always welcome.
