Dave,

I,ve send you an Email.

Maarten

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- www.maartensworld.com -

If she rides a bicycle in traffic then it will be easier to ride a motorcycle.
If she does not ride a bicycle at all then she should learn that first.

aha! thanks to everybody on this forum for your lovely advice.
I was surprised to read so much reactions on this thread ,that exctualy started out as something in between like a joke/and cry for help to get my girlfriend convinced about what to do.
To be honnest I was convinced in the beginning that it was undoable, but i was not really in peace with that conclusion because its so much nicer for the both of us if it really could work.
Now i really dont know anymore what to do, to be honnest i think it could work but i am to concerned about her. guess it is going to depend on her what she wants to do. Is there somebody out there who can give her some more advice? anyway, we will let you know about our, no her, decision...

greetz
Niels

Hey Niels,

Are you in Thailand already? If not, why complicate things for yourselves, by NOT learning to ride in nice and safe Belgium, with the added benefit of actually obtaining a license? They have these nifty 3 day courses (at least in the Netherlands they do, surely Belgium has something similar). I did one days before the start of my trip and it made me feel very comfortable having a official license with the added bonus of actually being able to ride a bike legally in countries where people do give a shit, or are able to read in more than one language (Western Europe).

Anyways if you are in Thailand, I recommend a HONDA Scooter (Wave or similar) with an automatic clutch. First of all the absence of the clutch will help your girl learn how to ride the bike before learning how to operate it (does this make sense?). KISS - keep it SAFE and simple. Get one with regular front suspension (not the swing arm) and a disc brake for a more 'big bike' feel. Secondly these buggers never break down and in the unlikely event they do spare parts are everywhere.

Then if she likes riding the HONDA, you flog it and buy a bigger bike. OR...go for a real adventure and ride the scoot back to Belgium. If you opt for the last, let me know, I am very interested. Don´t tell me it can´t be done, Anchorage - Ushuaia on a HONDA scooter in 6 months presented no problems at all (www.honda50.cc).

Well, hope this was helpfull to you. Have fun , stay safe and remember:

"You meet the nicest people on a Honda"

Dirk



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I think the sensible thing to do is to find another solution. Ride in BKK without sufficient experience will be dangerous.

Without a license I think she will not be able to get an insurance cover so in case of an accident you will have to rely on your own finances. Moreover she could be in trouble with the authorities for not having a license especieally if involved in an accident with locals.

I was in Thailand in '88 and it was total carnage. You wouldn't have got me on a bike in BK for love nor money. I rode a bit in the south and spent a few months on Koh Samui during which time there was an average of almost a death a week on the island! Met a couple of Brits doing a London-Sydney trip on a pair of Beemers and had been accident free - until Thailand. I hope for your girlfriend's sake road safety has made a dramatic improvement since then.

'servus' from on the road!

What do i think about your/her idea?
Don't ask other people for their opp. you will anyway pick out what you want to hear!
I am right now (since 10 month on tour) with my Royal Enfield Motorcycle on the roads of central america.
As a lady, by herself - dont ask what i had to hear.
About SE Asia, - i loved it and i think the only way to travel there is on a bike but please .... not the first time!
Go for some practice at home, take her to the max.situation and then take off to your great yourney. (250 is in SE A big enough)

Take care, respect and have a lot of fun!!

hi guys,
we finally arrived in thailand and because we dont find a big bike my girlfriend decided to drive her own suzuki cross 200 cc. so we are going for it.
as mentioned before, we are going to transport the bikes outside of BKK to learn her to drive there...
i keep you informed..she will start learning in about two weeks..wish her luck
greetz
niels

Hee Niels,

Drop by in Kanchanaburi !
07 154 6616

We have a train-station and a motocross track and a lot of quit streets to learn.

Maarten


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- www.maartensworld.com -

Hi Niels, just catching on to this thread and although you are already in SEA, I would like to comment anyhow.
I toured through Thailand, Laos, Vietnam and Cambodia one year ago and found Vietnam traffic to be very dense, especially HCMC, by far. It is a very crowded country and appears chaotic but there is an amazing flow to how people commute in HCMC.
Laos, on the other hand, is quite the opposite. Low population and very easy-going society.
Thailand is wonderful riding in the north but Bangkok--wow!! Nuts! It took me over 4 hours to escape that city, one hot afternoon, last May.
Cambodia is very easy as well, except Phnom Phen can get a bit hectic but not bad, really.
My perspective is from a very experienced, long-time motorcyclist and I found nothing too daunting but a new rider in the "crazy areas" I would not approve of. Extreme road and traffic awareness is called for.
Enjoy the trip.

yep art, i agree on Laos were I was 2 years ago for a quick visit. the traffic seemed very relaxed compared to the other south asian countries i saw before. and the people are just great...
we were not planning to go to cambodia because of the restrictions they have for big bikes and it seems that everything above 175 cc is not allowed. enfin, this is what i saw mentioned in the gt-rider site and the topic How to enter vietnam. its good to hear that cambodja is also more relaxed to drive around...

thanks maarten for the invitation. my girlfriend knows a friend who lives in phetchabun, and our bikes are going to be transported over there for price of only the petrol.. maybe we will visit you on the way back, and then it will be even possible that we put our bikes their on the train back direction Bkk to avoid the hectic traffic if my girlfriends doesnt want to drive the bike into town..

greetz Niels

Niels, we are in Bangkok too at the moment, check your email...

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Dave
www.mototrekker.com

My girlfreind did the same as yours.
No experince and we rode out of the centre of Mexico City, 12 months later we are back in Australia after travelling up to Canada and across Japan and Russia.

Only a couple of prangs and she is itching for more, I need a rest.
It will be stressful watching her negotiate traffic. Try and keep your cool, and keep an eye on her late in the day. As fatigue sets in the riding deteriates super fast and they start to hit every pot hole around and beet themselves up fast. Stop when you have to. Some days you wont get far, others you will cover great distances. Dont rush her and dont loose it with her. Defend her at all times in traffic if you can, not always possible.
And have a ball. Get the best travel Insurance you can.

Hey Neils,

One of the large sports manufactures has a saying, I believe it is Nike!

I envy your gf's courage and wish more people were like this. I have a lot of experience on bikes since I was 6 and now 43. The worst thing people can say to you is that it is too dangerous to do this or that because soon you will start to believe it! And this I can tell you is worse than never doing what you feel.

As Mika says, help her and give her encouragement. Do your think V Rossi got where he has with his mum saying it's too dangerous to do what he does?

If she wants to and is that keen what the hell, "Just do it" and have fun while your doing it!

Cheers
Ivan

hi everyone there,

first of all thanks to you all for sharing your pont of views and giving me advice..
Jeanne and me arrived yesterday in sukothai. we have been riding 2 days en everything is going well. the most important thing is that she likes its. altough the cities give her sometimes the creeps..
for me it also goes well. during her practising period in petchabun i was sometimes scared or stressed, but i was able to let it go. to be relaxed is so important as well for me as for her. we practised in the city with me a passenger and i think this was the most rewarding exercise. sometimes i was scared as hell but could keep cool wich worked for her...

greetz
Niels