*MOTO TALE*: First Taste(s) of a Manual Bike

Thanks to my friend Marcus, an accomplished rider, i had the opportunity to be taught how to ride manual. He took me along to a riding park owned by his friend and i was guided on how to ride a manual Kawasaki KLX 150. Absolutely loved it.

Talking of Kawasaki's, these 150's are really fun bikes. I have had the chance to ride a 150 KLX on a few other occasions and i really like them for exploring off-road. I like the fact they are light and easy to throw about.

I felt like i had overcome a hurdle that day and was well on my way to being a "real" motorcycle rider.



The second opportunity i got to ride a manual was a month later, when i rented a Kawasaki D'Tracker 150cc and again, with help from my friend Marcus, i took it onto a quiet concrete area and practiced riding for a few hours. He wasnt impressed much when i started messing about, such as standing up whilst riding. Haha. But it was way too much fun. I really didnt want to give the bike back. Was determined to have my own bike some day, but was warned against buying a 150cc. Why? Because chances are i would grow out of it very fast. Its good and true advice actually, but now i do wish i ALSO had a 150cc KLX as well as my 250cc, for soft dirt exploring. Maybe i will some day.

*MOTO TRIP* (Scooter) -One Hell of a Trip on a Fino: Chiang Mai > Fang > Mae Sa Long > Doi Tung > Mae Sai > Thaton > Doi Angkhan > Chiang Dao > Chiang Mai

My first big trip (well it seemed MASSIVE at the time) on a bike. 3 days and 2 nights.

I had only been riding for approximately 8 months or so, and I was riding a Yahama Fino 115cc.
If you know anything about this kind of scooter, you will know it merely chugs along on any kind of incline and has the suspension of a brick. So, basically you get thrown about on any uneven road etc.. and Thailand absolutely has its share of potholes, gravel, poor roads....

Regardless, this trip is firmly implanted as one of my most amazing trips of all time. Purely because i felt like i was on a mammoth adventure. I felt like a true explorer. At the time there were less foreign tourists in these zones also, so it felt like being from outer space..haha.

I loved every moment..even the mini crash i had, due to having no idea about how to break on gravel. Found myself on the ground with my bike on top of my ankle..which later on became the size of a small grapefruit. The perils of being a self-taught moto rider, with absolutely no idea....

Mae Salong. I couldnt believe how different this place was from the rest of the Thailand i knew. They speak Yunnanese. I felt like i was in a whole other country.


Thaton, which thankfully hasn't changed much over the years. The well-known Naga serpents had just been built.

 Doi Ang Khan

Doi Tung

 Ouch............

So...what was your first motorcycle trip? How did it feel?

*MOTO TALE* How I Got Into Motorcycles...

As a young woman I had always liked the idea of a bike. My father had been a motorcycle rider up until his later years. He didn't, however, like the idea of me riding one (nor a car for that matter..!).

I remember the first time i clasped my eyes on a classic Triumph. I was spellbound by it. I was around 12 years old, something like that. It created a lifelong admiration of Triumph in particular.

Fast forward many many years later to sometime in 2009 in Thailand. After having lived in Thailand for roughly two and a half years, i became bored of my bicycle and frustrated at relying upon public transport for bigger trips (or, at the time, my ex, who owned a Hilux). I wanted more freedom. I had one stint of trying out riding a scooter in 2006 with a friend i had met on a course i did in Thailand, but within moments i had crashed into the wall (softly) and scraped my legs. This broke my confidence and i got him to return the bike right away. I decided not to try again. ..but by 2009 my feet were itchy to try again.

Additionally i should note that in the UK i had taken lessons for driving a car, but never took the test (i had a city life and always used public transport or a bicycle). So, i had never ridden a scooter or motorbike before.

In 2009 i hounded my ex to help me learn and eventually he relented. So, I rented a small automatic scooter 115cc (in those days no one ever checked about licenses...as bad as that is.. or maybe my ex rented in his name, i don't recall anymore) and over time (with a few lessons from him and then left to my own practice) i became more and more confident. I remember well the first time i took the scooter out onto the streets of Chiang Mai by myself at a stupidly early hour (something like 5:30/6am), so that there would be little traffic around. My heart was beating so fast i thought i would faint. Funny now thinking back to it.

So.. i began riding a scooter around (unlicensed and carrying my provisional license), for the next few months. It felt fantastic.(I do not advocate driving without a license btw...this was just my experience)

Eventually, in March 2010, i purchased my own scooter. A beautiful brand new gleaming Yahama Fino 115cc, that looked retro. I was in love. I also finally got myself licensed.

 

I had been riding it everywhere around the city and up and down the mountain for about six months, and (as arrogant as this sounds), i was a natural. My ex and I had broken up and I made a friend (who eventually became more than a friend) who had been riding motorcycles for years and owned a small manual bike. Over time and through riding slightly further afield in areas such as the Samoeng Loop, we eventually decided it would be a great idea to set off on an adventure and head out of Chiang Mai on our bikes. You can read about this trip here
This trip was the beginning of a true love and desire of exploring more on two wheels.

I had gotten the bug...and it was onwards (but not always upwards) from there.