*MOTO TRIP* Samoeng > Wat Chan > Pai> Chiang Mai

Feb 2016 - Tail end of cool season. no rain.

Route: Samoeng, route 1349  towards Yang Ha, continue onto Ban Wat Chan.Turn right on to 1265 to head to Pai. 

The Rough Stuff: Resurfaced sections with intermittent rocky patchy stretches. Approx 60km between Yang Ha and Wat Chan the road gets progressively worse, with around 30km of bumpy dirt ridges. (see video )

Note:
Im nervous on dirt and gravel. Particularly as i had a terrible accident on gravel. So this was pretty much nerve-wrecking for me in sections. I enjoyed the route, but the rough stuff took it out of me, mainly because of my nerves. My body was stiff and i was sweating, so it felt like a mammoth trip, when it really wasnt. It was good for me to work on building up my experience and confidence on dirt and gravel.

The route to Pai:

Stunning scenery and wonderfully quiet from when you get out of Samoeng and head to Pai. At the time of this trip the main Pai route (the 1095) was a mess of construction, so this route seemed like an interesting alternative. I just wish i had done the trip with blogging in mind, because i would have been more accurate on the details etc.

Battery says no...
Unlike me, I hope you don't find yourself with a dead battery on this route. As if i wasn't nervous enough already! To cut a long story short, getting to Pai involved clutch starting the bike and then going without stopping until the battery gave up  (which was thankfully not too far from Pai). By then I was low on fuel as I had decided to wing it..because if I stopped to fuel up, I may not have got the bike going again.

When i reached the outskirts of Pai i was towed into town by rope..lol! Ho Ho.
Strangely I had no indication prior that the battery was about to pop it's clogs.

In Pai the mechanic shop then tried to put in a really small battery, and after a bit of explaining, they went and found the correct sized one.
Anyway...thankfully the situation didnt turn out as bad as it could have. Phew ^^ 

At Pai I was unable to stay at my usual place; Pairadise, as I had not booked in advance. So I went to a resort just down from them called Pailanna, which was ok. No big complaints and the food was really good in the restaurant there.

Had a really quiet night in Pai, had a coffee in the morning and a small ride around, then headed back on the main 1095 route back to Chiang Mai. At this point the construction was maybe around 80% complete, so the ride was pretty nice. Just a few sticky tarmac areas, but overall great..and looking forward to riding it when completely finished.

*MOTO TALE* Slippy Slidey Thailand Roads..... Doi Suthep, Chiang Mai

Road sections polished like pebble stones + oil residue + short but hard tropical rainstorm + mountain curves = lots of this.

I saw three accidents today at Doi Suthep; 2 motorcycles and this car. I didn't even go up the whole mountain. This was just a small section. Thankfully on all three, nobody was hurt.

Samoeng loop the last few days was like riding on an ice rink in sections. My bike sliding, yet my tires are good. Lots of oil residue on polished roads. Bad enough as is, but add a spot of heavy rain and it can feel like an oil slick.
 
Safe travels!

*MOTO TALE* : Jacket Lost / Jacket Found

Mini Adventure Drama...with a magical twist. 
 (...involving "homing pigeon" shoes, a beloved moto jacket, an orange shopping bag, and a dizzy female > me)

Day 1 (2 days ago):
Took a quick motorcycle trip around the Samoeng loop, only to stupidly lose a bag i had (obviously) tied badly onto my bike. In that bag was an awesome pair of beat up flip-flops and my prized motorcycle jacket that fits me like a dream (we women of various shapes and sizes don't find this easy to come by!). So..tracing back my route 3 times and finding nothing, i eventually gave up. Handed in my number to a local policebox and returned home despondent. 

Day 2 (yesterday): With a renewed resolve of at least ATTEMPTING to find my jacket, i made up some posters and flyers in English and Thai (thanks to help from my friend Tik). I went back over the area and painstakingly got on and off my bike on a hot day to hand people the posters and flyers and explain the situation. I figured that if i didn't at least try, i would end up kicking myself. Nothing ventured, nothing gained. If i didn't get the bag back, it wasn't meant to be. The nice part of the whole thing was that it forced me to interact with people (which I'm normally quite reserved about), who all turned out to be lovely and helpful. A bonus being some mahouts with baby elephants that i stopped to chat with.

Day 3 (today): Well officially last night really. I received a phone call around 7pm last night. My bag was found! I was to meet at the local police box at 9am. I arrived at the box before 9am, (and as is the way of Thailand in general haha), when I arrived, I was told that the lady who found it had gone to work and forgotten to bring the bag in. So, I had to ride back 80km or so home and wait to return later. Around 2pm i received a call to say the bag was handed in and to make my way back to the policebox.

I arrived to find all the contents intact! The policeman (although not smiling in the photo) was lovely. I left an envelope with a finders fee for the lady who found my bag, and a bag of home made treats for the policeman. Really amazed and happy about the outcome.
-----

The magical twist...
..ok. The flip-flops that were in the bag are really old beat up things that i have had for approx 8 years. In that time they have been washed down a fast flowing river and retrieved (which i actually have a comical video of) ..fallen off on a road... fallen down a mountainside... and well, a number of things. Yet, they somehow let themselves be found. Because of these magical homing-pigeon flip-flops, my bag and jacket came back to me. HAHAHA.
---
To end..
Most people do like to return things. I could have made it easier for them to do so if i had put a number in the pocket of the jacket or used a marker on it etc. Its a good heads-up to me to do this to my motorcycle gear and anything important to me. So...might be a good tip for you to do so too. ^.^

*MOTO TALE* - One Screw Loose

One screw loose.
No, not me. The bike!

So i think its about time to learn more about fixing up my own bike. You know "just in case". ..and, because i enjoy it. ..and, because im Scottish (frugal is the word, frugal!)
Anyway, there was an rather annoying ratting/vibrate sound coming from my bike. The longer i didnt do anything about it, the more the sound began to irritate me.

So... time to investigate. Turned out to be one small thing. A missing screw. Funny really. One small thing causing a whole lot of noise.




Talking of bike maintenance, i also finally did my first home oil change. Yes, i really havent done it myself before..>.< Pretty vile what came out actually, and shockingly small amount. Feeling ashamed that i let the oil get so low and so manky before changing.

Next, is the brake pads....

*TRIP REPORT* *DAY TRIP*: The Wiang Haeng Loop

Having heard that the Wiang Haeng loop was supposed to be a great loop and scenic, i thought it was worth a check-out.
Turned out to be, for me, more challenging than i had hoped, and not in a good way.

I had based myself for a few days in the beautiful area of Chiang Dao with the intention of exploring the area, then got the notion to do the Wiang Haeng Loop.


For me the 1178 /1322 from Chiang Dao to Wiang Haeng, wasn't in the same league as the Chiang Dao zone in terms of scenic value.
Initially the road itself was ok, if you want just road for riding sake. 
It was just ok, not great, but ok.   

I confess I'm spoiled when it comes to beautiful and scenic roads in Thailand, so it's not one i thought was particularly special in terms of scenery.Wiang Haeng itself was just a simple rural town, with not a lot there.

After Wiang Haeng, continuing on the 1322, the road took a turn for the worse.
Basically no road. Just rocks. Lots and lots of rocks. Big chunky rocks.
Thinking that it probably wont last for long, i pushed ahead, but alas the broken up road lasted the whole of the rest of the trip, until i neared the end of the loop and into Chiang Dao. Just rocks, big rocks, gravelly rocks, ditches and ravines, and red mud.
Im not so confident on this kind of road (due to my accident) and i initially tested my mettle by standing up and letting the bike take the bounce. But after a while i grew weary, not just physically, by mentally from the concentration.
Don't mind challenging myself, but not for such a lengthy period in one go.

Pretty knackered by the time i got back into Chiang Dao, and a little frustrated by the additional time the trip took..especially as it wasnt particularly scenic or special..well, in comparison to the areas around Chiang Dao.

Wont be looping around Wiang Haeng again any time soon i recon...

*MOTO REVIEW* Yamaha MT03 - v - Honda CB300 - my personal opinion of both bikes.

Had an opportunity to test ride the CB300 and the MT03 for a couple of hours around the Mae Wang loop. This is a really nice loop btw! Many would say there isn't much difference between these two bikes, but for me the difference was huge. The MT03 was an absolute dream, and i didn't like the feel of the CB300. Here's why:

The CB300 was not as balanced weight-wise for me as the MT03 was. Preferred the smooth throttle of the MT03 (although that could be altered on the CB300). The MT03 was smoother all round, from acceleration to gear changes. It handled the curves perfectly and on the straights it went to 145 in a flash..and for sure it has more power in it, but i was just too wary on a new rental bike (and my own experience of it) to take up the power more. On straight highway roads I'm sure this bike would get up some good speed, and wouldn't even feel like it.

My dtracker 250cc shakes at 130, but the MT03 was steady and smooth at 145.
Makes me wonder how much power is in it.

The only thing about it that i may not like about it, if i was riding on it for any length of time, is the fairly fixed positioning.

On my dtracker i have a lot of maneuverability. I can shift my leg position a lot, taking them right off the the peddles and onto the frame if cruising, or placing them right behind me on the passenger pedals.
I would be concerned about possible cramp or stiffness and soreness for long touring rides.
Would be good to find out when more people ride it long distance.

But for a daytrip like i did, it was an absolutely fabulous bike..and i just didn't want to get off it!

MT03 - 1000 baht at POP rentals
CB300 - 800 baht at POP rentals

*MOTO GEAR* - pee like a man.....

Not exactly moto "gear", but absolutely worth doing a write up on.
This is one for the girls.

Picture this:

• You are on the bike.
• Nature calls.
• You are far from anywhere.
• The bushes await..

WELL, IVE FOUND A SOLUTION! ..(bear with me as i give a little lead in..)
If, like me, you have been caught short whilst riding and need to "go" in nature, then you know its not much fun as a woman. Squatting down with your riding gear around your ankles feels pretty damn vulnerable. Not only in terms of possibly exposing yourself or needing to flee, but also in terms of what bugs etc are around. Case-in-point, this video of me dealing with exactly that struggle, here:

Basically not being able to pee like a man, makes things difficult. Well, this solution i found works, Ive tried and tested it many times...and it works 100%!

Its called the Shewee and simply put, you can pee standing up. Its a funnel-like small fold-able device, made of silicon...and its awesome.

LOL.

HOnestly though, it may be too much information..but its too much of a great piece of information NOT to share!

You can also find cheaper generic versions. Im really really happy with it and i no longer have a "toilet dilemma" like my video above!