elephantspike
November 28th, 2013, 03:57
This is a blog post. To read the original post, please click here ┬╗ (http://www.thaicanuck.com/surviving-on-a-scooter-in-thailand/)
(From the Thai Canuck blog we are publishing syndicated excerpts from on the main site. I don't know about you but I'm totally chicken-shit about riding on anything on 2 wheels in L.O.S.- e.s.)
http://sawatdeenetwork.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/11/thailand_scooter-filled-up-with-a-family1.jpg (http://sawatdeenetwork.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/11/thailand_scooter-filled-up-with-a-family1.jpg)
The most popular tourist season is coming up. As the climate gets colder in other parts of the world, people scramble to places such as Thailand to enjoy a few warm days in the sunshine. ┬аMany will rent scooters to get around the areas they visit and many have never been on a motorized two-wheel vehicle before. It can be a recipe for disaster!
I started riding later in life, sometime shortly after I turned fifty. However, I made up for lost time and since then have criss-crossed North America several times on a large cruiser (Kawasaki Nomad 1500) along with many shorter road trips and rides. ┬аFor the last six years, I rode a scooter and a motorcycle daily in ChinaтАЩs traffic. And now, I am zipping around Chiangmai on my new Honda PCX150. I have yet to have an accidentтАжever. I attribute this to experience, but even more so, to the two riding courses I took when I first started on my large motorcycle back in Canada. In this little post, I will pass along a list of pointers to hopefully help people survive riding a scooter while they visit Thailand, or any other country for that matter.
1) DonтАЩt rent a scooter unless you have to!
Like sex, itтАЩs pretty hard to have an accident if you donтАЩt do it the first place! ┬аRiding a scooter or motorcycle is not the same as riding a bicycle. If you have never ridden a motorized two-wheeler before, consider your options before heading out into AsiaтАЩs traffic on a scooter for the first time. ┬аIt might make more sense to rent a bicycle to get around. However, if you are bound and determined, here is my listтАжin order of priority.
2) Wear a helmet
Most helmets you will get with a rented bike are garbage but any helmet is better than no helmet. If you have a choice between a full-face helmet and other types, pick the full-face. Statistically, very few accidents involve being hit on the top of the head. The only type of helmet that will protect your face to any extent is a full-face helmet. ┬аThey are hotter, and sometimes more uncomfortable, but definitely safer. When you wear a helmet, it should fit snugly but not feel like your head is in a vice.
3) DonтАЩt carry a passenger
Anyone who has never used a scooter before should not take a passenger on the back the first time they ride into the sunset. It is much safer to rent two bikes, and not that much more expensive. Carrying another person changes the centre of gravity, makes the scooter harder to control, and more difficult to stop in an emergency. Especially for newbies. ┬аMost professionals will tell you not to carry a passenger until you have at least 1000 km of experience by yourself.
4) Never, ever, drink and ride
A scooter is not a bicycle and it is definitely not a car. It takes balance and it takes your utmost attention at all times. One drink is enough to throw you off. I will drive a car after a beer, but I will seriously consider not riding a scooter or motorcycle after one drink. It is amazing how much more you notice it than you do when driving a car.
5) DonтАЩt drive like the locals
It looks cool to squeeze between cars, not stop at red lights, and play the daredevil through intersections, trying to beat the traffic after the light turns red. But you are asking for trouble. Most of these people have been on a scooter since the day they were bornтАжliterally. ┬аIt is like an extension of their body. They know exactly how much space they need to pass or squeeze between vehicles. But they still get into trouble when they do stupid things like passing anywhere, anytime and cutting off anybody in their path. ┬аIf you drive a scooter like you would drive a car, your chances of having an accident will plummet. I will never go between or beside vehicles unless there is at least two widths of my scooter available. And even then, I will sometimes just wait it out in line. It only takes one car to swerve either way,or decide to change lanes, and youтАЩre hooped.
6) Be super-careful at intersections
The vast majority of accidents occur at intersections. Never tempt fate when you are at one. Slow down, look in every direction, obey the lights, and donтАЩt advance until you know it is safe. Other drivers do careless things at these locations. Just because you have a green light doesnтАЩt mean you can go. In many Asian cities, the oncoming traffic will continue to flow a long time after the light turns red for them. Everybody wants to get through, even if the light has already turned from green to red again. ┬аAnd donтАЩt try to beat an orange lightтАжstop.
7) Look, look and look again
Continually scan every side-road, driveway, and parked car as you are riding. Very few people look before they pull out! ┬аWatch the wheels of parked carsтАжwhen they move, you know they are pulling out. Expect the most illogical move from other drivers. Even when they see you coming,they will still pull out in front of you! ┬аBe especially wary of people opening car doors that are parked along the side of the road. ┬аYou can never let your guard down when riding a scooter.
8) Push steer
Only when you are riding very, very slow can you turn like you are on a bicycle. If you turn the handlebars to the right at higher speeds, you will go left, and vice versa. It is too complicated to explain here but just realize that if you push the left grip forward you will turn left, push the right forward and you will turn right. It is the opposite to what you would expect. It is worth a few minutes in a parking lot practicing this before you head out onto the streets. Mastering this technique will get you out of a lot of tight spots quickly. It allows you to instantly veer to the right or left just with a little push to either grip.
7) Use Both Brakes
Many beginners only use the back brake on a motorcycle or scooter. This is a bad mistake since most braking power is always the front. On a large motorcycle, the rear brake is pretty useless at high speeds. Although not as bad, scooters are similar. Learn how to use both brakes equally at the same time and you will be able to stop quickly and under control.
8) Always hit a curb at right angles
If you are trying to cross anything that is higher than the road, approach it at a right angle. If you donтАЩt your front wheel may just slide along the edge and down you will go.
9) Always use both hands
Waving to people, adjusting your top, getting something out of your pocketтАжthese are all good starts to a bad situation. You need to always have a firm grip with both hands. Just when you think it is safe to do something with the other hand will be the time you hit something on the road or slip across a patch of water or oil. We watched a young female tourist pass by us on a rented scooter a few weeks ago. She decided she needed to adjust her halter top. That was when she hit a patch of water on the road and quickly slid over on her side. Luckily only her pride was injured.
10) Have fun!
Despite all the warnings above, it really is fun to ride in a foreign country and does allow you access to many places you would not otherwise get to see. ┬аIf you decide to go ahead and rent a scooter, just go with the flow and donтАЩt try to understand why people are driving like they are. They just do! ┬аRelax and enjoy the moments but be sure to remember how you would be driving if you were in your own country, assuming that you are from a place that does follow rules to some extent! Just because you are on holiday is not an excuse to leave your common sense at home!
So there you have it. ┬аMy little list of doтАЩs and donтАЩts. ┬аIf anyone wants to add to the list, or has questions or opinions, please leave a comment below.
(From the Thai Canuck blog we are publishing syndicated excerpts from on the main site. I don't know about you but I'm totally chicken-shit about riding on anything on 2 wheels in L.O.S.- e.s.)
http://sawatdeenetwork.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/11/thailand_scooter-filled-up-with-a-family1.jpg (http://sawatdeenetwork.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/11/thailand_scooter-filled-up-with-a-family1.jpg)
The most popular tourist season is coming up. As the climate gets colder in other parts of the world, people scramble to places such as Thailand to enjoy a few warm days in the sunshine. ┬аMany will rent scooters to get around the areas they visit and many have never been on a motorized two-wheel vehicle before. It can be a recipe for disaster!
I started riding later in life, sometime shortly after I turned fifty. However, I made up for lost time and since then have criss-crossed North America several times on a large cruiser (Kawasaki Nomad 1500) along with many shorter road trips and rides. ┬аFor the last six years, I rode a scooter and a motorcycle daily in ChinaтАЩs traffic. And now, I am zipping around Chiangmai on my new Honda PCX150. I have yet to have an accidentтАжever. I attribute this to experience, but even more so, to the two riding courses I took when I first started on my large motorcycle back in Canada. In this little post, I will pass along a list of pointers to hopefully help people survive riding a scooter while they visit Thailand, or any other country for that matter.
1) DonтАЩt rent a scooter unless you have to!
Like sex, itтАЩs pretty hard to have an accident if you donтАЩt do it the first place! ┬аRiding a scooter or motorcycle is not the same as riding a bicycle. If you have never ridden a motorized two-wheeler before, consider your options before heading out into AsiaтАЩs traffic on a scooter for the first time. ┬аIt might make more sense to rent a bicycle to get around. However, if you are bound and determined, here is my listтАжin order of priority.
2) Wear a helmet
Most helmets you will get with a rented bike are garbage but any helmet is better than no helmet. If you have a choice between a full-face helmet and other types, pick the full-face. Statistically, very few accidents involve being hit on the top of the head. The only type of helmet that will protect your face to any extent is a full-face helmet. ┬аThey are hotter, and sometimes more uncomfortable, but definitely safer. When you wear a helmet, it should fit snugly but not feel like your head is in a vice.
3) DonтАЩt carry a passenger
Anyone who has never used a scooter before should not take a passenger on the back the first time they ride into the sunset. It is much safer to rent two bikes, and not that much more expensive. Carrying another person changes the centre of gravity, makes the scooter harder to control, and more difficult to stop in an emergency. Especially for newbies. ┬аMost professionals will tell you not to carry a passenger until you have at least 1000 km of experience by yourself.
4) Never, ever, drink and ride
A scooter is not a bicycle and it is definitely not a car. It takes balance and it takes your utmost attention at all times. One drink is enough to throw you off. I will drive a car after a beer, but I will seriously consider not riding a scooter or motorcycle after one drink. It is amazing how much more you notice it than you do when driving a car.
5) DonтАЩt drive like the locals
It looks cool to squeeze between cars, not stop at red lights, and play the daredevil through intersections, trying to beat the traffic after the light turns red. But you are asking for trouble. Most of these people have been on a scooter since the day they were bornтАжliterally. ┬аIt is like an extension of their body. They know exactly how much space they need to pass or squeeze between vehicles. But they still get into trouble when they do stupid things like passing anywhere, anytime and cutting off anybody in their path. ┬аIf you drive a scooter like you would drive a car, your chances of having an accident will plummet. I will never go between or beside vehicles unless there is at least two widths of my scooter available. And even then, I will sometimes just wait it out in line. It only takes one car to swerve either way,or decide to change lanes, and youтАЩre hooped.
6) Be super-careful at intersections
The vast majority of accidents occur at intersections. Never tempt fate when you are at one. Slow down, look in every direction, obey the lights, and donтАЩt advance until you know it is safe. Other drivers do careless things at these locations. Just because you have a green light doesnтАЩt mean you can go. In many Asian cities, the oncoming traffic will continue to flow a long time after the light turns red for them. Everybody wants to get through, even if the light has already turned from green to red again. ┬аAnd donтАЩt try to beat an orange lightтАжstop.
7) Look, look and look again
Continually scan every side-road, driveway, and parked car as you are riding. Very few people look before they pull out! ┬аWatch the wheels of parked carsтАжwhen they move, you know they are pulling out. Expect the most illogical move from other drivers. Even when they see you coming,they will still pull out in front of you! ┬аBe especially wary of people opening car doors that are parked along the side of the road. ┬аYou can never let your guard down when riding a scooter.
8) Push steer
Only when you are riding very, very slow can you turn like you are on a bicycle. If you turn the handlebars to the right at higher speeds, you will go left, and vice versa. It is too complicated to explain here but just realize that if you push the left grip forward you will turn left, push the right forward and you will turn right. It is the opposite to what you would expect. It is worth a few minutes in a parking lot practicing this before you head out onto the streets. Mastering this technique will get you out of a lot of tight spots quickly. It allows you to instantly veer to the right or left just with a little push to either grip.
7) Use Both Brakes
Many beginners only use the back brake on a motorcycle or scooter. This is a bad mistake since most braking power is always the front. On a large motorcycle, the rear brake is pretty useless at high speeds. Although not as bad, scooters are similar. Learn how to use both brakes equally at the same time and you will be able to stop quickly and under control.
8) Always hit a curb at right angles
If you are trying to cross anything that is higher than the road, approach it at a right angle. If you donтАЩt your front wheel may just slide along the edge and down you will go.
9) Always use both hands
Waving to people, adjusting your top, getting something out of your pocketтАжthese are all good starts to a bad situation. You need to always have a firm grip with both hands. Just when you think it is safe to do something with the other hand will be the time you hit something on the road or slip across a patch of water or oil. We watched a young female tourist pass by us on a rented scooter a few weeks ago. She decided she needed to adjust her halter top. That was when she hit a patch of water on the road and quickly slid over on her side. Luckily only her pride was injured.
10) Have fun!
Despite all the warnings above, it really is fun to ride in a foreign country and does allow you access to many places you would not otherwise get to see. ┬аIf you decide to go ahead and rent a scooter, just go with the flow and donтАЩt try to understand why people are driving like they are. They just do! ┬аRelax and enjoy the moments but be sure to remember how you would be driving if you were in your own country, assuming that you are from a place that does follow rules to some extent! Just because you are on holiday is not an excuse to leave your common sense at home!
So there you have it. ┬аMy little list of doтАЩs and donтАЩts. ┬аIf anyone wants to add to the list, or has questions or opinions, please leave a comment below.