Motorcycle Rider Training Schools??

[TrongpaiExpat]

My BF went to a school of sorts at Lad Phrao, essentially a parking lot with a tent at MRT exit 1. Across from the Thai Air city Terminal. This was for car, auto and manual and they took you for the test, price of test and bribes if necessary, not included. Total cost for school, ten one hour lesions was 3000B. If you don't pass and don't want to pay a bribe, you could take more lessons free until you pass.

I went one time to watch for fun. Most of the students were working on the technique for one handed cell phone driving.

He got his DL, been a year now. He dives OK but forget "R", don't like, and when it comes to parallel parking the method he uses is to pull half in the spot from the front, exit the car, walk over to the passenger side and tell me to finish it.

He does not seem to know or understand the lines on the road, yellow, white, broken yellow, and sometimes double yellow. You can't pass on solid yellow I tell him, he responds, yes, can do, see! no problem.

I don't know if they do Motocy DL's or not but it gives you an idea of the price.

So, any ideas as to where to find a competent motorcycle riders school or instructor who can teach in Thai and is located in Pattaya or Bangkok?

Judging from the lack of driving skills and road management of probably 99% of Thai motorcycle riders they are as rare as hens teeth :geek:

I believe there is a "school" on Pattaya Tai Rd close to Friendship Market same side. I don't know how good they are but do know they will help get the license. You can spot the shop because they have traffic signs posted all over. Good luck

Like you, Rainwalker, I'm an experienced licensed motorcycle rider, and I agree that most riders here are, shall we say, in need of serious help. I recently taught my BF's 16 year old sister to ride here in Pattaya, and I think it improved and cemented our relationship. Really all you can do is teach the basis things, give up control, and let them fly. First she had to learn all of the controls and practice using them at rest. That was followed by some touring the quiet neighborhood practicing turn signals, mirror use, and staying AWARE of everything. Then we learned and practiced slow figure eights to learn low speed control, weaving between stationary objects, emergency stops and how to jump surprise objects in the road. After that I just left her in Buddha's hands and off she went.

Go ahead, Rainwalker, teach him yourself.

Glad you managed to locate a school Rainwalker. Wouldn't it be wonderful if everyone that drives a motor cycle in Pattaya, were made to take one of their courses and obtain a pass certificate, before being allowed out onto the roads? With the prices you have quoted for the different courses, although more than reasonable by farang standards, will make my suggestion above I guess, nothing more than an unobtainable dream.

Anyways, the best of luck to Wan, at least after he completes the course with a pass certificate, which I am sure he will do, it will be a case of one less Evil Knievel we will have to contend with on the roads here. Not a lot I will grant you, but definitely a move in the right direction.


Choc Dee Rainwalker, http://i167.photobucket.com/albums/u152/GeorgeThai/biggthumpup.gif I believe your gift to Wan to be of far more value than certain other gifts normally given to the b/f's of farangs, one even whereby in my opinion, it will also stand a very good chance; of increasing his lifespan. As someone that lost somebody in a motor cycle accident, that was more than just very special to me, I hope that what you are doing for Wan, will start a trend among other farangs. Wouldn't that be a nice thought, don't you think?


George.

I admit that I should probably take the course myself as it had been 40 years since I rode a motorbike in USA. But I feel I am not alone. While riding my bike in Pattaya, I worry much more about the farangs that drive by me on their motorbikes than I do most of the Thai drivers. Probably many of us have not taken the chance of failing the Thai motorcycle test and drive without a valid motorbike driving license.

Every time I suggest to my Thai friend that I should go take the test and get a motorcycle license, he laughs and says "no way you pass". He even went out and got me an expensive helmet to limit the damage he must suspect will occur someday.

[Smiles]

" ... Judging from the lack of driving skills and road management of probably 99% of Thai motorcycle riders they are as rare as hens teeth ... "
. . . and oxymoronic to boot.

Cheers ...

In addition to the school near Friendship there is also one opposite Foodland and another in Naklua, next to the main seafood restaurant. The aim in all these schools is to get you through the tests (m/c or car), not to teach you to drive on a public road. Most of the practical instruction takes place in car parks, using a layout similar to that in the test, which is very basic. The classroom instruction is largely a read-through of the notes that the test centre give you to read if you fail the written exam after two attempts; out of the twenty multiple choice questions in the written exam only 3 or 4 are based on the Thai Highway Code - the remainder are taken from the 2 hour "road safety" lecture given before the exam.

It is now slightly harder than when I took the car and m/c tests at the old office in Naklua, where there was no m/c practical test at all and the car test consisted solely of reversing into a marked parking space which was the same size whether you were driving an Accord or a Mira, and the colour-blindnes test was done in unison as a group, and slightly more difficult to pay for assistance (in return for a small consideration you were given a "test" sheet with 16/20 answers (the then pass mark) already ticked. My favourite question asked where you were allowed to drive: on the right hand side / on either side / on the expressway / on the pavement - when I checked whether I had understood properly, the examiner pointed to "on the pavement", smiled, and said "but only for short way!". The practical test can be mildly amusing, as I have seen no less than 6 motorbikes and 3 cars on the small circuit at the same time, with only one examiner who was sitting at a table talking on his mobile at the time. One young lady, clearly totally unable to drive her brand new Camry, was given 3 attempts to reverse in a straight line - as she only flattened three of the cones on her last attempt instead of all of them, she was able to leave happily waving her pass certificate.

Rainwalker, if you want him to pass the test then take him to a driving school; if you want him to learn to drive a car or ride a motorbike, you have little option but to do it yourself. I can recommend the car park at the Indoor Athletics Stadium on Soi Chaiyapreuk 2, which is vast and usually empty, and the car park and quiet roads around Wat Yangsanwararam / Wihan Xien (the latter preferably early in the morning, before the coaches arrive).

Every time I suggest to my Thai friend that I should go take the test and get a motorcycle license, he laughs and says "no way you pass". He even went out and got me an expensive helmet to limit the damage he must suspect will occur someday.

It is only a 200 baht fine normally for driving without a licence, although I gather it can be more for farangs, but recently the police have taken to impounding m/cs driven by anyone without a licence until a licence holder can be found to drive it home - an extra 1,000 baht plus the inconvenience, usually as a result of being stopped for driving without a helmet.

It is also worth bearing in mind that most medical insurances only pay out 50% of any claim resulting from a m/c accident (driver or passenger), and they could refuse to pay at all if you do not have a licence. The test is not that difficult (it can't be judging by those passing!) and depending on your national / international licence you can be excused virtually all of it except the colour blindness / peripheral vision / reaction tests. Carrying a valid Thai driving licence also negates the legal requirement for farangs to carry their passport.

[TrongpaiExpat]

Carrying a valid Thai driving licence also negates the legal requirement for farangs to carry their passport.

I'm not sure about that. Even when checking in a hotel they want to see my passport and they copy down the visa number/type and look for the entry until date.

When I rent a car they want to see both, DL and Passport. G-Star disco will not let a farang in without a passport.

As for the Police, they have never asked to see either, driving or not. They just wave me on at check points, must be my smile.

I'm not sure about that. Even when checking in a hotel they want to see my passport and they copy down the visa number/type and look for the entry until date. When I rent a car they want to see both, DL and Passport.

We are talking about different things - I am talking about "the legal requirement for farangs to carry their passport", as required under Thai law which specifies a valid proof of identity, which is usually an ID card (for Thais) or passport (for farangs) which has to be carried at all times. As the driving licence shows the passport number this covers the legal requirement and is accepted by the police, although they may require to see the passport if they want to check your visa. Hotels need to see your passport as they have to report who is staying, with visa details, etc, every 24 hours. Car rents need to see it to validate a credit card. It is only a very minor point, but if you want to be legal it does make it a little bit easier.

[dave_tf-old]

The color-blind thing worries me. I'm color blind to the point that I can't see the 'green' in a greenlight or the yellow, (Can see the red) but can see that the light is on. It really presents no problem for me, assuming I know the order of the lights.

I'm assuming this is what the test is for? Without paying the permission, would this disqualify me for a Thai DL? Lastly, would I be able to operate my own vehicle under my US state Licence? I've rented cars with it in Thailand, but that's the extent of it.

dave_tf
The color-blind thing worries me. I'm assuming this is what the test is for? Without paying the permission, would this disqualify me for a Thai DL? Lastly, would I be able to operate my own vehicle under my US state Licence? I've rented cars with it in Thailand, but that's the extent of it.

Dave,

I know the following to be 100% legally correct (although others may well have a different personal experience):


1. This is one aspect of the test that, as far as I know, you cannot avoid / pay your way around - in Banglamung and Chonburi (Bangkok may be different, I don't know) you have to take the test orally, individually, at the counter in the test centre, in full public view, giving the answers as the cards are held up for you. Although the cards are the standard "numbers made up of coloured spots" test (I forget the name), the examiner will often not ask the number but instead point to an individual coloured spot with a pen and you will have to state the colour. This is also the first test you do, before you are allowed to go on to any written / practical tests, so by the sound of it you will have a problem. An international licence is enough unless you live here, but if you need a Thai licence I would suggest you go to the test centre where you can see this part of the test for yourself and then you can see how you would do. It is a fair one given the number of red / green turn right arrows at traffic lights, but I can see your point on being able to identify the "red" - I could suggest getting a friend with good eyesight to go with you who could see the cards and tell you the answers over a mobile phone to a bluetooth/hands free earpiece, but of course that would be cheating.

2. You cannot drive legally in Thailand on a US (foreign) licence. There are some legal exceptions, such as Malays / Lao / Burmese temporarily in their respective border areas, but these do not apply to you. You can often "get away with it": a foreign licence may well be accepted by many police, many rental companies may well rent you a car with it, some insurance companies may even pay a claim if you have an accident when driving using it, but technically you are unlicenced and uninsured - you will never know if you have been lucky or not until it is too late. The only valid licences you can drive on are either a current Thai driving licence or a valid International licence; you need to apply for an International licence where your own licence was issued (USA) and it is only valid for 90 days from the date you enter the country - if you do a visa run, for example, it is then re-validated for another 90 days (as long as it is current).

[TrongpaiExpat]

It funny that most western countries allow color impaired vision for a DL but in Thailand where it seems that 80% of the driving population don't recognize the law of physics: two objects can not occupy the same space at the same time but you have to see color.

When I took the test, about 2 years ago, there were two color tests. You got three shots at it, so if your lucky you can guess. The first was a color chart, easy, we did that the group way. The other one I noticed some people having to take it a few times to pass was the side vision dot test. It would not have been so hard if the color dots were not so old and faded. The lady running that machine did not seem very liberal but the guy running the reaction test seemed to ignore what everyone was doing and stamped the papers.

I would guess my group was about 60 people, some quite old, and I don't think anyone flunked. Taking the test and talking on a cell phone at the same time is allowed and expected.

When I went for my renewal in Bangkok about 6 months ago, I did not take any tests. The new DL's are "smart cards" you don't have to bring a photo.

[dave_tf-old]

Thank you, Gentlemen. Very helpful.