Mae Hong Son Loop | GTAMotorcycle.com

Mae Hong Son Loop

Anyone done it? / can recommend the best rental place in Bangkok?


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I was in the area a long time ago as a backpacker, so not an expert opinion, but...Chiang Mai is way closer and has lots of motorbike shops. I can't even imagine riding in Bangkok. Craziness!
 
I've never done it but am currently planning my trip there for February. I'm going with a guided tour though. Not willing to be lost in a foreign country where I don't speak the language. I'm using big bike tours out of Chiang Mai.
 
I've never done it but am currently planning my trip there for February. I'm going with a guided tour though. Not willing to be lost in a foreign country where I don't speak the language. I'm using big bike tours out of Chiang Mai.

Good thinking.. A guided tour. I'll check them out
 
one of the safest countries i've been 2, and I wouldn't worry at all about getting lost as that is part of the fun.
definetly dont ride from Bangkok, pure chaos there, plus Chiang Mai is way closer.
I didnt do that loop, but did do a 2 day trip from Chiang Mai to the Golden Triangle (some of the best riding i've ever done in my life), rented from Tony's Big bikes, he can set you up with a map for the loop, store some of your luggage at his shop etc

dont take the guided tour, i've travelled a bit, and the stuff that you remember 5 years later is never part of a guided tour
 
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That would depend on the nature of the guided tour. I rode the Ho Chi Minh Trail in Vietnam with a guided tour but it was a private guided tour consisting of close friends. It was totally customized to what we wanted to see and the route we wanted to take. I'll remember those moments vividly until I die and my memory is crap.



I'd advise against riding out of Bangkok. I'll qualify crazy.

- Lots of stop and go traffic. Not too bad if you are on a road bike. Not so good if you are on a loaded down tall adv bike or riding 2up.
- Riders run the risk of getting separated from the group
- It's freaking hot as humidex #'s are in the low 40's most days. There is traffic sometimes worse than DT Toronto in spots. Some stoplights have timers that go into the minutes. If you get stuck in traffic in those sauna like conditions, you won't be having fun.
- Rules of the road are a mere suggestion there. (ie. not uncommon to have a stream of scooters or even cars and trucks going against the flow of traffic on a one way street albeit usually at the side of the road)
- You might not be as sharp as you are here as a split second is always taken to figure out if you are on the wrong side of the road or they are or if you are in the passing lane or chill out lane
- I've never ridden a motorcycle or scooter in Bangkok but I have ridden a bicycle around before and it's actually less scary than riding here in DT Toronto IMO



Nice trip! Have fun!
 
here is a fun fact I almost forgot - in Thailand the right of way is determined by the size of your vehicle
so if a truck is passing in oncoming traffic (your lane) he will expect you to move to the outside edge of your lane, freaks you out the first few times, but after a while you get used to it
 
Oh is that how it works? Big trucks routinely take up your entire lane at near 80 kph almost forcing one off the road. I always thought it was a self preservation/best practice move. Never even for once thought it was a law.

Some jurisdictions have rules that make no sense like the roundabout right-of-way laws in France.
 
Oh is that how it works? Big trucks routinely take up your entire lane at near 80 kph almost forcing one off the road. I always thought it was a self preservation/best practice move. Never even for once thought it was a law.

Some jurisdictions have rules that make no sense like the roundabout right-of-way laws in France.

not so much of a LAW as an unwritten rule.

The Aussie dude I rented from told me about it, was a last minute this as I was pulling away "ohh btw mate...."
 
I did the loop with my girlfriend back in May. I rented the bike in Chaing Mai and not in Bangkok. From Chaing Mai you can do the loop in either direction. It's a great ride. Think of the Tail of the Dragon for more than a hundred kilometers. The roads on the main loop are in very good shape. We also went off the main loop and some of the roads were quite sketchy. I highly recommend the ride.
 
Rent the bike in Chaing Mai and not in Bangkok. Best advise given to you. I have friends doing this tour on Dec 27 - one of the guys has done it 3 times - he says it is a fab ride (his wife is from Thailand) He does the guided tour.
 

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