I spent the whole day at customs with Nithipat

and his two assistants working at out to

nally get the bike cleared by 5 p.m. That was
a $ 600 well spent !
My good friend and riding buddy Cole was
living in Bangkok so the rst couple of weeks
were spent riding around the city. Bikes are
not allowed on the main highways so my riding
was restricted to the busy Bangkok streets,
elbow to elbow with the millions of scooter
riders and lane splitters. I was ready for a set
of narrow handlebars but we soon decided
to base ourselves outside the city. We moved
to the Sattahip region, two hours south of
Bangkok where we would have some open
space to ride. It takes a bit of adjusting when
riding in Thailand. It seems like there are no
rules and consequently after a while nothing
surprises you. But gradually you get used to
the way people drive and ride over there and
once that happens you begin to have fun.
Because about half of the region of Sattahip
is by the sea there are naval bases along the
coast and many of the attractions are under
the responsibility of the Thai Navy. Attractions
include the beautiful beaches.
My friends Stew and Abra ew over from
Canada. They rented a bike so we could all
ride out to Koh Chang (also called Elephant
Island) where the roads are like riding a roller
coaster. Koh Chang is part of the Mu Ko
Chang National Park. This National Park en-
compasses an archipelago of 52 islands, Ko
Chang being the largest with 429 square
kilometres. Rich in lush ora, wildlife and marine
creatures the island has beautiful beaches
with the most impressive being located on
the west coast while the south is known for its
lively party scene. A good time was had by all.
There is a big biker scene in Thailand and it
seems to be getting bigger all the time with
lots of cool events. 808 Cafe in Bangkok
holds a custom/vintage night the rst Sunday
of every month but one of the biggest events
is Burapa Bike Week that takes place just
outside Pattaya. About 10,000 visitors join
the event yearly which is designed to be a
display of motorcycle riding skills with partici-
pants coming from all over the world. There
are many custom bikes (Thai style of course)
from old school Bobbers to long front end
choppers. There are also many Hot Rods,
cool music, a big stage and the usual ven-
dor booths. One included the cowboys who
Kootenay Motorcycle Art ew three clients bikes and owner Robbie Kerrs Glasgow Kiss (RMM no. 17 cover
bike) to Europe in August 2012. Why ? A two-month tour of southern Europe where they would meet up with
the boys from No Nonsense Choppers of Scotland to do some hard riding. A great trip but Robbie decided
that this would be the last trip away from the Kootenays during the summer. Besides it made more sense
to leave when it is buried in snow for ve months. So for the following winter retreat Robbie and his son
Stephen set about restoring a tired old Shovel that had been in the family for over a decade. After riding
the bike in the south-east British-Columbian Kootenays all summer, it was time to prepare the bike for the
tropics. Thailand was the chosen destination.
Dale at Worldwide Cargo in Vancouver arranged the month-long shipping trek from YVR to BKK (Bangkok International
Airport) in Thailand for $ 1200. Nithipat at Fair & Easy Co. Ltd in Bangkok would take care of things at the other end for
around $ 600. So the bike set off from Vancouver on November 1
st
and arrived in Bangkok on December 7 (one week late).
By Robbie Kerr
Revolution Motorcycle Magazine Revolution Motorcycle Magazine
26 27
ON THE ROAD
had erected a small piece of the Wild West
on the site (I have no idea why Thais have
such an afnity for this genre). Thailand has
hundreds of M/C clubs and the event ended
with the stage lled with members locked arm
in arm singing Auld Lang Syne in Thai. A
great event and highly recommended !
Next it was off to Northern Thailand for a road
trip with my buddy Cole. This is where youll
nd the best roads; lots of twistys with hardly
anyone on them. We did the Mae Hong Son
loop which is a circular route approximately
600-kilometre long that needs a few days to
complete (excluding time for sightseeing and
activities along the way). The loop bears
the name of the city that is found at the half-
way mark. We headed to Pai which is set in
a beautiful valley. The scenery is breathtaking
along the way. The road is crossed by incred-
ible viewpoints and a diverse panorama of
hillside tribal villages, small and large towns,
waterfalls and caves. The road climbs up,
heads down but most importantly, its full
of curves ! Between Pai and Chiang Mai for
example, you can count no less than 762
turns. Sensational !
Then down into Chiang Mai we went where
I had to change my tires. The MK11 Avons
werent cutting it on these roads. Chiang Mai
is the main city in Northern Thailand and the
provinces capital. Known as the Northern
Rose its situated on the Ping River and en-
riched by the ornamentation of its temples
and by the diversity of its art. The fertile Ping
River Valley gives you amazing views : tree
covered mountains, in fact the highest sum-
mits in Thailand, jungles and more rivers.
Then we rode up to Chiang Rai along the
Maekong River. In Chiang Rai we stopped
and visited Wat Rong Khun which is better
known among foreigners as the White Temple.
It is an unconventional Buddhist temple. This
magnicent temple is a bizarre blend of tradi-
tional Thai architecture and the surreal. The
main building is painted white to symbolize
Buddhas purity and is covered in mosaics
of mirrors sparkling in the sun. All around the
complex are intricate sculptures of demons,
skulls, severed heads handing from trees and
other bizarre objects. To reach the temple
you have to walk over a bridge that spans
a moat lled with innumerable sculptures of
out-reaching arms apparently symbolizing
desire. Once inside you are greeted not by
Burapa Bike Week
Revolution Motorcycle Magazine Revolution Motorcycle Magazine
28 29
ON THE ROAD
Wat Rong Khun The White Temple
The Golden Triangle
Maekong River
traditional Buddist scenarios but by contem-
porary scenes and icons of popular culture.
Then we went down to Nan. Some awe-
some riding there some of the best in the
world and Ive ridden all over ! Most days
we would set off in the morning, stop around
midday when it got real hot to nd a swim-
ming hole then ride to a four-star hotel where
they would send a masseuse to the room for
a well-earned rub down this is what winters
should be like for all bikers !
A little further north we went through the re-
gion of the Golden Triangle. Why this name ?
Well because this is where three borders
meet; that of Thailand of course, that of
Myanmar (formerly Burma) and that of Laos.
This region consists of villages surrounded
by dense woods and riches. In Sop Ruak
you can photograph the meeting point of the
three countries. But the Golden Triangle is
better known for being the kingdom of gold
white gold that is ! About half of the illicit
opium consumed in the world comes from
this region.
Finally, Thailand is really reasonable budget
wise. A good 4-star hotel will cost you
$ 20. You can add an in-room
hour massage for another $ 12.
Its called the land of smiles
and with good reason. The
best reason was getting
my bike detailed for four
bucks. I still got a cou-
ple of months left here
and I plan on heading
south to hit up some
of the islands.
Later
Revolution Motorcycle Magazine Revolution Motorcycle Magazine
30 31
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