10 Tips For Beginners Motorbiking South East Asia

Let me start by saying sorry mum, this post will likely give you palpitations. I wanted to share my experience in case there is anyone out there who has never driven a scooter before and is considering motorbiking in SE Asia. Because everyone in SE Asia rides a motorbike and it’s pretty hard to avoid. I have written about my first ever time riding below, but you can skip straight to the tips at the bottom if you like. The first time I ever rode one was on the road from Chang Mai to Pai. A notorious journey with only 762 bends. A perfect journey for beginners…

Toby and I, along with our Dutch pals Zeb and Beau, decided we didn’t want to get a minibus to Pai. We had heard the roads were so bendy that it was rare for a minibus to make the journey without someone being sick. No thanks. I’ll be that person vomiting. Where the scooters at?

Once we’d rented our scooters and handed over our passports as collateral. We popped across the road to a small car park to make sure we had a hang of the bikes. I did not. Beau, who had also never ridden before picked it up with no problems at all. I, on the other hand, was a wobbly mess. Zeb was walking around the car park holding the back of the scooter whilst I whizzed around at about 1mph. Flashbacks of my dad holding on to the back of my bicycle when I was 5 came to mind. We all made the decision to take it easy, honk steady 3 times if you need the convoy to pull over and keep the speed down.

As soon as we got going I relaxed – a little. Once I got going I realised all I had to do was maintain the pace and steer. Nothing too strenuous about that right? Right. The trouble is, I really hadn’t got the hang of stopping and starting. Which, quickly became an issue as we hit the traffic lights coming out of Chang Mai. I stopped at the red light and before I knew it, I was on the floor. Scooter on top of me. The weight of my rucksack totally nailed me and I lost my balance. Of course, I was completely unharmed – I fell off completely stationary so I didn’t even have a scratch on me, the only thing damaged was my ego. Toby and 2 strangers quickly lifted the bike off me before the lights turned green again.

Back on the road and I start to enjoy it again. As we got further out of the city there were fewer reasons to come to a stop. Only to enjoy the view, and the areas on which you can pull over to do that are huge, so there’s no drama. No. Our next issue was the police. Most people will have heard about the standard procedure of paying a fine to the police. Driving in Thailand without an international driving license will land you a fine if you’re unlucky enough to be pulled over. Which, if you look Western, is very likely to happen. We paid and continued on our way.

No more dramas. I’ve fallen off, I’ve been pulled over by the police. Nothing else can go wrong, right? These weren’t the exact thoughts that went through my head as I lost control of my steering. I calmly honked my horn 3 times and pulled over to the side of the road. I didn’t know what had happened and maybe it was just a one-off thing. A fun characteristic of my bike perhaps?

Luckily, where I had pulled over there were lots of women selling drinks who were quick to run over and point at my tyre. Great. A flat. Seeing as I was at the back of the queue, I was very lucky that Toby had very quickly noticed I had fallen behind and came back to help. The locals made a quick phone call and before we knew it, someone’s husband was on his way with a truck to help. Toby and the kindest stranger of all time lifted my moped into the back of the truck. Toby had to ride on the back holding the bike along the main road whilst I watched from my chair with coconut in hand.

10 minutes later, Toby returned, with my bike and a new tyre. So, we got back on the road. We caught up with the others and I was just grateful that all the interruptions happened during the ‘boring’ part of the drive. Because once we hit the road to Pai it was SO beautiful. I didn’t count all of the 762 bends, but I rode them with a big smile on my face. It was fun, it was exhilarating and for some reason, it was rewarding.

The rest of the ride continued drama free, as did the return drive to Chang Mai. I am so glad I did it, and now I am writing this post from Quy Nonh in Vietnam, which I rode for 6 hours to get to. I wanted to share this experience with some tips for anyone who is considering doing this but maybe a bit nervous. It is seriously worth doing – if you’re confident enough to give it a go. Motorbiking can be fun and I guarantee you won’t experience the same euphoria looking out of a window on a bus.

So, without further ado, here’s what to expect and what to be mindful of when motorbiking in South East Asia.

I was not prepared for the weight of my bike. Like, really not prepared. You see 12-year-olds riding these things to school and think ‘how hard can it be?’ At 4ft 10 and reasonably feeble, I dropped my bike so many damn times. If you’re going to rent a scooter, I would really recommend going and checking you’re ok with the size and weight of it. I have had other bikes since that I can reach the floor with much easier and can stop and start like a pro (sometimes).

I cannot reiterate this one enough. Riding to Pai with our big heavy rucksacks on our backs was a total nightmare. It was uncomfortable, restricting and a nuisance in general. Pay someone to take your bags up for you on a bus or if you’re unwilling to part from your bag, buy bungee cords to tie your bag to the back of your bike.

Oh my god. This one is crazy important not only for comfort but for safety. I cannot explain how ridiculous my helmet was on the Pai journey. If I went anything over 40kmh I had to endure being strangled in order to keep my helmet in place. It is not the one. Go for a spin on your bike and pick up some speed before you start your real journey. Your helmet should not want to fly off of your head. You’re not going to want to drive for hours holding your head in a certain position that lets you breathe. If you’re planning on riding a lot, invest in your own helmet. It won’t be a purchase you regret and they’re cheap.

It is inevitable that you will be pulled over by the police. We were pulled over in Thailand and in Cambodia, more than once. Be prepared for it. They will generally sit by the side of a road and wave you over when they see you coming. Our experiences have been pretty good with the police, they’ve been polite and the transactions have been quick. Maybe you’re totally legal and you have your international driver’s license – good for you. Like the majority of us, if you don’t, make sure you have some money to pay up. If you’re travelling with a lot of cash, keep some separate just for fines. Pulling out great wads of cash you’ll be likely to pay a bigger fine than someone carrying small change.

Depending on your journey, you may need to cover up from the sun, you need want to cover up from the wind. The road to Pai was cold at parts. The journey’s in South Vietnam are hot and there’s no shelter from the sun. And if the worst should happen? You’re going to want a layer of something between your skin and the road. Trust me. I’ve seen photos of friends who have fallen off – not even travelling very fast – and it is gruesome.

Seriously. Go at your own pace. People drive all over the roads. What I would deem to be the ‘hard shoulder’, is just used as a lane for scooters. Every drive we’ve done, we’ve stuck to this ‘lane’ and gone at our own pace. There will be locals zipping along at 80kmh and locals plodding along at 30kmh. It really doesn’t matter as long as you…

This is so startlingly obvious, stay out of the way of vehicles that can crush you. Unlike in the UK where lorries stick to the slow lane, big vehicles win the roads over here. They will let you know they’re coming so you can concentrate on staying out of their way. Buses, trucks, lorries, just stay away from them.

Another major distinction between Western roads and Eastern roads is that people beep at each other in a non-aggressive way. I know. Can you even imagine? It’s more like a HONK HONK I’m coming up behind you, just politely letting you know that now is not the time to pull out in front of me. But it happens a lot, especially on busy roads. It can be frighteningly loud so you have to be sure you’re not going to jump out of your skin and lose control. Stay calm, slow down, do whatever you got to do.

People generally drive wherever they want. You could be sticking to your own pace, minding your own business and then bam. There’s a motorbike driving the wrong way coming towards you. Stay alert. You don’t want to have to make any sudden movements that could knock you off kilter.

Like people driving on the wrong side of the road. Pigs, cows, dogs, chickens. They will appear from nowhere and strut their thing right there in front of you. You’ll see livestock being transported in ways that will make you want to go vegan. You will be driving along a decent road and all of a sudden be dodging potholes. You will get hit by bugs and be grateful you remembered to wear your glasses. Just take things slowly. It’s very hard to get into trouble driving slowly.

There you have my tips. I have learnt most of these through trial and error. If I’d known what I know now, my first motorbiking journey would have been even more enjoyable. I didn’t ride a scooter through Laos or Cambodia, we only used them for darting about locally so one bike sufficed. A big thank you to Toby for taxiing me around. Now I’m motorbiking up the coast of Vietnam as I’ve always wanted too. The rides get more and more enjoyable each time because we’ve quickly learnt what discomforts can spoil a ride. Hopefully, you can take something from this and safely enjoy your ride and the beautiful views that come with it.

If you’re thinking about riding for the first time and think I’ve missed anything, please ask any questions below, I’ll be happy to help.