Road trip: Burapa Bike Week (Pattaya)

[buksida]

The three intrepid riders met up at Starbucks downtown Hua Hin early on Saturday morning, the satellite image looked clear and routes were punched into phones, we were riding to Pattaya for the Burapa Bike Week. My initial worry was being able to keep up with the other two bikes, a Yamaha Fazer 1000 and a Kawasaki Ninja 650, which were considerably more powerful than my own 250 Honda. We decided our cruising speed would be between 120 and 130 which my bike could handle.

A quick stop to check tire pressures and we were on the road heading for Cha-am. GTNL took the lead on the Yammy, myself in the middle, and the Ginga Ninja bringing up the rear. First quick break was just beyond Petchaburi where I had to fill up, and then it was on to Bangkok. Since you cannot take bikes onto the express way we had to navigate through the city, over the river via a ten baht ferry crossing, and out the other side. As expected the traffic was pretty hellish and we started to cook in the heavy leathers.

Some excellent navigation by mrs GTNL took us to Phra Pradaeng where we rode on to the ferry, on the other side we found highway 3 which took us along the coast to the Chonburi expressway. This road wasn’t the best since it is single lane, loaded with lorries and in poor shape. We stopped outside Chonburi where there was a noticeable increase in bikes on the road.

The final leg into Pattaya was plain sailing, until we hit the Pattaya Klang road which was gridlocked – it took almost an hour to get from Sukhumvit into central Pattaya to find some accommodation. Aching butts abound we had arrived, approximately 6 hours after leaving Hua Hin. A lot of the accommodation was already full, the town was heaving, so we finally found a decent place in a soi off the second road for 990 per night with pool and breakfast. It was time to take a well-earned shower and work out how to get to the bike meet which was another 20 kilometers south apparently.

Wasn't armed with my camera so thanks to GN who took most of these pictures.

To follow: Arriving at the venue ...

[PeteC]

On pic IMG_1846.jpg, what kind of license plate is that with no number at the bottom? Or...is that perhaps the number 1 I see, or a streak of stray grease? Pete

[Big Boy]

I can answer that one - it's a number 1. I was only looking at it Friday .

[richard]

In Image 9721 what are the bikes and who are the riders please?

Just jealous

[PeteC]

I can answer that one - it's a number 1. I was only looking at it Friday .

That's really quite special, you don't see it much if at all. That in itself could make an MIB think twice, or at least long enough to get past him. Pete

[dtaai-maai]

That in itself could make an MIB think twice, or at least long enough to get past him. Pete

Unfortunately though it's not too difficult to remember!

I'm surprised it isn't a personalised number that has to be bought.

[Big Boy]

I'm surprised it isn't a personalised number that has to be bought.

I know a few with just a number 9 on their plates, and they certainly had to buy their number plates.

[PeteC]

We're straying a bit but Buks will straighten it out. Maybe Bang Saphan is just a small place with few MC registrations and he got lucky. I've yet to find out though if purchased personalized plates here are transferable, or you simply lose it with sale of vehicle ( car and/or MC). Pete

[Big Boy]

Definitely transferable - my poser son-in-law paid silly money for his plate.

[Ginjaninja]

In Image 9721 what are the bikes and who are the riders please?

Just jealous

Richard,
Left = Kawasaki Ninja 650cc = Mine.
Middle = Yamaha FZ1 (Fazer) 1000cc = Gin Tonic - No Lime.
Right = Honda CBR 250cc = Buksida.

GN.

[buksida]

The number one is a special plate ordered by the previous owner, it is transferable with the bike which will be going on sale in a couple of months so watch this space!

Anyway ... on with the TR ...

The Pattaya (Burapa) Bike Week is billed as one of the largest in Southeast Asia attracting riders from across the region. It was being held at a place called Silverlake, around 20km south of Pattaya, the reason for this was evident when we arrived – it was HUGE. I have been to a few bike weeks over the past few years but the sheer scale of this event was mind blowing. We arrived before nightfall so could take in the vista; tents, teepees, stalls, stages, classic cars, bikes, and more bikes for literally as far as you could see.

Every kind of two-wheeled machine was present from Vespas to Harleys, Triumphs to Ducatis all spread over an immense area. Many had ridden a lot further that us so had setup camp at the venue, a smart move and one I’ll consider next year!

IMG_9861.jpg (123.9 KiB) Viewed 944 times

To follow: the return journey ...

[Big Boy]

Methinks, just a little different to Hua Hin Bike Week

Some nice photographs - thank you.

[Ginjaninja]

"How would you like your Sangsom sir?"

"Fuel injected please... no ice!"

[buksida]

The return journey was a lot smoother since we could take the highway almost all the way to the ferry in downtown Bangkok. This only took an hour and a half since traffic was light. Through the city and a pit stop at Samut Sonkhram for lunch where we decided to take the coastal road through the salt farms all the way to Cha-am. This is a much quieter scenic route away from the tailgating speed freaks in their over-powered pickups on the highway. The journey took about an hour through a part of Thailand that tourists seldom see.

Journey’s end was at Cha-am where we went our separate ways. I’d like to thank GTNL and GN for the ride and look forward to the next one, anyone else interested in joining us please post on the bikers thread.