2 month scooter rental try Bangkok or provincial city ?

[Davefrombrisbane2]

Hi, managed to travel to Thailand couple times in last 6 months. 
looking for change of activity, rent scooter and do a 7 week loop, say khon Kaen to Chiang Mia or whatever, keeping to small back roads.

my question is looking to rent reasonable low mileage scooter , happy 155 cc or 200cc

should I try a Honda, Yamaha etc dealer or go with one the scooter rental places ?

yes I do have international driving licence, have rented in other Asia countries.

cheers Dave  

[Guest1]

Bangkok would most likely have more options .

But you need to find a hirer, first, who is happy with you wanna go far away, even leaving the province! And wanting a low mileage scooter, just wanna put on some mileage, won't make people happier, methinks.

A couple of years ago I would have said to look for a "quick buy" . Older Dream/Wave or a Click, in the 10-12k range. Do the trip,  sell/store it or gift it to someone you like, and done. 

Just 155 or 200cc, of course, is the better choice. First a bit stronger, second mostly "a trunk", third : newer! Just here is the problem: You won't get them for 10-12k, you have to be lucky to get them for 20-30k.  Perhaps don't look for a scooter but for an older 150/250/300cc Motorcycle with clutch and gear shifter? They seem to be cheaper, second hand.

Good luck

 

 

[Fanta]

Renting a bike often has a “distance radius”  you can travel eg: no more than 100kms away from where you rented it. And renting in BKK and then riding it to Chang Mai is for the brave of heart. I’d rent from a bike rental shop where I intended to start my travels. Scooters are OK for sub 60km/h short trips around town. If you are hitting the highways you want something bigger, more comfortable, better brakes, safer for keeping up with the flow of traffic. And buy a decent, certified helmet. Only use a 1,000 baht helmet if you have a 1,000 baht head.

 

[HolyCowCm]

I just did a few weeks ago a 665 km 5 day mountain loop here in CM with a visting friend. I just used a standard Honda 125 clutchess gear bike for that. Heavy mountain riding too. Reason for using the standard one with a standard wheel is that they are easier to fix if get flat. Many new scooters have no inner tubes so if the tire is messed up then it will need to be replaced and if you are out in no where land then that might be a concideration as they just may not have a quick fix or tire for you. Yes I also do have a couple scooters at my home too. But, ifthat did happen then can always flag down a truck for help and then flash some cash to take you to a place that does have it.

If you rent the bike in CM it might be easier. Not sure if many bike shops will be ok with their smaller bikes going that far as in half way across Thailand, but who knows. Generally speaking if there is an accident then they have to go drive to get the bike and that will cost you. In CM you can rent big bikes, but that is at a cost of probably 750-1000 baht per day. Bigger scooters at 150cc may be at 400 -600.

7 weeks is a long time, so you may just want to do it at 2-3-4 weeks per trip and area. For me I have ridden big bikes and small bikes on many long trips through many areas over my years here, and small bikes are fine as well. Few - several hours per day riding then kick back. You don't need anything really great for that, but a 125cc is the least I would do. I would also lock it up at night to make sure it isn't stolen from you.

So big bike or smaller 125cc bike, it all is fun and good. Small bikes can do 80 - 90km if it is a good bike. Up hill make 60km. But what is the rush.

[Davefrombrisbane2]

Thanks for replies. Like many of my “great “ ideas difficult to implement.

 

[Guest1]

18 hours ago, HolyCowCm said:

Many new scooters have no inner tubes so if the tire is messed up then it will need to be replaced and if you are out in no where land then that might be a concideration as they just may not have a quick fix or tire for you.

Aside that this was a problem from over a decade ago, that is, now with auto scooter  everywhere,  mostly gone, there are this "tyre worms", tyre repair sets, for tubeless tyres. They work, are available at DIY or Lazada. And you just need an air source, after repairing them. Friends of mine even have a high pressure cardrige or an small USB compressor with them , I just take a mid size hand pump with me on trips. For just in case to go on, that feels ok.

But on the other hand, a dream or wave is still the most easy to repair moto everywhere in Thailand. And it comes with 17" wheels. 

 

[HolyCowCm]

46 minutes ago, Guest1 said:

Aside that this was a problem from over a decade ago, that is, now with auto scooter  everywhere,  mostly gone, there are this "tyre worms", tyre repair sets, for tubeless tyres. They work, are available at DIY or Lazada. And you just need an air source, after repairing them. Friends of mine even have a high pressure cardrige or an small USB compressor with them , I just take a mid size hand pump with me on trips. For just in case to go on, that feels ok.

But on the other hand, a dream or wave is still the most easy to repair moto everywhere in Thailand. And it comes with 17" wheels. 

That is a great idea. Carrying your own set of a plugs and a small hand pump. This would at least allow you to get to the next real repair point, that is if your can find the puncture place if it was and in and out not stuck in the tire. I had a plug done on my Fino Grand, and it was a lost cause and ended up afterwards changing the tire. That made twice for the bike already. But I have to admit, your answer for distance travel is a really good one. Years back I used to carry an extra inner tube fo other bikes, but that grew old.

[Guest1]

3 hours ago, HolyCowCm said:

Carrying your own set of a plugs and a small hand pump. This would at least allow you to get to the next real repair point

Befor I got the "worms", I carried (still do for quick plugging) these in different sizes (works well for short distances) 

Removing the nail or what ever sticks in the tyre and plugging it with one of these, olus a pump, gets you also where you have to be, that day.

But the worms are great. Had some for 3 years, never used,  changed the tyres, boom, not even 2k k, puncture. Used a worm, drove that tyre till end of life. No problems.

Ok, my bike has TPMS, but even without, usually checking once a week would tell you quickly

[HolyCowCm]

I will concider picking a kit up as I really like my scooter as is comfortable riding. 

[Mazz11]

On 4/10/2022 at 8:22 PM, Davefrombrisbane2 said:

Hi, managed to travel to Thailand couple times in last 6 months. 
looking for change of activity, rent scooter and do a 7 week loop, say khon Kaen to Chiang Mia or whatever, keeping to small back roads.

my question is looking to rent reasonable low mileage scooter , happy 155 cc or 200cc

should I try a Honda, Yamaha etc dealer or go with one the scooter rental places ?

yes I do have international driving licence, have rented in other Asia countries.

cheers Dave  

I rode from Bangkok - Pattaya - Chiang Mai - Bangkok in 2012.

I jumped on the internet and found a guy who rented me and a friend some Kawasaki KDX 220cc road & trail bikes. Another friend found one in Pattaya but I don't think he was entirely honest about his intentions regarding where he was going. I figured that being a bit higher in the seat would provide better visibility, which it did.

The downside was the skinny seat, while I am not a big guy my two mates were both over 100kg and it didn't take long to find the seats did not provide sufficient padding for full days of riding. We managed by buying different forms of padding. One of the guys even bought a stuffed toy monkey and sat on that, much to the amusement of the locals who observed this big falung placing a toy monkey on his motorbike before mounting.

We all made it to Chiang Mai without any real accidents although the shiny wet roads in some areas gave us a few frights. Two of us sliding into a paddock on a u-bend caused our mate following to nearly wet himself in laughter.

So my advice is to jump on the internet and have a look, also hire a bike with a very comfortable seat. Your arse will thank you at the end of a long day in the saddle.