Off Road Biking On Tour...

We get many mails from potential customers regarding the off road riding sections on our tours so to ease any fears and to answer some of the questions we would like to explain a little more regarding this for those with lots of dirt riding experience and those with little( if any at all)

Why off road riding is included

Our touring philosophy is to ride into the less tourist emphasized regions.  Due to the mountainous regions in the north many of the main highways are connected by a multitude of side roads, some that are sealed, some that have been leveled (but not sealed) and some that probably will never be sealed.  At times throughout the tour we will be riding on these unsealed off road sections and riding these routes we are able to visit remote hill tribe villages, waterfalls, and scenic spots that most would never venture.  Providing you have good road riding experience you should be able to ride these off road sections without problem.  The picture proves that even some of the perfectly laid sealed roads often turn into dirt where careful consideration must be made by the rider using a street bike to continue but for the Enduro bike would be a "walk in the park"  The bike in the picture is a Yamaha XJR 1200 and was not going to continue to what was an awesome scenic spot in a hill tribe village 10 kilometers farther on along the Burma border.

So does that mean the main sealed roads are not great to ride?

Absolutely not, they are awesome to ride!   Our tours utilize some of the best roads in Asia however, we do operate some of the longest tours available in Thailand so over a long period the great roads perfectly leveled will be intertwined with some that are not so perfect with dust, gravel and potholes and at times sometime we may encounter remains of landslides left over from the heavy monsoon season.  Although the road bike is nice to ride on these perfect roads, in general you will appreciate the fact we and many other tour companies use Enduro bikes.  Riding on Road

How much off road?

Our tours are designed to encapsulate the whole Thailand experience and the riding is not the be and end all of the tour.  If experienced riders want to come to Thailand and ride MX style through the jungles we will recommend dedicated Enduro tour company as this is not our style.  It is difficult to say exactly how much off road you will be riding as we judge this depending on the experience of the entire group but in general we would say around 10-15% of the entire tour would be spent off the tarmac.   Situations as depicted in the picture you will not encounter unless the entire group are made up of experienced Enduro riders which is very rare! 

Pillion riders

Pillion on tour is permitted with special arrangement but we do not recommend pillion when riding off road.  Please speak to our team if you wish to ride pillion who will make arrangements for a motorcycle suitable for a passenger.  Please contact us and we will be happy to speak to you regarding this!   

All In a nutshell

The majority of our past customers are mid 40's with the oldest being 77 years of age but all experienced ON ROAD riders with minimum off road riding experience.  It seems that it's the riders with no experience and with many reservations regarding off road riding before the tour that end up enjoying it the most.  The off road riding we do may be your first introduction to what is one of the most enjoyable experiences on a bike.  If you have never done it before please do not see it as an obstacle!  You will end up loving every minute of it and our team will be on hand should you find yourself having a few difficulties which is very rare unless you are a novice motorcyclist!  (novice (road) Motorcyclist are not permitted on tour! ).

Please speak with us if you have reservations on off road riding.

Sadly the mention of off road riding often brings images as depicted in the picture which may drive the fear of god inside of you!   In reality we are just a load of old guys that plod through the jungles of Thailand now and again and riding like in the picture is reserved to track only however,  It is in our interest to make sure our tours suit your riding ability and your expectations so we will never try to persuade into riding a tour with us unless we believe it suits you and your riding ability perfectly.  Please speak to our team in Thailand who will be pleased to discuss all aspects o the tour in detail with you before you decide to join a tour group!