Wise Wheels
Richard Jones
richard@pixy.asia
I don’t think anyone would deny that Thailand exudes natural beauty and coupled with its varied topography and warm climate, there are a host of other qualities that make the kingdom a top tourist destination to place it firmly on the map as a top riding destination.
Throughout the Kingdom the popularity of Big Bikes amongst Thais and foreigners alike is on the rise. There are hundreds of motorcycle clubs which, unlike their US or European counterparts, share a good reputation and are generally far more laid-back and less serious affairs.
Up until a few years ago owning a Big Bike in Thailand was reserved for those with the disposable income to afford an imported motorbike, the cost of which includes hefty import taxes that effectively double the price of new motorbikes.
This has been a contributing factor in many Big Bikes being smuggled into the country, either across the borders or by importing the bikes in parts and re-assembling them here. These bikes of course do not have any legal paperwork or registration plates, creating an underground market for “Green Books”; the official Department of Land Transport (DLT) motorbike registration record.
A Green Book from a crashed or written-off Big Bike is worth around B50,000 and with a little a fudging of the engine and chassis numbers, suddenly an illegally imported Big Bike will have the legal paperwork and number plates to pass through any police checkpoint.
This practice is becoming less commonplace however as Thailand develops into a Big Bike manufacturing hub, similar to the car industry that’s been evolving over the years through the massive industrial parks near Bangkok.
The size of motorbike engines being manufactured in Thailand has been increasing incrementally, with Kawasaki now producing 800cc engines here and Honda following hot on their heels. Other big names such as Ducati and BMW have also invested in Thailand for both assembly and manufacturing. BMW has started to assemble some of their range of Big Bikes and Ducati both manufactures and assembles bikes here.
This recent boom in Big Bike manufacturing in Thailand has provided a much broader range of bikes being available at far more affordable prices, with the results being seen clearly on our roads everyday – more new Big Bikes.
The Thai government has recently raised concern over the rise of the Big Bike, especially amongst younger, less experienced riders. A separate license has been suggested for Big Bikes as well as a new minimum age restriction. It’s not just in Thailand, a recent crash between two Big Bikes in Malaysia has started a similar debate about too many super-bikes and too few skills.
There’s no doubt that the number of Big Bikes on our roads will continue to rise, but in a country which shamefully has the second highest road traffic fatality rate in the world (after Namibia), it’s desperately clear that road laws need to be enforced and driving/riding standards need to be improved.
Richard Jones is the Managing Director of BuyCar24 and can be contacted through www.buycar24.com