Thailand, Southern Thailand Motorbikes

Every year myself and 3 friends book a motorbike touring holiday. We have toured in the States, Europe and India. This year we decided on a tour in Thailand and it lived up to everything that we expected and more. We did the 10 day tour which covered some of the famouse holiday spots in Thailand. Leaving from Phuket we travelled to Koh Lanta and Khoa Sok along with other less known destinations. Bikes and accommodation were excellant. Tour guide, Graham, could not do enough to help us and they whole thing was trouble free and enjoyable. I would strongly reccomend this tour to anyone.

Booked the 10 day tour in January and was very pleased with the whole thing. [name removed] was brilliant from the start. Easygoing and unflappable. Nothing was too much trouble. The tour itself went like a dream. Some of us had toured Northern Thailand before but this tour was completely different. Accommodation was 1st class and the highlight for us was the evenings. Great camaraderie among the whole group. A holiday to remember. All emails were answered by return and always helpful [name removed] is the perfect tour guide. I would recommend this tour to anyone.

I have toured with Tony of southernthailandmotorbikes(dot)com a number of times. The bikes are fine and usually Kawasaki 650, but some riders prefer less powerful or cruiser bikes. Each tour was easily up to expectations and the après ride chit chat during dinner or a beer was always different and fun. We explored some brilliant Thai scenery and hidden tourist attractions, which we would never had found if we were touring alone.

I highly recommend Tony's Southern Thailand Motorbike Tours! Google it and check out the video...

Very good value for money!

SOUTHERN THAILAND MOTORBIKE TOURS.

We have just returned from our first ever holiday in Thailand and are completely blown away. In our experience Tony is a safe and reliable tour guide and nothing seems to phase him. I would advise anyone to have a few days in Phuket first to lose their stress so when they embark upon the tour they can enjoy every aspect and not waste a moment. Thailand is a vibrant and varied place, we embraced the culture and decided to steer away from the big westernised resorts. Motorbikes are the only way to travel and the locals marvel when they see a number of big bikes thunder by - 50cc is the norm over there! Tony knows the roads, the places to stay and has some great ex-pat and local friends so you quickly feel at home. Needless to say we are going back! If anyone can manage to go there and have a bad time then perhaps they should have had therapy first.

Having had a horrendous experience the previous year on a motorbike tour in Northern Thailand which despite our expectations turned into a 10 day off-road tour on clapped out old Honda's, we were a little reluctant to book another motorbike tour in Thailand but as we love the place and people we booked a 7 day tour with Southern Thailand Motorbikes. Even from the booking Tony, who is the owner, was so efficient and helpful. All queries were answered by return email and Tony was so laid back it was unbelieveable. Due to the stupidity of our bank we were unable to pay through a bank transfer but a panicky email to Tony brought the response "don't worry about it pay when you get here."

Our accommodation on Phuket in Nai Harn was fantastic with seperate bungalows and swimming pool and even a bar in the entrance. We arrived early and were surprised when Tony turned up later with the bikes and said we would need something to get around on. My husband had opted for a Kawasaki ER6N and I for a Honda CB400. The next day Tony took us for a tour of the island and he was riding a Honda Phantom which I fell in love with so we switched bikes!

There were 6 bikes on the tour 2xKawasaki 650's, 2xKawasaki Ninga 250's and 2xPhantoms. Not used to a cruiser type bike my bum got a bit sore on the 2nd day so I swapped to a Ninga for a couple of hours and found it a lovely little machine. The 1st night of the tour was in Khao Sok which was absolutley beautiful. We stayed in seperate bungalows and it felt like beeing completely alone in the jungle but with a charming restaurant and bar not too far. We opted to get up early and take an elephant trekk through the park while a couple of the others went canoeing. We left late morning for Koh Samui me once again on the Phantom which by now I was getting used to. Samui was lovely and I can see why it is one of the most popular tourist destinations in the world. For the 2 days on Samui we rented little scooters to get arond on as they are fun to ride on Samui's roads and only cost 3 pound a day to rent! In Krabi the accommodation was again in comfortable seperate bungalows. During the day we went on a sea canoe trip and fed monkey's from the boat. The night life in Ao Nang was superb. We had booked a futher 3 days in Phuket on our return and Tony let us keep the bikes FOC until the end of our holiday. All in all a great holiday and I can't thank Tony and Kevin enough for their help and advice. Well done lad's.

Southern Thailand Motorbikes, Phuket.

Do not be misled into assuming that the provision a motorcycle tour indicates the presence of good biking roads. There is more chance of a leg over than a knee down on this one.

We had opted for allocation of bikes on arrival but were disappointed to find that a good Kawasaki ER650F was to be partnered with a Honda Phantom 200cc cruiser. I was supposed to be on the Phantom, but took a rapid dislike to it, requesting the expected Honda CB400 previously spotted on the web site. Next morning a CB400 was supplied and we set off. Within 10 minutes I reported a serious loss of power at the point in the rev range where the bike should really start to go. This was confirmed with a test ride from our guide. After a phone call the guide was allocated the CB400, and I was offered his sporty little Kawasaki 250 Ninja. As the day progressed it became apparent that the Honda had a top speed of 90 kph (56 mph).

My advice to any potential clients is to reserve your choice of bike in advance. Excellent new Kawasakis are now available, both the sporty models (650cc & 250cc) are quite comfortable with sufficiently soft suspension and not too much weight on the forearms at low speed to provide a good mount, provided that your luggage can be bungeed on the pillion seat. They are faired, unsuitable for a tank bag and with no rack fitted. The Honda Phantom was usefully equipped with top box and leather panniers.

The tour progressed from one popular tourist hot spot to another via major roads. Heavy traffic and horrendous air pollution were normal. It was not worth leaving the UK to ride in this area; however on the positive side at no point did I feel cold. Indeed I have absolutely no idea why anyone would take a group of motorcyclists to Koh Samui. We arrived after dark, and had mutinied before the evening was out. In daylight it was clear that the small concrete road network was even worse than we suspected. Heavily built up and in the process of being coated in tarmac. For me the highlight of the visit to Koh Samui was the air conditioned passenger lounge on the ferry bound for the mainland.

Some of the tour accommodation was charming, but none of it could be described as luxurious. Despite high temperatures day and night only one place had a swimming pool, and none of them was near enough to the sea for a swim, which was a pity since the warm sea waters of Southern Thailand are one of its delights. Food was only available at one of the accommodations, the remainder offered rooms only. All except the National Park bungalows had air conditioning.

We liked our unlucky English guide. In the evenings he always offered us the choice to eat alone, however we were glad of his company and enjoyed our evenings eating and drinking. He handled the mutiny very well with the aid of a map and the Lonely Planet Guide. The situation briefly improved a great deal, but sadly next day he soon had us back on the main road again. All three of us were hampered by the pitiful progress of the defective Honda. Transfers at start and end of tour were efficient and punctual.

The highlight of our trip was the optional extra of the elephant ride, closely followed by the included long tail boat trip amid spectacular scenery. The most exciting motorcycling was riding the ER6 in the Phuket rush hour traffic; not a pleasant experience, but simply to survive brought some sense of satisfaction.

Did the Southern Thailand Motorbikes 7 day tour August 2009. Everything was perfect. Good hotels and bikes, great food and company. My only regret is we did not book the 14 day tour!

Had a wonderful motorbike tour. A brilliant tour guide and the bikes were faultless. Saw the differing sides of wonderful Thailand from the fantastic beach resorts to quiet peaceful villages. My husband and I would go back again as you can never get enough of this beautiful country and what better way to see it than from a motorbike.

Southern Thailand Motorbikes have modern, well maintained bikes. Good tour guide. Fanastic experience. Well worth the long flight. Thailand is a wonderful place for a biking holiday.