Chiang Rai Bikers Monthly Day Ride - Run the 1155 - Sunday 3rd June 12

ianyonok · May 11, 2012

Hi Everyone,

Welcome to the Chiang Rai Bikers monthly day ride. Invitation to all. Bring your friends, the more the merrier. This next ride planned as follows;

The Ride; Run the 1155 north.
Date; Sunday 3rd June 12
Meeting point; Amazon Coffee Shop, PTT station, highway 1 in Chiang Rai.
Meeting time; 08:30
Ride departs; 09:00
Distance; Approx 230 klms.
Route; See map below. Anti-clockwise loop.

278960=10526-Chiang%20Rai%20east%201155%20loop%20map.jpg

As we did a loop to the west of CR last month and a run to the south, the month before, let's try a loop to the east this month.
The 1155 is a great road. Heading north, the mountains of Pu Chee Fah are on your right and there is a parallel line of mountains to your left. Beautiful scenery as the road follows round and over hills between the mountains, through hill tribe villages.

Head out of CR on 1152 to Phaya Mengrai. After passing the Nong Luang lake/reservoir (sorry, I dont know which) and the turn to Chaiyapruek, turn right on the small road across to Huai Kang and join 1174 south. Turn left again across the small roads through to Thoeng. Turn left on 1020, head east past Pee, turning left onto the great 1155 north. Head all the way north, about 67 klms, dont turn off to Pu Chee Fah anywhere (save that for another day...). This road has a few small villages for drinks stops. Being a small twisty road, it's best enjoyed at a moderate pace. When you get to Wiang Kaen, turn right on the small road into Wiang Kaen itself and follow that road about 14 klms, through Huai Lak to Gaeng Pa Dai at the very end of the Kong river on the Thai side. The Pa Dai restaurant is at the end of this road, where we can all meet up again for a late lunch.

After Wiang Kaen, on the small road past Huai Lak, you should go through this gateway.

Then turn right here and follow the road through to the end past a little resort to where the restaurant is, nearly at the end of the road.

After lunch, back along the small road to Wiang Kaen then right on the 1155, along the Mekong a little, a couple more viewpoint stops on this great tarmac twisty bit, then the road swings around to the south again. At Tha Charoen, turn right to Si Donchai, then left on a small road across to Bahn Wai and left on 1174. Follow that road down to Phaya Mengrai and right on 1152 back to Chiang Rai.

See you all on Sunday 3rd June. Looking forward to it.

Best wishes
Ian

crsaddlebags · May 11, 2012

The route looks interesting, Ian. The wife and I will be there.

David Learmonth · May 12, 2012

I hope to make it, looks a good loop. Unless rain is pouring down!

crsaddlebags · May 28, 2012

Just a friendly reminder. Next Sunday. Everyone welcome.

ianyonok · May 30, 2012

Thanks Marty, looking forward to it. Bring your waterproofs everyone....... The area will be looking great after the rain we've had.

skybluestu · May 31, 2012

ianyonok;279472 wrote: Thanks Marty, looking forward to it. Bring your waterproofs everyone....... The area will be looking great after the rain we've had.

It's my daughter's 2nd birthday on Sunday so can't make it, hopefully next time. Have fun!

ianyonok · Jun 4, 2012

Thanks to everyone who made it, as it turned out to be a great day and I don't believe too many got lost for too long this time....
About 15 bikes of all sizes and types showed up in Chiang Rai at the Amazon coffee shop together with three cars. Then I think most of us left Chiang Rai on a different road than planned as we separated into groups, depending on riding speed. Through Thoeng and onto the 1155, the middle section of which is just a joy with lots of twisties. We seemed to ride around the rain clouds and most of the day was overcast, so not too hot. We met up again at the restaurant in Padai for lunch, luckily having phoned ahead to inform them that 25 hungry bikers were descending on them. That is a great spot by the river. Riding bikes attracts all sorts of people who choose all different sorts of machines. That keeps it interesting.
Here's a few photos (I didn't take many on the road as I was busy trying not to get left too far behind........)

This bike and rider had come up from Koh Tao! (thanks for the push start at the petrol station....)

Marty's shiny Phantom carrying a number of saddlebags.... unsurprisingly

Phil's Supascoot

Serious long-distance machinery

One of 2 green KLXs

Ray's 1800cc beast

Phil's Street Triple

David's Bonnie

Ally's Versys

My '52 BSA M33 500

Ron was on a new Honda 250 dirt bike

Love the shirt Phil!

On the 1155.

The pointy bit on the skyline in the middle of the shot is Phu Chee Fah

The is looking west across at the road up to Doi Phaya Phitak. Only for bikes with good brakes......

At Padai

Heading for home

I did over 200 miles, not bad for a 60 year old bike.

We went our separate ways after lunch and I headed back to Chiang Saen. The old BSA suffered a bit of overheating on the way home and the bike stopped just past Bahn Saew. Breakdowns always happen on a long stretch of road with no trees for shade, the sun was blazing down by now..... so I ended up pushing the bike for about 200 yards to a little shop for water and a rest. Oh, the joys of riding a classic. The engine started again fine and I got home OK. The bike needs a full stripdown, rebuild and repaint sometime, maybe next year. Got to get rid of that Chiang Rai mud colour....

Thanks again to everyone who joined the run and if you have any photos, post them up.
If anyone wants to suggest a route for next month, please go ahead. Looks like the first Sunday of each month works for most people.

Best wishes
Ian

crsaddlebags · Jun 4, 2012

Thanks, Ian, for posting up the pics and for laying out this ride.

Hello all. I will paste the e-mailed report under this. In it, you will notice that we are moving to the 10th of the month for future rides. This will allow us to accommodate several that cannot ride on weekends and several more who have conflicting events scheduled for the first Sunday of each month. The 10th will sometimes fall during the week and sometimes on weekends, which will give more people an opportunity to get out with us on different months, though it will also exclude some people on different months. However, over a year's time, it will allow more participation overall.

Below is what went out to the e-mail address list for the day ride:

June 3 ride was a beaut. Nice ride, nice folks. Weather was great. The breaks and the long lunch provided ample time for people to meet each other and I believe some new friendships were formed. We had quite a few that were first timers with us.

We left the start point and made a beeline for the quickest route to the interesting hill riding and skipped over the rice field riding that had been on the route plan. That wasn't intentional, it happened because I didn't know the way out of town that was on the map and I went the way I knew. People followed.

We started out with 15 bikes and gained one later in the ride. Three trucks with several people in each came along for a total of 24 people on the day ride. Some came up from CM to join us and one guy who spent five days getting here from an island in the south joined us as well. Had two scooters which seemed to do fine keeping up with everyone else. Had several riders check in via the phone prior to the ride and cancel because it looked like rain. However, I ended up with a good sunburn so rain wasn't the issue that day.

Beautiful hills, fun turns and twisties and no smoke in the air. Could see a long ways off when we were on the hilltops. I think I saw more picture taking on this ride than all of the previous ones put together. I even saw a couple of places where I think I could live if CR continues to grow so fast. The lunch stop was riverside with nice views and even some soft grassy areas in the shade where a guy could catch a few minutes nap.

No pics up on CR Ties Day Ride thread yet but there will be soon- http://chiangraities.com/index.php?board=30.0

Thanks to Robert and Woraphat for providing drinks and crisps along the way and at lunch time. Thanks to Ian for laying out the route and scouting the lunch stop. It was a nice find and some of us will make that lunch stop again when we are in that area. Apologies to Ian and all for getting out of CR on a different highway than planned.

For next month: So far, we have no route for July so if anyone wants to step up and call a ride and route, do so, whether you ride a bike or drive a four wheeler. I think everyone out there knows more about where to go and what to see than I do.

Note for next month and after- The rides will occur on the tenth or after to miss conflicts with first week of the month activities of other organizations in CR. So, if we can stick to the tenth of each month, some of the rides will fall on weekends and some will fall on weekdays, allowing more people the chance to get out and join us. The tenth of next month is a Tuesday. We'll watch future months and try to make sure we don't collide with national holidays.

Another note: Several folks have expressed an interest in an over-nighter, riding to some point, getting rooms and enjoying another town or site for an evening and then coming back via different roads the following day. If anyone wants to plan that route and destination, speak up. We will do that over-night ride in addition to the regular day ride.

Another note: One person has suggested a future ride where the dirt bikes can take off-road routes to the lunch point and meet up with the road bikes for lunch and then carry on off-road for the return trip to CR. If anyone has an interest in that, let us know. The dirt bikes will probably forgo that trip until the rainy season is over but no harm in calling and planning that ride now.

The last note: I keep meeting people who don't know we do this ride and express interest in it. If any of you know of anyone out here who may wish to join us, please let them know so that they can ask to get on the mailing list. Anyone can PM me here to be added to the list.

ianyonok · Jun 4, 2012

Hi Marty,

10th of the month sounds fine.
Longer rides with overnighters and dirt bikes rides all sound great too. Count me in.....

Yes, thanks again to you and Worapat for providing refreshments.

Best wishes
Ian

David Learmonth · Jun 4, 2012

Thanks to Ian, Marty & Worapat. Particular thanks to the long distance travellers who came up from CNX & other places to join in! Even the weather was favourable.