With the recent acquisition of the tour-friendly Honda CB400X and the addition of luggage space, what better way to treat the 400X than to bring it along for a road trip!
So I took a couple of days off work, gathered a few friends, and off we went on a motorcycle trip to….
The route we took on the way up.…Betong, Thailand! While it was my second trip there (first was on my Pulsar earlier this year), it was the first time visiting the Thai border town of one of the various overland entry points that Malaysia and Thailand share for the rest of the group.
DAY ONE (1) – SINGAPORE TO PENANG
The plan was to first head to Penang and stay for a night before crossing into Thailand. Firstly, we have a P-plater Honda CB190R in our midst and that meant slightly reduced cruising speeds. Also, the route along Gerik towards Betong looks best in the morning.
A CB190R, two CB400X, one CB400 Super4, and a Yamaha XJ6 Diversion – all fueled up and ready to hit the road! Taking a break at one of the refuel stops along the way. Spirits are still high despite having to stop under a rain shelter along the highway to don our rain gear.It was 3pm when we finally got to Penang, and decided to grab the ferry across to Penang Island. Reason being that we have to push off early the next day and would prefer to hit the bridge running instead of having to wait for the ferry.
Jun Cheng and his P-plated CB190R Hornet’s first ferry crossing into Penang Island.Hungry, we immediately went searching for lunch after checking into our rooms and dumping our stuff there. Quite frankly, we were all pretty exhausted and our butts were aching from the long ride. And so we decided to walk instead in search of some Penang food.
5 hungry diners savoring the freshly cooked Penang Fried Kuay Teow! My ultra-yummy plate of Penang Char Kuay Teow. Still feeling hungry, I decided to get an additional bowl of Penang Assam Laksa!Exhausted, the group slept really early that night. All in prep for a early morning ride to the Malaysia-Thailand border.
DAY TWO (2) – PENANG TO BETONG
Somewhere along the way in Malaysia before the Betong Thai border. The Team taking a break while enjoying the view. A bunch of nice looking asses!Border crossing was uneventful. The RM2 per passport and RM2 per bike customs processing fees seem like official fees charged by the Thai immigration department for overland travelers. As we arrived in the late morning, traffic was smooth and processing was quick. And before long, we found ourselves inside Thailand!
Dim sum breakfast in Betong Town! Food to feed 5 hungry riders!After breakfast and checking into our rooms, we headed to Krasaeng Cave…
Yay! We made it to Krasaeng Cave! Inside Krasaeng Cave. Krasaeng Cave group shot. Scenic rest stop on the way back to Betong town.DAY THREE (3) – BETONG TO FRASER’S HILL
No motorcycle trip to Betong could be considered complete without a ride up to the Betong Sea Clouds in the morning. Determined to make it there by sunrise, we left our hotel at 0430am in the morning with all our stuff in tow.
The view of the (quite literally) sea of clouds on the Betong Sea of Clouds. Me savoring the morning moment. The Betong Riding Group feeling high. Me counseling a girl who looked like she was sitting on the latch and ready to jump with her suicidal thoughts….After the Sea of Clouds, we headed back into Betong town for breakfast before crossing the border. We loved the Dim Sum we had the day before so much that we decided to eat there again.
Dim sum breakfast! Me and my CB400X doing the border crossing.After crossing the border, we split two ways. Lixian and Siu Hon headed back to Singapore, while Jun Cheng, Chang Hui and I rode towards Fraser’s Hill.
Having A&W at one of the highway rest stops in Malaysia. We arrived Fraser’s Hill Posing with our bikes on Fraser’s Hill Exploring Fraser’s Hill.DAY FOUR (4) – EXPLORING FRASER’S HILL, MELACCA & SINGAPORE
Jeriau Waterfall in Fraser’s Hill Jeriau Waterfall
Rest stop on the way down from Fraser’s Hill Lunch in Melacca Cheng Hui wanted to try the Chicken Rice Balls of Melacca. Random tourists who asked for a posed photograph we me… I wonder if it were me or my CB400X that they were more interested in…On the way from Melacca back to Singapore, I experienced one of the heaviest downpours ever! With visibility around 10m or so, we were riding super carefully along the NSHW and kept our safety braking distances. Thankfully, we managed to get home safely, albeit very, very, very wet.
