sgBikerBoy

The BMW R1200GS is one HELLUVA TOUGH BEAST!

Yup! My first road accident with the BMW R1200GS. I was travelling along the a dual-lane, single-carriageway (a single lane for each direction of travel) road when a car dashed out from a minor road without checking if it was clear of traffic. He was making a right-turn, and presumably started moving off after only checking for traffic coming from his left.

I was on a straight-going road, and the car was emerging from the minor road, presumably ready to make a right turn.

I tried to avoid him by evasively swerving slightly to my right (not too much – there was oncoming traffic from the other direction!), sounded my horn to warn him, but to my complete surprise, he still came dashing out! [FACEPALM!]

Yes, I was T-boned from my left…

Ulu Choh Dirt Park Sunday Ride

Today, we head to Ulu Choh Dirt Park. I’ve heard a lot about the place, but have never been there. So, it’s pretty exciting. And since my BMW G650GS Sertao had dirt tires fitted, I took that instead of the R1200GS.

First, brunch at Asam Pedas Asli, Pontian. Sedap!

DIY Paintjob on my BMW G650GS Sertao

Tada! Here’s the result of my amateurish $30 paint job on my new-to-me BMW G650GS Sertao! A quick coat of Rustoleum Universal Metalic paint for the base. Turned out not too bad, but it was obvious that it was an amateur’s work.

So I decided to get a small bottle of metallic copper / gold paint and brushed it on with a rag to give it that “brushed on” look. Also serves to camouflage the imperfections of the spray can job.

Viola!

The Sertao paintwork now has a “dirty” look to it. And what better way to treat it than to take it out into the dirt trails today!

Riding up to Mae Hong Son – Day 10, 11 & 12

And so we begin our long ride home. While there was no cargo space from Chiang Mai to Bangkok, we were hopeful that there was space available from Bangkok to Hat Yai. Thing is, we didn’t want to risk riding into Bangkok and getting stuck in the world-famous traffic jam only to find out otherwise. So as we headed south, we turned into Nakhon Pathom – a stop just after Bangkok and tried our luck.

Riding up to Mae Hong Son – Day 8 and 9

DAY 8, 20 DEC (THU) – HANGING OUT AROUND PAI

We booked a half-day local tour to save ourselves from too much riding. 330 THB, or approx SGD12 – things are really inexpensive here in Thailand!

But first, we rode up to Yun Lai Viewpoint to watch the sunrise.

We were amongst the first to arrive at Yun Lai Viewpoint. I’ve heard that any later, and you’d have to pay to park.

Enjoying breakfast while waiting for sunrise.

Quite frankly, the sunrise was a bit underwhelming that day.

Riding up to Mae Hong Son – Day 5 to 7

DAY 5, 17 DEC (MON) – MAE SOT to MAE HONG SON

Today, we travel to Mae Hong Son. Mae Hong Son is the name of both the province and a town. But before we head to MHS, we did a short detour to the Thai-Myanmar border.

Riding up to Mae Hong Son – Day 1 to 4

We’ve been planning and talking about this trip for almost a year! Mae Hong Son – somewhere in the northern region of Thailand – always has a special place in every motorcycle rider’s heart. With beautiful roads, amazing scenery and 1864 of fun-packed twisty bends to negotiate, it’s motorcycling Nirvana.

Riding up to Mae Hong Son – that’s 2,709km away from home!

The Mae Hong Son loop typically starts from Chiang Mai, and most people work the loop clockwise as the roads starts of relatively easy, and gets progressively more challenging. It connects Chiang Mai to Doi Inthanon, to Mae Cheam, Mae Sariang, Mae Hong Son, and Pai, before ending up in Chiang Mai. And while I’ve done it in back in 2016 on my Pulsar 200NS, this time, I’m doing the loop with company. 7 friends rode up from Singapore to northern Thailand over 12 days and had a blast of a time!

Early Christmas Present – Scorpion Exo ADX-1 Adventure Modular

Woo hoo! I love Christmas time! 2 years ago, I celebrated Christmas early by getting myself a new helmet – the Kabuto Ibuki modular. This year, I got myself a spanking new Scorpion Exo ADX-1 Adventure Modular helmet!

You see, the Ibuki has been with me for 2 years. And it’s also been the helmet I use daily. It’s beginning to display signs of wear – the cheek pad’s torn, the face shield is scratched up, and the sun visor won’t stay in place. While I loved the Ibuki, it’s time to move on…

Picking up the Scorpion Exo ADX-1 from Regina Specialities!

Regina Specialities was having a sale, and so I took advantage of it. At $308 for the Scorpion Exo ADX-1 Adventure Modular helmet – it’s a bargain! Continue reading “Early Christmas Present – Scorpion Exo ADX-1 Adventure Modular”

Taking the Little GS on its First Ride Out

It’s the weekend! And it’s time to ride! This was my first ride out with my new-to-me BMW G650GS Sertao. Now, Sertao (or more correctly, Sertão) means “outback” or “wilderness” in Portuguese. And there’s no place the Sertao feels more at home than in the dirt and backroads! Even more so with the brand new Shinko 804/805 40-60 (off-on road) tires fitted!

Continue reading “Taking the Little GS on its First Ride Out”

New Shoes for the G650GS Sertao – Shinko 804/805 Off-Road Biased Tires

My little GS needs new shoes. The Metzler Tourance Next tires that came with the bike was almost bald. And since I got this bike primarily to take on the trails and fire roads, I decided to get some 50-50 off-road biased tires too!

After some research, and at the recommendation from a friend, I decided to go for the Shinko 804 (front) and 805 (rear) tires. The set cost just below $200 – which I thought was excellent value for tires!

Carrying the tires to the workshop for replacement.

Continue reading “New Shoes for the G650GS Sertao – Shinko 804/805 Off-Road Biased Tires”