Post: #26

I had a bad crash a couple weeks back and had to fly back to the UK because of it. I was about 5 days into 3 week trip riding from Hanoi down to HCMC.

I got blindsided and smashed into by a Viet dude, I was pretty cut up, the bike was fucked and I immediately knew that my right foot was broken. I've broken my hand a couple times and I've had enough ligament and muscular injuries to be able to tell the difference.

It was a bit of a nightmare dealing with the medical care, even in Hanoi's best international hospital. Nobody spoke barely a word of English They gave me X-Rays and told me nothing was broken. I knew that weren't right, I couldn't walk, my foot was swollen up like a balloon.

So I got the first avaliable flight back to the UK covered by my insurance. I'm meant to be heading to university/college later this year on a partial scholarship to play ball and to study. I wasn't taking any chances.

I get to my UK hospital, get a couple more X Rays, a CT and a bone scan.

They tell me I have a nondisplaced navicular fracture, I also go back a week later for a follow up they tell me I also have a fracture at the base of my fourth metatarsal.

Plan of action is I have a month non weight bearing with a protective boot, they didn't wanna operate straight away as it's nondisplaced. However I got to head back early March for more tests and will be booked in for surgery if it hasn't yet healed.

Its been a few weeks of this sitting around unable to really go very far shit, it's frustrating and best case scenario I'm looking at a 6 month lay off before I can return to full contact drills and play on the court. If it isn't healing and I have to go through surgery and such, could be up to 20 months.

Anyone that knows the NBA will know the trouble big men have had over the years with this injury. I'm only 6'3 and 205 so that helps I suppose.

The only real pro comparison I have from someone coming back real strong is the great Michael Jordan. He took 6 months out, came back and dropped 63 on the Celtics in the playoffs, got bounced and then rested the whole summer. Went on to win 6 championships and become a billionaire.

My message is be careful out there, but it can happen anywhere when your riding a bike. Sometimes life serves you up a shit sandwich and you just gotta deal with it.

Post: #27

I drive an e-bike in Beijing. I use it for 95% of my transportation in the city.

It looks like this, but is a little bigger:



With a new battery, I can squeeze 80 km out of a charge, but you need to count on recharging once every 24 hours.

I think the governor is set at about 40km/hr, which is plenty fast most of the time in Beijing.

I've been in a few accidents. I've had to fork over 2500RMB for an accident that was hardly my fault and involved no damage or injuries and involved an impact with another vehicle at about 5km/hr.

If someone screws up and crashes near me, I get the hell away as fast as I can, because if you stop to help, they'll say that you hit them.

Usually the best deal if you are involved in an accident, is to try to take the person to the hospital yourself and cover all of their costs.

As a foreigner, it is always your fault, so its best to avoid police involvement if you can.

Last time, I took the stupid girl (whose mother allowed to run through traffic directly into my path) straight to the hospital, paid $50USD for her to get checked out and was free with nothing to worry about within an hour.

If the police had gotten involved, it would have turned out much worse.

Post: #28

Beyond Borders does this. Check his blog and/or youtube site.

Post: #29

(02-11-2015 11:08 AM)heavy Wrote:  Beyond Borders does this. Check his blog and/or youtube site.

Thanks for the shout, heavy.

Just in case anyone is wondering, I didn't ask him to come in here to plug me. Someone mentioned this post to me and I thought it might look a bit odd. Don't want anyone getting the wrong idea.

I do appreciate you checking out and sharing my shite, though, Man.

Beyond All Seas

"The individual has always had to struggle to keep from being overwhelmed by the tribe.
To be your own man is a hard business. If you try it, you'll be lonely often, and sometimes
frightened. But no price is too high to pay for the privilege of owning yourself." - Kipling

Post: #30

(02-11-2015 11:59 AM)Beyond Borders Wrote:  

(02-11-2015 11:08 AM)heavy Wrote:  Beyond Borders does this. Check his blog and/or youtube site.

Thanks for the shout, heavy.

Just in case anyone is wondering, I didn't ask him to come in here to plug me. Someone mentioned this post to me and I thought it might look a bit odd. Don't want anyone getting the wrong idea.

I do appreciate you checking out and sharing my shite, though, Man.

Ha, yeah I did that of my own volition. I watched one of your clips yesterday after perusing the copywriter threads.

Post: #31

@Blackwell

Damn man. I feel for you. What a shitty way for your trip to end up.


You mind telling us more about the accident? Where you on the busy streets of Hanoi or out in the country side? What happened with the bike... Did you rent it and have to pay a big fee to fix it? Where you able to get up from the crash and keep driving and get to the hospital?

I drive all the time in SEA but never had a crash that caused me to go to the hospital so just really curious what happened.

Have you driven a motorcycle very much before your trip? Did you have any protective gear on or just wearing normal clothes?

Hope it turns out you don't need surgery

Post: #32

@Blackwell

That's a shame man. Be careful out there fellas. Every time I go to the backpacker areas of Vietnam, I always see someone on crutches or cut up. And that's just the people who are still walking around.

I rarely ride bikes in Vietnam. It's an inconvenience occasionally, but I'll get a taxi if I need it.

On that note, I'll go get a bike today and ride around Phu Quoc for the next week.

Post: #33

(02-14-2015 10:03 PM)MaleDefined Wrote:  @Blackwell

That's a shame man. Be careful out there fellas. Every time I go to the backpacker areas of Vietnam, I always see someone on crutches or cut up. And that's just the people who are still walking around.

I rarely ride bikes in Vietnam. It's an inconvenience occasionally, but I'll get a taxi if I need it.

True, but I think 95% of those scraped up dudes were injured because they are newbie riders, drinking while riding, or both.

Post: #34

Can we get a list going of all the countries where you can ride a motorbike without a license?

I'm getting an itch to travel again, but I'm wondering if SEA is the only region where this is possible.

Post: #35

I have taught a handful of guys to ride a moto, specifically in Thailand, Vietnam, and Cambodia. And even one guy (Irish) on this forum.

It is in some ways unsafe (though my personal observation is not so much as people assert), so any risk is on you, but if any established members are ever in my neck of the woods, I'm happy to show you the ropes. We can start outside of town and work our way back towards the madness after you start getting the hang of the basics.

I've got the greater part of a decade of experience riding on a daily basis in the region and have a distinct understanding of local thought processes and how they apply to the road. And I took the motorcycle skills and safety course in California just before I arrived here. That class is no elite course or anything, but I actually had hardly ever ridden bikes at all before that point and got a perfect score in the class - then unexpectedly came here directly after, creating a unique opportunity to apply the concepts I'd just learned to a Southeast Asian driving environment.

Most importantly, there are a few very simple things you learn in the safety courses that you would never figure out intuitively on your own, and I've heard this declaration repeated by guys who rode their whole lives before taking the course. These little things have saved me quite a few times in close call situations.

Yes, there is always a possibility you'll still get hurt, and so as not to eat any of my words later, I very well may get injured (again) myself eventually. So this is not to discount Blackwell's experience. However, if I can help keep a couple guys a bit safer (not to mention have more reasons to go on moto trips, which I cannot get enough of) by offering some guidance, I'm at your service.

Side note: Just don't come here disrespecting locals and acting like a pompous dick if you come to ride with me because I very well may leave you out in the countryside on a bike you don't know how to ride and you'll have to find your own way back. Other than that, I am happy to accomodate wierd fuckers of all dispositions and backgrounds.

Post: #36

I had a Yamaha Jog scooter when I lived in Japan. I took that thing everywhere: up the mountains, through the rice fields, around the city. It's a very civilized country with great roads and infrastructure, so it doesn't really translate perfectly to the SEA experience I guess. Ownership is very straightforward and simple for a machine that's 50cc or less (I think the "50cc" machines may be 49cc technically) there. You don't need a special license of any sort and it was like $60 bucks a year for insurance, IIRC. I did crash it once, trying to return some videos to the rental shop at night in the middle of a typhoon. No damage, just a small spill... or two. I said "fuck it," turned around and went home. I returned them a day or two later when things had died down and was pissed that they charged me a late fee! Lol. My Japanese at the time was not good enough to plead the typhoon excuse, ha. But man, I'm not exaggerating when I say that I had some of the most beautiful, zen moments of my life riding that thing through the countryside. Buzzing around the city like a swarm of killer bees with other scooter dudes was fun, too.

I also rented a 250cc dual sport in Cambodia and rode from Phnom Penh out into the countryside to my friend's small village with him on the back. Traffic in the city was like playing Frogger; once we ferried over the Mekong and hit the gravel/dirt roads the rest of the way things got even more interesting, but we made it there and back without incident. The rental was super cheap and easy (I was with a Cambodian friend though, so that may have helped.) I just told the shop guy to give us two helmets and to make sure there was air in the tires. Off we went for about four or five days. Easy peasy.

To be honest, I actually don't mind chaotic roads and lack of infrastructure. After living in the developing world for a while I now get unbelievably frustrated when I'm riding or driving in the States and have to stop at a red light every five hundred fucking feet and everyone's on their goddamed cellphone texting or checking their social media, not even looking at the road! It's like I'm more at peace on busted roads with no signals, lanes, or signage than ones with red light cams and soccer moms!

I crashed my liter bike here in the States one time, too. Lowsided on a country road after coming into a blind curve too hot and hitting some gravel and dirt on the shoulder. I was all geared-up though and came away unscathed, the bike got fucked up a bit though... Long story, but the point is riding is in my blood. Though it's dangerous it's also thrilling and I have to do it. I've covered just a few small corners of it, but I'd like to ride around the whole world one day. An excellent website and resource for people who are doing just that is advrider.com. There are plenty of ride reports from guys who are riding all over SEA. There was one British dude that rode a 110cc Honda scooter from Sydney to London via SEA, India, etc. Epic report here. I'm sure all you SEA scooter junkies will love it.

Keep the rubber side down, fellas.

Post: #37

I slipped once in the rain on a marble post office parking lot when I was mailing stuff home. Boxes everywhere. A few other dumps, but I did judo and aikido. That type of ingrained body movement saved me from a lot of stuff over the years.

I hit a kid once, too, on the way for a $.90 egg mcmuffin. Lightly. We were driving on this small road in an Asian school of fish clusterf*ck, and the kid in front of me stopped pedaling. It was right outside the school, and I took the kid in and told the teacher where I worked and to contact me. Never heard back. The kid looked fine.

'baller

Post: #38

I ride a motorcycle everyday to go to school. The problem is the police harrassing the bikers for every kind of petty offense. Sometimes, you are convinced that you are doing everything legit, but you end up getting fined for something you haven't thought about. It took me just 2 days to practice and be able to ride in downtown Bangkok, so not much of an issue I guess

Post: #39

(08-29-2015 11:27 PM)Beyond Borders Wrote:  I have taught a handful of guys to ride a moto, specifically in Thailand, Vietnam, and Cambodia. And even one guy (Irish) on this forum.

It is in some ways unsafe (though my personal observation is not so much as people assert), so any risk is on you, but if any established members are ever in my neck of the woods, I'm happy to show you the ropes. We can start outside of town and work our way back towards the madness after you start getting the hang of the basics.

I've got the greater part of a decade of experience riding on a daily basis in the region and have a distinct understanding of local thought processes and how they apply to the road. And I took the motorcycle skills and safety course in California just before I arrived here. That class is no elite course or anything, but I actually had hardly ever ridden bikes at all before that point and got a perfect score in the class - then unexpectedly came here directly after, creating a unique opportunity to apply the concepts I'd just learned to a Southeast Asian driving environment.

Most importantly, there are a few very simple things you learn in the safety courses that you would never figure out intuitively on your own, and I've heard this declaration repeated by guys who rode their whole lives before taking the course. These little things have saved me quite a few times in close call situations.

Yes, there is always a possibility you'll still get hurt, and so as not to eat any of my words later, I very well may get injured (again) myself eventually. So this is not to discount Blackwell's experience. However, if I can help keep a couple guys a bit safer (not to mention have more reasons to go on moto trips, which I cannot get enough of) by offering some guidance, I'm at your service.

Side note: Just don't come here disrespecting locals and acting like a pompous dick if you come to ride with me because I very well may leave you out in the countryside on a bike you don't know how to ride and you'll have to find your own way back. Other than that, I am happy to accomodate wierd fuckers of all dispositions and backgrounds.

Do you mind sharing a few of your tips here ?
I plan on going to SEA in fall, though I don't know where yet, and I would love to ride. I rode in the Philippines last Summer in the Catanduanes island and it was dope ! I also own a small 50cc scooter here in France, but I must admit I never took lessons or anything.

Post: #40

My first time on a motorbike was in Si Racha in Thailand. The first time I took the bike out on the main road I almost got creamed by a semi-truck because I drove on the right side of the road (I'm from US) and in Thailand the drive on the left. It freaked me out so badly that I was always extremely safe thereafter.

I never had a single wreck and drove a motorbike in nearly every country I went to: Thailand, Bali, Vietnam. Honestly, it's a great way to get around but I would not recommend it to someone who doesn't know exactly what they are doing.

Post: #41

I wouldn't recommend moto biking around as a daily commuter, nor for use on long road trips. Too much unhealthy pollution in the big cities where mass transit is cheaper and safer. Plus if you get in an accident you will be pegged as a rich foreigner and raped. I saw this happen to a guy in Korea. Wasn't even his fault.

About the most I'd want to spend on a moto is 2-4 hours each way. Any longer road trips you're increasing your risk exponentially. Especially bc you will be tempted to drive after dark. Where the moto really shines is for day or weekend trips. Take the bus train from city to city. Get a cheap guesthouse. Rent a moto for a few bucks. Spend a few days exploring around. Rinse and repeat. You can cover entire countries like this. No ache from overly long rides. No breakdowns. No investment. All you should have is a foreign drivers license to be legal.

It cost me between $4-10/day in most of SEA. I wish renting motos was more popular in Japan and China. But usually there are more developed means for reaching tourist destinations there. One downside to the moto is you can't use your phone while driving. On a bus or train I get a lot of work done. If you think about it that's hundreds of extra hours of productivity in a year. On a moto all you can do is listen to audiobooks.

Post: #42

I always enjoy riding a bike around Asia. I ride a bike back in OZ, so its more familiar and a bit safer being experienced I guess.

In Thailand, it's pretty safe. The locals drive slow and cautious (there is 1% drunk, high or a tourist driver who go way to fast and aggressive) but the general Buddhist Thai is in no hurry and doesn't want to hurt anyone.

That said, it does increase you risk... but a life without risk and adventure is not worth living.