2 KTM Adventures return to Singapore

[cuban8]

We've had a few KTM 990s in Chiang Mai for the few years and decided it was time to take them back to Singapore so we can tour more of Malaysia. A quick ride to Pai before the trip back was organised with Phil over whatsapp.


Hock who is an avid track day fan with his GSXR1100 has, after much persuasion and a major shuffle to his busy work schedule made some time to join us for the ride to Pai before flying off to meet us when we arrive in Phuket. Hock rented a CB500X and was pleased with it except for the slippery tires. Quite apparent on the wet ride back to Chiang Mai the next day.


Lunch in Pai at the "place with the flowers". Banana cake was good.

Be back with more pictures from the trip.

 

[cuban8]

Breakfast at N19 21 13.3 E98 26 54.3. 12B a bowl so the 5 of us had 11

On the dirt trail towards Wat Chan. We turned around from this point and figured it would be a better idea to return to Chiang Mai by road.

Wet and slippery



We would stay in Chiang Mai for 2 days after this before moving off for the next stop - Hua Hin

 

[cuban8]

Now, the trip truly begins. We planned to make this 3200km trip over a leisurely 6 days with stops in Hua Hin, a generous 3 night stay in Phuket, Hat Yai and direct to Singapore.


Leaving Chiang Mai at 8.30am passing this interesting statue and rattan vendors on highway 11


Eddie and Anne on this 2009 KTM Adventure


Arrived in Hua Hin and randomly picked a beach front hotel with reasonably safe overnight parking for bikes. White Sands @ Hua Hin cost 2000b during the low season and located here: N12 36 51.4 E99 57 17.2


Low tide at 6am

View from the second floor room

 

[cuban8]

Roads to the south are generally straight

Slight altercation with the kerb while entering a PTT station

This guy in Bang Saphan fixed my front wheel with a hydraulic press!! He then trued to near perfection. Glad that I didn't have to continue the remaining 2000km with a wobbly wheel.

 

[bsacbob]

Got to watch out for those kerbs jumping out into the road 8-) looks like you found a great place to get the rim sorted, thanks for the pictures looks like you had a smooth trip back home.

 

[The Bigfella]

Good stuff... apart from the kerb that got angry.

Keep it coming. I liked Hua Hin... loved staying on one of the old jetties, over the water.

 

[KTMphil]

Glad the curb didn't do too much damage Glen, I would have put the wheel on a plane if you needed it! Great report and something different, enjoying this.

 

[cuban8]

Besides a bent rim, I hurt my right arm slightly and could not ride properly without inflammatory drugs to keep the swelling and pain away. So a prebooked quality hotel was welcomed. Foto Hotel in Kata Beach, Phuket:N7 48 40.4 E98 18 04.4.

Safe covered parking for the bikes




Pool therapy for the injured arm.

Rawai beach was quiet and a stretch of seafood places lined the main street. You could sit along the beach for meal which we did but had to move indoors when it started pouring.


William who did a trip to North Thailand on his KTM 990 not too long ago drove up to meet us in Phuket together with Super Dave who owns this Fortuner. When not touring, these 2 often go off road riding in Malaysia on their EXC300 and 250.

 

[cuban8]

We had a relaxing time in Phuket catching up with old friends, alas it was time to reluctantly bid farewell to this beautiful place.

After a chat with the hotel guard, thanked him for looking after the bikes and made our way.

This is the gateway to Phuket. Judging from the map its the "bridge" between Phuket and the rest of Thailand.
Soggy ride to Krabi for a spot of lunch at the popular Nong Joke Restaurant Krabi.

 

[cuban8]

Got to watch out for those kerbs jumping out into the road 8-) looks like you found a great place to get the rim sorted, thanks for the pictures looks like you had a smooth trip back home.

They seem to always gang with the sandy patches.........

 

[cuban8]

Good stuff... apart from the kerb that got angry.

Keep it coming. I liked Hua Hin... loved staying on one of the old jetties, over the water.

Which we could have spent more time in Hua Hin or Prauchap Kiri Khan. Will have to plan for longer stay next time we come.

 

[cuban8]

Glad the curb didn't do too much damage Glen, I would have put the wheel on a plane if you needed it! Great report and something different, enjoying this.

Thanks Phil, I would have probably took up your offer if we didn't find Rambo the wheel man. Went to a random bike shop to see if they could fix the wheel but they directed us to this guy in Bang Saphan which was 40km back. So if anyone needs to fix a bent wheel of bike frame, look for Rambo at Bang Saphan: N11 13 29.2 E99 29 53.1

 

[cuban8]

Got into Hat Yai and got checked in at the Wang Noy Hotel. Being so close to the Malaysian Border, Hat Yai seems to have an architecture and cultural mix of Thai and Malaysian. Some of the food vendors even spoke Malay and Mandarin.

Eddie catching up with the latest news while waiting for dinner.

Dinner is served. Reasonably priced similar to the rest of Thailand.

The next morning, we crossed into Malaysia through the Sadao border. Remember to return the blue copy of the temporary import form.

You'll be told by the security guy to park after the counters and come back to get your passport stamped. We joined the passenger bus queue.

This is the Malaysian side of the checkpoint called Bukit Kayu Hitam or Changloon.

 

[Loop]

Thanks Phil, I would have probably took up your offer if we didn't find Rambo the wheel man. Went to a random bike shop to see if they could fix the wheel but they directed us to this guy in Bang Saphan which was 40km back. So if anyone needs to fix a bent wheel of bike frame, look for Rambo at Bang Saphan: N11 13 29.2 E99 29 53.1

Lovely beach there and great place to spend a few nights.

 

[cuban8]

After crossing into Malaysia, we decided to extend the trip one more day whilst having coffee. We then travelled 250km to the next stop where we met up with Super Dave and William in the Fortuna. Stopped for lunch at this famous Chinese restaurant in Ipoh: N4 38 28.5 E101 05 41.5

Being the weekend of Singapore's National Day and the Muslim Ramadan celebration, Hari Raya Puasa, vehicular traffic on the North South Highway was heavy and we had to use the road shoulders most of the time.
Darran whose KTM only returned to Singapore some months back rode up with Kevin on his Brand New 2011 KTM 990 joined us at the Seremban Rest Stop around 50km south of Kuala Lumpur.


We then took a short 100km ride to the coastal Heritage town of Melaka (Malacca) and spent the night there before leaving for a 200km ride back to Singapore. Melaka is famous for its Peranakan Heritage and its cuisine.

 

[cuban8]

This marks the last leg of this trip. I only realised after writing this that it has been more of a gastronomical journey rather than anything else.


Jonker Street is the heart of Melaka's Heritage. Lined with shops in restored buildings and tourists taking photographs, Melaka is one of those places to visit when you are around this region.



Old clock shop





Chicken rice balls for lunch







That's all folks.......till next time.

 

[KTMphil]

You've captured the feel of the trip fantastically Glenn, superb. I agree about the Melaka / Penang styel food, I think some of the best in the world.

 

[Lightemup]

Thanks for taking time to put this together.
Seems you guys had a great trip.

 

[WarProfiteer]

Awesome trip report and great pix. I'm definitely grateful you put the effort in to share this!

 

[KTMphil]

Had some people ask if you did Chiang Mai to Hua Hin in 1 day?

 

[cuban8]

Had some people ask if you did Chiang Mai to Hua Hin in 1 day?

Yes we did

 

[KTMphil]

Yes we did

900km?

 

[cuban8]

900km?

Yes sir 900km........

 

[KTMphil]

Yes sir 900km........

:RO

 

[nikhuzlan]

Great Read. Thanks for sharing.

 

[Pin2Ride]

Nice report, I used to plan to Malaysia within this year but I blow it out cuz I have no money pocket. :LOL

It can wait , is it ?

 

[Ah Boon]

Hate to piss on your parade fellas but on 10th September I rode from Khemmarat (On the Mekong north of Ubon Ratchathani) to Kampheng Saen (NW of Bangkok at the junction of 346/321), 724km in one day on a 125cc D-tracker (with modified seat of course); and I am 72 years of age.

 

[merantau]

Hi Ah Boon. 722 km in a day is a big day's riding on a 125 wherever you are and however old you are - a big thumbs up. I need to get a modified seat for my KLX150. I love the bike but being 6 foot 1 inch tall I have to sit well back. I'm thinking of buying the materials I need here and taking them back to Indonesia next year. Did you get your seat modified in Thailand or is there an after-market option available there?

 

[Ah Boon]

Thanks merantau for the "thumbs-up". I made the seat out of an old Yamaha "step-thru" seat pan cut to length to permit the mounting of a top-box and professionally re-blocked and recovered . I just now went outside and took some fairly average pictures and now can't seem to up-load them. I will try again later in the day as I have some work I need to complete at the moment. Cheers

 

[Ah Boon]

D-Tracker Modifications

Here are the photos. Unfortunately I trashed the sketches but I will be removing the seat to disconnect the battery before I return to New Zealand on the 18th of this month so, if you want, I will take some more pictures then and take some measurements. Cheers1st. photo shows the seat complete with a "seat net" - better than a sheep skin. 2nd. shows the top box, 3rd a "rok" strap attached to the rear of the tank to secure a small tank bag & 4th is a fly-screen made by inverting and trimming a surplus, tinted helmet visor. Sorry about the quality of the pictures.

 

[merantau]

Thanks for the photos Ah Boon. Look like handy modifications. I made up a rack for my KLX and am going to make up a PVC pipe with screw-on lockable ends which I can attach to the back of the rack

 

[Ah Boon]

One mod I did not mention: I fitted a 15 tooth front sprocket in place of the standard 14 tooth. (The D-Tracker 150 has 15 teeth). This gives a lower RPM at cruise speed on the highway and gave better power deliver when passing. Killed the fuel economy but I was probably cruising at a higher speed than I otherwise would. Cheers

 

[merantau]

Extra tooth on front sprocket sounds like a good idea as when I first started riding my KLX I was always looking for another gear!

 

[Ah Boon]

Me too! I bought my sprocket in Penang. Distributed by "Cheang" and it looks like they manufactured it as well. Part #13144-1145 and labelled NINJA-15T so maybe it is a standard for the Ninja 150. Or you could look at trying the 150 D-Tracker part.

 

[merantau]

You mention fuel economy - it's not something you have to worry about in Indonesia. Current pump price is IDR6500 per litre. Four months ago it was IDR4500 per litre Government decided it could no longer subsidize so generously! Current rate for AUD$ is around IDR10.000 to the dollar. I guess juice is substantially higher in Thailand or does Government subsidize generously too? Road side sellers are everywhere in Indo and they add IDR500 to the pump price except in really isolated spots where they might add IDR1000. Never had a problem with adulterated fuel and have bought most of my petrol from the roadside as further east you go the fewer servos you encounter.

 

[Lone Rider]

Wow, that is cheap fuel in Indonesia at about 0.6 USD per liter. Here in Thailand the price is about 1.3 USD/liter for Gasohol 95 and about 1.5 USD/liter for plain 95 Octane fuel. Thailand subsidizes Diesel oil which costs about 1 USD/liter after the subsidy.

 

[Ah Boon]

The price of fuel is not an issue for me - I can easily afford the fuel (at current prices). The only concern is the range on long journeys with such a small tank. Usually, I fuel up the night before and ride until fuel low light comes on. This leaves me with about 40-50km remaining and in Thailand there is almost always a Gas Station within that distance. Off the beaten track in some areas it may be a problem but knowing the approximate consumption and where I am going I will sometimes top up early.

 

[merantau]

Ah Boon the KLX150 has a 7 litre tank with a 1 litre reserve. I found the bike to be very economical as there is very little traffic where we live so am never stuck in a jam. Furthermore the roads are not good enough for any high speed riding.

 

[Ah Boon]

If that is 6+1 then it is the same tank. My fuel low light comes on with about 1.3 litres remaining. On the trip to Khemmarat I was getting about 38-40 Km/L. That's a bit over 200km to the low-light whereas I have achieved 280km but cruising at 70km/h, not 80-90!

 

[merantau]

I'm yet to do an accurate fuel consumption check but I've returned similar figures to you over shorter distances. They don't sell the 125 D-Tracker in Indonesia - only the 150KLX 150 D-tracker and 250 D-tracker. The 250 is hellishly expensive compared to the 150 - more than twice the price due to heavy taxes on bikes over 150 cc I believe