Myanmar scouting trip

[KTMphil]

Quite a spectacular temple

 

[KTMphil]

Fuel was cheaper than Thailand, 92 Octane is available everywhere, all the bigger pumps had 98 octane too

They were not many quality bikes around we stumbled on this one at a Burmese tea shop

Don't miss out on the Burmese tea shops, they are fantastic
















I'm pretty sure he doesn't know what this means

 

[KTMphil]

A very unusual Pagoda on the way south



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Still making good time, a visit to a local school in Mawlamyaing

English lessons

Headmistress


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[KTMphil]

Across the bridge and into Mawlamyaing

There's a lot of Colonial history in Mawlamyaing the British "twinned" it with London in around 1826



Wiki:


Mawlamyine was the first capital of British Burma between 1826 and 1852 after theTanintharyi (Tenassarim) coast, along with Arakan, was ceded to Britain under the Treaty of Yandabo at the end of the First Anglo-Burmese War.[SUP][5][/SUP]
It is probably best known to English speakers through the opening lines of Rudyard Kipling's poem Mandalay:
"By the old Moulmein pagodaLookin' lazy at the seaThere's a Burma girl a-settin'and I know she thinks o' me".Mawlamyine is also the setting of George Orwell's famous 1936 memoir Shooting an Elephant. The essay opens with the striking words:
"In Moulmein, in Lower Burma, I was hated by large numbers of people—the only time in my life that I have been important enough for this to happen to me."During colonial times, Moulmein had a substantial Anglo-Burmese population; an area of the city was known as 'Little England' due to the large Anglo-Burmese community, many of them running rubber plantations; nowadays, this has dwindled to a handful of families as most have left for the UK or Australia.




The Strand Hotel is your best bet here, on the water and in town with safe parking for the bikes

This was the only place we had half decent internet speed, be aware Myanmar internet speed is incredibly slow

 

[KTMphil]

There was a different look to the locals here, more Indian. Being one of the ancient trading ports you get the fascinating mish mash of cultures

Glenn's bike had some starting issues, we think it was a fuel hydro lock / pressure from being left in the sun, after his day didnt happen again

We had some options the next day, the same road back to Mywadaddy or "the dirt" way across some unusual bridges, everyone voted for "the dirt" way.

Petrol tank on a city tuk tuk

 

[KTMphil]

We'd been told about the dangerous iron stripped suspension brides, when wet lethal. It really strange sensation riding on them with the gaps so big, a bicycle tire would fit through the gaps. We had been told that the strip design was from the old landing craft bridges but can't confirm this.

The Thanlwin River, eastwards into Kayin State

 

[KTMphil]

The dirt road was incredibly dusty, a few bumpy, rocky sections, but no evelavation

It wanted to eat bikes. I got a flat from a nail and shredded a tube

We managed to get the wheel to a village, we had no idea how far away or how long it would take

In about an hour it was back

 

[LivinLOS]

Do you have the same issue with those SuMo rims in that even tho it uses a tube the bead still needs to be broken like a tubeless ??

 

[KTMphil]

Steve testing if he could pick the 1200 GS up

Next victim was Keith, he came off on a dusty hump back bridge and the Versys hit a pole, screen and panniers gone

Re-grouping

A bit of lashing and we managed to get it back in place. The poor guy for the Myanmar Ministry of Tourism's eyes we nearly popping out of his head, he couldnt believe all the carnage!

We could have bought some chickens while we were waiting

 

[KTMphil]

Do you have the same issue with those SuMo rims in that even tho it uses a tube the bead still needs to be broken like a tubeless ??

I find if you ride it 1km the bead will break its self

 

[KTMphil]

Next victim was the Versys 1000


Very low ground engine/ frame clearance on the Versys 1000. Tig's center stand flapped down and caught on a rock on the dirt road. On the left hand side, the shock load of this, sheared off the left hand retaing bolts flush at the frame. The bigger problem was that these are the same bolts that hold the rear set assembly (footpeg & brake selector pedal) so they were now dangling by 1 bolt, which meant you couldnt change gear.


We managed to cut a huge branch, jam it between the rear set casting and snug with the frame. With some wire we had and wire ties we made a firm sold connection, it looked good and worked, the gear lever was operational again.

 

[KTMphil]

80km west of Mywadaddy there was a huge town a good place to re-group. We waited and waited for keith and the support car they didnt come something was up.

This was at the end of the dirt road I dont think many big bikes had been through here by there reactions










Sticky rice with coconut cooked in bamboo

The Nuns seem to where pink in Myanmar as opposed to white in Thailand













Horse and carts are still used everywhere

 

[KTMphil]

A couple of the guys went back to see what had happened. A car had pulled out on keith while he was overtaking, clipped his bike and we went down. With the state of the bike after the accident he wasn't going slowly, the car didnt stop. The agent managed to arrange a truck and the truck would take the bike to the Mywadaddy international border crossing with Thailand (Mae Sot).



Som flattened the battery on the 990 Adv stalling the bike (piston ring issue, needs some rpm to keep the compression up at low speeds), we tried bump starting it but not enough traction on the gravel, ended up towing it behind the support car for a bump start and that worked, highly dangerous as the tow rope was too short (tied to the crash bar) & the driver couldnt hear me shouting stop, all fixed in the end and I rode the bike out.


We pushed onwards over the nasty Dawna Mountain Range. This again is the single lane broken road that runs in alternate directions one way on different days, its quite horrific, broken poweder, rocks and gravel with huge trucks for about 40km.



Finally back in Mywdaddy waiting for Keiths truck





View attachment 27517





About an hour and a half later the truck arrived with Keith's bike

Now we had to figure out all the logistics of getting it into Thailand and to Chiang Mai

 

[KTMphil]

It was actually quite simple, permission was given for the truck to pass across the border into Mae Sot an unload the bike before the border closed. We then found a truck that would take the bike to Chiang mai for 6,000 bht (420km each way)


View attachment 27521





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Interesting spelling


View attachment 27523

 

[KTMphil]

We made it! Every bike back In Mae Sot, Thailand!!

What was amusing EVERY bike had issues:

Kevin - KTM 690 Enduro : Broken radiator bracket, fixed with a wood wedge, wire ties and monel seizing wire

Eddie - KTM 990 Adv : Pannier box broke off on the way to Mae Sot before the trip, lashed on.

Steve - BMW 1200 gs : engine warning lights on, could not turn off, bike did ok though

Phil - Suzuki DRZ 400 SM : Battery too small had to be bump started every morning, once warm would start. Leak on fuel tank fuel cock. exhaust bracket snapped. Bike would cut out when standing, maybe side stand switch related or gear sensor position. Rear puncture.

Tig - Kawasaki Versys 1000 : Center stand sheared the bolts holding left rear set. Huge branch wedged in place with wire ties to hold rear set in place so he could change gear

Ken - Ducati Multistrada 1200 : Front puncture sealed on the second attempt for the rest of the trip

Som - KTM 990 Adv : Flat battery through the Dawna Mountain Range, needed bump start with a car.

Keith - Kawasaki Versys 650 : O ring drive chain, O rings fell off. Crashed and ripped off screen and panniers. Crashed again and did lots more damage, bike in truck.

Anjun - BMW 1200 gs : Front brake pads wore out. Knocked a cyclist off, no damage to his bike.

Glenn - KTM 990 Adv : Leaky front sprocket seal. Leaky oil sensor. Leaky head gasket (all minor manageable leaks). Fuel hydro lock starting issue one day

 

[KTMphil]

What can you say about riding in Myanmar?

View attachment 27524

 

[KTMphil]

You currently will only get your itineraries approved for the "middle" western section of Myanmar & the "corridor" from the Mae Sai, Thailand / Tachileik, Myanmar border north to Kengtung and the Chinese border. The second area is so small that for all the cost and paperwork it would not be worth it.


In Shan State you are currently forbidden to go east of Inle Lake and the city of Taunggyi. You can head south from Taunggyi to get to Loikaw.


Transiting Myanmar is now possible, although paperwork/ permissions in Sagaing province is still highly complicated (to exit Myanmar at Tamu into India). It would be possible to transit Myanmar in 4 days. From the Mywadday (Myanmar) / Mae Sot (Thailand) transit your evening stops would be:

1. Kyaik-Hto
2. Nay Pyi Taw
3. Monywa
4.Tamu (Indian International Border)

 

[KTMphil]

Riding in Myanmar is dangerous, only 10-15 motorcycle tour groups have ever ridden in there so far (Som might be the first Thai lady to ever ride a big bike in Myanmar, Cheri for Singapore might have been the first female). They are not used to your speed or size, the most dangerous time is around 4-5pm, students on bicycles, people off to buy food and generally running around, it is one of the most dangerous countries ive ever ridden in.


Big, metal pannier boxes are a liability. They are wider than you and will catch on anything that is too close, with their sharp corners they are like fish hooks, you have far more chance of a deflection without them which might save you from crashing. Over the Dawna Mountain Range, judging gaps is much harder and splitting traffic often impossible. For most of the developing countries, I think they are a hindrance and so did the riders with them. The argument that they will protect you when you lay the bike down, I dont think holds merit. The Giant Loop "n" shaped bikes arrangement works excellently here.


Laws are that the bigger vehicle has to look out for the smaller vehicle in ALL circumstances, ALL. A bicycle doing a last second U-turn in front of you without looking, you kill him, it's your fault. RIDE SLOW through villages and towns, 40km/h especially 4-5pm, it will save you having the reaction time to deal with events.

 

[KTMphil]

Ideally you want a bike with dual sport, soft suspension. After you've dealt with the Dawna Mountain Range, the roads are badly repaired tarmac everywhere, constantly bumpy. Riding speeds were rarely above 100km/hr, lots of truck traffic keeps the speed down, you want something that can overtake at 80km/hr. The KTM 990 Adv were great bikes for this trip with the superb WP suspension, like a magic carpet.



That's all I can think of right now.

 

[oldbloke]

Regarding the incident with the cyclist, I saw the same "legal process" when the bus from Hsipaw to Mandalay I was in, was unlucky enough to have a scooter rider clip it. Blind Freddy could see it was the rider's fault but with lots of locals around and no-one wanting the police involved, the bus guys paid up and we continued on.... Always carry a load of cash.. but in sensible-sized, separate, bundles...

 

[oldbloke]

A great write - up Phil , and a few war stories for you pioneers to reminisce over. Well done!

 

[2wheels]

Why did you call this a 'scouting' trip Phil?

Incidentally, from the little I understand about Thai script, the Thai spelling for what we call 'Mae Sot' does actually end in a 'd', as on the sign you photographed.
So maybe it really should have always been 'Mae Sod' in English.
I stand to be corrected though.

 

[KTMphil]

Why did you call this a 'scouting' trip

Because it was a scouting trip for future ride ideas now that Myanmar has become a country relatively easy to arrange motorcycle tours for groups.

& scouting for Myanmar transit ideas.

 

[steaminjungle]

Wow , some trip eh Phil. What a difference between TL of S and Myanmar. Might have to take the PCX sometime they don't breakdown , punctures ? Never, not allowed.

 

[KTMphil]

Wow , some trip eh Phil. What a difference between TL of S and Myanmar. Might have to take the PCX sometime they don't breakdown , punctures ? Never, not allowed.

Can you explain that question another way?

 

[steaminjungle]

Just remembered , about 4 years ago I got a puncture near Chiang Khong. I ran over a pyramid but I was riding a Phantom.

 

[steaminjungle]

Love the Enfield , possibly not standard colours, looks like a cool dude in charge of it too.

 

[Just Bob]

Fantastic write up. Fantastic trip. When I grow up I want to be KTMphil.

 

[KTMphil]

One of the best groups i've ever ridden with, everyone got along great, a fantastic trip.

 

[oldbloke]

The palm oil is best quality in the mornings, its then distilled (1st fermentation with sticky rice)

Palm SAP, not oil... that's why it's sugary... Palm oil comes from nuts ( and a different kind of palm, usually - Elaeis guineensis and Elaeis oleifera ). These palms are probably Borassus flabellifer. Sorry it's my botany background reappearing. Did you notice how they also use the stems of the fronds as timber to make chairs and fences? A very handy tree!

 

[KTMphil]

Palm SAP, not oil... that's why it's sugary... Palm oil comes from nuts ( and a different kind of palm, usually - Elaeis guineensis and Elaeis oleifera ). These palms are probably Borassus flabellifer. Sorry it's my botany background reappearing. Did you notice how they also use the stems of the fronds as timber to make chairs and fences? A very handy tree!

Did not notice that Jim

 

[KTMphil]

Headed across the Mae Sot, Thailand border into Mywadaddy, Myanmar


[video=youtube_share;retR1t8R2to]http://youtu.be/retR1t8R2to[/video]

 

[merantau]

Simply fantastic stuff - what an adventure.

 

[Gnasher328]

Re Mae Sot vs Mae Sod
many Thai consonants have a different sound if at the end of a word.

20 ด ดอ daaw M เด็ก dekL (child) mid d- -t
21 ต ตอ dtaaw M เต่า dtaoL (turtle) mid dt- -t

 

[KTMphil]

A friend helping orphaned children that had been "dropped off" at the temple when they were babies near Bagan, Myanmar.






Great shot