Motorbike rental safe?

[paulf1]

How are the roads in Samui? I want to rent a motorbike to explore the Island but I have read many posts warning aganst this in Phuket just wandering if its the same here.
Also what is the price for all day rental?

[easyrider_au]

Paul, the roads back in November last year were far from brilliant.
Was some roadworks & many potholes on the roads.

My suggestion would be, not to get a sposrtsbike or the like.....It's just overkill.........I had a Harley, but I did ride it from Patong.
A scooter would be fine to do the job.

An interesting point is........you don't see many riders with helmets (I would say it's not policed like other places).......Although I still wore mine.

I think 150-200b a day is the going rate for a scooter.

On the face of it..........it seemed a safe enough place to ride around (traffic wise)

[Dodger]

Yes i think it okay to rent a bike on Koh Samuii. As craig said do not bother with a big bike the roads are just not good enough to use its power. I rented a small 125cc Honda Wave on my third visit to Thailand, had no problems, the traffic on the island is no where as busy as here on Phuket, you do get some different situations than you are used to in your own country but it is compensated by the flexibility to be able to explore and see more of the island.

Drive defensively and carefully for the first couple of days and you will soon adjust to conditions.

[bullwinkls]

Originally Posted by paulf1

How are the roads in Samui? I want to rent a motorbike to explore the Island but I have read many posts warning aganst this in Phuket just wandering if its the same here.
Also what is the price for all day rental?

I lived in Samui for several years and would advise against renting a mototbike. While living in Samui there was seldom a day passed when I didn't see a motorbike accident. I have many friends and acquaintences and all of them have had a motorbike accident at some time or another, two friends killed.
It's not usually the motorbike drivers fault. The rules of the road are different in Thailand and things happen so fast you can't avoid them. For instance, cars passing on a double yello line aroung a blind corner. You can't imagine the horror when comming face to face with a car in your lane and no place to go.
My first week in Samui was on a motorbike and I ended up in the hospital for most of it. I bought a truck!
Samui is a small island and most things can be seen in a day or two. Renting a car is a little more expensive but will save on medical bills.

[paulf1]

Will I need a license other than my US drivers license to rent a car or Jeep??

[bullwinkls]

any kind of license will do.
when will you be going to Samui? You should be able to get a good rate this time of year.

[Dodger]

Surely the correct answer is you need to bring your full driving licence and also obtain and bring an International Driving Licence.

I accept that they very rarely ask for your IDL but to be legally correct you should have one.

I see Bullwinkls we disagree on bike rental for holiday makers but such is life. I agree there are a number of bike accidents but then there are also an awful lot more bikes than in my own country, so statistically per head etc not sure if it is more dangerous.

Can see the point of rent a car you are safer for small bumps, but then if in your example a car comes around the road on your side you still have a head on accident.

Each to their own opinion and judgment, would never say you had to rent etc because driving can be dangerous everywhere in the world, just leave it up to the op to decide once he has been there a few days.

[bullwinkls]

Originally Posted by Dodger

Surely the correct answer is you need to bring your full driving licence and also obtain and bring an International Driving Licence.

I accept that they very rarely ask for your IDL but to be legally correct you should have one.

I see Bullwinkls we disagree on bike rental for holiday makers but such is life. I agree there are a number of bike accidents but then there are also an awful lot more bikes than in my own country, so statistically per head etc not sure if it is more dangerous.

Can see the point of rent a car you are safer for small bumps, but then if in your example a car comes around the road on your side you still have a head on accident.

Each to their own opinion and judgment, would never say you had to rent etc because driving can be dangerous everywhere in the world, just leave it up to the op to decide once he has been there a few days.

Samui is considered one of the most dangerous places in the world to ride a motor bike. These stats come from touist advisories all over the western world. After living there for several years and picking people up off from the road, almost daily, and taking them to the hospital, I can assure you Samui is not a good place to gamble with your life by renting a motorbike.

I would challenge anyone to sit in the hospital waiting room for 30 minutes and not see a motorbike accident victim.

The local newspaper prints the number of accidents for the previous month, I never saw the number under 100. In some months over 400, over 400 on such a small island.

I've shipped two friends bodies home because of motorbike accidents.

Going around a blind corner in a car or truck at least gives you a chance to escape with minor injuries, on a motorbike you have no chance.

Many thousands of tourists have had their vacations ruined by motorbike accidents in Samui.

This post is not an attempt to blow things our of proportion, these are events that I have witnessed myself.

[Robaht]

I always tell people to rent a scooter when they come to Phuket, because I think it transforms the experience on the island. Being able to see everything, go to many different beaches, cruise around and see a cool street restaurant or market you want to stop at...well, I don't think the tuk-tuk experience can offer quite the same level of freedom. But, also, it is dangerous and you have to make the choice on your own and most of all drive very safely and defensively. Be very careful and you should be okay. Also, it helps a lot if you have actually driven scooters before, and if you haven't it's not a great idea to take 2 people on the scooter since it is destabilizing for a novice driver.

I've been driving scooters/mopeds since I was 15 so I don't worry too much about myself. However, just the other day I was driving from Kata back to Patong and found myself in a scary situation. When driving from the Kata Noi end toward Patong, on the road where Club Med is on your left side in that direction, there is a sidewalk that has quite a high curb. There is one point where it kind of juts out far into the shoulder (anyone following me so far?), so it is at exactly this point when a truck coming at me decides to pass another truck. So, I have to move over to the shoulder and be careful for the sidewalk. THEN, what must have been a 14 year old thai kid, passes the passing truck! So I have 2 trucks and a scooter coming at me fast -- I ended up passing in between the scooter and the passing truck -- kind of reminded me of Top Gun and scared the crap out of me -- I had literally no escape other than straight ahead. So the moral of the story is be careful and stay alert -- you just never know what these crazy drivers are going to do around here!!

Cheers, Ro-baht

[Dodger]

You are right Bull to express your local knowledge and make others aware of the dangers of motorbike riding or indeed driving in Koh Samui.

It is always difficult question for me to answer as I've driven there and also here in Phuket and not had an accident, YET!!. I also agree with certain points from Robaht regarding a chance to see the island, better than from a tuk tuk. I wouldn't have seen nearly anywhere on Samui if I hadn't rented a bike.

I think people should read your post and then look at the traffic conditions themselves once on holiday for a few days before dashing out and hiring a bike.

Of course we all learned to drive in different countries and conditions, all have different abilities, so no right or wrong answer just be aware of the Thai style of driving, before letting yourself loose.

[bullwinkls]

Originally Posted by Robaht

I always tell people to rent a scooter when they come to Phuket, because I think it transforms the experience on the island. Being able to see everything, go to many different beaches, cruise around and see a cool street restaurant or market you want to stop at...well, I don't think the tuk-tuk experience can offer quite the same level of freedom. But, also, it is dangerous and you have to make the choice on your own and most of all drive very safely and defensively. Be very careful and you should be okay. Also, it helps a lot if you have actually driven scooters before, and if you haven't it's not a great idea to take 2 people on the scooter since it is destabilizing for a novice driver.

I've been driving scooters/mopeds since I was 15 so I don't worry too much about myself. However, just the other day I was driving from Kata back to Patong and found myself in a scary situation. When driving from the Kata Noi end toward Patong, on the road where Club Med is on your left side in that direction, there is a sidewalk that has quite a high curb. There is one point where it kind of juts out far into the shoulder (anyone following me so far?), so it is at exactly this point when a truck coming at me decides to pass another truck. So, I have to move over to the shoulder and be careful for the sidewalk. THEN, what must have been a 14 year old thai kid, passes the passing truck! So I have 2 trucks and a scooter coming at me fast -- I ended up passing in between the scooter and the passing truck -- kind of reminded me of Top Gun and scared the crap out of me -- I had literally no escape other than straight ahead. So the moral of the story is be careful and stay alert -- you just never know what these crazy drivers are going to do around here!!

Cheers, Ro-baht

I agree, staying alert and expect the unexpected is the best way to avoid and accident. Wearing an approved helmet should always be the rule.
I've also ridden motorcycles all my life, mostly motocross and hill climbs, but road bikes too. Your experience and mine were near misses. In the safety world the stats say 7 near misses equal 1 serious accident.
Soi dogs are a big problem in Samui as far as accidents go. They pop out of nowhere and there's nothing you can do. My friend was killed after hitting a dog, he was wearing no helmet and died of severe head injuries.
My girlfriend has been riding a motorbike all her life and had suffered only the typical leg burns and cuts. We got into a heated argument one day about wearing a helmet, she didn't think it was needed and I thought it was. So to please me she would ride the motorbike out of the driveway and a klick down the roae would take it off. One day I spotted her without the helmet and told her to put the motorbike away if she didn't want to wear the helmet. After a few days without transportation she decided it easier to wear the helmet. About a week later a soi dog jumped out in front of her and she went off the road straight into a barbed wire fence. She had a few cuts and scrapes, but most notably the face mask of the helmet had been almost cut in half by the barbed wire. If she hadn't been wearing the helment her face would have been practically ripped in two. I finally gave up and bought her a car. Now all is well, the only complaint is "NO PARKING SPACES"

[Robaht]

Originally Posted by bullwinkls

Now all is well, the only complaint is "NO PARKING SPACES"

It's like they say, if it ain't one thing it's a mother.

[snowyriver]

You have to consider all the opinions for sure. I've spent about 2 months in Samui over the past year or so and there are alot of accidents, some of which I know are hidden from the public if possible. Having said that I had a 125 for all this time and I had one accident (due to a stuck accelerator), I also had a more serious one in Ko Chang being knocked off from my left turning left! I broke my collar bone and damaged my arm pretty bad. If you have an accident though also be aware of the potential cost implications for damage to the bike you've hired, I've been lucky so far and managed to get repairs done cheaply BEFORE taking the bike back. Note that if you do not have someone that knows some of the right people be aware that if your bike has the rentals phone no. on it it is likely the repair shop will call them to let you know htey have one of there bikes, I've heard stories of this becoming v expensive.
There is big danger in renting a scooter / bike but for me my holiday would not have been so enjoyable without one. The roads can be crazy out there so just be as careful as you can and consider the other BM's opinions. I wish you a safe and enjoyable trip.

[ilovethailand]

Motorbikes in Thailand scare me so I wouldnt do it myself!

[bowhunter]

Rode road bikes since i was 17 short time would not bother I want to drink a lot if i was there for a few months yes no probs

[Nautilus]

Got this from a local forum i join.

Originally Posted by HiFi-lou

Phuket is biker heaven, only pussy driving in Phuket.