Motorcycle Tour of North and North East Thailand

This route offers an excellent mixture of some of Thailand's best motorcycle touring roads. Broad, modern highways and well surfaced hill country roads offer views of rural Thailand. This is one slice of Thailand unavailable to those traveling by bus or train.
Harley Davidson motorcycle tour - first night (Sukothai)
Bikes parked at the hotel on the first night. Hotel features luxurious rooms in Sukothai style teak home, with pool and a full service restaurant. Delicious food, luxurious rooms, you may be tempted to spend the evening just lounging by the pool!
When we leave Chiang Mai we'll travel the main out of Chiang Mai City center. This is a broad, well maintained highway that has its fair share of traffic, we'll be on the road after the morning rush hour so the ride is quick and painless. In Lampang this main highway turns left. We keep going straight, heading for the hills and quiet, two lane blacktop.
 
The first day's ride is relatively short. We'll be leaving the ancient Lanna Kingdom and riding into another ancient kingdom; Sukhothai. This is an excellent ride through twisting roads with sparse traffic and a dense forest cover. A well maintained road for smooth riding lays in front of us for the rest of our journey. The short ride (three to four hours) is perfect for a first day riding in Thailand and leaves time to explore one of the most historically significant provincial centers in Thailand.
Sukothai is one of the best preserved historic regions in Thaila
This Buddha image has looked over this deserted ordination hall for centuries.
After checking into the hotel and freshening up, it's a short 12 km ride to the park. The Sukhothai kingdom flourished between 1239 and 1438. Many Thai historians consider the foundation of the Sukhothai kingdom as the beginning of the Thai nation. The third King of Sukothai,Pho Khun Ramkamhaeng, is credited with developing the Thai alphabet from Sanskrit, Pali and Grantha script.
 
The Historical park in Sukhothai is surrounded by ruins of the capitol of the Sukhothai kingdom. We should be in time for the late afternoon light, bring a camera.
Historical Park at Sukhothai
We can ride our motorcycles inside the Sukhothai Historical Park; stop where we find something of interest.
The next leg of our motorcycle tour will take us through breathtaking natural beauty over the smooth, well-maintained highway 12 with just the right blend of curves and straights. Kornkaen is the first large city on this leg and a great place to stop for a bit of lunch along the lake or in town. Before the tour leaves Chiang Mai we will have discussed the options on this leg and there are many.
Scenic valley on THe road to Kornkaen as seen from the seat of y
We travel though valleys such as this for a few hours. These roads are just made for a motorcycle tour. Scenic beauty, excellent road surface and contour just make this one sweet ride.
A stop over in Korn Kaen is just one of them. KornKaen is a silk making center in Thailand and a few kilometers out of the city center you can see the tie-dyed silk being wove by hand or maybe catch an 'old hand" tying the strands to build the patterns of this regions most famous product.
 
OR; we stop in KornKaen for a bit and head north to Udorn Thani. Udorn was home to one fo the US Air bases during the Vietnam era and has many western friendly businesses and eateries. Udorn is graced with a vibrant night life and there are a quite a few watering holes that you might find fun. ABout 140 km east of the City center is a world heritage site that is recognized as the worlds oldest, known bronze age settlement.
 
OR; we stop in Kornkaen ride through Udorn Thani and stop for the evening in Nong Khai. Nong Khai is on the Laotian border and a well-traveled exit pont for those heading for Laos. The city is set on the Maekhong river with plenty of Riverside dining opportunities. Nong Khai is also home to a large expatriate community and good western dining is available.
 
Whichever overnight stop we choose, there will be an opportunity for some Border-town shopping in Nong Khai in the morning. Some good deals are to be had and some not so good. if you missed the silk in Kornkaen you can pick up a few four meter pieces here and a slightly higher price that is still a bargain.
 
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Itinerary Example:

  • 8:30 - 9:00 AM Briefing Chiang Mai 9:00 AM.
  • Head south out of Chiang Mai on Highway 11.
  • Ride through Lamphun then Lampang, where Highway 11 becomes more rural.
  • About 2 hours into the ride we'll stop to top off our tanks and have a cool drink.
  • We'll ride through Tropical forest and gentle hill country to Sukhothai.
  • After checking into our hotel we have the afternoon to explore the Sukhothai Historical Park.
  • We would suggest Dinner and drinks at the Chopper Bar, but you are free for the evening (ask the Road Captain for suggestions if you prefer a western meal, or a night club atmosphere for dinner. There are some hidden gems in Sukhothai).
  • Over the breakfast buffet at the hotel we can review the day's ride.
  • We will ride Highway 12 east towards Khonkaen through scenic hills and valleys.
  • There are Thai roadside eateries or we can have a nice lunch in Khonkaen, (one of those things we'll discuss over breakfast).
  • At Khonkaen we catch Highway 2 north one Thailand's main highways.
  • Depending on the group's decision we will head for Udon Thani or Nong Khai for the evening.
  • Nong Khai is 50 kilometers north of Udon on Highway 12.
  • Udon Thani has more "night-life" than Nong Khai.
  • Nong Khai is on the Laos border, with a huge market to explore and riverside dining if you like.
  • Udon and Nong Khai both have plenty of choices for excellent western or Thai meals.
  • Which ever destination we choose there will be an opportunity in the morning to check out the Nong Khai market.
  • After breakfast; if we stayed in Udon (or not) we may grab an early lunch in Nong Khai. The Road Captain will recommend the "Naem Ngun" overlooking the river, the food is excellent and reasonable.
  • From Nong Khai we'll put the Maekong River to our right and follow her for the next few hours on Highway 211.
  • There are Some interesting stops along the way for Thai food or a cool drink.
  • We'll stay along the Maekong until we reach Chang Khan, another border town.
  • After a brief stopover in Chang Khan we head south towards Loei.
  • Arriving in Loei we'll check into our rooms and rest up a bit. Ask the Road Captain for suggestions for dinner, maybe get a massage.
  • There are many different routes back to Chiang Mai; each offering slightly different conditions and sights, we'll go over the details at breakfast.
  • Ride the route decided on back to Chiang Mai.
  • Any of the routes should put us in Chaing Mai at about 5:00 PM.
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Harley Davidsons at rest in front of the "Chopper Bar"