Renting a motorbike in Chiang Mai

You step out into the streets of Chiang Mai and gaze incredulously at the traffic weaving in and out of itself. You think to yourself, this is madness, riding a bike here is suicide; and then you see someone slowly buzzing past, carrying his infant daughter on the handle bars and his wife on the back holding a dog in one hand and 50 bananas in the other. Imagine seeing that in your own country.

But, without a bike you are nobody here. It is a national symbol, and a convenient way to get around. It certainly allows you to tour the city at will and see everything. Fear nothing, the traffic doesn't move very fast and the 'scooter' bikes for hire are dead easy to ride.

If you are thinking about renting a bike, then first spend a bit of time studying how the Thais drive. There really is no method to the madness, you have to study the idiosyncrasies to realise the shape which the traffic takes. They overtake, they under take, they might or might not indicate. They stop in the middle of the road to chat on the phone, the taxis give you no warning when they pull in to the side of the road from the outside to pick up a customer. Red lights have an altogether different meaning from those in the west. Green means go. Amber means go faster. Red also means go (if you can!) Red can mean anything, it's a multifarious light, a light with character.

Bike hire places are found all over Chiang Mai, concentrated along Moon Muang road (east side of the moat). They all rent similar bikes and prices don't vary much but it's important to check out the bike before you hire it, check the brakes and lights, and check it steers ok. You might want to ride the bike around the quieter streets before you endeavour to ride out into the main road. Some of the cheapest bikes on hire are quite knackered and won't make it up the hills.

Most tourists opt to rent a 100 or 125cc 'step through' bike. The Honda Dream (Wave) is a classic. If there are two of you on one bike we suggest a 125cc. These bikes are low, easy to mount, have no clutch and are prefect for nipping through the urban traffic, although they do reach speeds of about 70 miles an hour. One day's rental charge can be anything from 150 baht to 300 baht, depending on the place you hire, quality of bike and season you hire it in.

400 cc and big bikes are available at some of the places, the rental charge should be about 350-500 baht a day and 700-1000 baht a day respectively. If you are planning to rent a bike for a longer period of time, then they will almost certainly reduce the price. Good deals are available to those renting for a month.

You'll need to give the rental shop your passport and the day's rental fee. They aren't usually pretty strict about bringing your bike back on time. A helmet should be provided, if you decide not to wear it, then run the risk of a shattered skull, or more likely, a small fine to the cops.

A few places we recommend include: Jaguar (Moon Muang/moat), Mr Beer (Kotchasarn/moat), Mr Order (near Thapae Gate), and Buddy (opposite Central Mall). They all hire

For off-road bikes the most reliable place is Joes Bikes/Freedom Motorcycles (Chang Mo1 soi 2, off Thapae road), which is German run and popular with tourers.