What do you drive, and why??
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- 5 minutes to kill
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What do you drive, and why??
I think most people who decide to stay a while in Cambodia, at some point gets bored with taking a motodop every time they need to transport their arse beond comfortable flip-flop-distance.
Sure, there are pros and cons with motodops vs your own vehicle, which I assume could fill a thread of its own. So I wont even start suggesting any.
But I think most people who has started driving around town or even taken roadtrips out of town, quickly falls in love with it and will find it hard to readjust to a life without your own ride.
I myself have driven Chaly's, chinese crap-scooters, old daelims, Honda dreams, Baja 250s, XR 250s, Djebel 250s, XR 650, Nighthawk 750, Yamaha 750, CB 400, CBR 900, Toyota corolla, some Mitzubishi crap mini-van, Landcruiser and Lexus I think it was a 370 or something (not my own)
The chaly proved itself to be surprisingly reliable, but terrible to crash with. (the low seat and high handlebars proved to be an unfortunate combination if the bike itself comes to a sudden stop, and your body doesnt. The body of the driver will firstly make contact with the chaly at balls slamming the spedometer with crushing force. Next the upper legs hits the steering (which thankfully bends forward), and changes the bodys flying direction from forward-up, to forward-head down.)
The daelim is a better choice. Second hand, dirt cheap and old license-plate means cops wont bother u. Just as reliable bikes as the chaly, and parts are everywhere and cost less than u paid the motodop who drove u to the parts-shop.
But small bikes is a bitch, bumpy, unconfortable and rather slow if hit the road after the daytime-rush, or decide to go outside the central parts of town.
And the 250s are not really strong enough if u want to hit the national roads for a weekend by the beach or just enjoy a good days hard driving. It wears them down easier than you would think. Gimme your 250 for a couple of days playing and it will never be the same again.
And the big cruiser-bikes are ofcourse lovely for the countryside and long trips, but they can be expensive to keep in good condition and good mechanics for 4 cylinder bikes and parts for them is a different story than owning a daelim.. I have to admit, the big bikes werent so difficult to drive with in city-traffic, as I first thought, but they are not great to handle in low speed and heavy traffic. It takes alot of practise before you feel comfortable with that.
On the other hand, few khmers can lift them of their stand and even fewer can figure out how to drive them, so there is way less risk youll get yr 750 stolen than if you had a wave.
Dirtbikes , such as the Bajas or XRs etc, normally comes with offroad-tyres. And as long as you are driving offroad or on dirt-roads, that is great. But I for one stay most of my time on tarmac.
The roads in Phnom Penh are filled with pot holes, bumps, rocks, dogs and other surprices that will make you clinch your jaw and hold on to your scooter with cramping arms and you pray that hole that came outta nowhere didnt give u a flat tire or fuck up your suspension. Then you thank spiritual powers that you didnt crash this time.
With a dirtbike all these death-traps on a small bike, just vanish in your superior suspension.
Driving a stretch you know well and knows where to hold firm in the steering to manage the holes and bumps, will seem like a completely new stretch of road once u drive there with a dirtbike.
You dont even need to slow down as you drive across the railroad.
But these offroadtyres are really dangerous on tarmac, especially if its wet.
And sure, a 250 dirtbike accelerates a hell lot faster than any scooter in town. But you need to be able to stop too. And to avoid obstacles and sudden crazy-drivers etc. In the city you need that manouverability if you want to survive traffic on a fast bike.
I found that the sollution and the absolute best allround bike to have in Cambodia is to change the front rim to a much smaller (16" worked great for me) and put tarmac-street tyres back and front.
You get perfect grip and with the small front wheel you can throw that dirtbike around easier than you could with your old scooter.
Concept super-motard.
No roads are to bad for your suspension and you have a powerful manouverable machine with better grip/weightratio than any other bike.
If you have a modern bike, with bigger engine than 400, or an XR650, then you can comfortably and safely use your bike for any driving. Long distance, crosscountry or making your way across town during rush-hour..
When it comes to cars, I quickly found that its completely useless in phnom penh, except for between 10pm and 5am. Other times than that, you are most likely better off walking..
The mini-bus turned out to be very hand for transporting bikes (offcourse), du to the low floor it was easy to load and unload, compared to drive the bike up a ramp to the back of a pickup.
I whished I had an old Dodge RAM though, with the captains-chairs n all. Great camping-van and with the 4wd version and boggers you can have alot of fun.
The corolla was just.. I should just have taken a taxi.
Driving a landcruiser in Cambodia was an experience where I had to watch and learn and teach myself to become a complete traffic-nazi. Apparently, if you drive a landcruiser, you can do basicly anything you want. Push your way forward through a mass of small bikes, just shoot out in any intersection and expect everyone else to be smaller and thereby make way for you. You can also park just about anywhere at any time.. By the end of it, I just felt more comfortable with myself driving my bike instead.
While driving the Lexus, I knew it should run by the same principals as for the landcruiser, but I just never could get passed my own panic of scratching it or gettin a dent in it, so I was terrified of applying that aggressive drivingstyle. It took me forever to get nowhere and even with full aircon I was swetting like a pig, shouting random curses att people I thought came to close. Ended up smashing a taillight as I parked it, back at my friends house.
Cost me a trillion and almost a heartattack.
Next time, Ill just take a motodop..
So!
What do you drive, where and why?
Sure, there are pros and cons with motodops vs your own vehicle, which I assume could fill a thread of its own. So I wont even start suggesting any.
But I think most people who has started driving around town or even taken roadtrips out of town, quickly falls in love with it and will find it hard to readjust to a life without your own ride.
I myself have driven Chaly's, chinese crap-scooters, old daelims, Honda dreams, Baja 250s, XR 250s, Djebel 250s, XR 650, Nighthawk 750, Yamaha 750, CB 400, CBR 900, Toyota corolla, some Mitzubishi crap mini-van, Landcruiser and Lexus I think it was a 370 or something (not my own)
The chaly proved itself to be surprisingly reliable, but terrible to crash with. (the low seat and high handlebars proved to be an unfortunate combination if the bike itself comes to a sudden stop, and your body doesnt. The body of the driver will firstly make contact with the chaly at balls slamming the spedometer with crushing force. Next the upper legs hits the steering (which thankfully bends forward), and changes the bodys flying direction from forward-up, to forward-head down.)
The daelim is a better choice. Second hand, dirt cheap and old license-plate means cops wont bother u. Just as reliable bikes as the chaly, and parts are everywhere and cost less than u paid the motodop who drove u to the parts-shop.
But small bikes is a bitch, bumpy, unconfortable and rather slow if hit the road after the daytime-rush, or decide to go outside the central parts of town.
And the 250s are not really strong enough if u want to hit the national roads for a weekend by the beach or just enjoy a good days hard driving. It wears them down easier than you would think. Gimme your 250 for a couple of days playing and it will never be the same again.
And the big cruiser-bikes are ofcourse lovely for the countryside and long trips, but they can be expensive to keep in good condition and good mechanics for 4 cylinder bikes and parts for them is a different story than owning a daelim.. I have to admit, the big bikes werent so difficult to drive with in city-traffic, as I first thought, but they are not great to handle in low speed and heavy traffic. It takes alot of practise before you feel comfortable with that.
On the other hand, few khmers can lift them of their stand and even fewer can figure out how to drive them, so there is way less risk youll get yr 750 stolen than if you had a wave.
Dirtbikes , such as the Bajas or XRs etc, normally comes with offroad-tyres. And as long as you are driving offroad or on dirt-roads, that is great. But I for one stay most of my time on tarmac.
The roads in Phnom Penh are filled with pot holes, bumps, rocks, dogs and other surprices that will make you clinch your jaw and hold on to your scooter with cramping arms and you pray that hole that came outta nowhere didnt give u a flat tire or fuck up your suspension. Then you thank spiritual powers that you didnt crash this time.
With a dirtbike all these death-traps on a small bike, just vanish in your superior suspension.
Driving a stretch you know well and knows where to hold firm in the steering to manage the holes and bumps, will seem like a completely new stretch of road once u drive there with a dirtbike.
You dont even need to slow down as you drive across the railroad.
But these offroadtyres are really dangerous on tarmac, especially if its wet.
And sure, a 250 dirtbike accelerates a hell lot faster than any scooter in town. But you need to be able to stop too. And to avoid obstacles and sudden crazy-drivers etc. In the city you need that manouverability if you want to survive traffic on a fast bike.
I found that the sollution and the absolute best allround bike to have in Cambodia is to change the front rim to a much smaller (16" worked great for me) and put tarmac-street tyres back and front.
You get perfect grip and with the small front wheel you can throw that dirtbike around easier than you could with your old scooter.
Concept super-motard.
No roads are to bad for your suspension and you have a powerful manouverable machine with better grip/weightratio than any other bike.
If you have a modern bike, with bigger engine than 400, or an XR650, then you can comfortably and safely use your bike for any driving. Long distance, crosscountry or making your way across town during rush-hour..
When it comes to cars, I quickly found that its completely useless in phnom penh, except for between 10pm and 5am. Other times than that, you are most likely better off walking..
The mini-bus turned out to be very hand for transporting bikes (offcourse), du to the low floor it was easy to load and unload, compared to drive the bike up a ramp to the back of a pickup.
I whished I had an old Dodge RAM though, with the captains-chairs n all. Great camping-van and with the 4wd version and boggers you can have alot of fun.
The corolla was just.. I should just have taken a taxi.
Driving a landcruiser in Cambodia was an experience where I had to watch and learn and teach myself to become a complete traffic-nazi. Apparently, if you drive a landcruiser, you can do basicly anything you want. Push your way forward through a mass of small bikes, just shoot out in any intersection and expect everyone else to be smaller and thereby make way for you. You can also park just about anywhere at any time.. By the end of it, I just felt more comfortable with myself driving my bike instead.
While driving the Lexus, I knew it should run by the same principals as for the landcruiser, but I just never could get passed my own panic of scratching it or gettin a dent in it, so I was terrified of applying that aggressive drivingstyle. It took me forever to get nowhere and even with full aircon I was swetting like a pig, shouting random curses att people I thought came to close. Ended up smashing a taillight as I parked it, back at my friends house.
Cost me a trillion and almost a heartattack.
Next time, Ill just take a motodop..
So!
What do you drive, where and why?
I was going to post something about how the Internet has reduced our attention span down to 9 seconds, the same as a goldfish apparently. Then I got distracted trying to find a useful reference from MIT or something like that.
Don't they still teach writing skills like stating your premise, body and then summary or something like that.
Honda Click, it knows where I live and a bicycle for exercise. Also have a Viva for about 7 years.
Don't they still teach writing skills like stating your premise, body and then summary or something like that.
Honda Click, it knows where I live and a bicycle for exercise. Also have a Viva for about 7 years.
- Bitteeinbit
- Wibble Wibble ?!?
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I'm with you on that... Small bikes are the king of the road in terms of manoeuvrability, speed, stopping power and price combined. I rent out a dirt bike when I go for long drives in the countryside (Kompong Som, Kampot, Battambang, Kompong Cham etc). If I'm just going to Kandal or Prey Veng, I'll keep the small bike. Riding with someone in the back is also easier on a small bike. Few people are comfortable sitting in the back of a dirtbike. As for cars, well you're obviously safer but the downside (in the city anyways) is the crawling pace you can drive at. They're virtually pointless imo, though if I had a family I might opt for a car.
Can't say I've driven a ton of the scooters but I find Wave is decent, Dreams have extra pep for long drives and daelims, though reliable are a little slugish at times.
Can't say I've driven a ton of the scooters but I find Wave is decent, Dreams have extra pep for long drives and daelims, though reliable are a little slugish at times.
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- I Am Losing It All to the Internet
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I think mid-sized touring bikes are the best. Maneuverable enough for the city, speedy on the highways, excellent brakes, good mileage, comfort, way more stable than a scooter. Drawbacks are price, service, and really tight traffic jams. I miss my TDM.
- Lucky Lucan
- K440 Knight Captain
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It was just a flash in the pan, soon to fade into the mists of time and memory.Khmerized wrote:I miss my TDM.
Romantic Cambodia is dead and gone. It's with McKinley in the grave.
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I have a 1996 Baja 250cc trail bike and a 1970 Vespa Sprint, both off the road and gathering dust. The Vespa is undoubtedly the best bike for getting around Phnom Penh and I bought the Baja a few years ago when I lived in Battambang for a year for exploring that part of Cambodia and for driving back and forth between here and there. (You can't do that kinda shit on a Vespa.)
Twitter: Not my circus, not my monkeys - I sold #K440
- the_purple_turtle
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Not the Vespa but I'll take offers for the Baja.the_purple_turtle wrote:Selling the vespa, KIR?
Twitter: Not my circus, not my monkeys - I sold #K440
keeping_it_riel wrote:I have a 1996 Baja 250cc trail bike and a 1970 Vespa Sprint, both off the road and gathering dust. The Vespa is undoubtedly the best bike for getting around Phnom Penh and I bought the Baja a few years ago when I lived in Battambang for a year for exploring that part of Cambodia and for driving back and forth between here and there. (You can't do that kinda shit on a Vespa.)
Is that the same Vespa that crashed into a rubbish bin and became a front page article ?
There was fuck all damage to the bike but I think KIR's pride took a hit.
I refuse to go out with nothing more than a whimper followed by a small farting sound and a shit stain on my bed sheets..
Just thought I'd share that with you.
Just thought I'd share that with you.
- vladimir
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cambod, you just use bikes, you used that pink scoopy and then just threw it away when you were finished with it, like it was just..,just a motorcycle.
ירי ילדים והפצצת אזרחים דורש אומץ, כמו גם הטרדה מינית של עובדי ההוראה.
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I drive a nice big heavy, ugly (to some) Vespa T5 scooter. With a manual hand shift transmission which makes it less desirable to thieves.
i'm the one who has to die when it's time for me to die, so let me live my life the way i want to
Bonez never came through with the Angry Birds decals, and who would drive a Scoopy around without decals? Only a gay, that's who..vladimir wrote:cambod, you just use bikes, you used that pink scoopy and then just threw it away when you were finished with it, like it was just..,just a motorcycle.
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