We know for many years that Indonesia is the largest market for motorcycles in the ASEAN region, but it was a toss-up between them and Vietnam.
However, new data by the ASEAN Automotive Federation (AAF) and Federation of Asian Motorcycle Industries (FAMI) confirmed that the largest number of motorcycles sold in 2018 was in Indonesia.
In that year alone, motorcycle manufacturers and distributors in the Republic of 260 million souls moved a total of 6,383,111 units. That number represents a whopping 47% of all motorcycle sales in the ASEAN region. In terms of ratio, 1 out of 40.7 persons bought a motorcycle.
The second largest market in 2018 was Vietnam, with 3,386,097 units moved. The population of the country is 94 million. Converting that to a ratio, 1 out of 27.7 persons purchased a bike.
So, although Indonesia contributed the larger total, more Vietnamese bought motorcycles. It could also means that there’s still much space for motorcycle sales, if we know the current motorcycle population in each country.
Anyhow, in third was Thailand with 1,788,323 bikes sold. The Kingdom’s motorcycle market looks to be reaching a saturation point. The Philippines followed closely with 1,582,901 units. Malaysia contributed a distant but not entirely small 494,254. Last was Singapore with 10,377 bikes.
Forget about the sensational news of flying cars, we’ve got a flying motorcycle in the present, too.
Well, this is not exactly the case of a controlled powered flight here. A road accident in Thailand sent a motorcycle flying and ended being suspended from high-voltage cables, 10 metres off the ground.
Eyewitnesses at the scene in Kab Cheong district of the Surin province reported that the motorcycle was carried in the back of an Isuzu pickup truck.
According to them, the driver of the pickup swerved hard to avoid another motorcycle ridden against traffic. But the vehicle overturned and came to rest upside down. The motorcycle in its flat bed, on the other hand, was thrown in the air. The trajectory sent it into powerlines, instead of coming straight back down to earth.
The cab of the pickup was crushed in the impact. Luckily, the five occupants were hurt with no serious injuries and were sent to the hospital nearby.
Source: The Phuket News
Rakyat Malaysia yang bercadang untuk masuk ke Thailand menggunakan motosikal atau kereta diingatkan untuk mengikuti lima peraturan penting.
Pejabat Konsul Malaysia di Songkhla, Thailand telah melancarkan kempen kesedaran terutamanya buat rakyat Malaysia yang kerap kali ke Thailand.
Kempen tersebut bertujuan untuk memberi kesedaran terutamanya kepada penunggang motosikal, pemandu kereta dan pelancong Malaysia agar tidak melakukan sesuatu sehinggakan berdepan tindakan undang-undang.
Berikuat lima peraturan yang harus dipatuhi rakyat Malaysia:
1) Dilarang merokok di 26 kawasan pantai popular
Februari lalu, kerajaan Thailand telah mengharamkan orang ramai daripada menghisap rokok di 26 kawasan pantai. Sekiranya didapati bersalah, pesalah akan dikenakan denda 100,000 Baht atau satu tahun penjara.
2) Dilarang menghisap rokok elektronik atau ‘vape’
Pihak berkuasa Thailand memandang serius larangan membawa rokok elektronik dan sekiranya dicekup, pesalah akan berdepan lima hingga 10 tahun penjara!
3) Dilarang menggunakan ‘walkie-talkie’ yang tidak berdaftar
Baru-baru ini seorang rakyat Malaysia berdepan nasib malang apabila dipenjarakan ekoran didapati membawa ‘walkie-talkie’ yang tidak berdaftar.
Wan Mohd Amirul Adib, yang bertugas sebagai pemandu pelancong ditahan pihak berkuasa Thailand ekoran kesalahan membawa alat terbabit.
4) Wajib mendaftarkan kenderaan (motosikal/kereta)
Selain perlu memiliki lesen yang sah, anda perlu mendaftarkan kenderaan sebelum memasuki Thailand.
5) Beli insurans perlindungan kenderaan
Kebiasaannya, insurans yang dibeli apabila memasuki Thailand adalah insurans orang ketiga (third party insurance) namun jika ada sebarang kejadian berlaku, insurans ini tidak akan memberi pampasan sepenuhnya dan nilai perlindungan hanyalah THB80,000 (RM10,302).
Jadi orang ramai dinasihatkan untuk membeli insurans komprehensif (first party insurance) kerana nilai perlindungan adalah diantara THB600,000 (RM77,271) hingga THB1,000,000 (RM128,000).
Dinasihatkan agar semua rakyat Malaysia mengikuti peraturan ditetapkan agar insiden yang tidak diingini dapat dielakkan daripada berlaku.
The State Railway of Thailand (SRT) announced that they will no longer transport motorcycles above 125cc. The ruling took effect from 1st February 2019.
There are Malaysian bikers who transport their motorcycles by rail through Thailand to their favourite destinations or jump-off points before continuing on their journeys. One popular destination is the northern city of Chiang Mai, from where they ride to Mae Hong Son (the infamous 1000 Corners).
Besides that, the bikers could relax or even sleep onboard the train instead of needing to spend 12 hours or more on the road. Doing so also saves from accruing fuel and accommodation costs along the way.
SRT did not assign reasons for the new ruling. Therefore, your speculations could be the same as ours.
This writer personally transported a BMW R 1200 GS on an SRT train in 2018. We boarded the overnight train in Bangkok bound for Hatyai. The porters weren’t friendly at all on that day for some reason and they had to lift the nearly 240kg beast into the cargo car by hand. We had to dismantle the luggage boxes and windscreen and brought them into the passenger car with us.
The news was conveyed through www.riderchris.com. Please follow this link for more information on Thai train services https://www.riderchris.com/info/transporting-motorcycle-thailand-train/
The World Health Organization (WHO) has published their annual Global Status Report on Road Safety 2018. In the report, Thailand still has the deadliest roads in Asia while India saw the greatest number of lives lost in traffic accidents.
Although published in 2018, the report provides data collected from 175 countries in 2016.
Thailand’s status as the second deadliest roads in the world has improved to eighth with 32.7 deaths per 100,000 citizens. A whopping 74.4% (16,178) of the 21,745 killed were drivers/passengers of 2-wheeled vehicles. Traffic accidents kill an average of 21,491 persons in the country each year.
Risks of Renting a Motorcycle in Thailand and How to Insure Yourself
Eight African countries and one South American nation join Thailand in the Top 10.
In terms of pure numbers, however, the Indian subcontinent saw an almost unbelievable 150,785 reported deaths. Conversely, the WHO believes many more fatalities were probably unreported and as many as 299,091 were killed on India’s roads. The country’s population of over 1.3 billion people had the effect of lowering the rate to 22.6 per 100,000.
By comparison, China has the second highest total number of reported deaths from traffic accidents at 58,022 among her 1.4 billion citizens. Again, the WHO believes that an estimated total of 256,180 were killed in 2016. China’s road death rate was 18.2/100,000.
Malaysia’s road death rate is still high but has seen much improvements at 23.6/100,000 with a total of 7,152 reported cases. There was no official number in the report, but it is widely believed that some 60% of all traffic-related deaths involve motorcycles.
Our neighbor Indonesia reported 31,282 traffic deaths in that year. Fatalities on two-wheel vehicles contributed 73.6% to the total figure. However, they have a low rate at 12.2/100,000 due to their large 261 million population.
The WHO added that traffic accidents are now the leading cause of death among children and adults up to 29 years old, and 8thhighest among people of all ages. At 1.35 million deaths each year, more die in road accidents than HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis and diarrheal diseases. The situation is worsening and a person is killed every 24 seconds somewhere in the world.
Sobering thoughts for 2019.
Source: World Health Organization
This line is oft-repeated, we know, but Thailand is such a hit with Malaysian bikers. However, do remember the risks when you consider renting a motorcycle there. Thailand is the second most dangerous country to drive in.
Our friends at Mekanika.com.my reported about a Malaysian couple who rented a motorcycle in Krabi. Unfortunately, their plans for the perfect vacation was dashed when they hit a local pedestrian. The pedestrian was killed in the accident.
As with local customs, the family of the deceased must be compensated. This is even more true if the party involved is a Farang (foreigner), and it didn’t matter even if it’s not your fault. The couple kena pao (was demanded to pay) more than RM 400,000! The sum was brought down to RM 200,000 after some intense negotiations. The couple needed to also pay for the damaged motorcycle.
This incident wasn’t the first and isn’t likely to be the last, honestly.
We have seen and heard of our riders kena pao for exorbitant amounts throughout his many trips into the Kingdom. Just like the incident above, you are at fault, as long as you are a Farang.
The best way is not to rent a motorcycle in Thailand. Let’s be realistic, though. Renting one is the easiest way to getting around. But rent it from a shop which offers insurance coverage. The insurance doesn’t break your wallet and you should always get it.
In conclusion, it’s always better to be over-insured than not at all.
In what seemed like a scene out of a action movie, a Thai cop chased down a hit-and-run suspect on a Yamaha R1 in Phang Nga, Krabi Province.
Ao Lueak Police Chief Col. Kritsanat Wongklaharn said that they received a call by the Phang Nga police that a pickup truck was fleeing to Krabi after a hit-and-run incident. The Ao Lueak police set up a checkpoint but the truck broke through the roadblock at Na Nuea.
A Yamaha YZF-R1 rider saw what happened and offered a policeman to jump on the back. The other policemen followed behind.
The pair on the R1 managed to chase down the truck and the policeman shot the front tyre but the former kept going. The policeman fired more warning shots and the driver was eventually stopped by police at the Seaboard Road in Krabi.
Drug tests on the 21-year-old suspect was came up positive. He told his captors that he had had an argument with his wife prior to the rampage.
He was subsequently charged with driving under the influence of drugs, driving with disregard for others’ safety, driving through stop signs and reckless driving.
The biker should receive a medal, in our opinion.
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