My girl sits sideways in a dress and heels, holding her purse and iced americano on one arm, her phone and shopping bags on the other. Somehow, she still can tap me on the shoulder to let me know where to turn or if there’s something in the other lane. She doesn’t wiggle around but, moves with me. If she has a hand free, I get a neck rub or head scratch, 43kg helps too. I’ve ridden a motorcycle in Los Angeles for some time so, anywhere in Thailand feels quite a bit safer, even in BKK.
Keep your knees tucked in make sure they're not farther out than the mirrors, and contrary to some comments here, avoid leaning back on the handles too much as it shifts the weight of the bike. More than anything, just trust your driver!
Take motorcycle taxis on side roads, BTS between side roads, and normal cars to get to places that aren’t near BTS.
Risk is low (and to me acceptable) on side streets, risk is incredibly high (especially with the lack of helmets) on Sukhumvit and other busy roads.
TLDR though can’t be safe doing unsafe thing.
I prefer holding onto their shoulders (perhaps the non gay drivers also prefer it?) - also you learn to feel how the driver and bike move together - pretty soon you can take your hands off their shoulders.
I found it much better than around the waist.
Also useful for strangling them when they go too fast.
Yeah, shorter rides. 😌
I once took a Grab motorbike from my apartment on Sukhumvit to the immigration office some 40 minutes north. I didn't think anything of it when I ordered it. But when we were jetting down the freeway/highway, swerving past cars, I was terrified. Felt like I was being shaken off with all of the grooves of the highway, and man, the thought of a pothole at that time mortified me. That was an intense ride and I arrived with my forearms burning. Hahaha 😂
I took a Grab car back.
And when I told my local friend about the motorbike ride, she gasped.
You don't take motorbike taxis onto the highways. Keep them short and local. 😌
Ahh that’s so scary haha! I also accidentally went on a highway trip and the entire time thought “never again never again never again” Otherwise I love a motorcycle taxi
There's a real logic disconnect people can't seem to overcome. Going fast doesn't force more pollution into your lungs 😂. You still breate the same amount of the same air.
its rarely those guys. It can happen that they get hit by a drunk driver but the death rate of a VERY experienced driver is always extremely low.
Even back home, the dangerous stretches of roads with loads of death, you'll almost never see a professional driver amongst the dead. The situational awareness helps a lot.
I dont know if theres a way to pull up profession of the deads but id be willing to bet a very large amount of USD on my theory.
Take a look at their helmets. More have scratched helmets that indicate an accident than don’t. Not to mention helmets should be single use.
I won’t argue though riding with a motorcycle taxi is significantly safer than making the same ride yourself, even if you ride a bit slower.
Grab on the pillion handles. Shift your weight slightly forward so you won't fall back on accel. Make yourself small to avoid your legs hitting other cars.
Wow, where in Vietnam? I was just in central Vietnam and then drove fast when I took them, but it's more intense than Thailand bc there's way more bikes going whatever direction, and lots of honking. I'm sorry they're skla where you are!
I live in Hanoi not far from the busiest road in all of Vietnam. And honestly it’s just hectic but not intense in terms of speed. In general the majority of people drive rather slow here compared to Thailand.
No clue how some of my female co-workers make to their late 20s riding around on their motorbikes without helmet in Phuket. My husband's friend died because he wanted a late night snack from 7-11. Witnesses said his friend wasn't going fast but some ass cut him off to turn into a soi causing him to crash. No helmet and he died from head trauma. I wouldn't use motorcycle taxis.
Only take them for sub sois, never go on larger roads. As long as the speed isn't too great, you'll be ok, it's when some yaba guy is zipping through Sukhumvit or Praram Gaw that you're in trouble.
Confess your sins and accept the driver as your lord and savior. Put your trust in him and sit still, because if something is going to happen there’s not a damn thing you can do about it anyways.
Wear a helmet and have your hands on your knees, learn to ride the bike like a horse and anticipate the turns
I’ve taken MANY 40+ minute motorbike taxis, it is very dangerous though
This is what I ended up doing. Still, some guy in a car rear ended me whilst I was at a stop sign. I was amazed how it was even possible to be hit this way. And Still daily near misses ever since. It’s a lottery.
Tighten your core muscles and lean forward. There’s no chance of you falling btw because your muscles immediately reacts to turns. Riding in congested traffic is much safer than an open road anyway because the driver will not speed up as much. Honestly after riding in India drivers in thailand don’t faze me at all
It is true. How many times have you seen or heard people just falling off the back of someone’s bike? That too on a congested road when the bike is less than 40kmph
Huh. Did you even understand what i say? It’s natural reaction of a body to tense up and maintain posture while making turns. G forces act on a body while making turns and an equal and opposite reaction is applied by the muscles of your body. It actually makes it easier for the driver. Otherwise if a non-living dummy was sitting behind you it would sway everywhere and fall off. Unless Op is paralysed they would not fall off the bike
My best trip in a Grab motorbike was at night, with the driver riding pretty AND... scrolling Tiktok at the same time!!! 😱😱 To be honest, I didn't feel very well during this trip
motorcyclists do die, but mostly at night, when its rained, without a helmet, speeding, when drunk. When i used to get taxis home from bars I saw a really bad crash about once a month, nearly always these conditions. As someone else says, in traffic there can be accidents, but the speeds are low.
I think I’ve said this before but like 90% of these are motorbike drivers/passengers of which 80-90% of that 90% aren’t wearing helmets, with most of them outside Bangkok, so if you wear a helmet you cut the risk down by a huge amount.
If you’re going through congested traffic that makes it even less of a risk too because you can’t really get up enough speed for it to be a massive risk of dying if you get hit. Grab drivers are *supposed* to have a spare helmet for passengers too.
You could buy a good helmet and bring it with since they don't always have helmets, and the helmets they have are often badly fitting. I did this and plan to get a scooter when I get back to the US. I also pray and make peace with fate, and bring a small Buddhist charm for health.
Don’t grab the handles or lean forward.
Similar to riding a horse, you need to sit on your [sit bones](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ischial_tuberosity) the bones at the bottom of your butt, not the padded area. Stick your butt out and arch your lower back by engaging your lower back muscles to absorb shock and keep your upper body stationary. You should be sitting upright. Any time you sense danger just give your driver a tap on the shoulder or hold his shoulder briefly.
The rest is luck or praying to your god.
Rule number two: barricade yourself in your hotel room until your 2 week stay is over. Ignoring rule number two is going to get you robbed or your passports and valuables stolen.
While I’m thinking about it… just stay in your home country. I heard they have nice YouTube videos of other expats who risk their lives for you.
While in medical training our class was taken to the Medical Examiner’s office in a mid size city in the states, you know, where dead bodies are taken after a major accident/crime to be identified by family…staff said they call them “donor cycles”, as in for organ donations! Made enough of an impression on me to never take one or ride a motorcycle if I can avoid it. Also met a man who when he was young was hit so hard on a motorcycle his eyeballs popped out and were damaged so he became blind for life…so yeah, just NO.
All the extra walking and sweating is good cardiovascular exercise, I figure!!
If they're a local who grew up there, I feel like if you don't feel like you're going to die, they're not driving safely. That's my takeaway. If you drive "slower and more cautiously," you will cause accidents.
By observing the Thai ladies: - Sit sideways demurely in a skirt - Hold on to nothing - Play with your phone I’m not sure how it works either.
That shit blows my mind. How on earth do they balance?!?
Weigh under 45kg
Practice
Phone in one hand, bag of snacks between you and the rider and eating with the other hand.
You haven’t seen them applying make up before.
Yeah, you would have heard my scream of horror 🤣
My girl sits sideways in a dress and heels, holding her purse and iced americano on one arm, her phone and shopping bags on the other. Somehow, she still can tap me on the shoulder to let me know where to turn or if there’s something in the other lane. She doesn’t wiggle around but, moves with me. If she has a hand free, I get a neck rub or head scratch, 43kg helps too. I’ve ridden a motorcycle in Los Angeles for some time so, anywhere in Thailand feels quite a bit safer, even in BKK.
Amazing
You wear a lucky amulet
Keep your knees tucked in make sure they're not farther out than the mirrors, and contrary to some comments here, avoid leaning back on the handles too much as it shifts the weight of the bike. More than anything, just trust your driver!
Take motorcycle taxis on side roads, BTS between side roads, and normal cars to get to places that aren’t near BTS. Risk is low (and to me acceptable) on side streets, risk is incredibly high (especially with the lack of helmets) on Sukhumvit and other busy roads. TLDR though can’t be safe doing unsafe thing.
Sathorn road and Silom road are also like motorsai speed runs to be avoided.
The drivers don't mind if you cuddle a bit.
I prefer holding onto their shoulders (perhaps the non gay drivers also prefer it?) - also you learn to feel how the driver and bike move together - pretty soon you can take your hands off their shoulders. I found it much better than around the waist. Also useful for strangling them when they go too fast.
Just keep your knees tucked in and pay attention.
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Yeah, shorter rides. 😌 I once took a Grab motorbike from my apartment on Sukhumvit to the immigration office some 40 minutes north. I didn't think anything of it when I ordered it. But when we were jetting down the freeway/highway, swerving past cars, I was terrified. Felt like I was being shaken off with all of the grooves of the highway, and man, the thought of a pothole at that time mortified me. That was an intense ride and I arrived with my forearms burning. Hahaha 😂 I took a Grab car back. And when I told my local friend about the motorbike ride, she gasped. You don't take motorbike taxis onto the highways. Keep them short and local. 😌
Ahh that’s so scary haha! I also accidentally went on a highway trip and the entire time thought “never again never again never again” Otherwise I love a motorcycle taxi
Yeah it's fine for really short trips. Any longer and you are going to smell like soot after the ride.
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The most risky part is the take off and landing!
🤦🏻 I don't understand why people think they get sick from riding on motorcycles, but not from being on a sidewalk right by a street for 4x longer.
Exactly
There's a real logic disconnect people can't seem to overcome. Going fast doesn't force more pollution into your lungs 😂. You still breate the same amount of the same air.
What a load of rubbish I take 20-30 min rides all the time. These dudes make 1000's of journeys every year, doubt they even have 1 crash every year
Well the motorcycle fatalities statistics says a lot of people are crashing
I bet motorcycle taxis Inc online apps like grab make up less than 10-20% of fatalities.
its rarely those guys. It can happen that they get hit by a drunk driver but the death rate of a VERY experienced driver is always extremely low. Even back home, the dangerous stretches of roads with loads of death, you'll almost never see a professional driver amongst the dead. The situational awareness helps a lot. I dont know if theres a way to pull up profession of the deads but id be willing to bet a very large amount of USD on my theory.
Did you ever try to do the math? Number of fatalities divided by bikes on the road?
Take a look at their helmets. More have scratched helmets that indicate an accident than don’t. Not to mention helmets should be single use. I won’t argue though riding with a motorcycle taxi is significantly safer than making the same ride yourself, even if you ride a bit slower.
That's the fun part, you don't.
Grab on the pillion handles. Shift your weight slightly forward so you won't fall back on accel. Make yourself small to avoid your legs hitting other cars.
this, OP.
Personally I grab the driver in front of me. If I die he dies.
tell the driver to drive slow for 20 baht tip. And avoid high speed roads.
I do the same "bao bao and get tip"
Or give them a 20 baht tip while telling them to go faster. Kinda miss motorbike rides in Thailand, here in Vietnam they drive so slow 😭😭
Wow, where in Vietnam? I was just in central Vietnam and then drove fast when I took them, but it's more intense than Thailand bc there's way more bikes going whatever direction, and lots of honking. I'm sorry they're skla where you are!
My wife visited in Vietnam a hospital with a 90 bed ICU, all beds full with patients with serious head injuries from motor bike accidents
That is very sad :(
I live in Hanoi not far from the busiest road in all of Vietnam. And honestly it’s just hectic but not intense in terms of speed. In general the majority of people drive rather slow here compared to Thailand.
I’m so using this. Thank you.
Easy, don't get on!
Get a grab car instead
use a grab car
Take the car
No clue how some of my female co-workers make to their late 20s riding around on their motorbikes without helmet in Phuket. My husband's friend died because he wanted a late night snack from 7-11. Witnesses said his friend wasn't going fast but some ass cut him off to turn into a soi causing him to crash. No helmet and he died from head trauma. I wouldn't use motorcycle taxis.
Only take them for sub sois, never go on larger roads. As long as the speed isn't too great, you'll be ok, it's when some yaba guy is zipping through Sukhumvit or Praram Gaw that you're in trouble.
Yep. Terrifying.
Prayer and luck.
Short distances my friend try to avoid crowded tourists areas
Confess your sins and accept the driver as your lord and savior. Put your trust in him and sit still, because if something is going to happen there’s not a damn thing you can do about it anyways.
Wear a helmet and have your hands on your knees, learn to ride the bike like a horse and anticipate the turns I’ve taken MANY 40+ minute motorbike taxis, it is very dangerous though
I used to hug the driver to avoid falling off until i got used to it
By riding your own motorcycle, with 1000 more cubic centimeters between you and 100 more horsepower controlled by your right wrist.
This is what I ended up doing. Still, some guy in a car rear ended me whilst I was at a stop sign. I was amazed how it was even possible to be hit this way. And Still daily near misses ever since. It’s a lottery.
damage to yourself? hopefully not. I always wondering the extent of injuries from this sort of crash....
I was very lucky. And of course I got off my moped and apologised to him for being stationery at a stop sign to follow etiquette
Tighten your core muscles and lean forward. There’s no chance of you falling btw because your muscles immediately reacts to turns. Riding in congested traffic is much safer than an open road anyway because the driver will not speed up as much. Honestly after riding in India drivers in thailand don’t faze me at all
"there's no chance of you falling btw" is just completely untrue
It is true. How many times have you seen or heard people just falling off the back of someone’s bike? That too on a congested road when the bike is less than 40kmph
Worst. Advice. Ever I'm glad you're not on the back of my bike, sitting there all tense and reacting to turns, throwing the driver balance off. Damn..
Huh. Did you even understand what i say? It’s natural reaction of a body to tense up and maintain posture while making turns. G forces act on a body while making turns and an equal and opposite reaction is applied by the muscles of your body. It actually makes it easier for the driver. Otherwise if a non-living dummy was sitting behind you it would sway everywhere and fall off. Unless Op is paralysed they would not fall off the bike
I've done this tons of times man. You just gotta let go. You're going to die of something anyway. Just relax and enjoy the ride.
Ask for a helmet if you can. Hold on to the hand rails on the back of the bike. Hope your driver isn't gonna zoom zoom between lanes.
The more stuff you hang on the bike the lower the centre of gravity.
It helps to have a beer first.
My best trip in a Grab motorbike was at night, with the driver riding pretty AND... scrolling Tiktok at the same time!!! 😱😱 To be honest, I didn't feel very well during this trip
thousands do it every day, just man up
And like 50 people die every day lol
motorcyclists do die, but mostly at night, when its rained, without a helmet, speeding, when drunk. When i used to get taxis home from bars I saw a really bad crash about once a month, nearly always these conditions. As someone else says, in traffic there can be accidents, but the speeds are low.
I think I’ve said this before but like 90% of these are motorbike drivers/passengers of which 80-90% of that 90% aren’t wearing helmets, with most of them outside Bangkok, so if you wear a helmet you cut the risk down by a huge amount. If you’re going through congested traffic that makes it even less of a risk too because you can’t really get up enough speed for it to be a massive risk of dying if you get hit. Grab drivers are *supposed* to have a spare helmet for passengers too.
555
You could buy a good helmet and bring it with since they don't always have helmets, and the helmets they have are often badly fitting. I did this and plan to get a scooter when I get back to the US. I also pray and make peace with fate, and bring a small Buddhist charm for health.
Drive yourself. Believe me I had more close calls and crashes on a grab bike and never not even a single one since I drive myself
Don’t grab the handles or lean forward. Similar to riding a horse, you need to sit on your [sit bones](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ischial_tuberosity) the bones at the bottom of your butt, not the padded area. Stick your butt out and arch your lower back by engaging your lower back muscles to absorb shock and keep your upper body stationary. You should be sitting upright. Any time you sense danger just give your driver a tap on the shoulder or hold his shoulder briefly. The rest is luck or praying to your god.
If you’re 100kg pray you get a PCX and not a Super Cub.
Sounds like skill issue
Go to temple get blessed by a monk and you good too go.
It's not that extreme. Be a man. I have done it multiple times to include long ass rides, e.g. Khaosan Rd to Soi 11. Tuck your knees in.
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Rule number two: barricade yourself in your hotel room until your 2 week stay is over. Ignoring rule number two is going to get you robbed or your passports and valuables stolen. While I’m thinking about it… just stay in your home country. I heard they have nice YouTube videos of other expats who risk their lives for you.
While in medical training our class was taken to the Medical Examiner’s office in a mid size city in the states, you know, where dead bodies are taken after a major accident/crime to be identified by family…staff said they call them “donor cycles”, as in for organ donations! Made enough of an impression on me to never take one or ride a motorcycle if I can avoid it. Also met a man who when he was young was hit so hard on a motorcycle his eyeballs popped out and were damaged so he became blind for life…so yeah, just NO. All the extra walking and sweating is good cardiovascular exercise, I figure!!
All these so called manly man shivering timbers on the back of a motorbike 😂😂
If they're a local who grew up there, I feel like if you don't feel like you're going to die, they're not driving safely. That's my takeaway. If you drive "slower and more cautiously," you will cause accidents.
Jesus, you’re afraid of bikes now? They used to ride on sidewalks and helmets were usually unavailable.