Twists, Tales, and Small-Displacement Motorcycles: Pai to Mae Hong Son
We continue on the Mae Hong Son loop to the town itself, Mae Hong Son. Each day on this loop is more astounding than the last.
We woke to grey skies and the splatter of rain on the roof. We looked at each other and the same thought ran through our heads. We were high in the northern mountains on twisty roads. Scooters are fantastic machines, but little wheels make for nimbleness, not stability. Wet roads do not assist in the matter. And we had a long way to go. At least, I think that’s the thought that ran through Dalma’s mind. It’s hard to tell without the bracing agent of caffeine in the brain behind the eyes.
I hastened to acquire this drug and enable her addiction. Pai is one of the hotbeds of the nascent Thai coffee industry, and there were several local drug pushers, I mean, coffee shops that looked promising. I chose one, made my purchase, and hastened back bearing the magical elixir that would enable the woman I adored to emerge from a sleepy version of Grumpy Cat.
We checked the rain forecasts. It seemed the rain was settled in for the morning. We were only doing a few hours that day, continuing along the Mae Hong Son loop to the titular town, Mae Hong Son. So we settled in for a few hours. I caught up with some writing and Dalma with some reading.
I haven’t yet mentioned my love affair with low-displacement motorcycles, so this pause in the proceedings seems as good a time as any. While most motorcyclists love nothing better than twisting the throttle of an Africa Twin or BMW R1250, they’re not for me. The largest motorbike I’ve ever owned was a 2007 Honda Shadow, a 700cc, 42hp cruiser named Veronica. She was a great bike, easy to ride, and with this deep growl in her engine note. And surprisingly nimble for a cruiser. But I got her when I was moving from cruisers to adventure bikes, and eventually, I wasn’t riding her much. Enter Billie the 400cc, 24hp Himalayan. I bought her new in 2021 and have since put a respectable 40,000km on her. Here in Thailand, we’re on 160cc scooters, and I couldn’t be happier. They’re chirpy, buzzy little bikes that will do steep hills at 70kph and overtake with seeming ease. All my life I’ve been fascinated with getting as much as I can out of what I have. As a musician, I was always fascinated with getting as much as I could out of small ensembles, string quartets rather than orchestras, rhythm section and three horns rather than a big band. I guess this carries over to motorcycles. I don’t see the point of spending $40k on a Harley or big adventure bike when I can get there nearly as fast and easily on Billie or a rented PCX160. To me, big adventure bikes are easy. Twist the throttle and you go fast quickly. There’s more skill involved in smaller bikes. Although I have to admit, some days here at the end of many hours riding, my ass wished for a more comfortable seat.
Eventually, the skies cleared, and the roads dried. By eleven, we thought to set off. We strapped our bags, twisted the throttle, and hit the road. And my god, if I thought yesterday’s ride was spectacular, this was another order. The roads were much less busy and in better condition, though no less twisty. The scenery comprised magnificent vistas, high steep mountains seen from the top one moment, and 10km later from the bottom. At one point, we stopped at a lookout to use the facilities (5 baht, thank you very much), and the fog came in, rolling majestically over the hilltops. I was in awe. Dalma barely noticed as she’d found a cat to pat.
Our journey resumed with an unexpected hiccup – Dalma’s scooter was nearly out of fuel. We’d both intended to ride PCXs as they had the larger eight-litre tank, but one of the bikes owned by the rental company had been stolen in Chiang Mai, and she’d ended up on the Click 160 with its five-litre tank. This meant she ran out of petrol a long way before me. While pondering this development, we passed a roadside stall which advertised petrol. We stopped. It was run by a sharp-eyed woman who sold us petrol in glass bottles at a 250% markup. It was a small price to pay for the continuation of our adventure, though that philosophy didn’t help much when we passed a series of petrol stations a kilometre later.
The roads and hills continued to mesmerise me, leading almost up to the outskirts of Mae Hong Son. Upon arrival at our modest accommodation, we quickly unpacked and went to explore the town. We began with a stroll to a cozy wooden bar with excellent food and cold beer. We then walked to the Walking Street, that started near a local temple. We bought some fresh strawberries and took photos. Nearby, a tent hosted a series of Thai singers performing alongside unenthusiastic dancing girls. The performances were incomprehensible to us but evidently enjoyed by others. We then wandered home via a Seven-11 to get breakfast for the following day. We had to ride to Mae Sariang the next day. It was our last section on the Mae Hong Son loop, and we were determined to enjoy it.
