Motorcycle Rental in Phuket

Who actually needs a motorcycle here

Motorcycles are taken by people who already ride at home. Not to try it, but to carry on: the same skill, different asphalt, and the traffic on the other side of the road. If you have that experience, Phuket gives it back with interest, because the island has plenty of sections where you want to ride rather than simply travel.

The route that justifies the whole business starts outside the beach zone. The pass between Kathu and Patong, the coast road north towards Bang Tao, the run over the Sarasin bridge to the mainland in the direction of Khao Lak and Phang Nga: that is where an engine with real torque stops being an indulgence.

Where it loses to a scooter

Inside Patong or Kata a motorcycle is a nuisance: narrow lanes, dense rows of parked bikes, constant stopping and starting. The scooter wins on every count there, with its automatic transmission, the space under the seat and a weight you can push into a gap one handed. If the trip amounts to the beach and dinner, the motorcycle will spend its holiday parked.

What the tropics do to the machine

Humidity holds all year and the sea is never far, so the first things to give up are the parts that are not painted: chain, sprockets, brake calipers, connectors. At the handover look at the chain before anything else, because a dry, rust coloured chain says more about the owner than the odometer does.

Tyres live their own life on this island. The asphalt is hot and a soft compound wears quickly, but on a wet road the picture flips: after the first rain a film of dust and oil lifts off the surface and grip drops away sharply. A motorcycle is more honest than a scooter on that film, though it also carries more speed onto it.

Brakes and long descents

The real load on Phuket is not speed, it is the descents. The passes are short but steep, and on a sustained downhill the front brake heats up until it stops biting. Use the engine, bring in the rear brake, and do not hang on the lever the whole way down. That is the habit the island tests on your second day.

There is no air conditioning, and there is a great deal of sun. A straight road at midday tires you more than a traffic jam does, and dehydration on a bike registers as fatigue rather than thirst. Water in the backpack solves that completely.

Who this class is not for

A beginner. Learning to ride a motorcycle in a country with left hand traffic, tropical rain and a dense stream of scooters is a poor plan, and experienced riders say so first. Start with an automatic scooter in a quiet district and leave the passes for the next trip.

Anyone whose licence does not carry category A. An International Driving Permit confirms the categories you hold at home, it does not add new ones. If you only drive a car at home, you have taken the motorcycle unlawfully, and in an accident the insurance part of the conversation closes immediately.

Families with a child, and anyone who plans to carry shopping. A motorcycle takes no luggage at all, a child cannot be carried on it, and a trip to the market turns into a problem involving a rucksack.

About the passenger

An adult passenger is fine, but only with a second full face helmet and closed shoes. Flip flops on the pillion pegs cause the most common injury on the island: the foot slides off and lands against a hot exhaust.

Where to leave a motorcycle

Two-wheeler parking is marked almost everywhere on Phuket: at beaches, malls, markets and temples. Look for the white and yellow markings and a row of scooters, and that is the place. A red and white kerb means no parking at any hour, and in the tourist districts removal is not an idle threat.

A motorcycle is longer than a scooter, so on a crowded area it goes at the end of the row. Turn the front wheel towards the kerb on any slope and put something flat under the side stand: on softened hot asphalt the stand sinks and the bike goes over on its own.

Overnight the machine belongs under a roof on the property where you are staying. That is not only about security. A tropical storm with wind drives water into the electrics, and dew combined with sea salt does its own work within a week.

• White and yellow markings mean two-wheeler parking
• Red and white kerb means no stopping at any hour
• Something flat under the stand on hot asphalt
• Front wheel towards the kerb on a slope
• Under a roof overnight, not out in the open

Documents, insurance and the roadside stop

You carry two documents: your national licence and the International Driving Permit that goes with it. A photograph on the phone is not accepted, they ask for originals. A copy of your passport is useful too, while the passport itself is better left in the safe, because losing it on a motorcycle would be a particularly bitter way to lose it.

The compulsory insurance under Thai law covers injury to third parties and stops there. Everything concerning the machine itself is agreed with the rental separately, and the question about the excess is asked in writing before the booking rather than on the forecourt at handover.

How a stop plays out

The post stands at the entrance to a district or by a large roundabout. You are waved down, and they look at the helmet, the licence and the papers for the machine. Stop straight away and switch the engine off. A fine is written on a receipt, paid at a station or through a bank, and the counterfoil is worth keeping until the end of the trip.

If you know which passes you want and which days you want them, tell us in advance so the right class of machine is ready. Write on WhatsApp with your dates and your riding experience, or Telegram if you prefer, and say whether you intend to cross to the mainland.