Siam International Bike Week 2009

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Siam International Bike Week 2009 
The Nation: 11 Oct 2009
EDITOR'S PICK
Leaders of the pack

By Kitchana Lersakvanitchakul

Harley-Davidsons old and new fly the flag at the first Siam International Bike Week

Bike events are not new to Thailand - indeed the Phuket and Chiang Mai Bike Shows have been drawing vast numbers of motorbike enthusiasts for years, as have smaller events in other cities all over the country.

Now downtown Bangkok gets to host an event, with Siam International Bike Week 2009 all set to rev its Harley-Davidson engines on November 28 in Siam Square.

"Motorcycle events have been organised for more than 10 years but they tend to be domestic affairs and sponsored by one or more motorcycle brands. This is the first time an entire event is being devoted to Harley-Davidson and its international image," says Chaiyaphat "Aor" Chanvilai, founder and managing director of architectural company Jomsubhan and organiser of the Bike Week.

"If our event were to be included on the annual World Calendar of Motorcycle events, Harley-Davidson bikers from all over the world would automatically come along.

"Last year's Phuket Bike Week drew foreign enthusiasts from Malaysia, Singapore, Indonesia, the Philippines and Brunei. We even had bikers from Saudi Arabia who deplaned in Singapore and rode up to Phuket. I'm really hoping they'll come to Bangkok. I'd also like to see bikers from Japan participating in our event."

The Harley Owners Group says its global membership currently stands at 1.3 million. Established by Harley-Davidson in 1983, the group kicked off with a few thousand customers keen to share their passion and show off their precious motorcycles. By 1985, membership had increased to more than 60,000 and in 2006, it passed the one million mark.

Chaiyaphat, who won Bt1 million on Channel 3's reality quiz show "Atchariya Kham Khuen" ("One Night Genius") three years ago, says there are about 10,000 Harley-Davidson owners in the Kingdom alone and that he's expecting more than 3,000 local and international bikers to turn out for this first event.

"I think Siam Square is an ideal venue," he says. "It's accessible by Skytrain and near major shopping centres Siam Paragon, Mah Boonkrong and Central World, so we'll draw the crowds. Most importantly, it's suitable for the bikers.

"I initially intended to block off several sois in Siam Square but in the end, settled for just sois 2 and 3 because of budget limitations,"

Chaiyaphat, who is spending Bt6 million on his dream, says visitors and participants will be able to enjoy a wealth of activities on the day. These include the "Ride for the King", an "Asawin" (Knight of the King) exhibition with speeches by the honorary bikers, several Harley-Davidson booths, a concert, a Miss Siam International Bike Week contest and a Mr Young At Heart competition. There'll also be Harley-Davidson contests for "Best of Classic Bike", "Best of Custom Bike", "Best of Stock Bike" and "Best of Character", plus a Hall of Fame Award.

"The exhibition should feature eight 'Asawin' motorcycles, among them the Shovelhead 1973, and the Electra Glide Police 1200cc, which was named by His Majesty the King. The Hall of Fame award will go to a Harley Davidson rider who has brought honour and fame to his country."

Those who are planning on spending the day at the event might want to snap up one of the 5,000 tickets for the lucky draw. While pricey at Bt883 a pop, the winner does take home a Harley-Davidson Sportster Iron 883cc worth Bt658,000.

"It is the new and smallest Harley-Davidson bike from America," explains Chaiyaphat, who's been riding a Harley-Davidson for 15 years and currently owns a Screamin' Eagle Ultra Classic, priced at Bt1.8 million.

"I used to own a Softtail Sportster but these days a Touring class bike better suits my needs.

"Our country has some of the best motorcycle routes in the world and the roads are good in several provinces. I especially enjoy riding from Chokchai Farm to Lamtakong in Nakhon Ratchasima; the scenery is incredibly picturesque," concludes Chaiyaphat, who's a member of the Immortals Thailand Motorcycle Club.



Revved up and roaring

The Siam International Bike Week takes place on November 28 from 8am to midnight in Siam Square, Bangkok.

Call (02) 941 8384 or visit www.SiamInternationalBikeWeek.com.

Upcoming bike events

NOVEMBER 2009

14-15: Lampang Bike Week

21: Sisaket Bike Week

21: Ayutthaya Bike Week

27-28: Nonthaburi Bike Week

27-28: Bang Saen Bike Week

DECEMBER 2009

3-4: Phitsanulok Bike Week

4-5: Hua Hin Bike Week

5-6: Chiang Mai Bike Week

12: Saraburi Bike Week

12: Sakon Nakhon Bike Week

19 Dec: Thong Pha Phum Bike Week

26 Dec: Chainat Bike Week

[Lourens]

"Our country has some of the best motorcycle routes in the world and the roads are good in several places provinces. I especially enjoy riding from Chokchai Farm to Lamtakong in Nakhon Ratchasima;...

...would be a better word actually.

I just returned to Bangkok from a trip to Buriram on the weekend and saw a large group of motorcycles heading towards Bangkok. Among them were several 3-wheeled vehicles (two wheels front and one rear - like a samlor??), low to the ground and moving at an incredible pace. Has anyone seen these before? I was just wondering if they were home-made or could you buy them like that. And what are they?? Too bad I could not get a picture.

[dave the dude]

"Our country has some of the best motorcycle routes in the world and the roads are good in several places provinces. I especially enjoy riding from Chokchai Farm to Lamtakong in Nakhon Ratchasima;...

...would be a better word actually.

I just returned to Bangkok from a trip to Buriram on the weekend and saw a large group of motorcycles heading towards Bangkok. Among them were several 3-wheeled vehicles (two wheels front and one rear - like a samlor??), low to the ground and moving at an incredible pace. Has anyone seen these before? I was just wondering if they were home-made or could you buy them like that. And what are they?? Too bad I could not get a picture.

They are probably custom trikes. the custom chopper scene is quite big in Thailand.

On a related point, please note that a 'Bike Week' does not mean it last 7 days. Its quite normal to be a 2 day show. 
They havn't discovered the word 'event' yet, me thinks.

Dave(biker again  )

[Lourens]

"Our country has some of the best motorcycle routes in the world and the roads are good in several places provinces. I especially enjoy riding from Chokchai Farm to Lamtakong in Nakhon Ratchasima;...

...would be a better word actually.

I just returned to Bangkok from a trip to Buriram on the weekend and saw a large group of motorcycles heading towards Bangkok. Among them were several 3-wheeled vehicles (two wheels front and one rear - like a samlor??), low to the ground and moving at an incredible pace. Has anyone seen these before? I was just wondering if they were home-made or could you buy them like that. And what are they?? Too bad I could not get a picture.

They are probably custom trikes. the custom chopper scene is quite big in Thailand.

On a related point, please note that a 'Bike Week' does not mean it last 7 days. Its quite normal to be a 2 day show. 
They havn't discovered the word 'event' yet, me thinks.

Dave(biker again  )

I went to the MotoExpo in Bangkok on the weekend and saw what I saw on the road some time ago. It's an American made BRP Can-Am Spyder powered by a 990 Rotax V-Twin. Available now in Thailand at the bargain price of only 1.75 million  Baht!

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The 2nd Bangkok Motorbike Festival 2010

The 2nd Bangkok Motorbike Festival 2010 has taken place over the last four days at the city's vast CentralWorld mall, with an array of motorbikes and accessory booths lining the numerous gleaming aisles of shopping center while even more bikes and related activities filled up the vast deck outside. The theme of this year's second edition, the first running in fact took place here almost exactly a year ago, is Sense of Journey, reflecting the event's emphasis on conveying the unfettered joys of biking to the many casual visitors thrust into the event simply due its favourable location.

Running from 28-31 January, the 2nd Bangkok Motorbike Festival 2010 is the concept of Nattaboon and Nattapon Trinathy, two brothers and motorbike enthusiasts who dreamed up this event. "We got good feedback from the 1st Bangkok Motorbike Festival 2009 from both bikers and people who came to join the event," they said, and this positive reaction to the inaugural event drove their efforts to make this year's even bigger and better. The importers of eight globally-renown motorbike brands - Ducati, Harley-Davidson, Triumph, BMW, Sachs, Honda, KTM and Yamaha - formed the centrepiece of 2nd Bangkok Motorbike Festival 2010 and they set up flashy booths to show off their extensive and diverse product ranges, alongside more stands from tuners, customisers and classic bike firms, with these including: Ultimate Custom Bike, Chopper, Sport, Touring, Big Scooter, Naked and Motorcross, while Vintage Bike Thailand rolled out fondly-remembered historic machines. Dotted in amongst all these booths were spaces devoted to accessories, clothing, leathers and components.

Most of these booths were set up on the first floor, zig-zagging up and down the aisles that stretch from the Zen department store on one side of the CentralWorld mall to the similar Isetan on the other side. In between the stands significant bikes were lined up in rows and on the ascending floors above there were even more bikes, arrayed in focused clusters, on display. It all added up to a rambling walk around the mall, taking in the world of motorcycling around each turn. Harley-Davidson seems to be the bike in most favour with Thais, its stand was big, bright, brash and very busy, and as well as the official booth, there were highly customised and chome-polished examples of these legendary American machines to be seen just about everywhere. A 'Harley' cannot be easily missed and its rich diversity was clear for all to see. The famous orange-and-black colours of KTM were in evidence: its stand was washed in this corporate ID; while the beauty and style of the machines that emanate from Italy's evocative Ducati meant its products were quite unmistakable and pretty much unrivalled. With retro-to-modern bikes, the British Triumph brand's booth also made a big splash, although Honda, situated right opposite and with one of the best spaces in the house, turned out a pretty anonymous booth, although several attractive pretties helped to keep visitor attention focused. MotoGP legend Valentino Rossi seems to be popular in just about any place on the planet and Bangkok appears to be little different: there was a booth stacked with array of helmets for sale in the many - and often outrageous - designs he has sported, while elsewhere there were Yamaha bikes dressed in the red, white and blue livery of the factory Fiat Yamaha Team, sporting the famous number 46 as well as the 99 of team mate Jorge Lorenzo, who in fact visited this city last autumn.