Motorcycle trip

Thailand

Our Thailand motorcycle tours start at $2,290 per rider for the 7-day Best of Northern Thailand, $3,890 for the 12-day Northern Thailand Getaway, and $4,290 for the 12-day Thailand & Laos: Along the Mekong. A passenger pays $1,890, $3,290 and $3,490 respectively.

The price covers the Royal Enfield with fuel, spare parts and third-party insurance, hotels, half board on riding days, an English-speaking tour leader, a cultural guide, a Royal Enfield mechanic, the support vehicle and the airport transfers. Flights, visa fees, dinners, drinks, tips and your travel insurance are yours to arrange. You also leave a refundable security deposit for the motorcycle, and a one-time $45 registration fee applies to your first trip with us. You secure your spot with a 50% deposit.

All three tours start and finish in Chiang Mai and stay in the mountains of the north, where the best riding roads in Thailand are.

The Best of Northern Thailand (7 days, around 500 miles) is the short one: Chiang Dao, Tha Ton, the Golden Triangle and Chiang Rai. It works well if you only have one week of vacation, or if this is your first motorcycle tour in Asia.

Northern Thailand Getaway (12 days, around 1,050 miles) is the full loop. It takes in the Mae Hong Son loop and its hundreds of curves, Pai, the Golden Triangle, Chiang Rai, then the quiet provinces of Nan and Lampang that most visitors never reach.

Thailand & Laos: Along the Mekong (12 days, around 1,090 miles) crosses the river into Laos and rides to Luang Prabang before coming back to Chiang Mai. Choose it if you want two countries in one trip.

Yes. Thailand & Laos: Along the Mekong leaves Chiang Mai, crosses the border at Chiang Khong and rides through northern Laos: Luang Namtha, Nong Khiaw, Luang Prabang, Sayaboury and Pakbeng, before returning to Thailand. We handle the border crossing for the motorcycles, and the same tour leader and mechanic ride with you on both sides. If Laos is your main interest, take a look at our motorcycle tours in Laos.

No shipping, no separate rental. You ride one of our own Royal Enfields, based in Chiang Mai: we keep a fleet of Classic 350s and a fleet of Himalayan 450s there, and your travel advisor tells you which model runs on your departure. The motorcycle is prepared by our mechanic, with fuel, spare parts and third-party insurance included. Both suit Thai mountain roads well: light in the curves, easy to handle in villages and unhurried enough to take in the scenery.

We do not rent motorcycles on their own. Every departure is a guided tour with a tour leader, a mechanic and a support vehicle.

Our Thailand tours are rated Intermediate. You ride mainly on small paved back roads, with 5 to 6 hours in the saddle every day and some stretches of rolling dirt, so you need a motorcycle endorsement, regular riding practice and decent fitness. The Mae Hong Son loop alone is famous for its 1,864 curves.

Thailand drives on the left. Most American riders settle in within the first morning, and the tour leader sets the pace at the front while you get used to it. Passengers are welcome, one per motorcycle. If you are unsure about your level, tell your travel advisor how and where you usually ride and they will point you to the right tour.

November through February. This is the cool, dry season in northern Thailand: clear skies, mild days in the mountains and crisp mornings, with the rice fields still green early in the season. Our departures run from October or November to February, and into March for the tour that continues to Laos. We do not ride during the monsoon, from June to September, nor at the peak of the hot season.

Every tour starts and ends in Chiang Mai. You book your own flight, so you choose your departure city and fare, and we meet you at Chiang Mai airport and drive you to the hotel. From the US you will connect at least once, usually through Bangkok or another Asian hub, so plan to land a day early if you can: the first riding day is better without jet lag.

Bring your passport, your state driver’s license with motorcycle endorsement and an International Driving Permit that covers motorcycles. Check the entry rules for US citizens on travel.state.gov before you book, and take out travel insurance that covers medical costs and repatriation when riding a motorcycle abroad: it is mandatory on our tours.

A Vintage Rides tour leader who knows the route, an English-speaking cultural guide, and a Royal Enfield mechanic. A support vehicle carries your luggage and follows the group from four participants upward; on smaller groups the motorcycles are fitted with luggage racks. Groups are limited to 10 motorcycles, so the pace stays relaxed and nobody gets lost at the back.