Wrangler Harley-Davidson Open Day In Pattaya

To anyone who missed the Wrangler Harley-Davidson Open Day in June... you missed one hell of an event! To explain: long time ex-pat Mike Allison has finally opened his Harley-Davidson showroom, located in Duck Square on South Pattaya road. To celebrate Mike had planned to lay on a few beers, provide some light refreshments, spin a few cd's and invite some of Pattaya's biking fraternity round for the evening.

What actually happened is the 'ol jungle drums started banging about 2 weeks before the event, bike clubs from far and wide heard what was going on, many clubs and individuals approached Mike about having a trade stand, talk started about setting up a stage and having some bands strut their stuff and what eventually happened can only be described as one of the best parties we've seen for a long time! Must've been at least 300 motorcycles turn up from various well known clubs, little known clubs, huge clubs and individual riders, on machines as diverse as full dressers, hot rods, sport tourers, race bikes, trial bikes, rat bikes and even a couple of mini bikes!

You could stroll up and down ogling some beautiful lines and curves both in steel and chrome or leather, denim and heels, catch up on the latest buzz from friends you usually only see once a year at Chiang Mai Bike Week, indulge to your heart's (and stomach's) content with Big Joe's burgers and sausages, down some ice cold tinnies, buy an extremely colourful t-shirt from John's Rock 'n Ride stall or a very flash riding shirt (long sleeves, ok?) from the Nagas MC stall, listen to Lam Morrison belting it out on stage and maybe make Mike's day and put a down payment on a fully dressed Road King or a lean mean Sportster machine! Well done Mike for pulling what was a really enjoyable evening out of the hat... more next year please! The website for the shop is here.

Last week I got my Big Blue Pig ('88 H-D Electra Glide Sport) back from Ed at Hot Rod where she'd been having a bit of a make over: re-bore, new pistons, rings, valves, re-wire, new mufflers, re-style the back end, new seat etc. Wow, what a change! What a babe! I think I'll have to re-name her now.... something like Sexy Sapphire Sow!

Amazing how you can transform the look of a bike by not doing too much at all... little bit added here, whip this off, change that there and away you go! I suppose it's the same as car drivers enhancing their mechanical mia noi's by adding, oh, I dunno... fluffy dice and a vinyl roof? Spoilers and flared wheel arches maybe? Anyway, I digress... I decided to start the "running-in" process with a short trip down to Laem Mae Phim on the coast in Rayong with some pals 'n gals from the Nagas MC, where we spent a wonderful Saturday sitting in one of the numerous and extremely good seafood restaurants right on the beach, watching live Rugby on the box and ordering a steady stream of the most delicious "ahan talay" and various liquid refreshments from 2 in the afternoon 'till late... very late! So good that at the end of it all I'd even forgiven the 2 Kiwi's with us for their All Blacks stuffing our Lions once again, for the second week running, by 36 points to very little!

Oh well. We were staying at the Lom Talay Chalet Resort (038 638 124) which is right on the beach next to the row of aforementioned restaurants, and all I can say to anyone who wants to get away for a short break for a bit of peace "n quiet and gorgeous food is... go for it! The place is so easy to get to, takes only 90 minutes but is a world away from this wild west frontier town we call home!

This month we are hopefully going to do what I call the "Eastern Seaboard loop": that is riding south and east toward Chantaburi, then following the Thai/Khmer border north toward Aranyaprathet, then west past Sa Kaew towards Phanom Sarakham and finally south back into Chonburi and home. I have already "recce'd" the first night's stop... a nice new and clean bungalow resort on a deserted strip of beach at Laem Sadet near Chantaburi where I am assured "cook" will be on call till 10 at night and yes, they have plenty of the 'ol amber nectar!

The Saturday will probably be spent having a slow "sightseeing" tour of Soi Dao National Park & Wildlife Sanctuary and the numerous waterfalls in the area, then overnight somewhere in the Aranyaprathet area (anyone out there have any hotel recommendations? Answers on a postcard please). Sunday to be spent in the markets of that border town and then home in the afternoon. Interested?

Well, get in touch, come to a club meeting, meet the gang, see if you like us, fire up the bike (touring machines over 600cc only, please), plant the missus on the pillion and come along!
Right, that's enough, see ya 'round town and don't forget... if I piss anyone off with anything I write, the views are mine alone and not the club I ride with. 

PS. 12 dead at the Isle Of Man TT last month: where do these people learn to ride... Pattaya? And the un-luckiest one of 'em all... ploughed straight into an ambulance!