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matdebat
11th January 2007, 10:08
Just got home from a 2 week bike trip around Cambodia with a mate. We hired honda XR250 Baja's for US$15 a day, hotels range from US$10-30 with air conditioning, own bathrooms and cable TV. Excellent way to get around as the weather is great for it and theres a mixture of sealed and dirt roads depending on the route you take. Bokor Hill Station not to be missed if happen to venture that way. Is dusty though so be prepared to get dirty.

NighthawkNZ
11th January 2007, 10:12
Kewl look forward to afull write up with pics... ;) :innocent:

Squeak the Rat
11th January 2007, 10:33
Good stuff! Man that's cheap too. Pics please :yes:

matdebat
11th January 2007, 10:53
http://picasaweb.google.com/matspictures

Squeak the Rat
11th January 2007, 10:55
Nice pics dude.

Any problems with the bikes? Repairs etc?

matdebat
11th January 2007, 11:08
one bike had bearing problems in rear wheel, cost US$4 to fix on the spot.
Other bike had front brakes rattle to bits on a particular rough road, carried on to next town where they fixed for US$6, inlcuding parts and labour.

They have scooters and motobikes everywhere so theres an abundance of places to get things fixed and although they don't speak much english outside of the main centres they certainly look as though they know what they are doing and will drop everything to help. Had all required parts in stock also which surprised me. You can buy petrol from roadside stalls (in old coke bottles) every km or so theres no chance of running out. Most towns also have major service stations like Caltex etc

skelstar
11th January 2007, 11:54
Man that looks like fun. Pretty cheap too, makes riding around Aus look like a VERY expensive proposition.

NighthawkNZ
11th January 2007, 12:00
http://picasaweb.google.com/matspictures

some great pics there... kewl... I been want to do something like that but... :( $$$

Alice
11th January 2007, 14:06
Enjoyed your photos. I love the pics of the Banyan ? trees (Sacred tree) or Ficus ? and the roots growing over the Temples ? / buildings. I could almost feel the heat and humidity and the dust and dirt sticking to yu sweaty skin looking at them.

I've experienced the petrol thing in Indonesia as well, after arriving yu pull up to a small roadside stall and buy a glass coke bottle of petrol from the line of bottles sitting neatly in a row on a shelf, and then with a 4 wheel drive, yu proceed to pour half it down the side cause there are no funnells and the angles all wrong to try to empty it into the tank without spilling a good portion. After that discovered there are service stations with pumps, but learn to jump out and make sure thay are set on 0.

clint640
11th January 2007, 14:15
Great stuff! Gunna have to give that a go one day.

A couple of q's: what company did you hire the bikes off? recommend them? What guidebook/maps did you use to find your way around?

Cheers
Clint

zeRax
11th January 2007, 16:29
you did the massive writeup on adv rider forum?

awesome pictures, took me so long to go through the thread

sAsLEX
11th January 2007, 16:42
you did the massive writeup on adv rider forum?

awesome pictures, took me so long to go through the thread

li nk?

zeRax
11th January 2007, 16:54
http://www.advrider.com/forums/showthread.php?t=176018&highlight=cambodia


on reflection i think its someone else that did the same thing, very cool o_O a must do oneday

tipper
11th January 2007, 17:36
I tried this in Vietnam (just over the hill) but found it almost impossible to hire anything but scooters :scooter: for round town running; used buses between towns. Everyone there was a 'motorcycle mecahnic' of some type, every second doorway has scooters in bits or tyres being fixed. Where did you hire the bikes from - I am going up next summer (easier temps in their winter)

kevfromcoro
11th January 2007, 18:11
if u are interessted in riding ..asia.goto www.gt-rider .com..lots of help there.its a site about riding in north thailand..and border crossings.most of the people can speak english....there are some good pics...and a lot of advice....worth a look ...have been there..dont have to kit up like we do....its hot......bit of motocross gear ..and u are safe..well..riding in thailand is a bit different from here.....lot more hazzards,,,if we havent got enough...enjoy the freedom of biking..no matter wot u ride........Ride safe KEV

matdebat
12th January 2007, 09:18
the rental guys we used and would recommend are
http://www.adventure-moto.com/index.htm

There are quite number of places to rent in Phnom Pehn (capital) and some can be almost half the price (US$8-10 a day) but you never quite know how sound the bikes are and we got told by quite a few people to go for the western rental shops (theres a number of French, Ausie ones in addition to the americans we used above). It just makes it easier to communicate and they can give some good advice on where to go (and not to go) and what some of the local customs are. The police over there often pick on tourists because they now they extract spot fines of $5-$20 for silly things like riding with your headlights on during the day. You also can't legally hire bikes in Siem Reap or Sihanoukville so you need to organise it in Phnom Pehn.

As far as planning goes, we used the lonely planet to work out a basic route based on the time frames and then the guys from Adventure-Moto helped us refine it and choose exactly which roads to take. From there we simply brought a local map (large fold out type) that I kept stuck between the tank and seat for quck access and all else was sweet. The roads are actually quite well sign posted and in english also. The main roads are almost all sealed so this helps you know if you are on the right road or not.

Theres still the odd landmine in Cambodia so venturing off clearly travelled tracks etc is not advisable unless you have a guide. And hardly any english is spoken outside the main areas so if you are planning on going rural a GPS would be advisable as the locals won't be off much help if you get lost. Having said that there are some great sights and non frequented temples off the beaten trails so its worth making the effort if you have the time and want a real adventure.

tipper
12th January 2007, 09:51
yeah, try getting a SEA local to read a map can be impossible, many have never seen a map, andtheir world has about a 20km radius.

MyGSXF
12th January 2007, 10:08
Awesome photos dude!!! :Punk: what a hell of a fab experience!!! :yes:

clint640
12th January 2007, 10:51
the rental guys we used and would recommend are
http://www.adventure-moto.com/index.htm
.

Thanks for that :niceone: In a year or 2 once my g/f has enough riding experience I can definitely see a trip there happening.

Cheers
Clint