Where to learn to ride a motorbike?

fwiw if you're already learning bicycle balance you're way ahead of most farangs who start on bikes. the real trick is finding a quiet soi in a housing estate during weekday afternoons, places like Muang Thong Thani have empty streets between 1-3pm when everyone's at work. grab a cheap secondhand Honda Wave from a shop on Charan Sanit Wong, they usually go for like 15-20k baht and the clutch is super forgiving. just stick to soi driving for a week before hitting main roads, the traffic on Petchaburi will scare the hell out of you if you rush it

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honestly just get a cheap honda wave or something similar and practice in a big empty parking lot after hours. Central Plaza Rama 2 has a huge lot that's dead quiet after 10pm, used to see learners there all the time. if u can balance a bicycle now you're already halfway there, the clutch and throttle coordination is just muscle memory that clicks after a few hours. just watch out for teh soi dogs that sometimes wander into open lots at night

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another option if you're near bangkok is the driving training center at bangna-trad, they have a proper motorbike course with cones and everything. costs like 500 baht for a half day session and you don't need your own bike, they provide a beat-up honda dream to learn on. the instructors are all ex-police or army so they're strict but fair, and you'll actually learn how to avoid the nonsense on sukhumvit instead of just winging it. plus you get a certificate that helps with the license test at chatuchak later

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Krua Dok Mai Kao is solid but I've always found their som tam a bit tame on the pla ra. If you want the real funky version, try the shophouse spots along Soi Udomsuk 26, near the night market end. They pound it fresh with fermented fish that'll clear your sinuses, and it's like 60 baht. Different style from the On Nut places, more Lao-leaning.

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for som tam specifically i'd say the Isaan spots in Chatuchak are underrated, weekdays only though since the weekend crowd ruins the vibe. there's a stall near gate 2 that does tam pa with fermented bamboo shoots, super sour and funky, not something you see much in On Nut. if you're already heading north for Or Tor Kor anyway its worth the detour.

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honestly the som tam at Krua Dok Mai Kao is good but what got me hooked is their nam prik pla raa dip with the raw veggies, that funk hits way harder than the papaya does. think most people sleep on it cuz they just order the som tam and gai yang. also pro tip, go before noon on weekdays, after that teh pla ra gets milder cuz they batch it for the lunch rush

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