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What's your preferred method of day-to-day transport?

Personally I hate walking and while I would love to get back on a sports bike that option is a guaranteed a one-way ticket to the morgue out here. I initially bought a 2nd hand Dream after renting for a couple of months and it served me well for 3 years. We recently upgraded it to a new Honda Click. We did look at getting a car but the cons quickly out weighed the pro's for us and we have access to a loan car but tbh we've never taken her brother up on it as we don't go anywhere that needs a car.

Its not as bad as you think riding a moto. Just go slow and understand the Cambodian way, that the person infront of you always has the right away so be prepared.

I drove to Bati yesterday. I think the major roads leading in and leading out of the outskirts of the city are the most sketchy. Once you are either inside p.p or in the countryside its fine.

Also Walking and riding a bicycle are more dangerous then being on a moto. Co worker of mine just got killed walking last week.

The Add Jay wrote:Its not as bad as you think riding a moto. Just go slow and understand the Cambodian way, that the person infront of you always has the right away so be prepared.

I drove to Bati yesterday. I think the major roads leading in and leading out of the outskirts of the city are the most sketchy. Once you are either inside p.p or in the countryside its fine.

Also Walking and riding a bicycle are more dangerous then being on a moto. Co worker of mine just got killed walking last week.

Wow. Crossing the road or on the pavement? Crossing Monivong can get quite hairy - feels like suicide at times - especially when you get stuck in the middle of the road and you try to make yourself really really thin so you don't get hit, but at the same time you want to look big so everyone can see that you're there.

There are various road-crossing techniques - the one where you take a deep breath and walk without stopping and trust that the trafffic will drive around you - there's a variation on this where you hold up your hands like a stopsign as you cross - you can also run for the middle line and hope for the best (see above) - or you can wait for the traffic to stop at a red light, but this is not a very successful technique.
Any preferences?

Living the dream, brothers, behold The Bumblebee:



This is our favourite city transport - it's ours, it's registered, and we're licensed to drive it. Can't express how much fun this is to drive in peak hour traffic in Phnom Penh.

Awesome - I want one !

Anchor Moy wrote:Awesome - I want one !

We like it so much, we're buying more!

Sweet. I'd rather have diagonal cross bracing on the roll bar section but, it's good. Why do those always go with the tiny fat wheels tho?

so you're keeping it secret? How much? who makes em? Italian company? What's the registration cost, etc? Are they underpowered like most tuk tuks?
I rather like the sidecar design in Phils. Often wonder how hard it would be to have one put together in Cambo. The yellow color is good. Only a blind man would say he did not see THAT.

Mr Curious wrote:Sweet. I'd rather have diagonal cross bracing on the roll bar section but, it's good. Why do those always go with the tiny fat wheels tho?

so you're keeping it secret? How much? who makes em? Italian company? What's the registration cost, etc? Are they underpowered like most tuk tuks?
I rather like the sidecar design in Phils. Often wonder how hard it would be to have one put together in Cambo. The yellow color is good. Only a blind man would say he did not see THAT.

I missed this, as you posted it on a Sunday, and we all know what that means...

The wheels - yeah, I dunno, but you're right, they need to be bigger. Hit a pothole or manhole cover with the front wheel and you'll know about it for a while, it really slams in.

One of the tuktuk companies imports the kits from China and assembles the customised version here. The other tuktuk drivers seem to think that's better than the local or Indian versions. The engine and all parts are bog standard, local mechanics know them well.

Registration is around $90 for the first year if you're registering it to a barang, less for a local. Normal cost is around $2,400.

I'm definitely getting an additional 50cc on the next ones we buy, this one pulls without an issue, but could do with a little more grunt. Breaks (including handbrake) are a vague suggestion rather than any mechanical force, so you'd want to address that during purchase.

Khmer are fascinated with the reverse lever and (oddly) the window wiper motor.

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Khmer are fascinated with the reverse lever

Exactly.Why reverse when you can do a Uee ? (And why park by the kerb when you can park in the middle of the road?)

And you also have brakes??? Respect.

Anchor Moy wrote:.

Khmer are fascinated with the reverse lever

Exactly.Why reverse when you can do a Uee ? (And why park by the kerb when you can park in the middle of the road?)

A little something for the kiwi cobbers: Can you make a u-turn? Nah, but I can make the bugger's eyes roll.

And you also have brakes??? Respect.

Technically a brake hand lever, a brake pedal, and a hand brake lever... actual brakes would be a fine thing. I'm looking into it as I realised I'm already looking for a rock as I climb out of the tuktuk these days - slipped into that just a little too easily.