1st Asian Brotherhood Run 2009

Sunday 6th December was our big day. This was the start of our longest run of the year something that we had been preparing for quite a while. Our first Asian Brotherhood Run was in Chiang Mai in Northern Thailand and was being organized by our Probationary Chapter Chiang Mai and we were all looking forward to many days riding and seeing so many of our Red & Gold brothers and of course some serious partying.
9.30am we met in Koh Samui at the Seatran ferry terminal, the great thing about taking your bike on the ferry is that you do not need to wait for hours in the car queue and with everybody on time we easily slipped aboard the 10am ferry. I was riding up with our Koh Samui support club the Predadores MC and on the boat we talked through our convoy drills and which routes we would be following. We had originally been planning to leave the following morning and attempt to make the 800kms up to Bangkok in one day. But this plan had one major problem as then we would be nearing Bangkok at rush hour and the traffic in Bangkok is stand still if you hit it at the wrong time. We would have had overheating bikes and some serious sense of humour failures so we planned to go about half way on Sunday and then easily get into Bangkok around Monday lunchtime when we hoped that the traffic was lighter. 10.30am the ferry docked at Donsak on the mainland and we headed off towards Suratthani. It was a cloudy day down south and also middle of our rainy season so we were all prepared for a shower or two, but the further we left from Samui the sunnier the weather became. We certainly noticed how warm it was when one of our bikes suddenly stopped and we sat at the side of the road finding out what was wrong. The bikes battery was completely cooked and not giving any voltage to the engine and we desperately needed a new battery to carry on. A few calls later we luckily found some friends on their way down from a run that weekend and they swapped batteries with us and we roared off trying to make up for a little of the lost time. We stopped off late afternoon in Chumporn which is a coastal town 200kms north of Suratthani as we had arranged with another friend to have the bikes electric system tested to make sure that the regulator was still functioning. Nothing seriously out of order could be found but by this time it was starting to get towards dark and we decided to call it a day and stay that night in Chumporn. We already knew of a cheap good hotel with a good restaurant and bar over the road so we all booked in and after some decent food and drink all hit the bed early.



Monday morning looked very cloudy and we were all keen to get on the road and a bit nearer to Bangkok. As luck would have it, it started raining as we left Chumporn but we quickly rode out of it and into good Thai sunshine. That day we made excellent progress and as planned we rode into Bangkok early in the afternoon. Everybody rode well in the thick Bangkok traffic and we were quite lucky getting into the center so quick. Straight to the hotel dumping off our entire luggage it was straight round to Eastend Clubhouse and some well deserved beers. Now we had one day of rest in Bangkok before we set off on Wednesday with the main group. Wednesday morning at 5am the wheels started rolling and now we had a large group of 17 Harleys to get out of the area before rush hour started. Most of the bikes from Eastend were old school Harleys but with only a few easily sorted problems as daylight was appearing we were well on our way out of the metropolis. Today we were headed for Kamphaeng Phet which is about 450kms North of Bangkok to visit our Probationary Chapter there and stay one night before carrying on to Chiang Mai. Half way the roads started getting pretty bad which slowed down our speed considerably but the nearer we got the more enthusiastic we were about meeting our brothers from the chapter there. The brothers from Kamphaeng were waiting on the outskirts for us and guided us to the clubhouse and the next door restaurant was quickly taken over by hungry Bandidos that had spent all day on the road. After filling our stomachs we rode into town center and to our hotel for the night where again we quickly dumped off our stuff had a quick shower and headed back to the clubhouse for a great party set up by the chapter there. At the rear of Kamphaengs clubhouse our brothers had built a huge wooden table which was made from only one piece of wood weighing 3 ton itself. President O explained to me how they had to get a huge construction crane in just to manoeuvre this mega piece of wood into place. It certainly made a great center piece of their outside area and we sat around it till the early hours of the morning. A huge BBQ was set up and then a truck arrived with enough food and drink to satisfy a whole army our brothers were making sure that we didn’t go hungry or thirsty after our long trip. Hours past quickly in such good company and as it got later some more brothers were arriving from other areas and before we knew it we had to make our way back to the hotel as we were starting again early the next day.



Our next leg of the journey started at the normal time of 9am and after a few cups of coffee to wash away the light hang over from last night we quickly got back on the road. It was another glorious sunny day in Thailand and the nearer we got north the more excited we were about reaching our destination and seeing our brothers from Chiang Mai. Chiang Mai is in the mountain area of north Thailand and it has a big biker community with a huge Red & Gold following. As we got nearer and nearer we found brothers waiting for us on the side of the road and our convoy of bikes was getting bigger and bigger. By the time we got onto the final mountain pass we had many brothers from our Probationary Chapter with us and many from the two support clubs in Chiang Mai Mysterious MC and Criminals MC. The last 50kms were a fantastic ride through tight mountain passes and the size of our group was mega impressive. Entering Chiang Mai our Brothers had taken control of all junctions and we rode as one large proud group to our booked hotel. The first evening in Chiang Mai was exceptionally cool for those of us that were use to Southern Thai weather and it was actually refreshing to enjoy the low temperatures for a change. We all met up the “Warm Up” pub in Chiang Mai where our brothers had set up the first party evening for us. Delicious Thai food was served for us in abundance and with many jugs of cold beer and bottles of whiskey to wash it down. Nearly all our Thailand Red & Gold brothers turned up that evening with our Koh Samui support club Predadores MC and the two support clubs from Chiang Mai Mysterious MC and Criminals MC. We spent a fantastic evening with great food and great company moving from table to table being introduced to new Brothers and meeting old acquaintances. It was a great feeling to be among so many brothers from all over Thailand and although we were all tired from riding so far that day the evening went very quicker than expected and early that morning it was a cool ride back to our hotel.




The next day was a free day for us all and we took our bikes and headed off into the surrounding mountains. It was absolutely stunning ride going up to the top of the mountain passes and viewing the beautiful surrounding scenery. The roads around the mountains are exceptionally well looked after and it was a great riding experience going through the tight curves and enjoying the clean mountain air. Later that day we all met back at the hotel and decided to look into a nearby Chiang Mai riders club event that was planned that evening. We rode in one large group to the event and we were given a warm welcome and we spent a few hours looking around and enjoying the live music and many biker stalls that had been erected. Later on returning to our hotel we were all surprised at just how cold it can be on a Chiang Mai night.




Saturday was the big day as the 1st Brotherhood Run organized by the Probationary Chapter in Chiang Mai. All day our brothers were rushing around setting up the event with help from the two support clubs Mysterious MC and Criminals MC. The event was not too far from our hotel and we looked in at various times through the day it seemed that they were expecting many people and we were all looking forward to that evening. 7pm we all met at the hotel and one large convoy rode to the event. Eastend Bangkok Chapter was given the honor of leading the pack followed by Chiang Mai then Kamphaeng Phet and then our three support clubs. It was a large imposing pack that turned up at the event and we drove through the main area to our own special parking area at the side of the arena. Although still quite early as we arrived the event was already in full swing and hundreds of bikes were parked outside. But it didn’t stop there as till late in the night bikers from all over were arriving to make the 1st Brotherhood Run a great success. Later in the evening Chiang Mai’s President took the stage and presented all the participating clubs with a souvenir and to make it a memorable end all the Red & Gold Brothers and supporters took the stage for a final photo session. We sat outside enjoying the event and the great company till the early morning hours, what more could you want good food, drink and Red & Gold Brothers everywhere.




The next day was sadly our start of the return journey. It was planned to head off at 9am and see how far we could get heading straight down south to Bangkok. We made few stops and good time arriving on the Bangkok outskirts early evening. Keeping as much of a tight formation as possible we belted through the thick Bangkok traffic. We all arrived a little later at Eastend clubhouse buzzing from adrenaline. The heavy traffic is certainly a shock if you’ve not been in it before.




Two days of rest and bike repairs were undertaken before we set off then with our Koh Samui support brothers on the last and final leg back down South. We stopped off in Prachurup and paid a visit to our newest Probationary Chapter. We had a great dinner at the clubhouse and drinks before an early night as we all wanted to make it home the next day.




The next day after being nearly two weeks away and having put over 3,500kms on the clock we all arrived back home. It had been a great run from start till finish and a great show of strength for our Red& Gold Nation. Big Fat congratulations to our Probationary Chiang Mai Chapter for their well organized event and we are all looking forward to next year.


Love, Loyalty& Respect

Bandido Crispin 1%er
Secretary Eastend Bangkok BMC