Kawasaki Motorcycle Factory, Pluck Daeng, Rayong – 10 September 2011

โรงงานคาวาซากิ ปลวกแดง ระยอง

ไปสัมพัสบรรยากาศการประกอบรถจักรยานยนต์คาวาซากิกันถึงโรงงานชนิดถึงกึ๋นกันเลยทีเดียว

เจอกันที่ร้าาน Motoaholic ตากสิน 24 เสาร์ที่สิบ กันยายน ตอน 6 โมงเช้านะคร้าบ ถ้าใครบ้านอยู่ไกลจะไปเจอกันที่ คาวาซากิ พระราม 9 ก็ได้นะครับ ไม่เสียค่าใช้จ่ายใดๆ นอกจากค่านำ้มันรถ กับค่าของฝากคนที่บ้านคร้าบ อาหารและของว่างมีให้พร้อม

I joined a motorcycle "motorcade" for a day visit to Kawasaki Motorcycle Factory which is in Rayong Province, south of Bangkok. We initially assembled at the Motoaholic Thornburi dealership at 6:00am. This was after a 5:30am departure with the temperature of 25°C and relative humidity at 94% and a mileage of 4,150km. From here it was a short ride to the main Kawasaki facility in Rama IX. It seems this facility no longer sells motorcycles and now acts as a showroom and service center. Two big bike dealers are operating in Bangkok, Motoaholic and a second in Ramkhamhaeng.

Motorcycles soon started arriving and we departed at about 8:00am after a briefing on route and riding protocol. We had a two motorcycle Police escort, along with service van and SUV. The caravan was organized by bike model with the slower motorcycles at the front and starting earlier. It was enormous fun to be part of a large (approximately 120 motorcycle) caravan with a Police escort, with traffic stopped for you at intersections, and being able to travel on roads usually forbidden to motorcycles in Thailand.

Police escort "top-up"

We stopped once for petrol en route at Na Pa in Chon Bury province at about 9:00am with mileage of 4,427 and arrived at the Kawasaki factory (Latitude: 12° 97' 52" N Longitude: 101° 21' 94") at 10:30am.

Upon arrival we were given a short presentation on Kawasaki Heavy Industries which manufactures a wide range of goods from motorcycles to submarines to locomotives to aircraft to military equipment. We then were given a tour of the factory, the 3^rd largest Kawasaki motorcycle factory in the world, and we had the opportunity to have sight of the new 2012 models being assembled. This should have been exciting except that I saw the 2012 model ER6-n which looks super and makes my motorcycle (now 5 months old) seem old and unfashionable!

After the tour we were escorted to a lovely restaurant (The Green) for lunch and then returned, in convoy, to Bangkok. All together a hugely enjoyable day with many new experiences, new friends made, that was not dampened at all by the intermittent rain.

Arrived tired but happy in Bangkok at 4:30pm with a mileage of 4,480km (total mileage for the day was 330km). As always, a motorcycle wash after every trip.

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