Print it, fold it, tank-bag itThe roadbook

Every leg, every number, the fuel gaps and the hazards, on paper — because there are stretches of this road with no phone signal.

Doi Kong Mu

On paper, in a tank bag

There are stretches of this road with no phone signal.

Christophe95 · CC BY-SA 4.0

#	Leg	km	Curves, at least	Hairpins	Hours	Roads
1	Chiang Mai to Pai	130	580	60	3–4	107, 1095
2	Pai to Soppong	37	197	25	1–1.5	1095
3	Soppong to Mae Hong Son	52	281	27	1.5–2	1095
4	Mae Hong Son to Khun Yuam	67	—	—	1.5	108
5	Khun Yuam to Mae Sariang	95	—	—	2	108
6	Mae Sariang to Hot	150	—	—	3	108
7	Hot to Chiang Mai	88	—	—	1.25	108
	Total	619	1058

Annoyances — Six things that will happen, none of which is a reason not to go.
Brake fade — The lever comes back further each time, and then it comes back to the bar.
Buses and pickups on your line — A vehicle longer than the corner has to use some of your lane, and it will.
Gravel on the apex — The road is swept by rain, and rain puts everything it moves on the inside of the bend.
Riding after dark — There is no street lighting between the towns, and the drop has no barrier.
Riding in the smoke — Not a visibility problem first. A lungs problem first, and a visibility problem after.
The low sun — Twenty minutes of the afternoon where you cannot see the oncoming lane at all.

Engine braking · เอนจินเบรก · engine brake — Letting the engine slow the bike instead of the brakes, by staying in a low gear.
Gasohol 91 and 95 · แก๊สโซฮอล์ 91 และ 95 · kaesohol — What comes out of the pump. The numbers are octane ratings, and 91 is what most small bikes here run on.
Hairpin · โค้งหักศอก · khong hak sok — A bend tight enough that you turn about 180 degrees to carry on. Called a switchback in American English.
PM2.5 · ฝุ่น PM2.5 · fun PM song chut ha — Particles under 2.5 micrometres across — small enough to go past the nose and into the lungs.
Songthaew · สองแถว · song thaeo — Literally 'two rows'. A pickup with benches down each side of the bed, and the bus service of every town here.