Bangkok, Thailand - The next time anybody tells you he or she is too small, or not strong enough, to ride a big bike, show them this video.
The rider is Tippawan Tanchai, a twentysomething entrepreneur and keen biker from Bangkok, and she’s really petite. She doesn’t give any personal physical details on her Facebook page, but it’s clear in the video that she’s almost exactly the same height as the screen of her Ducati 1200 Multistrada Enduro, and according to Ducati, that’s 1.465 metres or, in the old language, four feet nine and a half inches.
The Multistrada Enduro, in case you’ve never ridden one, has an 1198cc V-twin rated for 112kW at 9500 revs and 128Nm at 7500rpm. More importantly, it has a seat height of 870mm and weighs just over a quarter of a ton fully fuelled.
Now watch Tanchai wheel it backwards out of her garage, turn it around in the driveway, kit up, ride out and do some tight U-turns in her suburban Bangkok street.
OK, let’s get real here. Tanchai is no rookie; she’s been riding for years, has considerable off-road riding experience and races a 150kW, 1000cc Kawasaki ZX-10R for Core Motorsport in the Thai national Superbike Series.
But the point is made: it’s not about size or strength, it’s about technique, and that can be learned. If she can do it, anybody can.
