ja99

29 minutes ago, bbi1 said:

 

I'm still awaiting for @FredGallaher to answer my question where you can get an "Elite Visa" for 5 years for around $600. You haven't answered my question.

Follow the Sydney Consulate link provided to in the first post and it mentions 5 year Retirement Visa for that  amount, not an Elite visa, not exactly the same thing ..

I flew in on a METV from Australia late July and the female officers at DMK did deny me entry and forced a return back to Aus on same flight at considerable cost. All to do with too many back to back METV s and it didnt help my case that I didnt have 20,000baht in my wallet and an onward ticket. I have been renting a house down south over a year and do border crossings via Satun. The only upside to this is they didn't void my METV at DMK which was still valid for entry at another port. Regardless what they say, Unless they voided your visa you can still re-enter the country as I did coming back through the Satun port.

43 minutes ago, phuketjock said:

Some years ago I was a regular user of the border crossing at Sungai Golok and never ever

had anything like the experience you seem to have had, I also used the train from/to Hatyai

often.

I think most of what you think you experienced is in your head as I was never treated with any

thing other than friendship both on the train, in any class, and in Sungai Golok, I certainly was

never " targeted " by anyone, you are over thinking it, the guy was just being helpful, that's what

Thais do, you must have looked pretty spaced out eyeing everyone up suspiciously?

Unless it has changed you cannot cross at night the border closes at 6pm.

I have been travelling for decades, never had an incident like this, definitely not in my head. There are other alerts about travelling through this town. As for everyone being friendly in the south, dream on.. Take a look at the security at Pattani station amd the armed soldiers on board for starters. There is a good reason for that. Trains on this line have been attacked in the past, maybe you havent heard about that. True enough, the Chinese lady sat opposite me was pleasant .

A few points on the Sungai Kolok border crossing between June 16-18..

 

-Travel to the border by 3rd class train from Hat Yai is 42baht, certainly cheap but be prepared to be outside your comfort zone. I was the only farang in my carriage and near Pattani the train was packed out with locals. You could say I was getting some looks, some not very friendly. Take the Aircon 'Express' train instead which seemed to have more armed soldiers on board packing M16s and bullet proof vests..

 

-In Sungai Kolok straight off the train, I was 'targeted' by a seemingly friendly local with backpack  and black baseball cap who followed me into the 711 after I strenuously avoided engaging in any dialog. He then went to the bottled water section and when I turned around to check he held a bottle up to me asking if I wanted Water? The obvious answer to this is NO and I sense that he has a bottle already loaded with a drug to knock a person out after which he can relieve you of your wallet/possessions.  This is a cunning operator and my guess is I am not the only one he has tried this on. I got in his face at the counter and told him where to go,  he then followed me over 100meters to the border on foot (dont do that at night) till I turned around and eyeballed him, then he thankfully disappeared. Take a motorcycle to the border instead.

 

- Re-entering Thailand after 2 days in K Baru on a 6mth tourist visa with 2mths remaining, I was admitted without any questioning or demands to see 20,000baht/onward airfare as is the custom at Sadao and P. Besar. I am told that Satun makes for a painfree crossing, tho  haven't tried that as yet.

 

So it seems the best way around all this would be to grab a cheap return  airfare to KL ex-Krabi /Phuket or Hat Yai , book ahead during the promos offered,

 

Cheers

On 10/20/2016 at 10:40 AM, bek said:

I have tried the Z300, and I don't feel comfortable on - or should I say in it, as I feel like I sit in it, not on it.
I will try and have a look at the Yamaha.

I have seen quite a few Benelli's driving around, and they sound very good - but it seems that there has been some minor quality problems with them, when doing a bit of googling - and they're still not available with ABS?

When is the BMW available? I have seen it mentioned a few times online, but have only seen a release date in India mentioned.

And how much extra would you have to pay for the BMW badge over the Honda 300? Not to mention service costs..the Honda 300 crank issue was bad news for the model, knocked at least 10K baht of the resale price which makes for some cheap buys out there for fixed crank examples..

35 minutes ago, Pib said:

Oh, my goodness, me and others have been talking about cash advance/counter withdrawals at specific Thai banks for years.  Thai banks know what is going on,,..nothing new for them.   Just do a search and you'll find tons of such posts....been going on for years. 

 

You will see in the posts that some branches (of all banks....that is, Bangkok Bank, Krungsri, SCB, whoever) will "not" do counter withdrawals for "debit" card...instead they just point you to their ATM.  However, other branches will do counter withdrawals for debit cards.   No standardization here as to which branches will or will not do counter withdrawals.   And don't expect the small branches in malls to do a counter advance as they may not have the POS machine capability; they will instead point you to their ATM or refer you to a full service branch.

 

Now, banks will do a counter withdrawal for a "credit" card no problem.  But I expect they get few requests for counter withdrawals using credit cards since the great, great majority of credit cards carry a cash advance fee of 3% "and" a foreign transaction fee of 1 to 3%....and interest start accuring from day on the cash advance.  The owner of the card generally know this and I expect its enough fee pain for the person "not" want to use their credit card (if they have a credit card).   But if using their "debit" card with only the typical 1 to 3% foreign transaction fee they will gladly (or maybe reluctantly) use the card for a foreign withdrawal.

 

Once again....nothing new here....been talked about in many posts for many years.  Pretty much like the visa questions that keep get asked and answer over and over and over in posts over the years.   But this is fine...it's how many people get their information by asking the question versus doing a little searching/googling....and some just want confirmation nothing has changed.

Well, lets just hope they don't cancel these counter transactions due to popular demand. Said bank also offer Western Union service at the booth which probably isn't viable due to an even bigger fee/bad exchange rate from one's own WU account?  Not looked into that for a while..

On 2/23/2017 at 5:40 PM, Pib said:

Yea, I did a 6 figure (in baht) counter withdrawal/cash advance today at a Krungsri Bank branch using a U.S. credit card and debit card. Both cards are no foreign transaction fee cards, the debit card reimburse ATM fees when I use an ATM (no often), the credit card does not have a case advance fee, and I have prepaid the cash advance amount on the credit card to avoid any interest charge.  And Krungsri does not charge any fee for doing this counter withdrawal. I also just had it all deposited in my Krungsri savings account...the money never  touch my hands.   The whole process took about 10 minutes.  And since the branch is right at a Tesco Lotus mall the wife and visit multiple times per week (she went grocery shopping while I did the withdrawal) going to the branch is not out of my way and rarely is there any queue...and when there is a queue I rarely wait more than 5 minutes before my queue number is called.  Today I was immediately serviced.  Easy....no fees...me happy.

And how long do think it will take before Krungsri now get flooded with counter transactions and put a stop to it due to you blurting it out on this forum? One can only hope 711/Big C etc. get savvy and allow cash withdrawals over the counter as Coles/Woolworths do in Australia, for instance. 711 could charge a much smaller fee and still make money.

Again as somebody with both I disagree

There really is very little between the R3 and the CB500X which has the same engine as the CBR and the little R3 is far more fun to ride fast and with weight to power ratios there is really nothing much in it

Touring well I have done many 4 hour plus rides and the comfort of the R3 and CBX are pretty comparable, cannot speak for the Ninja or the CBR as I do not have them but unless you are very tall or very fat there really aint much in it

There is slightly more leg room on the CBX and the tank is bigger and the mirrors are better but if I was in the market to buy a sports bike and could only have one and the choice was between the CBR500 or an R3 it would be the R3 all day long...

I cant see how the riding position on the R3 could in any way compare with the upright position on the CBX, let alone be comfortable for extended highway use. Sure the R3 is going to be far more nimble and looks the part, overpriced as it is.

[. . . ] Agree that this bike a better choice for extra 30K over a Ninja 300 or Yamaha R3.

Really?

2 of them look like sports bikes and ride like sports bikes. Get them in the twisties, keep them near the red line and the engine will sing to you as you tear the living crap out of it while still begging for more.

The other one looks like a (very nice) sports bike, but red lines at 8500rpms. Front end of a panigale,(ish) middle and exhaust of a ninja and back end of a yamaha.

Yes it has 3-4HP more, but is that really worth it? Coz a sports bike it aint.

What is the quoted HP figure for the Ninja? 39HP from what I have read. The CBR 500 figure is 47 or 49HP depending on the article, a bit more than 3 or 4 as you claim. Maybe the Ninja is better for the twisties but the 500 would surely eat it for breakfast as a tourer , unless you like being buzzed by 13000 redline all day.

And the Honda spiel says the exhaust is 'now lighter and gives better balance..' Makes you wonder why they put such a bloated piece of steel on the first 500 model? The new exhaust looks like a Ninja ripoff too. Agree that this bike a better choice for extra 30K over a Ninja 300 or Yamaha R3.

I just came across this overseas August 10 2015 Recall report on faulty CBR500 R, F fuel level sensors..no mention on this site, presume Thai bikes affected?

Quote:

Honda is recalling 2013-2015 CBR500R and CB500F models because of a defective fuel level sensor. The CB500X is not affected as it has a different, larger fuel tank than its 500-series siblings.

According to Honda, the fuel level sensor float arm holder on certain models may deform, allowing the arm to break off from the sensor body. At the very least, this would cause an inaccurate fuel meter but there is also a risk that the arm may contact both the positive and negative terminals at the base of the fuel pump, causing a short that could blow a fuse, resulting in an engine stall.

Honda dealers will replace the fuel level sensors on affected motorcycles.

As of this writing, the recall has not been formally announced by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration and we do not know how many motorcycles in the U.S. are affected. Transport Canada has announced a recall for north of the border, affecting 3,376 units. The Australian Competition & Consumer Commission has also announced a recall but did not specify how many units are affected.

Was having the same problem finding neutral so I stopped by Piston Shop. Nat, the owner, had me fixed up and on the road in less than 5 minutes. Now, not only can I find neutral when I want it, but the gears shift much smoother than before as well. I really recommend these folks. They know bikes and take pride in their work.

David

p.s. not related to or affiliated with Piston Shop. Just a happy, multiple use customer.

I do a post entirely on how to adjust the clutch alone with one spanner and you all you do is say take it to your favourite shop, nice one..

ja99,

The advantage of getting it done at the shop was seeing the procedure done right. No spanner needed, all adjustment done at the lever while sitting on the bike so you can test the adjustment as you go. If I need to do it again in the future, no need to even get off the bike.

I'm sure your way works fine too. I just prefer simple as possible.

David

What you saw the shop do was the equivalent of step 1., trouble is that doesn't always have the range to move the sweet spot along. It did in your case otherwise it is on to step 2 with the spanner at the other cable end. If that seems complicated then you are probably best off going to the shop..

Was having the same problem finding neutral so I stopped by Piston Shop. Nat, the owner, had me fixed up and on the road in less than 5 minutes. Now, not only can I find neutral when I want it, but the gears shift much smoother than before as well. I really recommend these folks. They know bikes and take pride in their work.

David

p.s. not related to or affiliated with Piston Shop. Just a happy, multiple use customer.

I do a post entirely on how to adjust the clutch alone with one spanner and you all you do is say take it to your favourite shop, nice one..

My CBF takes a special sequence..

Push through to first. Back up to second. Light tap back to first

Eased a little with synthetic oil. But always a little tricky

Sent from my SM-G900F using Tapatalk

Thats exactly what I had to do except it got worse and wouldn't go to neutral at all. Sounds like your clutch is sticking , cheers

Ah ok thanks - my CRF has been difficult to find neutral in, and I do get the occasional 'thunk' when getting into gear. I'll have a check and see if this fixes it...

Good luck with it..it may take a few turns at each end to move that sweet spot along..

Whilst there is a topic that touches on the problem of selecting neutral in the CBR 300, the fix via clutch adjustment isn't exactly spelled out in detail. The one spanner in the toolkit is probably all you need to do this, as it was in my case. Mine got worse after changing the brake, throttle levers with 6 position switches which still weren't enough to find the clutch sweet spot. Others have suggested changing the oil and tweaking the gear shift lever but it was the cable tension in my case that needed attention, and I daresay is the same reason others have this problem on a near new bike.. The clutch was only slightly sticking with the lever fully depressed but this was enough to cause major Neutral selection hassle, it was getting impossible to get to Neutral with a warm engine.

The adjustment method is neatly explained in the 250R manual available online in pdf format, the method is the same for the 300 and no doubt, would apply to other bike models.

Both ends of the cable need to be checked. The object is to move the sweet spot for engagement away from the handlebar and more towards the lever.

1. At the lever, peel the rubber dust cover back. If the lever adjuster is threaded out near its limit or if freeplay cannot be obtained, loosen the lock nut and turn in the clutch cable adjuster about halfway for starters. Tighten the lock nut .

2, At the engine cable end, loosen the (lower) bigger lock nut with the toolkit spanner. Turn the upper adjusting nut CLOCKWISE to move the engagement point further out. Tighten the lock nut and check the adjustment, start the engine, select neutral and repeat if still sticking even a little.

Not only will Neutral be easy to find, selecting first gear will be less pain with only a mild thunk instead of a crunch.

This may be akin to telling your granny how to suck eggs, anyways safe riding to all. It aint easy on Thai roads..

He upgraded 250 ==> 300 using 100% original 300 parts.

He bought a different bike.

Smarter than a Tagawatever big bore IMO.

Thanks for clearing that up, lol.

I think you will get bored eventually.. Move up to the 500 or 650... At the time, the 300/286 was fine, but afterwards became bored..Odd, I bought it the first of the year and I have less than 2k on the bike... I will move up.. keep it for about town.

Cheers mate

On the pegs

Not bored yet, on my third run between Krabi and Phuket, I love this thing on the highway, it handles like a trooper. I did test ride a low kms Cbr500f at the same time and very nearly opted to buy that for 10K extra , it didn't seem to want to corner as easily. I would get tired of the clutch in peak hr traffic , Pcx would do for that,cheers

They are a good bike for commuting... Nimble and cheap on fuel... Better for a 6ft person then the ninja..

Sent from my c64

You are right, the riding position is OK for near 6ft, no pressure on the wrists at all. Compared my last 2 big bikes,BMW K100Rs and F800S, the Cbr300 is a more comfy ride, a bit slower, of course..

It looks like this forum is a bit "CBR tired" or something :-) Since no one replied, thanks for taking the time to write your report, if I was to purchase a CBR 300 it certainly would be a Repsol edition, they look sweet, I wish you many safe km's on your bike.

Ta for best wishes on the road, looks like the post was useful for those who like to tinker with an upgrade kit..

Having owned a CBR250R for 16months, riding around 9000kms and then selling it, I thought I was done with road bikes and would stick with riding bigger scooters such as the PCX. That is, until I walked into the same dealer and eyed a pristine CBR300R Repsol edition with 950kms on the dial. How could I resist, given a reasonable asking price, I did the the unthinkable and plonked it on my credit card!

So then, after a month's ownership and 1500kms added, how does it compare? As has been noted in other topics, the engine is only 286cc but it packs that extra bit of punch (30.5HP?) and low down torque to make it more likeable than it's predecessor. The bike pulls from 2000rpm without much complaint, from memory the 250 balked at under 3000. But it isn't perfect and there are a few minor gripes which I feel the need to air..

Firstly, one wonders why Honda persists with the IRC Road Winner tires or 'Road Killers' as per other forums. Take a look at the Yamaha equivalent R3 fitted with Michelin Street Pilots, a much better choice although that bike sells for an extra 45K baht.

Other gripes in no particular order:

There is no real security system apart from the steering lock. A chipped key would be nice whereas the current key can be duplicated at any key cutting center! No need to go to the Honda shop at all, the tag number is just for show by the looks. Touch wood, thieves must love these bikes. As an aside, Tesco sell a hefty looking lock with inbuilt alarm for 499baht, next on my purchase list..

Apart from the green Neutral light, there is no gear position indicated on the dash which I find annoying at times. After all, my friend's ancient Yamaha 100 Fresh model 4 speed has a light for each gear, lol. So, how hard can it be Honda?

The new, bigger horn button on the 300 is literally hit and miss and I am still not used to it. The older version was easier to reach IMO.

The headlights are very stylish, however low beam seems to be pointed too high and to the left, maybe needs adjustment.

The exhaust is certainly a visual improvement over the 250, makes for a quiet ride but I have managed to place my calf against the protective plate when standing and perhaps stating the obvious, it is still pretty hot. Time for a Leo Vince carbon slipon perhaps. Also, the stock exhaust looks very heavy, be interested to know the weight if anyone has bothered? After all, power to wieght ratio is a factor in performance.

If you like being anonymous, dont get the Repsol paintjob, it gets a fair amount of attention.

So, all in all, it is a great bike, excellent value given it is way cheaper than the competition, looks like a keeper..

NMax has a lot going for it and I thought the inclusion of ABS was a good move until I saw the 13inch wheels. On the other hand, the tires are way fatter which would tend to compensate for the reduced diameter.

I have had 2 Yamaha Nouvos in recent years, both great bikes had 16inch wheels with the standard somewhat skinny tires which were fine around town, if not a little rough handling but both were a bit dodgy on the open road and do not handle undulations, potholes very well, as you would probably expect. First Nouvo was the Elegance 135 bought New and the last one was a used MX 115 with 30K on the clock and I swear the MX was quicker off the mark and capable of 110k/hr top speed. I loved that bike but no longer have it as I dropped by the dealer I got it from and fell instantly for a shiny Honda Repsol 300 with 950kms on the dial and a price well below what Honda ask for new. Considering I didnt pay a heck of a lot more than a new NMax, I possibly made the right choice..17inch wheels and ABS that barely fliches at potholes at high speed, not that I hit that many, just saying.

For the record, I came across the stat that Honda have 70% of the bike market in Thailand and my experience trying to sell or trade a Nouvo was Yamaha shops down south generally dont want to know and forget about a trade on a Honda as they either laugh at you or call an independendant dealer who will offer you not much at all.

Hi ja99 and thanks for the information about the screen. I'll definitely take a look at it.

As for the tires, I opted for Pirellis instead of Michelins. I think either would have been good, just got a nice deal on the Pirellis.

Thanks again all for the great information.

David

Curious how much the pirellis set you back? You mentioned changing the suspension, for the rear I set the 250 to the middle position and found the ride firm but stable. Also, if you change the muffler to a lighter type, maybe Kevlar, the bike will likely perform better off the mark. The standard pipe is nice and quiet tho, looks a tad heavy to me.

Enjoy that ride, cheers

Nice color, you have to be happy with the price. Also a good idea to put those Michelin's on for peace of mind. I did the same on my old Cbr250 and was able to ride with confidence again after the stock rear irc gave out on hot bitumen with no warning.

There aren't too many topics on the 300 series, the 300f riding position good for older chaps. I ended up with the 300R Repsol edition last Saturday, already 350kms added to the 1000 that was on the clock, just love the bike and it is a more refined ride than the 250.

I also test rode the 500F with 10,000km on it going for extra 20k baht, undamaged but the handling wasn't as neutral as the 300r, it bawked at cornering a bit which put me off it.

You can get a small screen fitted to the 300f , Honda Big Wing have them for 5000baht, just a thought to keep the wind off your chest,

If you are wanting a multiple entry non-o visa you can get one in Penang if you have a bank book showing 800k baht or have proof of 65k baht income.

If you can meet those requirements it would be best to get a single entry non-o and then apply for an extension of stay based upon retirement at immigration.

That appears to be the way to go, however I dont wish to commit 800K to a Thai bank. Prices I heard quoted for visa runs Phuket to Penang in the 4-5000baht range with an 11hr death bus ride, prefer to fly to KL as its cheaper and quicker. The flights to Penang from Phuket are a ripoff.

Tempted to pack up and move to Penang, period. Malaysia gives 3mth entry free of charge, then maybe do things in reverse and cross into Thailand each 3 months. The numerous times I have been thru that country and never once been asked what am I doing there? Different attitude entirely. Biggest complaint most folks have about Malaysia is the cost of beer which is a bit steep!

There is the income option or a combination of money in the bank and income to totaling 800k baht.

If you don't want to put the money in the bank here you should go to Australia and get a OA long stay visa from the embassy in Canberra or the consulate in Sydney. It would give you almost 2 years of total stay without needing to get a new visa.

I think you will find that you cannot get a multiple entry non-o in Australia now for being 50 or over.

Probably worth the effort to get 2 years entry, however this list shows what is required for the application, including the police and health checks:

'O' Code)

In other words, not a simple process is it? A pain, to say the least. Just a pity the Brisbane office has closed, as I said before a non-imm O visa was painless, a same day process just show a copy of your bank statement fill the form in and collect passport in the afternoon. Sydney maybe a better choice but I bet that is a busy office, which brings me back to the Perth office as easiest and cheapest to get to..