Gsxrnz

Why did you let the battery get fitted without asking and agreeing to the price first, or making sure it would physically fit the frame? The battery shops I've used in Pattaya have virtually every size battery known to man and if they didn't have the one you wanted one of their blokes will jump on the scooter and go and get one from somewhere.

Also, it was likely that with the drive home your old battery would have charged enough to give you another start or two the next day, so the "rush" to do something wasn't that urgent. It's rare that a battery just dies without prior indication of getting past its used by date. Unless of course the battery had been causing issues for some time and you had been ignoring it until it finally died for good.

EDIT - As the battery is oversize, make sure that it isn't over height as well and touching your hood/bonnet. There will be a sound proofing matrial on the inside of the hood - see if there are any indentations there. If it's touching then eventually the terminals will wear through their protective rubber cover and then the hood lining. The result will be a charred wreckage on the side of the road. Many people only worry about the depth/width when oversize and don't realise what over height can do.

I agree to some extent with your OP, but for me the weak part of the game is my fairway and approach shots, so I've just lived with my putting to some extent. Driving is fairly consistent now that I've slowed my swing down and actually improved distance and accuracy. Fairway shots are troublesome and inconsistent and get me into strife 40% of the time. Approach shots are about the same with 40% either getting me into trouble or costing me a stroke because I land short or go too long - lack of consistency.

Putting is rarely more than 2. I probably only ever 3 put twice a round on average and my caddy diligently records the putts, gives me major grief if I 3 putt. I wouldn't say my putting is strong but I seem to be able get away with 1's and 2's. I work on the "close enough is good enough" theory and tend to be short rather than long on the put - this means that I'm almost always within 2 feet after the first put but the 2nd is a gimme. Have fellow players who are technically better putters than me and regularly get 15 footers in one, but the number of times they overshoot and leave themselves a difficult 2nd put is quite astounding. At the end of the game I nearly always have the lowest number of puts.

It's not much consolation when you get to the green wasting one or two strokes in the fairway/approach, and then 1 or 2 put. So I'm trying to focus on general course management and club selection in the fairway rather than work on the putting. I suspect that if/when I sort my approach shots out that I will have to work on the putting - that's because I nearly always land too short on the approach and therefore have an easy chip to the green that means I regularly fall within that 15 foot range of the hole. If I manage to land more on the green from 150 yds out then it's likely that I'll have longer puts and will need to improve. Until then my putting will have to suffice.

Could have been anything. SV650, GSXR 600,750,1000. You can get aftermarket undertail exhausts for all these models. Doubt it was a SV as you would have heard the V-Twin throb, and it wouldn't have pulled away that fast.

Probably a Gixxer thou - 190 is nearly going backwards, 3rd gear roll-on from 190 would have seen it doing 250 in 2 seconds, 300 in another 2 seconds.

Note; I'm not advocating riding at these speeds on the road, not criticizing either.

Edit: Yeah, I never thought of a B King, never seen one in Thailand though. Same engine as a Hayabusa.

Op - was the bike fared or naked?

Naked. dont twist yer nickers about the speed , the rider was good.

Definition of "good" required please.

If he popped a wheelie as he passed you, he was good. Or if he dragged his knee at the next bend, he was good.......our Grannies could turn the throttle on a bike and hang on in a straight line.

So, if not Home Pro ... what other choices are there?

.

The "homepro" type outlets are all the same in the way of "advice", so you really have no choice. The small side of the road Mum and dad type operations are often more helpful for smaller fittings etc, but you're stuck with the Homepro and similar outfits for larger stuff.

My MO is to refuse all help, "just looking" approach, and do just that.....look until you find what you want. Don't ask or accept any opinions from the staff, and as they follow you around (which can be annoying), hand them the stuff that you want to buy - saves pushing a trolley or carrying a basket. I've found they're quite good at sensing your personal space requirement and will hang back - if they don't, do a few quick 180 turns or walk backwards into them - they get the message.

Their stock is actually quite comprehensive so you'll normally find what you want, or close enough so that you can explain that you want one of "these", but bigger/longer/smaller etc. The trick is that you have to have a reasonable knowledge of what you want before you go there, and as somebody earlier said, the www provides a host of information.

There's privately owned hardware store in my home town, been in the same family for generations and stocked EVERYTHING.

Lets say you wanted a left handed thingamajig with a 3/8 female gas thread, two male spigots at a 45 degree angle, one with a gate valve and the other with a 10mm thread, with an inspection port (translation - something that's virtually impossible to find and probably never made anyway).

You could go and ask this guy for one of the above and he would look at you like you'd just stepped off a Martian spaceship, and say "yes of course we have those, do ya want it in brass, steel or plastic, and what colour handle on the gate valve?"

This shop had stock that was pre war as well as made yesterday. He'd get requests from all over the country for obtuse pieces or fittings. The warehouse covered half an acre and you could get lost if you weren't careeful. Half the boxes of stuff had prices in the old pounds, shilling a and pence days.

Ironically, most "earths" in Thai construction are there for decoration only. There might be an earth wire in your house/condo, but try and figure out if it actually goes to a decent ground of any kind. I've never yet seen an earth pole and strap outside a house or business.

Top prize goes to the muppet that installed my new water pump. Diligently earthed the green cable between the metal body of the pump and the plastic plinth it was mounted on. I explained the problem, even got the wife to explain with much use of the Thai language app on my phone to explain "earth, ground, plastic, metal, circuit, conductivity" etc. Totally over his head - always done it this way apparently.

The guy that wired a point for our washing machine, did something similar, he ran an earth wire from the washing chassis and then, with a screw, attached it to the concrete floor.

Concrete floor ??

Concrete is an insulator.

Except perhaps in the rain when is absorbes water.

Ground means "electrical" ground, NOT gravitational ground.

Yeah, we know that and you know that.....the point being that the some of the muppets that install electrical equipment here DON'T, and they think that by attaching an earth wire to anything that touches "the ground" as in terra firma is somehow a necessary part of the installation, regardless if that surface is conductive or not.

I'm just waiting to see somebody attach an earth clamp to a plastic water pipe, and then I'll really have seen it all!!

Could have been anything. SV650, GSXR 600,750,1000. You can get aftermarket undertail exhausts for all these models. Doubt it was a SV as you would have heard the V-Twin throb, and it wouldn't have pulled away that fast.

Probably a Gixxer thou - 190 is nearly going backwards, 3rd gear roll-on from 190 would have seen it doing 250 in 2 seconds, 300 in another 2 seconds.

Note; I'm not advocating riding at these speeds on the road, not criticizing either.

Edit: Yeah, I never thought of a B King, never seen one in Thailand though. Same engine as a Hayabusa.

Op - was the bike fared or naked?

Has anybody seen the temporary lighting that Thais set up at parties or weddings? They run a 2 wire cable through the trees or whatever back to the nearest mains supply, and then go around hanging light fittings with bare wires to each of the cables - attached with safety pins through each of the copper cores. The biggie is that they attach the safety pins while the circuit is live (and in the rain) - funny as a fight when somebody touches both safety pins and gets zapped.

Do you have a lease agreement? This sort of thing is normally covered in that. My lease says that any repairs under 1,000 THB are the responsibility of the tenant, implying minor breakages or replacement light bulbs etc. Furniture is covered by a fair wear and tear clause.

I'm sure your landlord will be reasonable - what nationality is he/she?

You've shelled out $4M USD into a business that you weren't supposed to commit any money too (as stated by you), and you've only just now woken up and smelled the coffee? You yourself used the word gullible, and that seems appropriate to me.

If I were you I'd cut and run, because there is virtually a zero chance in hell of any legal recourse. If you push things too far you may find yourself a victim of involuntary suicide. What floor is your condo on?

Go with whatever the label says inside your drivers door frame. 30/33 sounds about right. However, be aware of the time of day and ambient temperature when you set the tyres. If you set them on a warm day after the car has been sitting in the sun, or if you've been driving for a couple of kilometres, inflate the tyres a few PSI extra to compensate for the heat effect of giving a false reading.

If you set the tyres in the evening (say ambient temp of about 25-28), set them as per manufacturers recommendations. During extreme weather conditions (extra hot or extra cold), recheck and reset as the pressure could move 1-5 psi's quite easily.

Or.......do what most people do and pump them up when they look a bit on the flat and saggy side, every three months or so.

"Rules are for the guidance of wise men and the obedience of fools." - Douglas Bader

I would expect such drivel from a politician and pioneer of the OIL industry.......

I can't quite work this comment out,do you actually know who Douglas Bader was,the war hero?

Yes, he lost his legs in the war;because he was shot by his own men. When he returned, he dedicated his life to politics and oil.

Classic touché ccomeback.

Not on the map eh? Strange. Should be right beside Soi Goliath.

Only a stones throw away...

If you drive past Soi David too fast you'll slingshot right past Goliath...

I found Soi Batman by mistake one day.

This police officer needs to be reported to his superiors

Yes, he'll be in line for promotion with a 15/1 ratio improvement on one scam.

OP - you really need to get more streetwise about Thailand. Didn't you do ANY reading up about scams and the like before you came here? After the market affair I thought you would have taken the time to gain some street-smarts.

My son was here last year, same age as you, and he was in a range of situations with vendors and police similar to you and had no problem getting unstuck for the usual amount of tea money. After getting stopped 4 times for no licence he decided that getting a Thai license was the answer - got car and bike license the next day.

One of his friends broke a taxi drivers little plastic chair on Beach Road near W/S while drunk - sat on it for a joke and broke it. Police were called and 3,000 baht compensation was asked for. My son wandered around the corner and bought an old chair from another taxi driver for 500 baht (yeah, cheaper at Tesco I know), gave the taxi driver the chair, uttered many apologies in Thai and dragged his mate away.

My point being that your relative youth should not limit your ability to extricate yourself from a scam situation if you bother to EDUCATE yourself.

Suggest you stay indoors for a day and do some googling about how to survive here.

EDIT: Here's some pre-advice for your next scam. When you return your rental scooter be prepared for the 5,000 baht "damages" claim. Did you thoroughly inspect it before you hired it and make a big show of checking the rental sheet that should show all damages? Or take a video of the bike before you rented it so you can show the nice man that the damage was there before you took possession? Also, you better read up on how to handle a minor ding with another scooter, because I can see a situation where a 500 baht scrape will cost you 20,000 baht.

My understanding is that the current lowering of the baht is due mostly to the strength of the american economy-so investors are transferring their money out of places like Thailand back into the US. The baht's strength is dependent on the two big economies- the US and China. Local politics may play a role as well in volatility for example in discouraging purchases of bonds and investments in the country. Recent mistakes in calculations and projections by government and local credit ratings can also make it a less enticing place for investors to, for example, buy bonds. If the political situation becomes more unstable there could be a further decline in the baht.

Don't forget as well that, to a degree, its value is relative- so if US dollar is high then you'll get a better exchange. If you google baht historical you will be able to see how it has changed over time http://www.freecurrencyrates.com/exchange-rate-history/USD-THB/2013 . Check rates at siam commercial bank: http://www.scb.co.th/scb_api/index.jsp There you will see that the rate changes from 10 to 15 times per day. It's something worth paying attention to if you plan on spending a lot of money here- a fraction of a point can mean the difference in thousand of dollars. If you are planning on moving big bucks then select the bank with the best rate- e.g. for today at 9:15, the telegraphic transfer selling rate was 30.75 at siam. At the bangkok bank around the same time it was 30.85 whereas the kasikorn bank was 30.94- negligible differences when you're dealing with a few hundred dollars but once you get into the hundreds of thousands it makes it significant difference.

Some analysts would say the reduction in Fed QE reduces the amount of money/USDs investors have to invest in riskier assets such as emerging markets...and Thailand is an emerging market.

When it comes to trying to time the arrival of wire transfer which can take several days to arrive/post to your Thai bank account the numerous exchange rate changes during a day probably shouldn't be much of a concern; instead, a person should look more at the trend over several days or weeks.

Good point about how the exchange rate, especially the TT Buying Rate for incoming wire transfers, can change numerous times during the day at Thai banks. As a Bangkok Bank customer on a wild FX day, like today, I've seen around a half dozen exchange rate changes/updates...I just looked at the Bangkok Bank exchange rate webpage and they had 5 rate changes today counting their opening rate. But SCB had 14 rate changes today counting their opening rate. Yea, trying to time the arrival of your incoming wire transfer when you really have little to no control over the arrival time, it's probably best to schedule (bet) your wire transfers on short term trends.

Ho hum......THB and the USD and NZD and the AUD are all over the show, but day trading in this environment is like shooting fish in a barrel with a howitzer. Long live volatility, 'cause I'm as happy as a pig in <deleted> at the moment.

Volatile market in fairly narrow bands. Money being made on all the crosses if you're quick enough and aren't holding the wrong side of the trade when the markets decide that the uncertainty becomes a certainty.

Currency traders are basically playing Texas Hold 'em until enough traders have covered their required margins or believe a shift is imminent and then it will be a panic buy/sell and realignment. It's the sentiment (and balls) of the traders that dictates the currency movements. Nothing new in this, it's just the way it works.

I'm far from fluent and cannot read Thai. I decided a while ago to focus less on the tones and more on the stress of syllables that make up the word. This is particularly helpful when listening to Thai because unstressed syllables tend to move toward the mid tone as they speak faster and tend to slur.

I find that If you can speak faster (assuming that your general fluency is reasonable), then the tones become less important up to a point, and the stress syllables help you emulate a tone to some extent. If the stressed syllable is emphasized, it seems (at least for me) to make you more understandable and more confident.

However, I'm told that the correct pronunciation and vowel length is generally as important as tone also, so I've been watching the vowel length as well - both of these methods have helped me improve overall tones without actually trying to improve them. If I'm in doubt I make sure I use enough words to get the key word in context and provided you're not a million miles away, listeners are generally forgiving, and will help you pronounce the word better.

Have a friend from the US that has a horrible Thai accent that even grates me. Water becomes "nayam playow".

sorry there is one little fact I left out of the message

This is now my ex wife and her new boyfriend

so I just wanted to know if Karma still exists

Nice one

The global question is really this. Does religion corrupt individuals, or do individuals corrupt religion?. In every incidence of alleged religious corruption (regardless of the faith, sect, or dogma), I think it's important to ask oneself this question.

In this thread, are the Monks in question "corrupt" for the behaviour they have demonstrated, or is the religion itself corrupt for allowing these things to occur, or allowing its followers to believe that these behaviours are acceptable?