Gsxrnz

Donaudampfschifffahrtselektrizitätenhauptbetriebswerkbauunterbeamtengesellschaft.

2 minutes ago, DrPhibes said:

Last I saw, they had to be translucent hazmat suits with little underneath since it will be hot and sweaty inside which will lead to certain asspects of the suit adhering to certain parts the wearers anatomy ;-0

But without the stilettos, it just won't be the same.

Merkel

Being in business myself for over 40 years I consider it my mission in life to extract as much as possible for services rendered.  It's called Enterprise Capitalism.

Caveat Emptor should be adequate consumer protection in all cases, and if a fool is soon parted from their money, well such is life.

You can buy a standard English keyboard at almost any large IT shop, stationery stores, Tesco, Big C or similar.

22 hours ago, seedy said:

I ride where it is most safe for me.

Left - Right - Centre

Care not what the law says.

Do you want to be laying in a hospital bed saying "But I was in the Right ! ?"

To those who do not keep a very close eye on what is in your mirrors - that is a very good way to end up in said bed.

Totally agree.  Anybody who is one of the "few" that adhere to driving regulations in Thailand are an endangered species. Traffic, weather and road conditions, visibility, lighting etc. mean that there is no single safe place to ride and you should adapt accordingly and continuously. Generally riding towards the left is the safest option - until it's not.

Often the biggest factor controlling my riding is the "lunacy level of the day" being displayed by other road users, so I'm continually adjusting speed and road position to eliminate the potential for disaster.  Watch out for the non-local number plates - they are bound to do extraordinary things because a) they're Thai, b)they're lost for the 14th time that day, c) they're suffering low blood sugar because they haven't eaten for 45 minutes, and d) the chances of them actually doing anything logical were slim to begin with.

Knowing what's behind you is as important as knowing what's in front of you - at ALL times.  I want to know that I can make an evasive lane change (or not) or slam on the anchors (or not) without having to worry about what I don't know is behind me.

My tips:  Assume everybody on the road is on a personal mission to kill you, especially busses trucks and taxis.

Ride at least as fast as 90% of the traffic on the roads - it's safer to be the passer as opposed to the passee, and idiots are better to be behind you rather than beside you or in front.

Riding slowly will eventually get you nailed.

Use your mirrors and know what's behind you at all times (because you already have the idiots behind you).

Be decisive in every decision and action you take.

Don't assume the brakes are the only emergency option you have. 

Always let some other sucker act as the "pathfinder" when the lights turn green.

Yeah, yeah - no such word as passee.  But apply the payer/payee principle and it makes sense. 

My Mum's entire list of things needed to treat wounds, sterilize everything and anything, remove stains, clean her dentures, clean the floor/walls/toilet/sink, prepare wood for painting, clean the doorstep, clean windows, clean silverware, clear blocked drains, clean the oven, tie-dye my 70's tee-shirts, and bake a fantastic pavlova, consisted of basically three things; Hydrogen peroxide, vinegar, and bicarbonate of soda.  

Note: Don't put the peroxide in your pavlova.

I wonder if they'll crackdown on the (actual) schoolgirls wearing, or at least partially wearing their (actual) uniforms.  Oh wait....this is all about protecting the (and I'm being generous here) integrity of the BIB, Dogfaces, Swabbies, and Flyboys.

Ironically, the only junk sms messages I get are from my service provider.

Joseph Mengele would be in full support of this dystopian idea. 

As you enter from 2nd Road take the immediate RH turn to the basement bike parking.  As you make the turn, a motorist heading towards the upper levels will attempt to run you over.

Parking a motorcycle is easy enough, unless you have a long wheel-base Harley. In which case you just park it east/west and take up 5 parking spaces. Getting a Harley in or out of there may present problems though, as there are several very tight 90 degree turns that may require you to paddle back and forth a bit.

At the moment the bike park is more empty than full. If you want your bike taken care of while you're shopping, park it on Beach Road and flick a taxi driver a Red-Bull or a Birdy to watch it for you.

I was a FJ fan until I bought a pair of Adidas.  I play twice a week (plandemic permitting)  and my current pair are  3 years old and still going strong.  Still completely waterproof and look as good as new. 

Whatever you buy, I can recommend the twisty wire rather than the traditional shoelaces.  Easy to adjust and put on or take off. I've also found Adidas to be more comfortable with the soles being more flexible and liable - I don't have that "thank God I can take off the shoes" feeling after a round.

I bought at Thepprasit Outlet Mall golf shop - they always have specials and some pretty good deals from time to time. Doubt if you'll  score a pair for 3K, but from memory they have some quality Adidas starting at 4K. Other shops I know are Supersport in Central, the golf shop on Thepprasit opposite the Mall entrance, and Ping golf shop on Third Road between Klang and Nua.

Kasikorn bank at Jomtien give me a 12 month statement and the letter on the spot - takes them 5 minutes.

The road death toll in Thailand is doing more to raise the average IQ of the country than the education system.

I'm tired of all this criticism of Thai drivers. 

If you exclude their inherent inability to go in straight lines, negotiate bends, use indicators, drive at appropriate speeds, obey traffic lights, obey traffic regulations in general, load trucks safely, drive on the correct side of the road, use their lights at night, and their belief that the toy hanging from the rear chassis will distract the evil spirits and make them immune from danger, Thai drivers (especially truck and taxi drivers) are generally as proficient as any suicidal psychopathic lunatic I can think of.

1 hour ago, Kwasaki said:

Agree with your tyre advice but not the braking advice. 

In an advanced motorcycle test you would fail for not using both brakes at the same time, separate use is for maneuvers only. 

 

I don't disagree with you, especially if the bike is a Harley or even a sportsbike with a pillion and it's just general cruising around. I guess I was really referring to situations whereby you REALLY want to peel of some speed in a hurry.

Every bike is different.  Every braking situation is different. Braking a Harley is different to braking a sportsbike or a scooter or a dirt bike.  The testers often require the text book responses irrespective of the bike or the situation. 

When you're braking at the end of the straight with your rear wheel in the air or barely on the track, the rear brake is useless and a hazard, even with a slipper clutch. Anybody who has raced knows how useless the rear brake is unless you need to use it to set up a slide, but slipper clutches have largely removed the need for that.  Nothing worse on an older race bike than hearing and feeling that jig-jig-jig sound as the braked rear wheel  (or even just slowed by engine braking) makes intermittent contact with the track and then you lose all ability to make full use of the front brake.

Even on a scooter, preloading the front suspension to maximise the effectiveness of the front brake makes  the rear brake largely worthless. In fact, if you're using the front brake correctly, the rear brake will lock up because you've transferred so much weight to the front. 

Sure, dawdling around at slow speed the rear brake is handy. But if I'm faced with the need to stop in a hurry, I ain't touching the rear brake.

If a tea-leaf wants your scooter he'll get it.  No locking device will prevent it.  Best to be careful where you park it. If I'm ever parking in a strange place I try and find the security guard or head-honcho taxi driver, flick him 100B, take a photo, and no worries.

All the scooters are give or take the same as the other of equivalent cubic capacity.  It's a vegiemite/marmite question.  Pick the one that you think looks the coolest or fits your body size.

Registering in your area is generally a good idea for reasons stated by others.

If your scooter has the front brake linked to the back brake, unlink it.  The rider should decide how much front/rear brakes to apply. And learn/understand how to pre-load the front suspension when braking. I only use the rear brake for super-slow manoeuvering or controlled braking/skid in sand or gravel, otherwise it's useless.

Run your tires at the recommended PSI in the dry - don't let a Thai MC dude inflate it to 65+ PSI. You'll thank yourself when you really need to brake in a hurry.  Run them 3 or 4 PSI less in the wet - gives better grip (as much as the skinny crappy tires can give you better grip), but the lower PSI in the front is a godsend for braking in the wet, giving a much bigger footprint on the road.

20 hours ago, talahtnut said:

Are you in it too then?

Obviously. Chapter One is entirely devoted to me, and I'm the only one in the novel deserving of a capital "C".  I'm the leading actor in my life and refuse to play any form of walk-on roll to satisfy anybody's ego.  I'm renowned for starting an opinionated sentence with "I know I'm a C..., but..........." 

I'm entirely comfortable when I overhear one of the c's I know saying as I approach them, "Here comes that C again."  ????

14 hours ago, Golden Triangle said:

I tried but apparently she's dead ????

The answer lies in her legacy.

11 hours ago, StreetCowboy said:

We have always been at war with Eastasia

That will challenge the intellect of many.