JeffreyMcCollum

I have looked at them too and thought they looked good. In teh past I have had 1 SYM and it never had a problem. I like the Vespa look with out the vespa cost and problems

I will be there at 9:30 we will leave at 10:00 sharp

If you want to check your millage and try to get a prize, you will need to check in and top off your tank, as well as at the end too fill up again to check KPL

There will be 3 Check points along the way, but you can drive any bike at any near normal speed. I will be on a new scooter I got recently to check it's mileage

We will be going over the hill to Lampang with a stop at the Market on the way and service center on the way back

Lunch stop at the "Bus Stop" Cafe in Lampang

200 km in all

Sadly they still do not have their act together and the 3 times I have been there the parking has changed each time

But there is parking

Question :

I purchased a 2 week old Honda Wave 125i with 100 km on it (from the original dealer)

Now I have engine trouble and I am told second hand hondas have no warenty ? is this correct ?

We had a personal experience with Siam Bank (Worst and most unethical bank in Thailand in my opinion).

We took out a loan for a 2.5m house in Chiangmai in 2006 and borrowed less than 50% being an amount of 1mil bht. All was fine and never missed a payment until we hit hard times in end of 2007 and then during 2008 we didn't make any payments for about 3 months. We approached them to allow a 12 month moratorium on payments by using the ample equity we had in the property. They flatly declined and commenced recovery which took about 4 months to get us to court. At court we told the judge that we had hit hard times and couldn't pay and had tried to negotiate with the bank to compromise. The judge ordered both the bank and us (my wife) to work out a compromise and bring it back to the bench. We talked with the bank's lawyer outside for 20 minutes and reached an agreement.

We ended up agreeing to make payments of 5,00bht per month (about half the regular payment) for 12 months at which time we expected to be back on our feet and could then restructure the loan to make higher payments.

They agreed and we went to the bank to sign the documents (none of which I could read nor was really privy to as I couldn't understand the full particulars,.. just went along with what I/we believed to be the understood basis of agreement). We made the next 12 payments every month without fail and then in the 13th month heard nothing from the bank so we went to see them to ask about the next steps in the process.

At that point they told us they were calling up the entire loan of 850,00bht and wanted it within 30 days. We couldn't believe what we were hearing.

We went back to the bank twice and finally spoke with the head branch honcho and told him this was grossly unfair and covert and manipulative. His response was basically "som nam na",... "we're the bank and we can do what we like". We had been deceived 12 months earlier when they were all smiles and rewriting up the new loan agreement (with the hidden agenda attached).

We offered to pay all back interest (about 90,000bht) plus bring all payments from previous default up to scratch. They still refused. We offered them half of the debt (450,000bht) and asked for a loan rewrite but they said they would only rewrite the loan with a 6 to 12 month terms which was preposterous.

Long story short,... we waited for about 6 months and then they placed the property with the executions office (Govt office) and scheduled auctions over the next 3 months starting at 1.35mi value (half its real value) We were able to frustrate that effort by getting our own independent valuation and submitting it to the executions dept which was accepted and now we had the auction starting price at 2.7mil. This gave us more time.

The only reason the bank was so belligerent and hell bent on recovery is because they thought our property was easy pickings as they only had lent about 40% value and knew in a fire sale they could recover 100% of loan plus costs and that we could go to hell in the meantime. Thai borrowers have the luxury and protection of 90% LTV ratios but farang/Thai loans at that time (2006) did not,.. 50% LTV ratio was the best available.

This game of cat and mouse and failed auction attempts went on for about 10 months before they were able to get a new auction valuation of 1,7miliion which we again fought and won and in the meantime we sold for 2.5mil so that put an end to a very horrible and stressful experience.

It is worth noting that when we informed the bank that we had found a buyer and wanted a payout figure and needed to get the Chanott deed they played hard ball and made it extremely difficult. They said they would not stop the auction process until they had 100% of cash (and they really slugged us for every single baht and charge imaginable) which we couldn't give them until day of sale. Even then they were not willing to cooperate and the guy at the bank (an insidious little weasel) had the gall to tell my wife "actually,... the bank wants to buy your property and that's why they will not cooperate with your request to conclude the auction process and prepare to settle". At that point we hired a top gun lawyer who has over 20 years experience dealing with banks and these matters (recommended to us by a separate bank manager who wanted to help us). We paid the new lawyer 30,000bht and he had it fixed up and settled within 10 days and now we are free of those parasitical bastards who would be struck off the banking licensees list in any western country.

Furthermore,.. when we had a valuation done by the registered appraiser we told him the story and he said that this kind of practice and corruption is rife within the banking system and that Siam Bank was the worst of all offenders.

Hope that helps you.

Your signed a contract and could not keep your end of the deal so why are they the bad guys.

Seems like you are the "insidious little weasel" if I may use your own words

Don't sign a contract you don't understand. Don't take a loan you can not pay back as agreed

When I first started going to Thailand I budgeted $100 a day

The longer I stayed here, the less it cost, but I was in my home and not hotels, I was usuing my motorbike and not renting,

Decembers ride will be a mileage check ride

A 200 km loop over to Lampang and back with stops along the way

Everyone will top up at the normal meeting Mae Hia / Hang Dong PTT station

A ride map will be given.

Lunch stop in Lampang

And back to Hang Dong PTT to top off your tank and check fuel mileage

There will be door prizes for the best and worst milage as well as other

About 5 - 6 hours in total.

Any bike is welcome

For any of your riders out there who want to do a loosely organized ride over the New Years holiday period, We will be doing a Mae Hong Son extended loop ride.

We will head out Monday December 31st from the usual Mae Hia / Hang Dong PTT and head north to Pai for a lunch break. Then on to Mae Hong Son for the night. A wonderful unforgetable side ride to the Burma boarder for those who still feel like riding more.

Next day down throught the Burmese refuge camps to Mae Sot and up to the Dam for the night.

Wednesday morning will be back to Chaing Mai on back roads

Any bike type or size is welcome.

If you like you can cut the trip short if you wish

For more details please let me know

I love the Buffet at ShangrI La

Wednesday and Fridays my wife likes all the sea food

Simple solution. Go to the taxi stands. They have to use meter and you get identifying information if you need to report them later. Tell your friend to choose the taxi, not let the taxi choose him.

I can't remember the last time they used a meter. I gave up and use a wonderful car with driver service. Never lets me down and speaks perfect English

I like the loop

Wanna go again I would be happy to go along

Try the caves too. Very nice stop along the way

I admit I have never seen a 7-11 on the ride past the start or end

We did ours at language corner soi13,nimmanhaemin,well under b1000- and good service

Mine was done there, but when we went to get married the government worker noticed it was wrong and we had to start all over and could not get married on the day we wanted to.

They were very casual about the whole thing. Did mean much more to my wife and I

If they will get it certified by the ministrey department in Bangkok for that price . seems ok My wife had to take ours down to Bangkok ......

Why not use the CM office ?

First quarter ?

Simply "NO"

BMW for years has been making bikes in China and selling them in America with no quality issues to speak of, so why can't anyone else ?

the last long stretch into KK is straight and boring, but the other end is nice

Cheepest and quickest might just be renting a motorbike. Can wiz by the traffic

In Chiang Mai B2 is buying up older and non profitable hotels, touching them up some and trying their luck

They seem to be clean and decent. and as I have seem priced in the 500 Bt range. But I have seen signs all in Thai that say lower prices

Are there other and lower priced hotels, yes. Some better and some not.

I've been looking for budget hotel options in Chiang Mai in the lonelyplanet site; can someone tell me about the YMCA at Huay Kaew. from the lonelyplanet review, it seems okay. but still would prefer inputs from persons who're most familiar with this place. i'll be traveling with my family and stay in Chaing Mai for a couple of days..

Budget ? What is your budget ?

Family wife? kids ? how many and their ages ?

Chaing Mai has rooms from 60 Bt. (700 year stadium) to nearing $40,000 USD

is there an area or things you want with in Walking distance ? Night market ? Old town ? night life ?

Getting around for a car and driver may I suggest <removed> or were you going budget there too and taking the bus around ?

And I would say most hotels in Thailand can not be highly bargained. They post their prices

I've done that route a few times over the past year. Very beautiful. But I have done it on motorbikes and not in my car or truck. It is very remote. Fuel which is few and far between, as is everything on that route. could be a proble to smaller bikes like a wave. but in your CRV the problem is the road. very narrow in areas. Some times the road narrows to 1 lane and is over grown with brush to less than a meter. If you get in trouble, there in no help around, maybe only a few bikes a day that use the route.

By motorbike I would do it again in an instant. With my car or even my truck I would not do it for any reason

If I may suggest. Just north of Tak is bhumbol dam, well worth a stop and many places there to spend a night. another 40 km give or take past that is Thoen, There is a back road cut off to Hot and on to Doi Inthanon. I did go to Doi Inthranon about a month ago. they now charge 500 Bt per person non Thai. They didn't care I had a Thai DL, Tax card, work permit, and house book. Sure I paid more tax in Thailand then any of them but had to pay the full tourist amount.

Plenty of Pepsi Max about again, now bigger in 1.45 lt bottles............ EST tried it, most of it I poured down the drain..

You mean now smaller in 1.45 lt bottles down from the normal 1.5 size

Drove into Pai one time (a few months back) Turn right around and left.

Over built, one "resort" and I will use that word losely, after another

and how many coffee shops and T shirt shops do they need ? 1 for each visitor I guess.

I keep on driving to Mae Hong song and enjoy it befor it is over built too

Why does it cost you 100,000 to live here ?

I have a masters degree and Yes maybe in BKK I could get work for 100K but I don't want to live anywhere near there.

I and my family live very well on just a fraction of what you think you need a month. Do you really need to live in that top 1%

Had the engine seize on me twice before I figured it out on my SP

New crate engines both time

Turned out to be the fuel. a tank of gasahol killed my twice.

I now carry and extra tube of oil mix under the seat if I am not sure 100% on the fuel I'm getting. I also use the best injector oil I can buy

Myiton on third road and Pattaya tri (sorry on my spelling) did one and now in CM a honda dealer did the other