thailandsgreat

I have had Bangkok Bank accounts for long time and recently got a card connected to one of them. I believe the bank told me it was an international Mastercard debit card. Today I was going to try the card out and ask in Big C, Pattaya glang where I could find ATM:s for deposit. The other banks' staff told me that the Bangkok Bank office had closed and there wasn't even an ATM left in Big C, Pattaya glang! Kasikorn seems to be the top dogs there now. I have an account there too buy I usually deal with Bangkok bank.

Will you keep warranty if external workshop replaces parts? What is the warranty BTW?

I have mostly seen big guys with top box and maybe gf on forza 350. But some girls do ok:

One must be careful, especially on the Sukumvit. Maybe I get a bigger bike one day, but not for racing the Sukhumvit, I have too little experience for that. Buy a top box and side boxes might be nice. I can just say that Cambodia, 10-20 years ago, was worse. Even the experienced bikers had problems with the Lexus who braked for no one. I am no biker so I shouldnt say so much. But safety videos I listen to often talk about cars not seeing the bikes, not expecting them. But Thai are so used to bikes and "eveyone" probably grew up on a bike, so they are aware of bikes. But of course, it will suffice that one car fails and you are done.

I can see your point. Following your girl to her home village in Isaan and leading nice life with her family sounds ok. But hasn't the "party life" gone down a little? 10-15 years ago there were plenty of girls around Pullman hotel in KK. More quiet on my last visit. Udon "farlang street" was OK on my last visit which was a while ago.

That was interesting. I don't know much about bikes. You hotted up the suspension of the Click. It has monoshock rear. That is obviously your premeditated move. It is a very nice feeling to ride what the Thais ride. (I would choose Filano. But 125 is on the low side for the sukumwit?) Or is it so that we fall in love with certain bikes and keep modifying them. (Far easier than the women we marry.) How would you compare the original suspension of an ADV to what you got now?

That sounds good. I have been to Kao Chi Chan. You know the road so you can drive faster. Recently on a rainy day I took the left before Lotus Sattahip and ended up in water covering about half the front wheel!

So you are one of those I just see the back of when I go towards Sattahip ????

I have rented click 160 in Patts. My impression is there were several available.

I passed the library and Youth center today. Nice area to go around. But still difficult to find empty parking lots or similar with paved surface for slow speed training. Most is "dirt and gravel".

There wasn't much I could say to the officers since I wasn't even aware of the existence of such signs. They were ok. Waiting is ok. I just hope I will not block traffic from behind that doesn't follow the rule. The signs look different in different crossings. https://snipboard.io/cmMfE7.jpg https://snipboard.io/bO8epV.jpg Worse can happen. In Georgia, during Covid, I was walking alone in an empty street when a police car ran up, blocked my way and booked me for not wearing face mask. But friendly officers.

Maybe the certificate of residence is a hitch. It may only allow us to buy bike within the high spending zone of Pattaya and only a little beyond. And I was on rental bikes when I shopped around. The rentals contracts often limit your movements to 60 k. The Click is a good bike but the gas tank encroaches on storage. If I bought 125cc I would look att Filano (which Thai seem to like) or Lead (37 liter storage!), both with step through

You may have been riding in Thailand so long that you trust the same instincts, Buddha amulets and flower garlands as the Thai do. They just feel what will work in traffic and what not, and that works. I have to try to think myself through this.

The 45 l boxes I have seen would definitely need consideration if you trickle through a traffic jam. Just because your mirrors will pass, the box may not, also laying down the bike slightly. I would have to drive more like a car. But most boxes can be removed by the press of a button. They put crash bars on my PCX today. That will hopefully reduce damage, at a fall in very low speed, practicing maneuvers.

Good to know. It is probably not a problem. What I was mostly concerned about is if the box becomes as wide or wider than the mirrors. The mirrors you can see and slowly maneuver between car mirrors. One must just be extra careful in jammed traffic with a large box behind. Can also advice any bikers to be careful with the "no left turn at red light" sign. The strict but friendly men in brown educated me about it today and let me off the hook. I must do better here. I honestly didnt know about it even though I passed the grueling exam for Thai motorbike license. My attitude to Thai traffic police improved even more today.

Good you told where you buy. There is a 160 click abs-variant btw. Only 125 Honda never have abs. Only dual channel is nmax, but only front abs is ok from what the "internet experts" say.

I read that advice but never got so far out. Further from city is probably better. I also bought outside Patts. So they are not Mityon? How much do they charge for a 160 abs pcx 2023?

After going to several Mityon in and out of Pattata lately, I couldn't find one PCX 160 abs close to 94k. I found some ADV at 108 which is not "so bad" I believe but only the "Captain America" paint job. The ADV is more expensive I believe, I didn't check that market. Mityon Theprasit will only sell PCX on installments but sell Click Cash. My experience is only Pattaya area but for me as a farlang there was a hefty farlang tax. If you order a special color or edition the response can vary from "ok, we can bring it in this afternoon" (which they did even though I didnt ask for it) to "pay one thousand deposit and wait 1-2 months and we'll see what we can do" ????

I chose PCX over ADV because More comfortable arm position for longer rides (a little apehanger maybe ????). ADV is more "active motocross" ???? Lower to step into. If I get a top box I can not swing leg over back so easily. A little lower seat. Easier to flat foot at red light. But ADV has firmer suspension, which I liked. I would guess at 90+ kg ADV is better for an "emergency swerve" if needed. But maybe less comfortable for a longer ride. But PCX is also a good bike for everyone I guess. The 110+ kg guys on the highway all seem to ride Forza 350. Some sellers in Pattaya have click 160 as I remember. Click is easier to maneuver between cars in the city but will not "steamroll" by itself on the highway, you must be more active. If you choose pcx be sure to get the abs, ADV has only abs model I believe, and of course check it is 160 as you desire. Thanks for info on oil pump. Those are just my impressions as a beginner after renting. ... Looks is a matter of taste. But doesn't it look like they found out afterwards that blinkers and instrumentation must also be mounted on the ADV ????

I am a novice so I listen to the videos. This guy is pretty funny if you want to go nerdy in it. His message is to use the front brake but "gradually", no panic squeeze (of course) (and combine with rear). (I believe the combo brakes will "think" for you as long as you don't lock the wheels.) https://youtu.be/YdrR9EFNdqo?si=UZ44GK6FGqN1DjAe I finally bought a pcx. All works well but over the weekend the shop called and said the certificate of residence wasn't valid. When I paid I repeatedly pointed out the certificate was for a bank and at that time they said no problem. This week I will help them and get a new one. (Don't ask me how much for the bike. ???? I looked around but still had to overpay.) The 125 click is probably the best and most suited for the trips you describe. Very nimble in traffic. Now I look for a place to wash the bike. Getting outside Pattaya in this season quickly makes it dirty. Will probably stop washing after a few months ???? Still also looking for some empty parking lot to practice slow speed maneuvering.

I have never done this job. If I get a flat outside the city in Thailand I will turn on hazard lights and hope some Thai will stop and bring me to a bayang shop that knows how to deal with the situation, go pick up the bike or whatever. A cut can not be repaired. But the sets I have seen consist of a round "file" and a needle to insert a strip of lubricated rubber. (I saw pros doing similar in Cambodia, they also added heat with charcoal as I remember.) Then you fill air with either small bottles or compressor. But the problem is to find the hole. Probably only worth considering if you drive nighttime on sparesly trafficated roads, which I will not do. Or bring the gooey stuff and spray into the tire as an emergency and change tires later. The plugs last long even if it is not recommended to keep the tire. Even in the city could be a problem. If you have 3-400 meters to a tire shop. Maybe best to run the bike and walk on the side? Don't you ruin the rim if you ride it?

I haven't found any Mityon selling crash cages. They have few accessories, but Honda seems good quality. I believe the cage will also make the bike slightly wider in traffic. If you practice narrow turns at low speed in an empty parking lot, you must check the surface carefully, imho. I literally got burnt not doing that in Cambodia many years ago when practicing narrow turns on a sandy spot on a 250 dirt bike. PCX is 130 kg but has a low COG so you can probably hold it from falling at low speed.

OK. I sometimes practice narrow turns at low speed on empty parking lots. With my own bike the lean angle will increase and one day I will meet a spot of sand. So I thought of maybe buying a crash cage from Lazada.

Will try that. What else do I get for 5 k/2 yrs? Anything connected to accidents?

Yes. A sharp object will do its job on any tire. Some Mityon offer 2 yrs theft insurance @ 3000b. I consider having that. I put some more questions here. Mods will tell me if a new thread is needed. The top boxes make the bike wider and less agile in traffic. Some delivery guys have long narrow boxes. Maybe dangerous if it balances the frontwheel upwards and it loses traction. I don't want to do wheelies. ???? So probably safest to buy a standard, wide box and remove when not in use. The bike I rent now has nice wide angle mirrors attached to the regular mirrors. I couldn't find one bike shop in Pattaya carrying such mirrors. One shop guy even came to examine the mirrors of my rented bike. He had never seen such before! Thais probably do that on instinct ???? Will try Lazada. (Also saw red warning lights flashing inside the external mirrors of a taxi in Bangkok, when another vehicle was in the blind zone.)