andrewrooney

I drove an old Tena similar to that for a little while, borrowed from my wife's aunt because I was in need of a bike at the time, and the Tena was sitting unused. I figured, "why not, free bike?" Had a mechanic fix up the brakes, change the oil and spark plug, etc., paid to get the tax up to date and I was good to go. It got me from point A to point B most of the time, but it threw up a massive smokescreen everywhere I went. My wife (unaffectionately) called it the "barbecue chicken bike" because there was more smoke than a bbq chicken cart. It enjoyed stalling out at red lights on a pretty regular basis. Also whenever it rained water would get in and the bike wouldn't start. When the heavy rainy season hit it started having more and more problems so I gave the bike back to the aunt and she wound up selling it for 3000 baht (probably only worth that much because the green book was in order).

After that I, on a whim, purchased an old Kawasaki KR150 from a local mechanic on the cheap. It was really fun to ride, I managed one good road trip on it, and it got me to work and back for a couple months but it was plagued with problems as well. Won't get into it, but shortly after that my wife forbade me from ever buying another two stroke and I stopped being a cheapskate and bought a firsthand Wave.

Long story short, I see the appeal of these cheap old two strokes as they're fun bikes when they're working, but most of them have been very poorly maintained and will bring about big headaches in the long run.

My father in law is selling his pickup truck, can I include a picture of it in this thread? :D

Thanks for the response.

My understanding is that I can do my 90 day report up to 7 days after the 90 days expires. Does this 7 days count the day listed on the card or not? i.e. if I'm supposed to report on 6 August, and instead go on 13 August, will that be considered within the 7 days, or will I be fined for being late?

Does the 12th being a holiday make any difference at all?

Thanks!

Oh, and I'm in Bangkok (in case there are different rules in different places).

I bought my CBR 300 from a local Honda dealer on Nawamin road in Bangkok. Did the 1000 km service at the dealer. No problems yet .

As a practical matter the only real difference I've noticed since the "crackdown" is bikes stopping behind the line at traffic lights. I've been doing it too, mostly, but I'm not going to stop using overpasses or start riding in the left lane.

A funny side note is I noticed a huge sign at the NIDA intersection in Bang Kapi that translates to something like "Zone where traffic laws are actually being enforced.... really!"

I spent about 200k on my wedding. I went pretty much all out though, rode an elephant to the morning ceremony, then had a big party in the evening at a restaurant by the river with about 300 guests, a live band, and lots of booze. I made quite a bit back on the envelopes.

So my understanding of the 5 rules being cracked down on (from this and other posts):

1. No inappropriate passing

2. Must stop behind the line at a red light

3. No blocking an intersection

4. No driving on the wrong side of the road

5. No fake license plates

All seem pretty cut and dry except for #1. I'm not really sure what exactly constitutes that one, maybe somebody can explain it better?

As a practical matter the only one that really changes my riding habits is #2, I've been conscious of that one since they announced it.

I'm still using overpasses, the time it saves is worth the risk.

I'm confused. I'm sure those are all the things drivers have to do or they will get fined, in Chiang Mai.

Yeah, they seem like pretty normal rules, but in Bangkok it's usually standard practice for bikes to filter to the front at long lights, and park in front of the cars... leaving a lot of the bikes across the line. Sounds like that's what got the OP. As I mentioned, that's the only one that's really changed my riding habits much. It does seem pretty funny that the police were aware there was a problem with fake license plates, and ignored it until now, but TIT etc. etc...

I went up to Sangklaburi about a week ago! Beautiful ride. Watch yourself on those downhills

So my understanding of the 5 rules being cracked down on (from this and other posts):

1. No inappropriate passing

2. Must stop behind the line at a red light

3. No blocking an intersection

4. No driving on the wrong side of the road

5. No fake license plates

All seem pretty cut and dry except for #1. I'm not really sure what exactly constitutes that one, maybe somebody can explain it better?

As a practical matter the only one that really changes my riding habits is #2, I've been conscious of that one since they announced it.

I'm still using overpasses, the time it saves is worth the risk.

I speak English the vast majority of the time in my classes. However, sometimes a situation arises that is better handled by speaking Thai. For example, if one of the slower students seems completely lost, sometimes I will take him or her aside to explain something in Thai. I've also found that when discipline issues arise, speaking Thai is extremely valuable. If you need to tell a rowdy student to sit down and stop talking, you can yell at him in English until you're blue in the face and he'll think it's all a big joke. If you tell him the same thing in Thai he'll usually listen right away.

Also, sometimes it can be funny to speak some Thai for a joke here and there, to keep the students entertained. If you can make a quick pun here and there it keeps things lively.

One should definitely use English as much as possible in the classroom, and encourage the students to do the same, but every class is different and I have to agree with the "never say never" sentiment.

I saw one of these in Saraburi about two weeks ago. Nice looking bike. It looks a lot lighter and more compact than the CBR150. Not sure how they stack up performance wise but this one's definitely got the edge on looks.

To actually answer the OP's question, the tax on alcohol went up late last year. So, yes it's more expensive now. Big bottles of Leo went from 48 baht to 55 baht at most 7-11's, to give one example.

So are you surprised he's with a ladyboy, or just surprised at how inconsiderate he is?

I rarely see the 125's available in Thailand as far as used, and they all have the spoke wheels.

I see a lot of the 110's though.

Prefer the125 with the upgraded wheels, rear disc brakes and electric starter.

I won't be arriving in Thailand for a few more years, but these bikes seem to be far more common in Malaysia than in Thailand were the 110 are far more common.

Would also like to purchase a used model as well. I won't be riding enough to rationalize the purchase of a new model.

I've never bought a new car/motorcycle in my life as they lose too much value as soon as you drive them off of the lot.

Maybe they will be more ubiquitous in Thailand in a few years, or I can buy a used one and upgrade the spokes to the 5 star style wheels.

Every used "spoked" model I've seen for sale in Thailand has rusting spokes from the rain.

Not sure if the pics in my posts above are showing, but the Malaysian models look very sharp, especially without the spokes.

Upgrading the wheels will be easy, lots of small bike shops that sell mag rims.

I've never seen a Wave here with rear discs though.

A new Honda Wave 125i goes for about 50,000 kickstart, 54,000? electric start. Spoke wheels, front disk brake, rear drum. Available colors are black, white, blue, red. Lots of used available, check around on craigslist, Thaivisa etc...

Off topic but It seems the OP's subject was about done.

Kasset Tak said: "I have problem separating British English and American English"

....... and differences there certainly are. I hadn't realised just how many until I started using the internet 14 years ago.

Here's an example:

Yesterday I hired a car. The boot was empty, the bumpers were a bit scratched, but it had a good engine under the bonnet and a manual gearbox. I pulled into a garage, filled it up with petrol and blew up a soft tyre. As I left, there were some hot girls on the pavement. I then continued my journey using both dual carriageways and motorways. I saw lots of articulated lorries.

I guess some Americans would have a hard time understanding that

Here's what I think the American version would be:

Yesterday I rented an auto. The trunk was empty, the fenders were a little scratched, but it had a good motor under the hood and a stick shift. I pulled into a gas station, pumped it full of gas and pumped up a soft tire. As I left, there were some hot girls on the sidewalk. I then continued my journey using both divided highways and freeways. I saw lots of semis.

Your translation is spot on except for the part where you said "auto." We would probably say "car" there also.

I'd add to the post above, also check with your local amphur offices beforehand. Because different offices seem to have different requirements that, depending on the place, can make getting married relatively easy or a major pain.

Some amphur offices are hospitable to mixed marriages, but others seem downright hostile. At least, that's the case in BKK where my soon to be wife have visited several different Amphur offices to check on their requirements.

This is a good point, it seems like different places are way easier than others.

For what it's worth I registered my marriage at the district office in Bang Kapi and the people there were very friendly and helpful.

The real question is, why was OP in that part of Pattaya to begin with?

This was not the wisest thing to do, but then again you have asked on here if we think it was ok. The answer from me is absolutely not. You compromised the entire safety of all the people living in that area under the responsibility of that security guard. What do you think the chances are that he had a good 4 hour kip between 1am and 5 am, all beer induced. Fire, theft, attack, whatever the incident. What you did was well meant but was the wrong time absolutely, you could have done it on his night off. This is nothing to do with being a 'decent human being' or a 'kind bloke'. I used to buy two bags full of beer and whiskey every single day at 5pm for the builders who were building my house - AFTER work had finished. If I lived in the apartments and was paying a monthly fee for security I would be pretty pissed off at your actions. Stupid is as stupid does.

For what it's worth, most of those guys only get one night off a month.

There are some shops that sell KR150's around Chokchai 4 also, might be worth a look.

This thread gives me such a warm fuzzy feeling ... thanks, everyone, for showing me that romance isn't dead!

I've got the same bike, it feels pretty happy cruising at 80 or 90 in fourth.

Maybe the reccomendations are for a 40 kg Thai girl?