GarryP

By the way my post should have said Michael Owen not Owner. To be honest, I looked at both PCX and Elegance but thought the former a bit too expensive (I know you get the fancy bells and whistles - but it was mainly to be used by my son who really was not interested in those things), so it was a toss up between the Elegance and the Hayate. I just decided to go with FI, as resale price was not an issue. If I had been looking for something that I anticipated selling after a couple of years then I would have gone for the Elegance.

Anyway, if they keep trying to top each other (I do not mean kill), then the people who benefit the most are us buyers, which is no bad thing.

I just visited to find out what the hel_l a Syllogism is? Now I know. I too answered B.

Actually I though it was Suzuki that brought the auto scooter to the Thai market. If I recall correctly Michael Owner was the brand rep so it goes back a few years. Rather than one copying the other, I believe they did a piss poor job of marketing, which they are only now addressing.

As to the actual specs, I know nothing so will leave it up to you people in the know to fight it out. All I know is my son is very happy with his Hayate and his only real complaint is that it is a bit heavy.

Here's the thing I do not get. People get angry because he asked about getting a pension without paying anything in. Start moaning about leaches and all that. But if the gov't was giving out money free, I think he would be a fool not to avail himself of it. So what's the harm in asking. It is up to the gov't to make sure it is only paying out to those who paid in and and provide welfare to those who deserve it. If it is not doing its job in that respect you must blame the gov't not the people taking advantage of it.

Anyway, I will know get on the calculator to determine how much I need to pay to bring myself up to date. Only about 28 years or so.

If you fired all the police Thailand would be in a terrible state. They would all have to go back to their original jobs. Being criminals, extorting money and moving drugs. 55555 hahahah

So no change really.

I extend annually based on marriage to a Thai but with income from my job. Prior to this year, immigartion had never requested a copy of my rental agreement. However, this years the officer who dealt with me wanted to see it even though I told her it was years old and had never been renewed. Luckily I was not asked for the home owners ID card. I was told I was just unlucky as in most cases where you have been extending for years and it is obvious you really are man and wife, these things are not requested. In fact I have only supplied photos for the last three years. Before that they never asked for them. I have been extending based on marriage for 20 years or more now. Every now or then they throw something new or different in just to keep you on your toes.

You will also find that many online sellers refuse to mark any packages they send as "gift" or "samples" for the very reason that it is technically illegal to do so.

Having said that, so far I have been lucky and not been charged duty on anything I have bought online so far. I have been warned though not to buy anything online until the end of this month. I forget why but customs are being very strict at the moment.

I bought the Hayate FI for my son nearly two months ago. Can't compare it to the Nouvo as I have never had one. My son really likes it and, as mentioned storage, is good. My only complaint (and this is very minor) it the placing of the pillion foot pegs. I feel they should have been a bit lower but then I have long legs. For example, sitting on the back of a Fino is torture to me.

I still haven't been able to locate an English langauge version of the users/service manual. Can anyone help?

My son says that he thinks the bike is restricted as he says once it got to 80 km/h it would not go any faster. He isn't too concerned about that though because he said at 80 he was getting front wheel wobble or is that forks vibration (I don't know the correct term). Does anyone know if the ECU really does restrict the bike to 80km/h?

Nope the Suzuki Hayate 125i has no speed limitations build-in, surely not at 80km/h. It's theoretically possible that the DCP-FI unit doesn't create enough fuel pressure. Did your son ever see the F/I light go one while riding?

The vibration in the front wheel is nothing serious, but you should let the dealer look at it. Sometimes new motorcycles loss the tiny balancing weights attached to the wheel... Riding to long with an unbalanced wheel can damage the wheel bearings.

For the English manual I will call directly and will probably tell you tomorrow how about it...

I just interrogated my son, I used bamboo splints under his nails to get the information. You know how it is with kids, don't tell you the full story at the beginning. Well, the F/I light has never come on while riding or at least he has never seen it. The road on which he got up to 80km/h had quite a bit of traffic on it so he is suddenly not certain that it is restricted after all. He says he will try on an open road soon, to which I told him he won't if I have anything to do with it. As to the vibration, he says it may have been the road but I don't buy that. I know the road he is talking about and last time I was on it it was in very good condition. Anyway, he still has 500kms to put on the clock before it comes up for its first service. He only uses the bike to go to Ram and back home 5 days a week so it is taking its time to get the distance on the clock. He is slowly building his confidence up and is using mainly short cuts through the sois at the moment. In a few weeks he should be up to using the main roads more.

I have not ridden the bike since I picked up my bike license. However, I have noticed that it is quite heavy although very solidly built. With my son driving and me on the back we do bottom out on the rear shock absorbers when going over narrow sleeping policemen (speed bumps). So we need to up grade the shock absorbers down the road. I weigh 76 kg and my son does not weigh any less than me so it is a fair weight on the back of it. Luckily for the bike this is not a common occurrence.

So far I have only noticed one other 2010 Hayate on the roads of Bangkok, which is a shame because it seems a much better build than a lot of the other autos currently available. I really do wish Suzuki well as they are sorely under sold in Thailand. Whenever I ask old timers about trail/enduro bikes they invariably mention Suzuki first.

I still haven't been able to locate an English langauge version of the users/service manual. Can anyone help?

My son says that he thinks the bike is restricted as he says once it got to 80 km/h it would not go any faster. He isn't too concerned about that though because he said at 80 he was getting front wheel wobble or is that forks vibration (I don't know the correct term). Does anyone know if the ECU really does restrict the bike to 80km/h?

For single men, you first need to get a PR. If you are married to a Thai, you can apply for citizenship without the need for PR. There is a wonderful thread in TV which gives loads of interesting info on the topic of citizenship.

That's news to me.

Why don't all these foreigners with Thai wives get citizenship and put the land in their own name?

Seems it would solve a lot of problems? and cut down the number of posts on ThaiVisa by half.

On top of being married to a Thai, you need to meet other criteria such as being able to communicate in Thai language and a number of other things. It is calculated on a points system. PR carries a large number of points, however, without it, it is possible to get enough points to qualify if you are married, just that it is a little bit more difficult. Have a look at the citizenship thread. It is all explained in detail there. Like you, I was surprised when I first heard about this earlier this year. I was even sure I would not qualify, however, after assessing my likely points score I should be able to meet minimum points needed with a few left over. So I will be going for it in a couple of years, if the law does not change in the meantime, which woould be just my luck.

I have added the link to the thread for you.

Some people seem to be under the impression that in Bangkok it is only openly sold on Sukhumvit and that the targetted punters are non-Thais. Actually, there is even more available in the Klong Thom, Charoen Krung areas, which for the most part is catering to locals, i.e. Thais and Chinese-Thais. The police stations in those areas are also known for turning a blind eye to the trade in illegal goods.

Not meaning to steal this thread, but there is also another thread all about getting a PR. I believe it is a pinned topic so should not be too hard for you to find.

so if Ive been here for 5 years I can apply for citizenshi[p and buy land...?

Well Ive been here on tourist visas and non imm o's for about 3, will that make a difference...?

Does that mean in 2 years I can apply..?

Let me guess, Im missing something :-)

You guessed right, you're missing tax payments.

Edit: unless you're a female married to a Thai. And it's permanent residence (PR) not citizenship.

For single men, you first need to get a PR. If you are married to a Thai, you can apply for citizenship without the need for PR. There is a wonderful thread in TV which gives loads of interesting info on the topic of citizenship.

I can't really tell from the picture but it is probably just a run of the mill water snake, which aren't venomous but are known for having a nasty disposition and propensity to bite.

"I am making the mother of my child get her tattoo removed,"

Bloody hel_l. You're the boss. Can really put your foot down, can't you? Must be very proud of yourself?

These two deserve each other. One is a positive nut case, but they both have delusions of grandeur.

'ถูกหวย' in a negative sense is used when saying something sarcastic.

For example;

เฮ้ย เพื่อน วันนี้ข้าถูกหวยหวะ เจ้านายเรียกไปพบ บอกว่าจะส่งไปทำงานที่ปากีสถาน ซวยจริง ๆ จู่ ๆ ทำไมหวยมาลงที่ข้าได้วะ

"สามล้อถูกหวย" is another good example. If you're called "สามล้อถูกหวย" that means you are being insulted.

Actually looking back on this, not so sure it is an example of พูดประชด in Thai.

Can anyone confirm? If not, can anyone give any examples in Thai?

Thanks in advance.

Could it be an example of ประชดตัวเอง?

The people at AP Honda Riding Training Center in Samrong told me that the CBR 250 would be introduced locally at the end of the year.

Really interesting thread. This month I will have been in Thailand 28 years and in that time I have never taken a Thai language lesson (this is not meant as a boast or a lament, just a statement of fact). The only book I have ever used is the old black bible "The Fundamentals of the Thai Language" (just like Samuian). I can read the language well enough to translate official documents from Thai to English but not the other way round. I can read Thai but not write it. I should have learned how to write but never had time. Foolish of me really and I'm reallly kicking myself for this.

I taught myself to read by working out which characters had which sounds by reading sign posts, bus signs (the ones on the sides of the bus which say where the bus passes), and other words which have the same pronunciation (or slight variations) in Thai as in English such as Coke, Pepsi, etc.

For the most part I have lived in a Thai environment so my experience has been pretty much total immersion. I speak Thai nearly 100 percent of the time, and do not notice when the television is on in Thai or English.

Clearly it is possible to gain some level of fluency, but I think if people know they can revert to their own language and still be understood, they tend to get used to that mindset so do not apply themselves as much as they would if they had no choice.

I just wish I was as good as some of the other posters in the Thai language forum.

Only those who refer to themselves as "Khun" followed by their name have to wai everybody. These people are more commonly know as tossers or "right <deleted>".

Increasing minimum wage in some places may have a negative effect. However, in the Thai manufacturing sector, for the mmost part business owners' profit margins are much higher than in the west. The profit margins are enormous. If business owners were prepared to reduce their cut, they could easily afford to increase the wages of factory workers without increasing the price of their goods, and still make a fortune. However, I would not hold my breath waiting for this to happen.

Here's one you can add. It has no official name but the locals call it Bor 44. It is 20 Baht a rod and you pay for any fish you take out. They are weighed and there is a list of how much it is per kg for each kind of fish. It is not particularly good but it is very close to my home so very convenient for me. They have mainly Sawai, Pla Duk, Tapian and yeesok, but also some pla chin, snakehead and Chalart. The location on google maps is: 13.701655,100.631418

Pretentious. I have heard such use of titles by people I assume wish to ingratiate themselves with the locals and appear as if they have been here for quite a while. It has the opposite effect though, they mark themselves out as being fresh off the boat and knowing naff all. Poorly worded but I am sure you get the drift.

^Such as Ayam baked beans from Malaysia. Much cheaper than the imports from the US and UK.

Yuk way too sweet. Brookes however as as close to Heinz as I have found and a darn sight cheaper than Heinz

But do you get the same quality of farts with these alternatives as you do with Heinz?

Sweet smelling toots with Ayam, room clearing rips with Heinz.