SS1

Here you can find both Samsung and Sony 18650 batteries: https://thaivapeshop.com/collections/18650-batteries 

Can't comment on their specific quality, but the shop is reputable itself. 

7 hours ago, rwill said:

People speed in every country.  The faster you are going when you have an accident the worse the outcome will be.   

But speeding in of itself doesn't neccessarily cause accidents.

   

It is wreckless driving that is the real cause.  But the government always seems to avoid calling their drivers wreckless.

 

We all see those drivers that weave in and out between cars like they are in the biggest hurry ever.  I have had some come within a few centimeters of my vehicle when cutting in front of me.  I like to leave a safe braking distance between me and the car in front of me.  But it is so hard to do here.  Even if you leave about 1 car length between you someone is going to cut into it.  It sometimes feels like I am going backwards with all the people cutting in front of me.

 

I agree. Looking at the daily crash videos you see on Facebook, accidents are mostly caused by other reasons. 

A big problem making roads more dangerous on the highways is non-stop lane hogging by almost half of the drivers. To try and keep an average speed of 120km/h the only way is to slalom between cars, as there is always some day dreamer blocking the rightmost lane for no good reason. This is of course not an excuse for absolute crazy weaving, but if people respected basic lane discipline everyone could easily drive at their own preferred speed without causing trouble. 

7 hours ago, jacko45k said:

My little scooter has a horn on it which seems to get attention when needed.....

A noisy engine is a safety feature, how delusional, perhaps everyone should drive around in tractors!

I think it's only frequent riders of big bikes in Bangkok who actually understand this. I'd have to be on the horn all the time riding through central Bangkok. Now that, if something, would rude and inconsiderate. I use my horn only when a collision is about to happen. The sound of a big bike is more like an advance warning "fast bike coming through" and gets people to check their mirrors and stop sudden swerving. 

Personally, I've got an EU-road legal titanium aftermarket pipe on my bike with the baffle installed. It's nice and quiet at low RPM, so I can silently cruise through small sois in residential areas without disturbing anyone. But drop a gear and give it some throttle when filtering on bigger roads, it's got a nice roar that keeps 90% of idiots out of the way. 

8 hours ago, jacko45k said:

Such nonsense, thinking a loud engine is a safety feature! You are deluded..... Car drivers are cocooned in an airconditioned box with their music blasting out, motorcyclists are on their phones and only beeping the horn might get their attention. In this area 'noise' is everywhere because brats modify their exhausts... I thought my neighbour had a Harley until I saw his bike!

I don't like silly loud exhausts either (they're just annoying), but having an aftermarket pipe with a decent sound makes a huge difference when filtering in heavy traffic. I'm not talking about riding at speed on highways, but when riding e.g. through Bangkok during rush hour. You can very clearly see small bike riders turn their heads and make way when they hear you coming through.. same with car drivers, once they hear you they are much less likely to do a sudden lane change in front of you. I do drive a car too and can very clearly hear the rumble of a big bike before it passes in slow traffic. It doesn't make much difference at highway speeds. 

On 4/7/2022 at 12:37 AM, pomchop said:

No nonsense spouted,,,just more BS from people who seem to think it is their right to make all the NOISE they want disturbing others who have no desire to hear a loud bike just so they can pretend to be some macho motorbike man child....i hope somebody opens a karaoke bar next to you some day and see how u feel about NOISE then....

Tell this to all the small bike and car drivers constantly cutting in front of us big bikers because they don't see or hear us! You sound like someone who doesn't ride motorcycles in Thailand. 

Just now, KhunLA said:

May want to peek at Suzuki Carry also, another inexpensive truck.

I was looking at those too, but would prefer an extended cab to fit some luggage / occasional more people undercover. I think also the Suzuki Carry has just a bench with some padding on the back, instead of proper adjustable seats. That sounds a little uncomfortable. 

I'm looking to purchase a very cheap (70-100k range) pickup truck sometime in the near future. The main purpose of this truck would be just carrying motorbikes (dirt bikes to trails, and road bikes to race track) and maybe for some bigger Big C / HomePro shopping. 

I was originally looking at some very old Toyota Hilux Tiger's, but spotted these Tata trucks in the Facebook marketplace, which are extremely cheap. You can get a 2015 Tata for the price of a 1999 Toyota Hilux. 

I tried doing some research on these trucks but couldn't find much info. I realise they're made in India, but is there actually anything wrong with them? 

I've attached a photo of the model I'm interested in. I think it's called Xenon Max Cab. It's an extended cab version with that kind of foldable flatbed (whatever it's called). This looks perfect for carrying 1-3 motorbikes on the back!
 

2 hours ago, Thailand said:

After trying two companies ended up doing it myself.

The old adage applies-if you want something doing properly etc.

Seems to apply even more in the LOS.

I do it myself normally but now got some buildup of algae between the tiles which needs a proper scrub. Very hard work, so would happily pay someone to do it. 

2 hours ago, Will B Good said:

Just negotiating a contract for a pool

 

Is maintenance so arduous.....? Out in the sticks, so no chance of anyone servicing pools.

 

Also chlorine as chlorine or chlorine via salt.......which is 'best' (ignoring costs)

Quite a few things to do, but not too bad, I've got a salt water pool. 

• Clean leaves with a net 
• Clean the bottom every 1-2 weeks with a vacuum
• Check salt level, ph, chlorine and adjust as needed 
• Backwash of the filtration system once a month 

3 hours ago, richard_smith237 said:

Riding defensively doesn’t mean pottering about at 40kmh as that has its own risks of being hit by other vehicles from behind etc..

100% agreed. I find the safest way to ride here is "aggressive defensive"; always riding slightly faster than other traffic, owning your lane when possible, being dominant and always getting in front of traffic. 

1 hour ago, Liverpool Lou said:

"...I'm in 100% control..."

only until the moment that you're not, same as every bike accident victim.

There are certainly some cases of freak accidents that cannot be avoided.. but observing those accident Facebook pages daily, I'd guess that 99% could be avoided by proper defensive riding. 

Hi,

Can anyone recommend swimming pool cleaning and maintenance companies in Chiang Mai? Looking for one that can come to do a deep cleaning of my saltwater swimming pool, as well as a regular checkup on all the chemical balances.

If you have recommenations, would be also interesting to hear how much do you normally pay for such service.

I'm about to purchase a chest freezer and wondering is it more economical to keep it indoors or outdoors? I've got limited space inside and it would fit nicely on the back terrace where it would be in the shade for most of the day. 

If the freezer is inside, then it will generate heat into the house that needs to be cancelled by running the aircon, so I'm not sure which one is a better option. On the other hand, I only run the AC for a few hours per day in the room where I'd place the freezer. 

2 hours ago, Mr Meeseeks said:

Yeh, a 77 year old doing the dash across a busy road was at fault. 

 

Zzzzz. Bong. Try again. 

Have a look at the photo of the road on the original article. It's a 4 lane road with a raised middle section. Certainly not a spot where you'd expect someone to be crossing the road without looking (other than TiT, of course). Even going within the speed limit of 80km/h in the dark, someone crossing in a place like that with dark clothes can be very hard to spot. 

From  a quick look at the newsarticle, I don't see any pedestrian crossing there and it certainly doesn't seem like a place to be crossing the road in the dark? RIP old lady, but people seem very quick to blame these "big bike riders" without knowing the circumstances. 

Reckless riding, but what about reckless crossing of the road? I've had pedestrians run in front of me from between cars on 80km/h roads that have pedestrian bridges right above the road. 

This is precisely why I never, ever, use public transport in Thailand. 

I'd pick riding my own motorcycle over riding in a bus or van any day. At least I'm in 100% control. 

Thanks for the suggestions. 

To clarify about the ditch; it's partly on public land and also on private (which is more of a swamp, a vacant land not taken care of). The ditch alongside my house is in between the fence of my house and a moobaan fence (my house is not in a moobaan). Some drain pipes from houses lead into the ditch, so draining or blocking it would not be possible. 

I have a crazy amount of mosquitoes around my house. I think it's because there is a greywater ditch that runs just past the house fence, giving them a perfect breeding ground. 

There are such insane amounts of them, that despite having screens on all windows and doors, a dozen will always get in when you open the door. Being outdoors is difficult, unless covering yourself in mosquito spray or lighting up multiple incense sticks. I also seem to be somewhat allergic to them, as I get massive, long-lasting bites from the tiniest little mosquitoes. 

Does anyone have advice on how to reduce their population? I love this house, but it's really becoming a problem. 

I bought one of those Potroti mosquito traps from Lazada. It was pretty effective at catching them, but not enough to make a difference in their overall amount. I'm not sure if I bought 5 of these, whether it would still make big enough of a difference.

Alternatively, I'm thinking maybe spraying some hardcore pesticide around the whole yard and around the house? also poisoning that little stream that runs next to the house. 

Any ideas? 

A very key thing seems to be missing: who was at fault in the accident. Based on the article it could be either or, and imho. makes the social status quite irrelevant. 

Getting a bit old now. 

I'm curious; since Thai social security is accepted as insurance, how does one use it in a situation described in the article? 

Not entirely sure from the photos, but looks like another idiot driver cutting accross 3 lines straight to cross the road through a u-turn.