Can samui

One word......gel.

You can get seat gel on ebay then get a seat guy to slip it in, works wonders. Relatively cheap too. 1/2-3/4 inch and your butt will be happier.

And those mesh seat covers do stop pinching and they feel like aircon for your ass, have one on my Versys and one on my KLX.

4 hours ago, longtom said:

 

And you are sure the didn't use sea water? (genuine question)

Solid question.....not sure.

Dont think they would though....

There is no water shortage.......period.

Well at least that is the conclusion I came to when I got off the ferry in Nathon last evening and had to drive past the municipal workers cleaning out the road drains in Nathon with tanker after tanker of water. Now no sane government would do this when there is no water in the taps for Mr and Mrs Somchai!

Therefore I am forced to conclude that there is more than sufficient water and the reason for the outages must be above my pay grade.

Confused as usual.

9 hours ago, Richard-BKK said:

 

Benelli TNT600GT

L 2150 x W 800 x H 1180

 

Kawasaki Versys 650

L 2125 x W 840 x H 1330

 

The Kawasaki is indeed 150mm higher, which is easily changed by replacing the windscreen. The handlebar of both motorcycles is around the same height, plus a few centimeters for the Benelli... Nothing like SHOUDERS...

 

The Benelli offers 82 horsepower with a smooth powerband of an inline-four cylinder, while the Kawasaki is a bit less flexible with its 2-cylinder engine and that has a maximum 62 horsepower.

Lots of people like the Kawasaki two-cylinder as they have the idea is less wide… the numbers are actually not true.

Most people also prefer the standard Metzeler tires on the Benelli over the Dunlop tires on the Kawasaki Versys… but that is very personal

Guess the subtlety was lost on ya!

The term " head and shoulder" is applied to the bike as a whole, not the ride height. 

I tend to subscibe to the pack mentality where hey, if there are so many on the road there must be a reason. VStrom, hardly see them, gotta ask why?

The Versys is the Swiss Army knife of bikes, great at nothing but can handle anything you throw at it.

Power wise I have never felt " left out there" when I needed some, lots of giddyup when called on.

The Versys shares its engine with the Vulcan, eR6n and Ninja, parts are a breeze to pick up.

Still, my best advice is rent.....rent....rent.....then rent another one!

Your butt and your heart will tell you what is for you.

Versys is head and shoulders over the Benelli.

Instant problem solver for the seat height is to buy a 1" thick piece of gel and have a seat shop remove your cover, install the gel and recover it. You will thank me later! Versys seats feel great in the showroom and 100 meters down the road then they suck. Pretty much the same with any stock seat really.

New Versys is about 320,000 or so I believe so right in your wheelhouse price wise.

Easy to buy toys and farkles for the Versys too.

All depends what you are planning on doing as well as your skill level.

I have a Versys and it is about as big as is practicable on Thailands roads. Good suspension, reliable and easy to get serviced. 

If you plan on getting rougher and dirtier then either the HondaCrf250 or the Kawasaki Klx250 are great bikes. Both come in motard options also for wider street tires.

Think long and hard about what you want to do on the bike, reach a decision and then rent one for a few day to get first butt cheek feel for them.

One thing to take into consideration is the seat height if the bikes, Versys is very tall and if you are shorter than 5'10" you will struggle to get both feet comfortably on the ground.

Lots of guys ride here and everyone has their prefernces but in the end you will get what you pay for, you go cheap then you get cheap.

Best of luck and keep us posted.

Does anyone know of a detail or paint shop that can buff out oxidized paint?

I think my Tiger needs a little love, starting to look pretty sad and worn.

Found Bahtsold.com to be an excellent and free sales tool.

Ummmmm.....

Pay more for what? 

Buy more canvas to cover the mountain of crap?

Fix the bloody incinerator.

Ok, had quite the day today.

Thought I would try Thai Inter for my medical so motored on down there this morning, checked in and had my blood pressure done then sat there for an hour and a half while everybody that came after me was seen to. 

Patience was exhausted.

Back on the bike and off to the government hospital.

Pulled in about 11:15, blood pressure taken (again) then registered and the registration girl struggled with where I was to go next so she pops out of her booth and takes me there! Dedicated room on the second floor where all my particulars were efficiently taken and I was given a task sheet with all procedures and locations.

Xray done (digital ultra low dose unit), pay at the cashier, blood test (super cute blood girl), tiny cup for pee, back to main room where papers were taken and asked to come back in two hours for results.

Lunch in Nathon and back to the dedicated room where I was told to see the doctor for results so I ask where is the doctor? She was sitting right behind me! All clear and good so have the official form that will not raise any hackles when I do go to Immigration.

Out the door and super impressed by the professionalism and courtesy shown by everyone at the government hospital.

I for one would recommend getting the medical done at the government hospital.

Just my two baht worth.

Yep, got that bit already, cheers.

But still, any more, and I do mean any, first hand reports would be of great assistance.

Classic case of a government arm saying " I need this!" But not being specific and helpful. Seems to be a symptom of most government agencies.....in any country.

On 20 สิงหาคม 2559 at 7:48 AM, sticky said:

Ran into a friend while doing my 90 day he was on his 3rd day trying to re-new his retirement. Did his medical at Govt. hospital, took blood pressure only, was out in minutes with paperwork. 200 Baht.

Yeah, while any info is great we seem to be seeing a lot of "second hand" info about which hospitals are accepted and what tests are done.

Just a call out to anyone who has done it first hand to state which hospital did what tests and if there were any issues at immigration.

On behalf of all us addled retirees......thanks!

Thanks Neil!

Ok, wanted an accessory bar for my Versys for GPS, camera, whatever but was having a bear of a time finding one. Couple on eBay for 2,500-3000 baht so I says to myself "self, lets see what my stainless steel guy can do".

Made a template of the arms for size, hole location and angle. Took that to my guy here on Samui and he says sure.....1000 baht ok? Ok thinks I, lets have a go. Back to the shop in the afternoon of the same day and there it is.....bloody perfect!

Thai ingenuity sometimes is truly a sight to behold.

Moral of the story is that these guys can sometimes make just about anything so if you are looking for some custom bit for your bike drop down to your local shop and see what the boys can do.....might surprise you!

Just got back from my reporting, first time with the new form.
Tempest in a teacup really.
Before, you had to submit your address on a handwritten piece of paper with your passport for reporting. That is about all I filled in on the new form, address and email address, signed it and was done.
Lad at the information desk was happy with it and I was out the door!

Need pictures please, show off the new toy!

Ok, standard SNAFU. Another Thai experience to be had.
Cheers

Does it require a picture every time?

The Medical certificate only from Nathon hospital?

I used to do it from International hospital in Bohput, cannot any more? My yearly extension for retirement will be in 2 weeks.

One more question with TM7 only one photo?

So i guess you have make your extension now ??

Anything to say about it. How did it go ???

Thanxxxx

No, my appointment was July the 10th Sunday, so I'v been to Nathon monday 11th, but it was not for the extension as I thought,

They gave me the list every one know so I will go for my extension the 25th maybe,about one week before she told me but no date ?

My extension ends the last day of July.

As far as the medical certificate is concerned, no mention of Nathon hospital at all, I will go to International hospital Bohput like last year, certainly not 735Baht like in OP but 250 Baht

IMG_0188.jpg

When driving a car I am a perfect gentleman on the road, no rush. Hop on the bike and I turn into an idiot.

Well, I guess a day at the hospital with a good book in the week prior to renewal is in the cards.

HJC are a very good helmet, fully certified.

I have an IS17 that is very good.

Time to move.

If the police car was splitting the two lanes he must have been in the middle of the road coming straight at you so what the F&^%k were you doing riding your bike in the middle of the road ?

Well, that makes him an idiot......in a hurry.