baddogonceagain

Thumbs up for Bungkan Transportation in Province Bungkan for a drivers license renewal. This is likely the first time in fourteen years I had an experience I could call "customer-friendly" at a government office of any kind. The office is no longer in the building facing Hwy. 212 and there's a note on the old location in Thai telling customers to go to the newish building around the back, Unit 5. As you enter the new building a receptionist gives you the correct application and a numbered ticket. Take the elevator up to the fourth floor and you're there. My wife and I got there late, about 11:30, so at noon the employees vaporized and went to lunch. We did too. I no sooner walked into the office at 1:00 when my number was called. Have read the blogs about how variously the rules are interpreted in other provinces but, had absolutely no problem with my passport, yellow house book and copies of those documents. During the process the polite clerk advised me that my passport would not be required on future renewals and I almost fell off my chair. She may not be taking into account that passports change too and need to be updated on government's data bases. She did however, wish to see my bogus, color pink, National I.D. card and put that number on the final imprint of my new D.L. Had to watch the "Death Race 2019" videos and take some quick reflex and color tests with my cohort of about ten other applicants. We were the last group of the day to receive our cards and we were out the door at about 3:15. The last time I remember doing this it took all day with a huge break until 3:30 or later in the afternoon when we got our cards. I'm convinced they weren't just being nice to me; I had plenty of chair time watching the general running of the office and these young women were working very hard to give the same efficient service to everyone without one supervisor in sight. I give them a 5 out of 5 stars. In the lobby on the fourth floor they advertise a new free app for your phone called "DLT Quick Queue" which claims to be a license renewal, QR Code, preregistration service of some kind. I have not used it and have no information on it but, if it's for real and it works they are centuries ahead of any other government department I can think of. I'm thinking about the giant fail at the immigration police for the 90 day internet check-in that never worked with any operating system nor any browser on two of my computers. Tip of the day: If you show up for your renewal a discrete few days after your birthday passes and your current card is expired, the computer rewards you with a six year card as opposed to the usual 5 year. I believe you have a one year grace period after the card expires to get a new one without taking the test again.

Just checked all my BBK accounts and they're taxed too after a small bank interest deposit. I had my Thai wife check her BBK accounts and she doesn't show any. This is starting to look like the Thai government at work fleecing foreigners.

If I understand the problem correctly it is being generated by the U.S. government. They see a data leak that they want to plug and have made the banks responsible for adapting and carrying out the execution. The intermediary banks like Bangkok Bank have indicated their knowledge of the proposed change April one year ago by sending out their nastygram to foreign clients. It's much like a game of 'liar's poker', where everyone seems to be waiting for the other party to move. I'm a curious onlooker checking for financial damage to my accounts or transfer methods. Everything I do while resident abroad seems to be a wild experiment of some sort such as sending money to myself even though I don't intend it to be. Sometimes it works and sometimes it doesn't. I'm thinking that my U.S. government payers "know the ropes" and my payments from them won't be affected. Here's how the 1000 USD Charles Schwab payment finished, and of course, the outcome had some unexpected parts to it. The money was scheduled for transfer on 28 June. It was sent and received by Bangkok Bank that day (Hoo-Yaa!). I was also dunned a "tax" for that one transaction only by the bank, for the first time in 14 years, for the sum of "47.28" Thai Baht. Where did that come from? Is BBK going to respond to the new transfer format by taxing it's foreign customers for their trouble? Is there even a new international (and presumably, universal) transfer format? Might this be a move by Commandante-0 to raise taxes in general? I haven't a clue.

Update for Charles Schwab - Bangkok Bank customers on ACH/IAT issue. I pinged Charles Schwab (6-27-19) and this is what the robot told me: "I'm not aware of any change to the foreign wire process." Are they just plain stupid or is there no problem at all? I'll find out by next Wednesday as I was asking them a $1000 question.

Ya, I entertain that great debate everytime I look out on my carport and see the wreck. Right now it's just parts and worth almost nothing. It is on my list to sell it, and as a matter of fact, I was in the process of doing just that when a family member helped me out with my problem of having too much money and spare time. If I can get it back on the road cheaply I may be able to recover some of the money. The things I'm buying for it are usually rock bottom stuff with free or low cost shipping (read, China). Some of the parts are shared with later models of the same bike but Kawasaki Thailand gets almost the same prices for it's stuff as Stateside and that's no deal. I can find $1000 fuel tanks with $400 shipping in Euro land but, that's why I'm looking for local sources for things.

I don't want another hobby and my experience so far suggests it's going to be a long grind to get it roadworthy. I really want to ride my '10 which is my test bed for technical ideas and my plaything. It's recovering from a broken piston, waiting ages for simple nuts and bolts from Kawasaki and has temporarily donated it's front end to the other wreck. I must confess a soft spot in my heart for the early models which were rough around the edges and a wonderful raw experience. It's like banging around on huge British singles. I call the '07 my 'Primal Scream'.

It's a flip of a coin...heads I have a spare engine and frame, tails I have a bike to sell...maybe.

Thanks, Beardog. I've been the dealer route and stiffed everytime by at least the dealers in Issan. The naked was officially introduced to Thailand and the US in 2009 and no dealer I've ever spoken with will order or be responsible for parts before that date. I appear to be orphaned and on my own. I don't know about the f-model as to year of introduction to Thailand but am pretty sure it's the same story for any early 06' to '08 f. Dealers in the North have exactly four things for the ER's and that is oil, oil filters, Italian brake fluid and the wrong spark plugs. They refuse to inventory so much as a nut or a bolt.

I have the fuel tank and the complete front end from my '10 f-model on it now so I can road test parts as they become available or show up at my door from Florida recycling yards but, there's always that last nine yards to go. The '09 to '11 tanks hook up but neither the new nor old style plastic side covers fit any more. I would have to call in my plastic designer for that one to work. The whole front end was smashed and every plastic piece on the right side sheared off. The only reason I'm doing such a whacky thing like reconstructing it is that the frame isn't bent and the sweet engine doesn't have a scratch on it.

I've started a list of countries represented on E-Bay that only insult their buyers who are looking for quality early parts at a right price. Also, there's a clock ticking away in that the parts are disappearing for the earlies by the minute. The plastic stuff and fuel tanks seem to be the first to go. Here's a great example less than a week old. On German E-Bay I found the polycarbonate, clear plastic headlight lense (no gasket, no clips, nothin') for 200 USD. That's a week's supply of groceries for my family so I think I know the answer to that one.

Thanks for reading my stuff and I'll keep on looking.

Hi, newbie here. I'm new to this forum and wondering if there are reliable sources for used parts outside of Issan for early ER-6's. I have an '07, Japan production, naked that's recovering from a serious crash and I would like to find resonably priced parts in-country for the reconstruction. I'm taped-out after finding the stuff on E-Bay and shipping it here.

I haven't read all the 3000+ posts on this topic but hoping that someone reading this can suggest a party to work with. Am willing to pay shipping through Thai Post or possibly EMS for goods and can Paypal or bank transfer. Tired of dealing with the accessory scoundrels in Bangkok. I also have stuff to trade from the '07 naked and a '10 f-model. Would love to get either one of them on the road again. My kingdom for an '06-'08 naked, right hand shroud with all the mounting points intact and a fuel tank with very few dings. I welcome your contacts at: <email removed, use PM function to contact> Please note in the subject line, "naked parts" or something similar so I don't think it's spam. Thanks.