London Lowf

Humans in Thailand have mastered the bumgun - dogs have not.

When I bought my brand new grey import RVF400 in 1999 I paid GBP6,200. Next to it in the dealer's (Boxhill Motorcycles) I noticed a grey import Fireblade (900 in those days) in the iconic urban tiger colour scheme at GBP6,300 - I didn't hesitate to buy the 400.

Yes indeed - looking at the Phuket News section today is like going back to pre-Covid days. s

Yes, but all of those 400s (and the 250 2-strokes) at the end of the last century were resticted by the Japanese licencing laws in both power and top speed - they all had 60bhp and a 180kph ceiling. The top speed was generally an easy work around on the speedometer but the power restriction was because of the specification of the cams, ignition, fuelling etc. and not, as many thought at the time, a crude restrictor plate. I had my RVF rejetted and set up on a rolling road and it only got up to 65bhp IIRC but I think that there were cams etc. available for those that raced them.

From memory the 500 was far more popular as it was manageable - apparently, the 750 was suicidal. (My 250 twin had identical styling to this photo - just a different colour.)

I'm not sure that 2-strokes are illegal per se, but more the fact that they simply cannot be made to comply with the emission standards of most countries. Honda realised that the writing was on the wall back in 2008 and stopped making them.

I was surprised to see the ZX-4R - that's a nice looking bike, apart from the can. When I was younger i had a CBR400RR NC29 and then I treated myself to a brand new RVF400 NC35 and considered it to be the perfect bike for the sort of riding I did - the "A" roads of southern England and a few track days. However, that was back in the last century and I thought that the 400 race replica class had died, either through a change in licencing legislation in Japan or simply changing fashions. I agree that 188kg seems extremely heavy - it doesn't look it! The RVF was 165kg (claimed).

Yes indeed - the first MG I ever spotted on Phuket (about six years ago?) was that bright yellow. The place is swarming with them these days.

The car is an RFM e- car 2.0 - made in India apparently. And you are correct, it's electric.

I'm looking at it on a 17" laptop and it looks absolutely fine.

PS: I have never been and will never go to any venue behind a closed door or drawn curtain - some might say that I'm missing out!

The kind of places that "might" have underage girls can be spotted a mile off - along Bangla there are none that I've noticed, but in the side-sois there are some very dodgy-looking places, particularly along the sides of Soi Sea Dragon. I find them extremely easy to avoid.

I wondered about that - a "dancer" who tried to solicit a LD from me said that she wasn't allowed to dance on the bar that night. She was dressed in the usual skimpy uniform but oddly, a couple of girls in civvy clothes did get up and sway gently to the music. What strikes me is that the staff and businesses don't have any explanations for these constant silly restrictions and just seem to happily accept them - the longer I spend in Thailand the more I am becoming the same.

Maybe so, but what about the hundreds of properties that were abandoned during Covid and have been left to rot - including a few major projects in construction that remain at a virtual standstill and yet still with a staffed sales office out front?

I agree - I was on Bangla (and Soi Sea Dragon) last night and it was just as busy as a week previously, especially bearing in mind that it was a Monday. Why would the average visitor give a hoot about a place being raided? Having said that, Phuket is quieter than a month ago which, bearing in mind the time of year, is hardly surprising. Maybe the businesses that are complaining expect peak season to last all year?

You really do live in a very strange world.

What on earth are you on about now - you quoted my post and nowhere did I mention Russians. However, since you bought it up, your statement that "There were not any Russians in Phuket last year" just about sums up your knowledge of the world around you. And yes, I do know that "last year" was 2022 and I was here from October. I won't even guess how many of the "alleged 5 million" Thais went to Patong, but you would have to be extremely dimwitted to believe that is was anything other than a significant proportion.

Well, last year just under five million Thai nationals visited Phuket (54% of the total) and so a fair number would have gone to Patong - none of them were "decent"? You really do post some nonsense, but it amuses me!

My second bike was the 250 version in an amazing pearlescent white - called the A1 Samurai. The disc-valve induction helped it to a genuine 100mph - the slightly later triples could barely hit 90, but looked much better.

A Yamaha YL1 in black was my first bike - GBP169.00 if I remember correctly. At the time it's homegrown competition in the UK was the BSA Bantam - my riding buddy had one and it was like an antique in comparison.

Yes, all very odd and out of the blue. I was told that it was only for three days but, as you know, my communication skills leave a lot to be desired and so I might have misheard or been misinformed!

You must look a lot closer than I do - I've never spotted more than one or two. Can you give me a pointer as to where I should be looking? Thanks.

I was also on Bangla on Friday and saw SW's was closed. And, just like the good old Sandbox days, all of the girls had simply been shuffled along to Sea Dragon Bar which, as you say, was packed. I initially thought that SW's was the subject of this thread, but there are odd things going on at the moment with 1am closing for three days apparently. Pre-Covid Sea Dragon Bar was my favourite but it is not to my taste these days - I don't know of one other beer bar anywhere else in Thailand that does not put your beer in a condom!

Sony earbud technology is excellent but expensive, great devices which you set up + control with App in your phone!

When I look at bluetooth headphones I wonder how the hell the manufacturers of hearing aids - which is essentially what bluetooth headphones are - can justify the prices that they charge. Healthcare really is a racket sometimes. In the bad old days you paid for the fact that they were descrete but nowadays so many people wear them that there is no stigma. You can buy a decent set of earbuds with noise-cancelling technology for the equivalent of B5,000 - my father has a Siemens hearing aid that cost over B80,000 - is there really that much difference? (Apart from the fact that he has to buy a constant supply of batteries)