MixPiano

8 hours ago, Agusts said:

Here some latest experience of my dealing with Thai mechanics, some of these at Honda dealer, some in other corner shops.

Thanks for your detailed explanation. Sounds indeed a bit scary 😂. I should at least check the visual indicator after they put in the new oil (after keeping the motor running for a few minutes). 

I'm somewhat surprised by what I read here. 

It's about time for an oil and filter change for my CB300R. I simply want to visit any nearby Honda workshop for this service. I live in central BKK and would go to Honda MC Racing either in Phra Khanong or the one in Silom.

Why should I want to wait in their workshop? It's just a simple oil change; any authorized Honda workshop should be capable of handling it, right? Is there anything I should be concerned about?

Been there 2 weeks ago at 8:30am via booked slot. Wasn't an issue at that time. 

3 hours ago, Wout888 said:

So.....tmr I go to another city and will get it there. Will also do my driving license there. I'm told that in 2 days from now I will have both driving license in hand and I can finally buy a car with the other residence certificate.
 

Thanks @Wout888, your post is helpful as I'm in the same situation. Never stay in Thailand longer than 60-70 days without leaving. Glad that my embassy issues the certificate of residency (though it's 1600 THB).

Wondering where will you register your car? When you have a residency certificate from another province, you probably can't register your car in Bangkok. So do you plan to live in Bangkok with a car registered in another province on an address you don't reside?

That's exactly the kind of shop what I was looking for. Thanks a lot!

Hi,

I plan to buy a used manual motorbike around 200-400cc. I would like to purchase from a reliable shop that supports me with the registration. I'm not looking at Facebook Marketplace, Kaidee, or alike as I don't want the hassle with a private seller and the communication difficulties. 

Can anyone recommend a reliable shop in BKK for used motorcycles in the 200-400cc class? The ones I found so far sell eiter only scooters or 500cc+ bikes, nothing in between.  

It would also help if you could recommend an area in BKK where multiple shops are located.

Thanks 

Ah, OK. Have overlooked this.

I had been asked everywhere to do an ATK test when entering KS road. Only exception was the walk through the reggae bar alley.

On 1/17/2022 at 7:04 PM, AKJeff said:

I was on Khao San road a week ago Saturday.  The taxi driver dropped us off at a business in the area.  I forget about the testing until it was too late.  When we got to the road there was no one stopping cars to do tests so it wasn't required for me.  We had a few hours to kill so we walked a bit and ate at a restaurant returning around 1930.  Again no one at the entrance administer a test.  There was a testing site set up mid way (ish) down the road and a couple of restaurants had signs up saying you needed to show a test but they were the minority.  We had an hour foot massage and was not asked for a test either.

 

It was very empty.  Here are a few pictures from that night around 1930.

 

I should say the pictures aren't of the main party street but it was about the same.

 

 

 

This isn't Khao San, this is Soi Rambuttri.

Google (NFC) Pay doesn't support Thailand yet - no need to try. 

https://support.google.com/pay/answer/7454247

OK, then it's CW for me. Thanks!

When I checked the immigration webpage last week there was a popup clearly mentioning that the one-time 30 days extensions of a 60-day tourist visa have to be done in the Muang Thong Thani building. 

This popup doesn't show up anymore today and on the webpage it isn't clear where to do the extension. Does anybody know is the current office for 30 day TR extension in Muang Thong Thani or back in the Government Complex at Chaeng Wattana Road?

17 hours ago, OishiRefill said:

One of the attractions of such 'chain establishments' which have decor and themes directed at a specific foreigner group's demographic, is that the customer feels 'safe', 'at home', and sort of 'relaxed'. They serve their purpose. On a similar topic but on a bit of a tangent, I was shocked a number of years back when the Australian themed Walkabout was eventually closed in Phnom Penh. That was a real legacy place and I expect missed by many. 

Actually I like the Hooters on Soi 4, not that crowded and a great view, you can watch the happenings on the other side of the road. 

But nowadays a Heineken at Hooters is 175 THB compared to 95 THB at Stumble. I'm willing to pay more at Hooters, but nearly double? I guess it's now the other side of the road again for me.    

11 hours ago, thaibeachlovers said:

Just curious, but will the average official that is checking ID be able to read English, or whatever language the foreign driving license is written in, and if they can't, will they still accept something they don't understand?

Probably depends on the individual walking in and the individual checking the documents. I always show my English drivers license and the EU Green Pass App and never had any issue. Frankly, he just glanced at the documents and said OK. I guess if you show anything with a green checkmark on your mobile, it would also be accepted. I think they take it easier with foreigners. 

Thanks for your reply. Sorry, forgot to mention that I'm in Bangkok (edited the post).

It's never too hot for protective gear. And I always start with the intention to ride carefully and slowly... until I actually ride. 

Does anybody know a shop that rents out motorcycle protective gear? E.g. kevlar jeans, leather jackets, boots. 

(if you don't rent a bike there, just the gear) 

Edit: I mean in Bangkok

40 minutes ago, Don Chance said:

KSR is dead. 

Dead? Go there on a Saturday, it's party like 2019 (at least until 11pm)

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Farang will need their passport and vaccine proof.

No, foreigners don't need their passport. You need proof of vaccination and any ID will do (e.g. overseas driving license is fine).

Does anyone have experience with mixed jabs and the Mor Prom app? I got my booster in Thailand but had the first 2 doses overseas. When getting the jab in Thailand they mentioned that it will show as 1st dose on my Thai Vaccination Certificate (which it does on the yellow paper I got).

Has anybody uploaded a single booster dose into the app? Does it show as fully vaccinated or 1st dose only? 

On 12/5/2021 at 12:25 PM, MikeyIdea said:

It's Sunday so I'm going to write a bit ????

Fantastic post, thanks for your efforts MikeyIdea! And it fits perfectly as I just came back from Ayutthaya ????.

Regarding safety: I always wear full gear when I ride, i.e. racing boots, Dainese leather jacket and pants, back protector, racing gloves, and full face helmet. Always full gear... in Europe. The problem is that my gear is in Europe and I'm here. So today I wore sneakers, jeans, a shirt, and a helmet (that felt like cardboard). The roads to Ayutthaya are fine, but I still can't believe I went 120kmh in that outfit. Glad that I just have a 250cc and can't go faster LOL. Anyway, this isn't sustainable for my next planned trip to Kanchanaburi, I need to rent or buy something. Even cheap protection is better than no protection. I'm fully with you - safety first. 

For the trips, I usually ride during the week - I'm on (a long) vacation here. And thanks for the road tips and the Saraburi - Pak Chong - Prachinburi route, that's exactly what I was looking for - I'll check them.

Soan Phung, so busy? I haven't expected that. I live in BKK city center, my desire for traffic jams and lane splitting is perfectly fulfilled ????

Ban Pilok and one day: I think I will do 2 days. Frankly, even the Ayutthaya trip today was pretty exhausting. On the way home I reached Ladprao around 5pm, but then lane splitting another 45 mins through the rush hour jam isn't funny after a 180km trip.  

Rainy season: good point, I've no experience in rain. In central Europe the weather forecast is pretty accurate, so we usually don't ride when rain is forecasted. Also no experience with dirt bikes, probably a good combination to learn riding a dirt bike in the rain - the video definitively looks funny, haha. I would rather start with something like a KTM 390 Adv. 

Thanks again for all your tips. I think I have a good base now to explore the surroundings of BKK and make myself ready for a trip up to North later. 

On 12/1/2021 at 7:29 AM, kelboy said:

Why not 300cc? I did nearly all Thailand on a cbr250 no problem at all.

I used to ride bigger bikes in Europe. 1000 kilometers with a 300cc class bike doesn't sound exciting. But who knows, today I got a Z250sl and rode my first day in Bangkok city center. An interesting experience, but even you proceed much faster compared to a car, you still often stuck in traffic. 

I'll see how it goes and which bike to use for the longer rides. 

Depends on the mall, Gaysorn is as empty as before, Paragon as busy as before.

Tourist oriented malls like MBK are indeed a bit depressing compared to pre-pandemic. 

9 hours ago, MikeyIdea said:

Baan Pilok, the road from the dam up is very nice. Just pass Kanchanaburi and straight on until you get to the second dam, then left up the mountains. Several small resorts by the dam, I normally use vip resort but anyone will do. You can start early (7 am) and go all the way up to Baan Pilok in one day if you want, I normally stop at the dm for the night. You don't have to pay the national park entrance fee if you just pass on the road to Baan Pilok 

 

Thanks for the Pilok tip. The 3272 up to the Pilok Mine, that road looks amazing! 

3 hours ago, dsj said:

If using a international CC and they give you the option to pay in Baht or your currency always chose Baht, as you get much better conversion rate as Visa and MasterCard only charges 2.5% conversion fee (Bank Fee).
 

I use my Singapore debit Mastercard. No conversion fee and exchange rate usually not more than 0.5-0.8% markup from interbank rate. That's a fair conversion. 

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I agree with you that online shops won't accept foreign cards, like AIS, Tops, Central, but they do accept them in the stores, as that is what I do. 

Interestingly some do, like DTAC. You can top-up your prepaid SIM with an international CC. 

The problem with the shops is that they don't give you the same price like online. At least Samsung doesn't. Even if you walk into an official Samsung Experience Store, they explain you that online is a different thing and they can't give you the same price. 

When using a CC always choose the local currency (THB). If they convert for you, the fee is much higher (eg. Kasikorn uses 5% for conversion in EUR).

BTW, there are more and more online shops that won't accept foreign cards. I've tried buying a phone via the Thai Samsung store, no chance. After calling them, they confirmed that Samsung online doesn't accept overseas credit or debit cards.

On 11/29/2021 at 5:24 PM, digbeth said:

Kanchanaburi 3199 around the reservoir is good, the road is suitably bendy, there's this section between two ferry pier of the best corner to test your riding skills anywhere in Thailand  only spoilt by the literal <deleted> in the apexes, take lunch and a dip in the water at the many floating restaurant,  back in a day, if you're too tired to deal with all the curves, take the ferry back. Go now as towards the tail end of the dry season the mountainside will often be on fire in places 

 

Great, thanks. Exactly this route I want to take. Back then via the 4041 to Bangkok. By any chance, did you also ride the 4041?

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Khao Yai you can't go up the park without getting exhaust tested for sound now, 

Ah, ok. Good to know. Same thing in Europe, but I didn't expect to see this in Thailand.