KhaoYai

The only ones I know about are my friends in Pak Chong. Teacher in his first year at a government primary school around 18,000 - rises yearly for 5 years. Office worker (teacher's wife) 15,000. General factory workers 9-12,000. There is one local employer (foreign firm) that pays well above average at all levels but competition for jobs there is fierce and their pay structure is not typical for the area.

I'd absolutely second that. My bike seemed to be behaving slightly badly - resisting tipping in to corners etc. That would normally point to a front end problem but couldn't find anything wrong there. Shortly after that I found a slit in the rear tyre which was probably half way through its life - ordered a new Pirelli, fitted it and it was like riding a different bike, totally transformed. I still can't work out why a worn rear would cause those problems though. They seem quite sensitive to tyres and settings. My old ZX9 seemed to be fine with whatever - of course it would 'let go' when the tyres were on their way out but the ER seems sensitive to everything. Not that its a problem, just make sure that your tyres, pressures and suspension settings are good and you'll be fine. It depends on your weight but I find the suspension set on the slightly soft side works for me (75kg) I'd guess a lot of riders wouldn't notice the above so much but as a fellow 'ragger' you almost certainly will. Someone mentioned vibrations - its a twin. They are never going to be as smooth as a 4 but its not something I've taken much notice of.

I wouldn't want those low bars. Each to his own but wide/semi-high bars are much more comfortable on a long run. They also give you a lot more leverage when you hit the inevitable pothole.

Funnily enough, I bought mine from Chiang Mai - from a German guy who'd treat it like a baby and fitted all sorts of sensible mods + gave me a lot of spares and accessories too. He was off to work in the Philippines so I got the lot. It wasn't the cheapest on the market, nor the lowest mileage and it also cost me a flight but I'm happy that I bought it and its served me well - not the slightest intention of parting with it. I think I made a good choice - I'd had sports bikes for years in the UK but I didn't have a death wish. I was a lunatic at 16 and I haven't changed %^ years later. If I'd bought something like my old ZX9 in Thailand, I'd almost certainly have been cremated by now. That's not to say the ER6 is a slouch but its no rocket ship - you do get used to it though. All roads can be dangerous for bikers but the level of unpredictability and yes, I'll say it, stupidity is much higher in Thailand - mix that with a loony like me and well................best not. Tramming on at 270kmh with your head down on Thai roads is just madness but I knew if I had 140bhp below me, I'd use it so the simple answer was not to have it available - I actually see the scenery when I go on tour now. If you do want to do any touring around the national parks - take note that some are imposing noise limits now as those noisy Harley boys have been scaring the wildlife. And yes, they are enforcing it - I heard of a db meter being used at Khao Yai recently. An ER6 with a standard pipe will pass the db test (can't remember the limit) but an after-market one might not.

Personal opinion - a great bike, well suited to Thai roads. I have a 2013 with, from memory, 35K on the clock. I replaced the clutch recently but that was down to me ragging it around - with 'normal' riding it would probably have lasted many thousands of km more. I think mine is possibly a slightly newer model than the 2011 you mention but its the same as the one in your photo. I had a ZX9 in the UK so it took me a while to get used to the drop in power and the blast from the wind but it didn't take too long. Whoops, closer look - no its not the same model. As someone else said - try to find the 2012 model onwards - (twin tube, steel swingarm rather than alloy). The motors are the same though. One cheap and sensible mod that gives you more leverage and a better riding position - fit some Versys handlebars - they are a little wider and they really do make a difference.

I think I know where you're going with that but without any knowledge of the lady in question, that could be a bit hasty. Let's say she's a great mother, loves her child etc. etc. - how would she be able to afford to visit her child in the future? In some circumstances, I'd agree 100% but we know nothing about the mother. I'd hate to see a kid taken away from its mother, its culture and its relations without very good reason. If the OP's relationship does break down and the mother is good with the child - its a very good guess that he will find it much easier to visit his child (if he cannot stay in the country) than its mother would in the opposite situation. OP, on the basis that the mother is a good mother, you should pay heed to the Thai family structure, culture and traditions - which in many ways is much better than many in the West. If your relationship does break down but you stay in Thailand, would it really be so bad if your child was taken 'up North'? Most areas of Thailand can be reached in little over an hour by air and if you are flexible with your timings, flights are pretty cheap. If the child's maternal family are good people, can you give your kid what they can?

Do you mean by tradition? The legal starting point is quite clear, the mother gets custody by default unless the father can show good reason why she shouldn't. The family courts however do grant access rights if they cannot be agreed upon - whether those rights are enforced, I know not. I doubt the OP will be able to prevent his child's mother from taking the child 'up North' in the event of a break up.

Must be the holidays. I made one transfer on Saturday - it arrived in 5 seconds and another on Monday which took a little longer but not much. The weekend thing doesn't seem to apply anymore but its likely that holidays do have an effect.

Which is why I asked the OP what his status was. He said he was previously on a Non O, he didn't say he'd been on an extension so I wanted to check which. Some people say they're on a Non O long after the visa itself has expired - what they are actually on is an extension of stay.

Yes, that's what I've always used. Thanks Joe.

Not exactly, I could have taken other flights or if I'd waited until yesterday, the Air France @ £1350 Nope, getting to Paris was over £300 + very tight timing at CDG, I probably wouldn't have taken the risk. So there would have been some saving but flying total cattle class and risky. Yes, I'm very surprised that even 2 flights took me to Silver. However, at the current high prices, they are giving the higher mileage rates + 35kg luggage which suits me as I have some things to take over for my house. Can't remember, it could have been KLM. These prices seem to drop in and drop out, you have to keep looking and be ready to book. I went against my usual policy and its cost me as you say but I'm still convinced that cheaper fares will be available nearer the time. I very much doubt they're going to fill their planes at current prices.

Late response due to a re-read of your comments. I would disagree about fares from Bangkok. I've followed them for a long time and they always baffled me as they were 20 to 30% more expensive. However, we are in strange times at the moment and someone posted about Thai doing some promotions at the moment - as low as 28,000. As regards flights from continental Europe - you are correct, they can be much lower. Around a month ago I found a KLM flight from Paris @ £900 on my dates. However, I then checked out flights to Paris from Manchester or Leeds Bradford and they were over £300. Granted, I could get to CDG using a different method of transport but that would mean taking further time off - with the associated cost. I went though various scenarios - Prague was another cheaper alternative but again, the cost of getting there on flights timed to make the Bangkok flight, made it simply not worth the saving.

So, not wanting to take the risk any longer, I booked with Qatar 10 days ago at a shade under £1500. Hey presto, in comes Air France @ £1316 with a 20 hour outbound or £1350 with a 15 hour outbound - both have 17 hour inbounds. Still, I'm already up to Silver with Qatar so can use the lounges etc. This flight will take me to Gold - pretty impressive as this will only be my third flight with them since last December. I'm pleased about that as my Etihad Gold runs out in December and there was no hope of me avoiding that, they are pricing themselves completely out of the market on my route at the moment - £1816!!

I'm not doubting your information but do you have a link to the rule that states that? It would be useful to have the facts. All I know is that (as you agree with) I never had a problem entering after my divorce.

Was your Non O based on marriage? If so when did it expire? As far as I know, and Ubonjoe will possibly confirm or debunk this, even though you divorced, your visa was still valid and if it hadn't expired you could have continued using it and not created the situation you describe. I continued using a Non O after a divorce until it expired and never had any problems.

Those convicted of such crimes should be duly punished. However, I believe there is a presumption of innocence until proven guilty in Thailand. Lucky for the accused that they will not be facing the Asean Now jury who appear to have more information than the police.

It would be a good idea to actually finish some mega projects instead of continually announcing new ones. M6 - Bangkok - Korat Motorway now 3 years past its scheduled completion date - just one example.

I travel to Thailand regularly and can only do so because I seek out the best flight prices on my chosen carrier - Etihad. I can usually be flexible with my dates. I've just returned to the UK from Thailand this week and that flight cost me a little more than usual for the time of year but after several news reports I was expecting that. However, for reasons I won't go into, I have to return unexpectedly in just 3 weeks time and I can't believe the price I've just had to pay. OK so July/August are always the most expensive summer months to travel to Thailand from the UK and I usually try to avoid them but on the few occasions where I have travelled at that time, its usually cost me around £700. I use a flight comparison site and spent most of yesterday looking at hunderds of different options - I couldn't believe the prices I was getting. The flight I ended up with was available through various agents with prices from £1610 of to around £1700. I'd never heard of some of the agents so checked them out on Trustpilot to try and avoid nightmares - I also won't deal with agents that will not give out their phone numbers. I ended up paying £1677 (economy) using an agent I know for flight on Qatar (an airline I said I'd never use again but Etihad were £2300!!!). I just couldn't believe that price - even with it being in the UK school holidays and allowing for fuel price increases. £1677 - can you imagine paying that if you have a wife and three kids? There were flights available using multiple airlines for around £1200 but the total travel times were hideous (up to 53 hours). I also don't fancy flights using multiple airlines - too much to go wrong. What was also surprising was that flights were disappearing almost as fast as I could find them. I spoke to one agent who confirmed that they are exceptionally busy at the moment - it seems that people haven't travelled for a couple of years and are therefore prepared to pay these prices. The same agent told me that as well as the increased fuel costs, airlines are trying to recoup some of the money the lost when the pandemic brought most travel to a halt. I suppose that's understandable. I can only hope that once people have spent the money they've saved over the last couple of years and fuel prices hopefully drop, airlines will once again return to having to attract customers through competitive pricing. Next year maybe?