gobs

And one happy Farang more!

Congrats PB! Have a happy life there...

And yes, it can be done. Some months ago, I met a thai contractor and he explained to me how to grossly quote a average house project on a 100 square meters basis:

1) For a good qualiy built house the quote is about 8000/8500 bahts by sqm "keys in hands",

2) For a very good quality built house the quote is 10000 Bahts/sqm "keys in hands".

No matter one floor or two storeys...

Below 100 sqm, quote increases a little and above 100 sqm, quote decreases a little...

I found it was very useful for quoting a personnal house project. But OK, no golden bath tube or marble walls, hey!..

Cheers to all!

Gobs

Hi friends!

My wife and I want to tour with my FZ6F, and are looking for luggages. So today I asked a quote for the "rigid" Givi cases:

- Top-case model V 46 with the mounting rack: 18000 Bahts!

- Side cases model V35 with the mounting racks: 30000 bahts!

Argh! OK that's top quality, but that's "big money" too for 2 or 3 weeks/year of touring IMHO!

Further the bike should become a little bit uggly on the rear end and not so easy to handle in the daily commutes...

As I don't want to go with tank bag or back pack, some advices or experiences about an "alternative" (saddle bag or else...) that can be found here in LOS would be appreciated...

Thanks in advance,

Gobs

For sure nowadays, many Kawys riding here and there in CNX with the KLX and the D-Tracker!

Great value for money (150 KB)...

And even a lot more I suppose: the Kawasaki ER6N is coming in the next days this month...

A 600 cc brand new bike for... 225 KB!

Great, great, great value on the "big bike" thai market!

Wave to all

Gobs

Hi jeztennis,

No offence, but I'm in doubt with your quotations...

40/50 KB with "good engine and floorpan", IMHO forget it! Meaning forget "good"

A "good" Beetle for 100 KB in BKK! Wow, nice! I own a pretty '67 VW Beetle here in Chiang Mai, and know a liitle the "beetle things" here: a "not so bad one" you have to consider 150 KB... A "really good" one it's rather 200 KB and more...

Ok maybe it depends what you are meaning with "good one"...

Try a search on thaisecondhand.com, many beetles for sale...

However good luck for your search,

Gobs

Thanks for the link Vagabond...

Though I'm married, I feel same you: never got a health problem through 56 years of life, but I feel it's time (or age...) to look for something offering a good and "right" cover...

Though I have a good amount of savings (through my point of view, hey!) back home, I'm not ready to use them as a health care provider...

Uhuh's post (? 26) gives interesting quotations if his inputs are right. In this case, maybe a 2 MB yearly cover would be OK for each one of us, my wife and I. And let's say something like 15 or 20 MB lifetime...

Mmmmmmmmh, not easy to make a "right or good" choice...

Cheers,

Gobs

Congratulations guys!

Sure, Yamaha brings nice bikes into Thailand. And they have a very friendly and efficient service...

I just bought "MY" FZ6F last month here in CNX, and I'm in love with her!

Nice and easy rides in cities or on the roads here... I don't need more power or torque even with my wife as passenger! OK I've never been a killer on the roads... I just like to tour gently and have some fun from time to time (at least at my low level of game).

Back home in Europe I used to ride bigger bikes (750, 900, 1000 and up), but here I think we are not in the same conditions on the roads (I mean traffic and tarmac quality...). Well, IMHO

On the FZ1, I don't like the exhaust, the seat, the tail end and (same) the tank... So as I wanted a "light" tourer, I went for a FZ6F, which design I adore: the tank, the comfortable seat, the fairing and the best: the two exhaust cans under the seat!

About the tax going down (slowly: a Yamaha manager told me -6% every year...), for sure I can't wait for 10 years for riding! And then, with inflation, maybe at the end the price will be in the same range... Don't want to "lose" my time...

Just about the choice of colours one month ago you could choose between black or... black! But no problem: the black colour fits her very well with the black engine and black frame... What about this now in 2009?

So yes, I'm very, very, very happy (and maybe a little crazy) with "MY" FZ6F!

Have a lot of fun friends, and make your own good choice!

Cheers and wave,

Gobs

Errrrrr...

Sorry to ask this, but what are the LMG plans?

I'm now totaly confused... though I thought some times ago that AXA has good health care plans.

And, no offence, but I feel the TVInsurance site is not so clear about detailed plans. I quickly "fall down" on the "general" quote form... or maybe it's me

Gobs

imaneggspurt said: "does anyone know a foreigner that has bought a high priced item in the last 3 months, house ? car ? ,. "

Yes, I know somebody: ME...

WHY?

I bought a brand new big bike last month, and I'm very happy with it!

No problem at all for me...

And I know other Farangs that did the same...

My incomes are based on the Euro, not on the GBP...

And living today is better than "maybe" living tomorrow (IMHO)!

Cheers,

Gobs

www.macrumors.com guess a new iMac is coming for January at the Macworld in SF...

Just an "update/upgrade" or more?

Maybe better I wait some more weeks before purchasing

Someone here who "knows"?

What do you think about this?

Cheers

Gobs

""I have always driven sportsbike in Switzerland, but I'm not sure it would be a great idea to drive that everyday in Thailand.""

Hi Tod,

As you say: "not a great idea"... but many do it "for the fun" just to commute to the bar or the beach

Not a long time ago, I was going to purchase a BIG engine bike. But after been advised by many friends (one of whom is BigBike BKK) here and there, I decided to go for a 600 cc "middle range" bike: easier to handle in cities and sufficient for "touring" in LOS. The open roads here are not the same than back in Europe: not same tarmac in most places and not same "riding safe" due to trucks, tractors, tuk-tuks, buffalos, little bikes and so on sometimes "moving" strangely just in front of you...

For other part, please, before you decide to go for a Kawy ER6, have a look at it "for real". Don't trust too much advertising pics

Happy (future) rides,

Gobs

Hi,

I'm taking the train moving... I have to say that I'm in the same case, Torrenova. What is the "good" quote for the "good" benefits...

As I'm french, back there the "health care system" is totaly different. You never worry about "how much", because, as you work, you are systematicaly insured on an average of 75% of all the costs for whatever can happen. The average 25% up can be covered by a low cost personnal care plan.

So it's very difficult for me to choose what should be good enough, here in LOS...

I went already to "my" bank, the Bangkok Bank, but they only sell life insurance including health care. And life insurance I've got already better ones back in France...

And thanks to you all, I've just mailed to BUPA, here in CNX, for more details on the different plans...

I stay in contact...

Cheers,

Gobs

Interesting Lickey... And nice cassava...

Please, as said catwho, how much for the extras for planting 1 rai?

Cheers,

Gobs

No worry friends, we all make some day a mistake or two... Nobody is perfect! And passion makes us sometimes speaking quicker than reason tells...

At least, we are sufficiently numerous here to correct with courtesy...

Cheers,

Thanks Crobiker,

7000 $... So, that's about 245 KB, no? Look the difference!.. Not far from half the price!

In LOS, for 250 KB, in this range of bikes you can get a legit 6 or 8 y.o. second hand one...

Cheers,

Gobs

I know what you mean BigBikeBKK...

I WAS not happy giving 447 KB (a lot of money) to get the FZ6F to Mister Yamaha, but my heart was beating strong for it. And NOW I'm very happy to ride it and my heart is STILL beating strong!

On the other hand, I know I NEVER should have been (is it right this spelling?) happy giving 300 KB (an other lot of money) to Mr Kawazaki to get the ER6N, because with it my heart beats down...

I mean that to spend hundreds of KB I have to "feel very happy" with the purchase... For these amounts of money, I don't want to make a choice "by default".

In my point of view there is no contest between the 2 bikes. They are not the same machines. They don't target the same market segment... And I understand the pros and the cons about the two bikes.

Just for the notice, in France, the FZ6F is priced at 7200 Euros or about 330 KB... If I remember well, the VAT is 33% on the motorbikes in France...

If an American here, what's the price in the USA? I guess less than that...

Cheers,

Gobs

Hi all, hi MJP,

I want to make it clear: I never bought a Kawy ER6N made in Thailand at the price of 280 KB... So, please everybody, don't ask me anything about this bike: I know nothing about it and furthermore I HATE IT!

I just bought a brand new Yamaha FZ6 Fazer made in Japan, for 447 KB. This one, yes, I do know and if necessary I can answer your question...

IMHO in Thailand, Benz, BMW and Lexus cars are supposed to give a "bright social status" to the owners. It's not yet the case for the big bikes...

About mocyc.com or thaisecondhand.com, or any particular seller or shop, I'd like to second Pikey: up to the buyer to make its own choice. And, please, don't guess ALL THE BIKES in LOS are wrong regards plate/green book. IMHO there are some good purchases that can be done, but for sure a XJR 1300 for 100 KB, don't dream too much about plate/green book...

DON'T BE SCARED BUT BE AWARE of what you can get! True green book, "true" fake green book, fake green book or no green book? Up to the buyer!.. If needed, ask to someone who "knows what to watch first": it is not granted, but it may avoid you some troubles later...

As says Pikey, a "true" fake green book (all the specs same the bike ones: numbers, color, etc) will not actually give any problem. Problems may occur with frame/engine re-stamped or any spec in the book not in accordance with the bike ones.

Well, it could be spoken hours and hours about this... and it has already be done a lot for sure!

I'd like just to add, IMHO, the laws will be enforced in the next years (not a fact, just a feeling through what I hear and see here and there: just look first at the helmet mess for now). And if I am allowed to give an advice, it would be: please, don't play with fire...

Cheers,

Gobs

Try Prao road, the road going from 1st ring to Rim Ping Mee Chok (north)...

At the beginning of the road, just after the traffic lights, many second hand cars lots...

Hi all,

Through different threads, here, many users are satisfied with their ACER laptops. Good value for money and good after-market service.

As i'm going to purchase a desktop, the advice is it the same about ACER ones?

For me, no matter the design, the "plastic feeling" and so on... The good use first!

As advised somewhere, I already had a look at:

www.acer.co.th/acerthai2/index.php?typemember=enduser&method=factory

Many interesting things... Especially the ASX3200 and the ASM3641

I would like to run with Windows XP, not Vista, and shall have a common use of this desktop as a "private office/entertainment computer". Maybe later I would like to make some electronic music with a master keyboard and plug-in my guitars, drums boxes and so on... Well, get a micro-studio at home for the fun...

But as I have not great knowledges, may I ask you what should be better between the two CPU AMT Athlon X2 et INTEL Core 2 Duo? What is the difference between the graphic cards Geforce 8400 and Geforce 9300 GE? What are they particularily dedicated to?

Thanks in advance for the help.

Gobs

Hi MJP,

Thanks for the "newbies" links...

About the market here:

For sure, no place for a network of Big Bikes brand dealers in the western style in LOS. Something like 70% or 75% of the thai people earn at the max 100 KB/year! Do you imagine? How many brand new big bikes sold per year? Even speaking of a Kawy D-Tracker for 150 or 160 KB: it is 1,5 year of earning!..

Then very few wealthy Thais "love" the big bikes... It's not yet in the "culture".

And what about Farangs? Only a bunch of them are ready to put the money on a brand new big bike. It is a micro-market...

For example, the Yamaha market is based on the selling of step-troughs, their big bikes are "butter in the spinachs" not more. BMW bikes are sold through the BMW cars network...

IMHO, as for Kawasaki, things will only change when the japanese brands will build their models in LOS. But never you will find all the "western models", here...

About the FTA:

By pure chance, I recently met Khun Kasempong from Thai Yamaha Motor Co. He is General Manager (Acting) Commercial Planning. He was accompanied by a very kind japan Yamaha official whom I forget name and status (sorry). So we gently spoke together about 20 minutes about the bikes market in Thailand and so on...

Amongst many interesting things, he said that FTA will not drop the prices of the Yamaha bikes next year. Furthermore, according the change with the Yen, they may increase (he spoke of a certain quick 10 KB up...). Same affair for the other japanase brands bikes not built in LOS...

Then he told me, in accordance with the japanese official and a contrario someone wrongly said on this thread, that the Yamaha Big Bikes are truly MADE IN JAPAN, and not at all made in India. I can witness that the bike containers I saw arriving here in CNX by truck are stamped PRODUCT OF JAPAN...

So, this from THE official source. Not rumours from here or there...

At the end, he gave me his business card, arguing that he should be VERY interested in some feed-back from farang bikers... no matter the brand or model. The feed-back of their "feeling", their "perception"...

I guess "they" are interested by this "farang" market, different in its approach that the "thai" one.

Let's see what happens next year and in the next few years...

Cheers,

Gobs

Hi MJP,

Try to go here:

http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/Blackberry-S...-W-t223122.html

Maybe some answers...

For my part I've no clue about this!

Cheers,

Gobs

Hi all,

I finally went for a Nokia 6210 on yesterday. I've to learn a lot about it but I think it's a wise choice... Let's go and see.

Here and there many pros and cons the Nokia Navigation System... as well as many pros and cons the Garmin GPS. It depends of the use I suppose...

On the Garmin site in US I saw a monthly subscription (of about $ 10) for the use of the Garmin Mobile XT mapping...

Here in Thailand, every time you use the Nokia system, you have to pay 1 Baht per min to AIS, the transmission provider. But with their special GPRS/Internet packages you get for example 20 hours/month for 100 Bahts (0,09 B/min), or 100 hours/month for 350 Bahts (0,06 B/min)...

Thanks to all and to aidenai in particular.

I have a lot of homework now with my new 6210!

Cheers,

Gobs

Funny thing...

I just went today in a Telewiz shop, so AIS provider, here in Carrefour CNX... I stood there about one hour to really understand the "mess" (in my point of view!..) of all these packages. And OK, now, I guess I've understood... So yes, you can mix these packages, "up to you".

Very kind people! Really useful "meeting"... Very smiling and patient with me.

Cheers,

Gobs

Thanks Isaanlawyers!

Great infos...

Hi Skybluestu,

I'm now on the same way you were about 7 months ago: Toyota Vigo or Ford Ranger Wildtrack?

Heart says Ranger Wildtrack and reason says Vigo...

How do you feel with your FORD Ranger Wildtrack? Some inputs, please...

Driving, comfort, noise, maintenance, fuel greed and so on? What you like, what you dislike?

The Wildtrack have IMHO a good sport design look.

But THE (very little) thing I dislike at all on the Ford are the orange stickers: that's too much!

If I buy one I think I ask the dealer to take them off before going on the road...

Cheers,

Gobs

No worry at all! At least for me as an expat living in Thailand...

Do you worry to drive your Isuzu or your Honda Dream and... crash! you are dead? A big no-no! Tomorrow is another day... Enjoy to drive today!

So why to worry for what it's hapenning?

Furthermore, as far as I know, foreigners are not involved...

If it has to worry, it's (IMHO) for Thailand, and by the way for the thai people. I love the country, I love the people, the culture, and the rest... I do hope the best of the best for Thais and their country through these events. But by the other hand, I suppose they have to build their own "system" in accordance to their own "culture" through their own "steps"...

IMHO, we, foreigners, can't really understand the thai "feeling" about all this. We have only biased points of view due to our culture(s) and history(ies)...

Let's do the thai people. Let's it manage its own "ways"... The thai people is issued from a great history, and it will surely reach to where it decides to get, even if going through troubles... Troubles that all countries over the world had, have or will have to go trough to be built.

Cheers to all,

Gobs