bobbin

Oops.

I guess my brain is not quite up to operating rpm.

Just realized that I performed the above procedure in IE 7, not Firefox. It was all the tabs that fooled me. Still getting used to it. But IE 7 had the same problem with Thai Google from the integrated Google search and this fixed it.

Now I will check Firefox.

3rd time lucky.

It's all come back to me!

Correct procedure is:

Within FF select Tools-Internet Options-General.

select Language

You will see that Thai is selected. Add English(variety your choice) Then move English above Thai. Done

edit did not seem to "take". my fault I'm sure.

You still get sent to Thai Google but results are displayed in English.

George, I'm not sure about Vista. A few weeks ago, I replaced my laptop's HDD. They installed XP Pro SP2. (Thai version naturally)

I first noticed that if I moused over my clock the date came up in Thai. So I changed that to English.

Then i noticed that all my Google searches from FF came up in Thai. Tried to reset from Google but always default to Thai. Because i had already changed the language for time and date did not think about changing Language. Then moment of inspiration. Went to the Regional language, saw that Thai was selected. Added English. Problem solved. Unfortunately cannot remember exact procedure but this is the direction to go.

just a quick reply. I just fixed this problem a couple of days ago. After trying all the tricks mentioned above. It happens because your copy of windows is a thai version, even if all your software is running in English. Off the top of my head it involved going to the languages control panel. You will see that the langiage is "Thai". You have to add English from the drop-down menu and move it up above Thai. voila, Google(in Firefox) in English.

Will check on this now and edit if required.

Hi to all Chao Pattaya!

I'm in Pattaya as well, and by my count that makes 3 of us. Plus I have a friend who loves to ride his CBR150 but doesn't read the forum (no computer).

Maybe if we exchange PM's we can set up a meet and have our own rides here on the Eastern Seaboard.

Ok, I'll say it.

twix38, you are just venting. Even though you asked for info on parks in Pattaya, you derisively dismiss the information you receive.

You ain't in Kansas anymore! Who cares what recreational facilities you enjoyed in jolly ol'. This is Thailand. Have you been kidnapped and held here against your will? I'll bet you are one of those that think you live in Pa-TAY-a.

The Pratumnak park is a park despite the fact it isn't what you want it to be.

Maybe you can find a friend with a lawn.

I have seen an indicated 155kph. Laying flat on the tank on a long straightaway. Maybe a tail-wind involved or a slight gradient toward the sea. At other times against a head-wind, I have not been able to top 140kph. I weigh 70kg and have the same basic build as the average Thai male. So a better power to weight ratio and a smaller body for better aero-dynamics!

On the topic of speedometers. Some friends in Canada who rode big sports-tourers fixed bicycle speedometers. Believe it or not, some models register up to +150mph. You can check for this in the literature that comes with them. So, PeaceBlondie, you get your trip-meter, plus average speed, fastest speed, elapsed time etc. You measure the front tire just like setting up for a bicycle.

Also, for you guys at altitude (Chiang Mai, Chiang Rai etc) , you are not developing the same horsepower you would at sea-level.

Not sure if the OP is being genuine or not but on the assumption that he is.

Yes Thailand in general and Pattaya in particular is a haven for social inadequate, disabled or just plain ugly western men who can find love and companionship here which is simply not available to them in the west.

As such the overall quality of the world is improved by a little. May it always be so.

Elitist.

Crow Boy

I have learned how to use single quotes but not multiple ones yet ie quoting you and my previous post as well so people can follow, so will just get on with replying to your points.

1. Good to learn there are shops in BKK that have the go-fast bits for the CBR150, as I am going up there in the next couple of weeks. Will try to find them. Unfortunately I don't know the city very well. If I come across the shop with the Yoshi gear I will get their card.

2. Regarding the CDI ignition. Apparently there are a couple of areas in BKK that cater to the motosai go-fast crowd. The fellow who posted responded to my question about where to buy.

"At the bike market especially if your living in Bkk, is easy to access! I heard there is a performance center somewhere in MBK top floor or something, so go have a look.

Yeah you will get that little extra consumption of 17 CC's I think or more, different bikes different setup for the CDI, plus this particular one I'm talking about, the "Kitti XBOC Racing chip", costs around 3000 baht and is plug and play, so no need for all that heavy configuration with your bikes system."

The above in quotes was the response I got.

3.Tires. Yes the IRC tires are good enough. But I would still rather ride on Michelin or Dunlop. In the export markets where they are sold, they are an inexpensive tire. Given the footprint of the CBR tires, I want to be riding on (relatively) expensive tires. But as you point out, getting them here in Thailand is easier said than done.

4. I don't have the moisture (?) problem you are experiencing. Have gone thru 4 or 5 rainy seasons. No problems.

5. I lost an Index helmet the same way. These stupid kids can't even correctly use the helmet after cutting the D-ring strap! I purchased a new but old model (late '90's) Shoei at the Paddock in Bkk a few years ago for about 4,000 Baht. They had many good helmets but not all were cheap. I don't use it in town. Helmets get so sweaty here. Better to buy a new Thai-made helmet every year. I now have a 1 metre long Kryptonite-type cable that I can run thru the face-shield opening and thru the frame. They ain't gettin' that helmet without taking the whole bike! And funnily they don't steal CBR150's very often. No market for the parts.

6. There is no parallel thread. That was a reference to a website that claims there is no longer a 200cc restriction on Thai-made bikes. Bring on the Thai CBR250!

There is a racing series here in Thailand for thr CBR150. At least they race in a seperate class in those bike races you sometimes see on television. And after 4 years of production there should be a reasonable customer base now for mods. Anybody looked in one of those Thai bike mags? Perhaps a business opportunity for one of the owners here. A CBR150 hop shop!

The easy mods are to run 95 octane, use fully-synthetic oil, and an upgraded silicone spark lead they sell in some Honda shops for about 150-200 baht. These things I've done and am happy about the small but cumulative changes. Next easy is to fit a K&N filter which is available but which I have not yet done.

Then there is changing the CDI ignition box, which one poster in another thread claimed gave +20-25 kph to his Yamaha 135. Available in Bangkok for 3-5000 baht. If there is a credible performance can available then you're set for "too fast, too furious" mode.

But I want better tires.

Buckle on the Shoei.

The NSR puts out 37bhp (apparently),so what about the CBRs power?

When I asked one of the Honda mechanics in Thai how many horsepower(raeng maa), he told me "yip song" or 22.

One of the few, one of the proud...

I was an early adopter of this fine little machine, Bought mine in Dec.2002. As I stated in another thread about the CBR150, I think it is a fine choice for a motorcycle in Thailand. Repairable just about anywhere in Thailand, though after 19K I've yet to have any major problems. Only had to replace the endless(no link) chain after an over-zealous mechanic at "raan Honda" over-tightened it. Pricey at Baht1200!

Rode it from Pattaya to Chiang Mai for Bike Week 3 years ago and had great fun riding through the mountains. It really came into it's own and spending the day riding with that superb little engine screaming at 9000-11500 rpm was a blast! I WAS wearing ear-plugs.

I'm soon to be replacing the tires(tyres to you Brits) and would like to find a replacement to the IRC oem tires. Would prefer to be on Dunlops or Michelins. Have found Dunlop 900tt here but they are tubes not radial so not happy to go backwards in technology. Anyone have any ideas where to look? I suppose Bangkok is my best bet.

I've actually been waiting for 4 years now to see the other manufacturers answer to it. When they were all building 2-strokes, there was a choice of sport-bike from all of them. Now only Honda.

Would love a chance to buy a 200cc twin-cylinder version tho. Why do they only build singles in Thailand? Also, if someone will tell me how to post a link, I can lead you to a web-site that claims the 200cc limit is no longer in effect in Thailand.

I have a tip as well. About 3months ago, at the regular oil-change, I used Mobil 1 fully synthetic oil. Wish I had gotten over the price of it earlier. Better engine lubrication and heat protection. Smoother gear changes as the 1 litre capacity is shared with the gearbox. Plan to adjust for the higher price of the oil by extending interval to 10,000km. I have a pamphlet from Mobil that claims 15,000 mile intervals so have no concerns on that point.

Anyway, will enjoy seeing how many of us are out there. Sure to hear from PeaceBlondie. Oh, one other point. The closer you are to average-size Thai male, the better to enjoy this bike!

bobbin

Now that Songkran is over for another year and it's safe to carry my laptop to the computer shops in Tukcom, I'm going to replace my 14G HD with either a 40G or 80G HD. Reading an older thread about a slow laptop where one of the solutions was a new 5400rpm HD, one poster remarked to be sure to have it formatted in NTFS not Fat32.

Off I went to Google to learn the difference. Seems that was good advice. However, I am still confused on a couple of points. NTFS can be slower than Fat32 on "smaller" HD's. Are 40 and 80G HD's considered small these days? Also mentioned something about formatting USB thumb drives. Is that necessary after formatting the laptop drive in NTFS?

Will I have any problem sharing files(mp3 and video) with friends whose drives are Fat32, considering I would be using my thumb drives to do so?

Thanks for any help that is offered.

How about this for a novel approach?

How naive some people are. Did you not see what happened to the contributions that were made to the tsunami victims in the south? They were "stolen" out of a safe in the local police station. ..

Ah..what fund would that be? Out of the many that successfully went where they could help.

A BANK account administered by farang and publicly dispersed by farang. A farang with a public image to protect.

Spot on! It is actually painful to listen to him butcher the English language. And what he does to the Thai language...

Well, lets hope for his sake that nobody from Immigration is listening, or he will be PNG and it won't be for not having a work permit.

Maybe it is time for a new career. After all, many of the American broadcasting companies recruit from Canada as we have what they perceive as a very clear and neutral accent.`Excepting those from Newfoundland!

Note to self: Call Neils.

How about this for a novel approach?

The Thai police have offered a Baht 100,000 reward for information leading to the arrest of the individual(s) involved in this tragic case.

Many posters have questioned the capabilities of the Thai police. Many posters have expressed dismay at the crime level in Pattaya. Many posters have suggested farangs are at increased risk of bodily harm in Pattaya.

There are at least 2 newspapers here in Pattaya that cater to and make their income from Farang. Could not One of them arrange a bank account to allow us to contribute money to this reward effort? Baht 100,000 is a fine start to this by the Thai police but not a very large amount of money in a western context. By contributing to a very public effort to help the police solve this horrible case we can help others and help ourselves.

We who live here are very aware of our precarious position in Thailand given our lack of a power base equivalent to a local Thai who has grown up here and has many social contacts to help him/her in event of conflict. But money is power. And directed money is directed power.

Let us make a start towards moving away from being powerless victims.

And in the event that this case is unsolved, a donation to the families of these poor girls to help defray the expense of repatriating their bodies would be a good work by the farang community of Pattaya.

O own a spark 135cc and it is a kick ass ride. Mileage is 110kms to the stop and it only costs 45k. Very inexpensive for your thrills. Great bike and very fast. The maximum I had done on roads here was 165kms/hr, this was after I installed a racing CDI chip. Standard top speed is 135cc. Mind me I'm a fat bastard as well. Goes with the consumption. If you want more info about spark handling and maintenance, go to this Malaysian based English language forum:

http://www.yamahat135.com/

And there is a 150 road bike but only around Indo and Malay, I dunno bout Thailand, but here is a sneak peak, its called the Vixion or in other countries also a Viper, heres ther link:

<a href="http://www.yamahat135.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=27"'>http://www.yamahat135.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=27" target="_blank">http://www.yamahat135.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=27

</a>

And finally, my sweetheart, pride and joy

Could you post a little more info on the "racing CDI chip" ? Are you talking about a replacement ignition system? Where does the extra power come from to increase top speed by 30 kph? Available for CBR 150?

I have been riding a CBR150RR here in Thailand for over 4 years now. Got one when they first came onto the market. It's a fine choice for someone living here who doesn't need a superbike (CBR600?) "penis substitute" (Are you listening JasReeve?). Easily repaired anywhere in Thailand. Have ridden mine from Pattaya to Chiang Mai and back for Chang Mai Bike Week. No problems and great fun thru the mountains! Mind you, I think I get a few more kicks per mile than PeaceBlondie since I weigh 20 kilos less.

Crash! That was the sound of me tipping off the "balanced" beam!

35 years ago, I spent a couple of years living in Afghanistan and northern Pakistan. Many muslim men i met at that time loved to sip Johnnie Walker whenever the opportunity presented itself. Similar to "jack Mormons", a name given to people (primarily men), who like a drink even though their religion forbids drinking alcohol. These are people who avoid being absolutists. Sometimes it is difficult to break out of the "clubs" we are subscribed to at birth. Intelligent men will find a way to round off the rough corners of some of these clubs. So my personal experiences with muslims like this influenced my feelings that Islam was "just another religion".

Then came 9/11. I went to the internet for more information on why so many of the attackers were Saudis. This is when I became aware of Wahabiism, the very austere (and some would say primitive) sect of Islam popular within Saudi Arabia. This Wahabi version is the one being propagated throughout the muslim world by the Saudis, funded by their vast petro-wealth. This is the version of Islam that wants to confront the unbelievers. This is the version introduced to S.E.Asia in the last 20 years and the idealogical backbone of the separatists in Southern Thailand.

As one poster noted it is not because of poverty and nothing to lose that we are seeing a muslim insurgency. If that were true the impoverished farmers of Issan would be (and could be) a much bigger problem.

I posit that a worldwide moratorium on check-book missionaries of All religions, instituted by the UN, is the way to proceed. As was done with land-mines and currently with clusterbombs, which were not, but should have been, sponsored by the UN. For the same reasons. A danger to the social fabric of this planet and to innocent people. If indigenous preachers arise make sure they are self-funded, using the same forensic accounting practices currently used by the Americans and Europeans in their fight against extremists.

Specifically relating to the separatist movement of Southern Thailand, perhaps Thailand could take a lesson from my own country Canada. As many know, we have our own problems in this area. A substantial population that speaks a different language. That felt they were disenfranchised. After many years, significant progress has been made in addressing the issue. More relional autonomy was offered and accepted. National inclusion.i.e. we value you our fellow citizens. And of course the stick. In the event of eventual separaration, a bill for all improvements made to the area with the tax dollars of the majority population.

Aw shoot! Why did I just see this thread after ZEAK said he was taking his ball and going home!

ZEAK, all of your financial reasoning re vehicle ownership was spot on. Logical. But ownership of an automobile, especially for 1st time owners, is also an emotional issue. By your logic very few of us would own one. Convenience and safety should be factored into the decision as well.

What waved the red flag for me was envisioning you firing off multiple posts in a period of minutes rebutting every post that did not say what you wanted to hear. This after inviting input! your debating style is annoying to say the least. The mature way to deal with unwanted advice is to ignore it. Is this a new concept for you?

And ZEAK, you did make several jibes of an anti-gay nature. Fact. Almost by definition that makes you a homophobe, even if you dont want to wear the label.

And you Do come across as a bit(!) of a control freak. Enjoy this relationship while it lasts.

Mobi, you make a valid point about doing your homework before handing over the money. A good first stop would be the condo management. Next stop would be a lawyer's office.

However, neither myself nor either of my friends actually did this. Both of my friends are now into the 2nd year of their arrangements without incident, while I have purchased my own condo.

Your suggestion is the more prudent course of action.

midas, I am in agreement with your latest post. I would not be comfortable signing a contract containing that phrase or one substantially like it. If it was not possible to agree on a clause that, while protecting the landlord's interests, also protected my interests as a renter, I would terminate negotiations. i.e. no eviction without cause and no financial incentive to the landlord. The only acceptable reason to retain the security deposit is to cover damages by the tenant. No damages no retention of the deposit. A properly worded clause could cover someone paying a year in advance by requiring the landlord to refund any balance. This would remove the financial incentive to evict the renter but still allow the landlord to evict an unsuitable tenant if he was willing to forego the income.

Mobi, you are correct..almost. I did not misquote you, I failed to attribute the quote to you. My apologies.

LaoPo, my apologies to you for putting words in your mouth.

There is a failure to engage on what I see as the real issues here.

Instead we are served misdirection. The whole case for the prosecution now hinges on whether or not he may or may not have inflated his resume.

Not on whether or not he would have provided a reasonable product or service for a reasonable price if terms had been agreed upon.

Not on whether or not he would have been a reasonable landlord.(In my experience he was a reasonable landlord)

Not on is it correct behaviour to make posts of this nature from behind the mask of anonymity.

Incidently, subsequent to being a tenant of his, I did enter into an agreement with another landlord to pay a year in advance. So have two friends of mine. All seperate landlords. All of us did this to receive significant reductions in rent. So the concept, while not without risk, is not unheard of.

All of us are at risk of being pilloried in a public forum by an unknown accuser if a post like this goes unchallenged. Because that is the slippery slope.

Arggh! "Just when I thought I was out, they pull me back in again!"

Yes I am a newbie to posting but not to this forum. I have been reading and enjoying Thaivisa for over 3 years now.

Mobi, I have enjoyed many of your posts in that time. But you won't be getting rid of me that easily.

LaoPo, thanks for the "erudite" comment. I have so few opportunities to use the big words while dealing with the ladies here.

If there have been many threads like this I seem to have missed them. And that would be strange since I often read the forum almost "cover to cover"

The big picture is so easily lost when the mud starts to fly. Many posters on this thread have swallowed the original post hook, line and sinker and swarmed onto the "accused" This is one man's characterization of events. Yet you accept them without reservation.

I stated that I had no problems in my business dealings with Dr. Steussi. With one exception, nobody seems to have noticed this point.

I suggested that midas could have made his original post in a different manner, one which is common on other forums. To date, silence on this point as well except from midas who seems loathe to give up his right(?) to publicly "name and shame"

If the OP's offer of quarterly payments had been accepted there would not have been an original post.

Why the OP travelled to Pattaya to see a single condo sourced from a newspaper is beyond me. Perhaps if his "short list" had been longer his disappointment would have been less intense.

Private Property: Does anyone dispute an owner's rights to lease or sell only on terms with which he is comfortable?

Privacy: It's a good thing. "reasonable expectation of privacy" is the bedrock of all anti-defamation and libel laws. Thailand is well supplied with these types of laws and the Thais use them or the threat of them often. And before someone suggests Dr. Steussi avail himself of them, please take a moment before doing so. Two farangs in a civil libel case? None of us would live long enough to see the outcome!

[midas, I had almost completed my detailed response to your questions when I caught myself in time. You offered one experience and I offered a counter-point experience. I am now going to lay that burden down and I humbly suggest you do the same.

My largest concern is the potential for abuse that lies with the ability do disparage someone by name while doing so from a position of anonymity that these internet forums provide. I believe that on other forums such a dispute would have been handled by the OP offering to provide the name by PM, thereby avoiding this situation.

I am surprised that the admins did not intervene in this thread. By not doing so they have seemingly given the green light to all who feel the urge to target someone by name in order to vent their personal frustrations.

May I offer a gentle caution to Pattaya residents to be extremely circumspect in your dealings with midas once he has relocated to our fair city, lest you find that you are his next target.

Post #2. midas, I have not quoted your reply to my initial (1st) post because frankly I have not figured out out how to do it yet. My point in posting was to respond to your enquiry as to whether anyone has had previous dealings with the person being "discussed". That post is further up the thread and easily referenced. Note the sentence " He respected my privacy and returned my (security) deposit without argument...". What more does a renter require from a landlord? As to my point that this is fundamentally a "failure to agree to terms", which you dispute, I maintain my stance that this is the key issue. He wanted a years rent in advance and you refused. End of story. As for your subjective impressions of his character, they are irrelevant to this issue. You were disappointed and I was not. Are your experiences more valid than mine? Considering that I actually did business with this man and you did not. Business being defined as money changing hands.

Your posts in this thread smack of "tabloid journalism". Throw enough mud in the hope that some will stick. And some may indeed stick. Not because what you say is true but simply because you say it in a public forum.