technologybytes

It's very sad that this young woman is going to spend at least the next 10 years of her life behind bars. It seems obvious that she is very much a victim herself, typically people who do this on such a big scale are not working alone and sometimes they are threatened with violence against themselves or their families if they do not comply.

Simply, we don't know the full background to this case, so anything discussed here is simply personal opinion and speculation.

I feel sorry for her, and the people who suggest that she should have been put to death are the kind of people of cause half the problems in the world today.. in my opinion.

Does anyone know if this lady is getting support and help for buying food, medicine and clothes etc, I'm not sure the South African government will help her. I for one would be happy to make a donation to help her out, I guess in the eyes of many that would make me stupid and soft, but rather that than be bitter and twisted.

If you need reliable internet access all over Thailand then EDGE is the most reliable option, you can read all about EDGE and view a range of devices at edgethailand.com, it's run by a friendly and knowledgeable English guy who can advise you properly.

EDGE can be very cheap, and it's speed is fine for normal web browsing or email, I also know people who are active in share trading who swear by EDGE as it's totally reliable, and reliability is often more important than outright speed for business users.

If you were mostly static in a major city outside of Bangkok then CAT Telecom offer a EVDO service which is very fast, however the downside is that it's simply not reliable for travel as there are so many places where it either does not work at all or switches to the slower CDMA access.

I'm looking for comments/advice on the best value for money (cost v quality) options for mobile internet access for a Laptop computer here in Thailand.

Recent good speed computer and only in the major centres like Chang Mai, Udon, Bangkok, Pattaya & Phuket.

Thanks for any comments.

I have the Genuine Kawasaki Manual for this in English as a PDF.

Any owners here in Thailand who want it for free then just send me private message and I will send it.

Has anyone found a matching helmet yet for the green one?

Wherever you are in the world when you sign up for a paypal account, if you take payments through your paypal account they will sooner or later ask you for faxed copies of some documents.

In Thailand they ask for a copy of a photo ID (as proof of identity)and a copy of a Utility Bill, (as proof of address) they understand about Thai banks and they don't ask customers with a Thai address for a bank statement or credit card statement, though if you have one then that's sufficient as proof of address.

In Thailand most utility bills are in the name of the property owner, however with the property owners permission you can have a TT&T phone bill in your own name, also I believe that you can have a CAT telephone bill (for overseas calls) in your own name. Also, you can certainly have a Maxnet ADSL bill in your own name even if the telephone line is in a different name.

When paypal limit your account and ask for documents, then phoning them will do NOTHING, you need to send them EXACTLY what they ask for, and try to do it within 7 days or they will ask for more documents.

In fact you agree to this when you sign-up.

It's unfair to complain that Paypal need some sort of proof of ID and Address, the only reason that I think people complain is because it may be unexpected and you may not be prepared for it.

I work with clients who need to open Paypal accounts in Thailand, in every case the paypal account is restricted and documents requested after a few withdrawals, I can say that in EVERY case the account is released to full standing after the correct documents have been faxed, and usually within 24 hours, so an account limitation is perfectly normal and not cause for undue anxiety or concern.

Hi Geoff,

This bike has a vacum operated fuel tap system so the fuel is shut off when the engine is not running, that will be why the fuel only comes through when it's running.

It is disturbing that the dealer did not run the bike prior to delivery, when I bought mine I insisted that they show me it running before I paid, the reason was simply that the demo machine did not run very well, but I had seen one at a smaller dealer that run smooth as silk, but I wanted to buy from the bigger dealer (JRD Scooter Arena).

The quality of these bikes is not bad, it's the monkeys that assemble them that cause the problems. The Hondas and other Jap bikes are assembled at the factory and delivered on a truck, chinese bikes are built up from a crate bu Thai's. I'm sure that once they have built a lot of them they will get better!

I have two Chinese bikes now, and they are both fine. I know that lot's of people are biased against Chinese stuff, but let's be clear that it's not the hardware thats the fault.

That picture of Geoff's carbs may not make it clear, but they are Mikuni carbs and no different to a Jap bike, it's the dealer that's at fault here not the bike per se.

JRD Scooter Arena have some work to do for sure with their customer service and their quality control over pre-delivery-inspections, but at least they don't look like they are likely to go bust and they should still be around for the duration of the the 3 year warranty.

Mine has done 1590 km and the only real issues were the exhaust flange being put on wrong, a loose headlight assembly, and a few nuts and bolts that needed tightening.

JRD do the first "service" at 500km (unlike platinum who say 4000km!), better to allow some time for the service and watch over them as they attend to every squeak or rattle, then I'm sure it will be OK.

Any bike could have a stuck float when new, only a Thai dealer would deliver the bike without checking it...

I don't want to seem like a complete sh!thead about it, but the problem is the bike you bought (more specifically the construction of it). Sometimes it is good to have herd mentality. Looking at the picture, you can see that the nearest brass nipple is broken off. The fact that they didn't use a hose clap on the other one is also disturbing. Good luck with getting your bike up to an acceptable standard.

A tad harsh but amusing and accurate, tho I'm not sure you'd usually get a clamp on an overflow pipe. Crossy' advice is correct, of course, although it could also be a blocked fuel shut-off valve. Maybe a bit of rust from your new tank made it's way down the fuel line. If they can deliver a bike in this condition anything is possible

I notice there's only petrol running out the hose while the engine's running...would that be a stuck float, or the shut off valve....or either ?

Hi HangDongRider,

Yes, we met just as I was picking up my new bike.

I did tell you that the demo bike was wrong! It was not running right and even the handlebars were not straight. It's amazing really that they offer a test ride on a bike that is such a bad example. Really, if the bike was assembled properly it would have been a very different experience.

The Tiger Boxer is an interesting bike, it must be reliable because so many Bangkok police use them, I could not find one for sale in Chiang Mai to test.

One concern that I do have is that I still have never seen another Gusto Rumba and I have a horrible feeling that if they dont sell then it may impossible to get parts in the future!

If you do buy one then be prepared to take it back a couple of times to get things adjusted and tightened up unless you are happy doing that sort of thing yourself. The bike is basically sound, the engine is great, BUT the assembly is poor.. I'm sure they dont know what a torque wrench even looks like ;-)

Mine is good, it runs sweet and it pulls strong, but I'm seriously thinking about buying the Kawasaki Ninja 250 that can now be bought direct from Kawasaki in Bangkok (30 day special order, 180k) so I may sell my Gusto and order one.. but really the Gusto is as good as any 200cc sports bike in Thailand at the moment.

Beardog, your comments are sensible and in principle I agree.

If this was my primary means of transport I have to admit that I would have bought a Japanese bike instead, and in this case I KNOW & ACCEPT that I'm a guinea pig. However I should say that I have ridden Kawasaki Boss and Honda Phantom, I owned a Phantom for more than a year. I have also bought 3 new Japanese bikes in Thailand and never had any problems at all, never had a single nut or bolt come loose.. that's what we come to accept from Japanese bikes.

Price really was not much of a consideration either.

What really tips the balance for me in favour of this bike is the physical size (it feels like a real bike) and the fact that it's a 200cc bike (not many new 200cc bikes in Thailand). It has a proven engine as it's based on an old Honda 200cc Twin from the 80's, and the engine is sweet and pulls strong. It's as fast as I want to go on Thailand roads and it does not feel stressed when keeping up with the traffic.

It's manufactured by Jheijang Jonway, a little research and I see that Jonway is a 80 year old company that also makes cars. It is one of only 3 chinese car manufacturers whose products are approved for sale in Europe.

Yes I found nuts and bolts loose, and an exhaust flange was fitted wrong and the brake free play was incorrect and the chain was tight was a guitar string, but these issues really come down to the assembly. I agree totally that as a consumer I should not have to put up with that, and if I bought a Jap bike then I would not need to.

I'm happy with my bike, it looks sharp, it goes well and I'm confident that it will be reliable. I don't need to carry a bag to pick up the bits that fall off because I have been over the bike with a torque wrench and a bottle of thread lock.

Of course my view is biased as I bought the thing, but if it turns out to be shit then I will say so. The problem is that so many people have opinions that are biased and are not based on experience or facts. This is higher quality than a JRD bike in my opinion, and better than a Platinum. Remember it's not made by JRD they are just the authorised distributor.

I have read all the forums with comments about the Platinum because I was trying to get honest and unbiased advice, it seems that there is a lot of opinion about chinese bikes and not much of it positive.

Anyway, I recently purchased a new Chinese bike called a Gusto, it's a 200c Road Bike marketed in Thailand by JRD, they make no secret that it's manufactured in China or Taiwan.

My experience and research suggests that most of the problems with modern (ie last 2 years or so) chinese bikes comes from poor assembly by dealers, the bikes arrive from China in crates.

I have never really heard of anyone who had any real problems with engines.

I hear people complain that so many parts have been changed under warranty, I guess that at least that shows that companies like JRD, Tiger etc are serious about their warranties.

China now export more bikes than any country in the world, and quality is certainly getting better and better. It's only a matter of time until Chinese bikes become mainstream. Yes they do need to improve quality but they are moving in the right direction.

I for one am happy with my Chinese bike, and I suggest that many owners are. Most people (not all) with negative opinions have never actually ridden or looked closer at Chinese bikes.

I bought it for 59,000 + 1,500 for Reg and Insurance from Scooter Arena in Chiang Mai.

After I paid they told me that it was the first one that they sold in Chiang Mai!

I took some decent pictures and wrote up my first impressions at www.technologybytes.co.uk

I'm pleased enough with it, and it performs better than I expected.

Further to my earlier post I have done some more research into the Gusto Rumba.

It distributed in Thailand by JRD, it's imported from China or Taiwan, In China it's sold as a Jonway.

The styling really is a most blatant copy of a BMW 650 CS, even the instrument panel and the headlights.

On close inspection you can see that the welding is messy and that the paint on the chassis is very thin, the plastics are not top quality but the fit and finish is good. Overall the quality is acceptable.

The price has been reduced to 57,000 from 68,000. That makes it the same price as the Thailand assembled Tiger 200cc which appears to have a similar build quality.

The Gusto Rumba comes with a 3 year or 30,000 km warranty that includes all service parts and oil, in fact everything except battery and tyres is the salesman is to be believed, and really there is no reason to doubt it as it's backed by JRD who have an extensive network of dealers and service centers.

The fact that it's manufactured in China is the biggest mental hurdle, I tend to think of everything that comes from China as being low-quality rubbish, but that has changed of late and considering that China is now the world's biggest exporter of motorcycles I guess that it's only a matter until our perceptions change.

I have looked also at the Platinum range of bikes in Thailand (also Chinese imports) and I can say that the Gusto Rumba is in a different class, also whilst my personal experience suggests that Platinum dealers are more shady characters it's important to me in making a buying decision that Gusto Rumba has the backing of JRD. I don't like the JRD scooters, but you have to accept that they are a reputable distributor and that against the odds that have made a success of their brand name in a market dominated by Thai assembled Japanese bikes.

The Gusto Rumba has the following attributes that make it attractive at the price:

* 200 CC Engine (The biggest new bike officially allowed by law in Thailand).

* Twin Cylinder Engine, smoother than a single.

* Attractive Styling

* Wider than Average Tires, more grip.

* Front & Rear Disc Brakes with Twin pot calipers.

* Good Warranty

* Full Size Bike

* Luggage Rack and Luggage space on "tank".

* Comes properly registered.

The last point about being properly registered is important, more and more people who ride unregistered bikes in Thailand are running into problems with the police, there has been a clamp down in Chiang Mai recently with bikes being impounded and a 10,000 baht fee demanded to release the bikes.

My plan is to maybe buy one and run it the 3 years until the warranty expires, than if it were still worth 20-25 on the second hand market then I would consider it to be OK financially. I'm very much in favor of new vehicles with warranty these days rather than the risky second hand market.

Now I just need to pluck up the courage to be (apparently) the first person to buy one!

This is actually manufactured by Jonway and Chinese manufacturer, it's styled to look like BMW 650 CS

In China they manufacture a 125, 250 and 350 versions, the Jonway YY250 is identical to the Gusto Rumba but an extra 50cc.

I went to the shop in Chiang Mai today and had a good look, It's a bit tacky but it's a full sized bike and the spec is good. The engine runs sweet and really does sound nice. I seriously thinking of buying one this week as it would suit my needs.

Because they make the same bike a a 250 and 350 in china I would think that the components would not be too stressed by a 200cc version, even with a lardy arsed farang like me riding it.

If I do buy it then it then I will post a proper report and some pics.

I read a lot of reports on Chinese bikes an the reports that are made by people who have actually ridden then suggest that they can be reliable and decent bikes, most of the reports slagging them off are buy people who have never actually ridden one. I KNOW very well that they are not the same quality of finish as a BMW or Yamaha, but it's horses for courses.

Andy

Hi,

I had exactly the same problem with any port above 1000 and with ftp, also had problems with AOL and a proxy server that I use to be able to download bbc TV (checks ip for location).

After reading comments on here I called Maxnet this morning and upgraded from indy to premier, costs an extra 300 baht per month but now it works just fine.

Andy

I find that the Thai's often use a drivers licence as an ID card, in fact the number on the card is the same as their ID card.

I have never had any problem when showing my licence card.

For the record, I returned to the UK last year and left my UK licence in Thailand by mistake, I used my Thai licence to rent a car at heathrow without any problem at all, much to my surprise.

A Thai drivers licence is cheap and quite easy to obtain, it's as close to Thai ID as you will get.

I have been looking for a price for a simple wall and gate around a 120 wah plot with a nice house that is for sale near me in Chiang Mai, the house is perfect except it needs the wall and I wanted to know the cost before buying the house.

This thread has more info than I have been able to find elsewhere and it's all usefull stuff. I'd love a bamboo or other thick hedge but I would not have the time as in order to occupy the house I would just need a wall to keep my two dogs safe!

Andy

cndcvic wrote:

New member signs up today and first post is a link to his blog......

hmmmmmmmmmmmm

Looks really a bit strange!!

And as sfokevin wrote:

I find your statement hard to believe... The iPhone is a little more sophisticated than your usual "locked" phone... The IPhone rquires you to initially activate any new iPhone thru an online sync with an iTunes account that will require you to sign up for a 2 year data plan... To date (less than 7 days released) all the proprietary "locks" on the iPhone have not been cracked...

So I checked a bit about "cracks" and "hacking" of the iPhone but found: NEARLY nothing! And the explanations I found wasn't truly to believe!

On the other hand I don't believe that Apple would develop and sell a product which is directly and easly to "hack"! If the story about this "hacked iPhone" is true, oh man, Apple is on a way down the secure (what ever) way!! I DON'T BELIEVE TAT AT ALL!

Interested here may also that the Iphone was ordered from eBay and shipped than via FedEx which arrived in Thailand today morning?! True? Calculate the time of order, buy, submit the money (on eBay need to pay in advance!), the seller need to send the goods to FedEx, FedEx proceed the Paperwork, FedEx send to Airport, after that by Plane to Thailand, pickup at Cargo, send to Buyer! Wow, I never kow that FedEx was that FAST!

My experiences with FedEx was a need of min. 3 Days after the goods deli9very to the FedEx office in US, to arrive in Thailand and another day to get it at m,y door! Not to tell the other times the seller was need!

Today is July 5. 2007 and the iPhone was launched in US at Ju7ne 29. 2007. That's 6 days! Could that be happens!

What can I say except I bought this on eBay.com where the seller is still offering unlocked iphone's, just search for yourself!

However, I should point out that whist the phone and the ipod features work fine I am having no success at all with email, maps or the other data related services.

I spoke to the seller who has given me some rather complicated instructions for changing the "APN" which is the bit that tells the phone how to connect to data services. I have changed my SIM card to DTAC now as I can have unlimited data, but as of now I am unable to get data services working.

The phone still works fine, I suspect that this is part of the problem of online activation. Apparently there is also a OTA hack that allows me to update the APN settings by a kind of text message.

Yes Im new to Thaivisa, and yes I included a link to my blog (non commercial and not even any ads) for anyone who wants to know more..why is that suspicious?

If you want to, check eBay.com for unlocked iphone and you can buy one too, perhaps if more people had an opinion based on hard facts this thread would make more sense!

Strangely though, my iphone came in a different box to the AT&T ones, I put a pic of the box on my blog, It has been suggested by a knowlegable friend that my iphone could be a pre-production model, but I dont think so as it was packaged in typical apple style.

My new iPhone just arrived in Thailand today, via fed ex from the USA. I bought an unlocked iPhone on eBay.com, cost me an arm and a leg.

Anyway, the good news is that it works with AIS, but I need an unlimited data plan as its using data all the time and at 1 baht per min for data that means that it costs me 60 baht per hour just to leave it switched on.

It DOES have a sim slot.

Read more on my blog at http://www.technologybytes.co.uk/wireless-...ne-in-thailand/

Andy