billd766

Looks like they are upping the quality and competitiveness of light cruisers. Adds more compitition to the market again, good for the consumer. I think it would be a more serious challenge if it had a 250......or 400cc engine tho.

Yesss .... a Vtwin 250 with that kind of styling and attention to detail, sub 100k, would attract a lot of attention.

Don't they call the 250 the Lifan LF250 V twin?

Ask PaulD as I believe he has something very similar.

I don''t believe in giving money away.

I support those living in my household, if I keep the children, I pay for everything, if she keeps the children, I pay nothing, find a new partner and start again.

Never saw the point in paying for kids that end up calling someone else 'daddy', and that seems to be what happens when you pay for your children to live with someone else.

Just my opinion.

I wouldn't consider taking financial responsibility for my own children as giving money away. I'd consider it the only honourable course of action to take. To run away from the responsibility because my relationship with my partner broke down would be cowardly, and cruel to my children.

I am with you 100% inthepink.

The fact that my relationship with my child's mother broke down is certainly not the fault of any child and I feel that it is my responsibility to support my child even if I am in another relationship or not.

If my new partner felt that I shouldn't support the child then that partner would go out of my life.

I use EDGE with either DTAC or AIS out here in the sticks as the nearest WCDMA base station to me that I know of is about 70 km away.

I normally use a D Happy card and get 70 hours of internet for around 200 baht + VAT and I certainly don't take 25 seconds to load a page, more like 1 or 2.

Nationwide meaning the whole nation will not be complete by mid 2012 as it is physically impossible to make 12,xxx base stations between CAT and True in that time.

I retired from building cellular networks 2 years ago after 22 years and unless they want to spend a lot of money on contractors they are not going to make it.

Big cities, small cities, big and small towns and the main roads is easy but there is a lot of space in Thailand where True and CAT are not available but AIS and DTAC are.

Very cool pics, Ian. You really are living the life.....

Yes. He's v happy....

No matter, at least Ian posts telling everyone how happy he is.

And why would he not be happy.

He divides his time between two countries, both very different and each beautiful in its own way.

He has a lot of friends in Thailand and presumably in Canada and enjoys life to the full.

He is a few years older than me and I would hope that when I reach his age I can do half the things he does.

I am also happy where I live in Khampaeng Phet province.

I have my wife and 6 year old son, and if I want to take a day or three out on my motorbike my wife tells me that I have worked for 50 years and go enjoy myself. My son gives me a love and kiss and says he will see me later.

It is easy to relax and enjoy yourself in Thailand.

My Komine jacket is silver with a bit of blue and usually OK, however after sitting at a set of lights in BKK for a couple of minutes I do get warm.

Funny that the OP makes such a big deal about 'sports bikes' having their exhaust changed when I challenge you to find more than a handful of cruisers (especially the quintessential cruiser-Harley) with stock exhausts...

My Phantom still has the original pipe.

I will be very happy to see him back.

This government has done nothing for us. I think that corruption is the number 1 problem here from small time street vendors right up to Government officials and Army allowing drugs to come into my country. When they let them in, they get richer. The way to stop or at least begin to stop corruptin in Thailand is to give good salaries and so people can live good life. This way there will be less chance of corruptions. When my childrens come from University they can only get low paying jobs. If children can finish University and get a good job that give them enough money to live a decent life then it will help their journy in life to take the middle path and go away from direction of corruption.

I am 50 year Thai and think government must start with:

1. Education at International standards for ALL Thai. Not only rich. English language must be good.
2. Good health care for ALL Thai people.
3. Thailand MUST have good internet if we want to compete Internationally.
4. Labor standards to be set so people can be to make good money for future
5. Stop corruption in Thailand at the same time as raising salaries.
6. Stop drugs here and even if people need to die. The drug dealers will know a law and if continue then they know have death penalty.
7. Have better anf fast system set up to help victoms of disasters because it seems to happen more these days.
8. Make peace with our neighbours even if it mean to give temple rights away in Cambodia and allow access for tourist.

I also have many foreign friend who complain about the visa rules etc so maybe if government can take the fee for visas and apply it direct to Education or war on drugs then the foreigner can feel good about where the visa money goes.

I know in the world all government have corruption but when Thaksin was our PM he did not hide it like many other governments. I can accept this. Maybe if Abhisit have more money and experience he could have done the good job but it is proved that he did not and he have his chance already.

To give an idea of my persepctive: I have been married to a Thai for 10 years. She is from Isaan, a very poor village. I live and work in Bangkok, and receive a salary comapred to a western salary. On this salary, I am very comfortable and compared to most of the country, I would be consdiered "rich". I am not an authority on anything, but I do know a LITTLE bit about what I am talking about.

Your suggestion that raising salaries would reduce corruption is a laudable one, however I believe it is somewhat naive. Moreover, raising everyones salary (from the Isaan guy working on a building site, to the 7-11 girl, to the uni-grad) will raise the base price of living, and everything will go up with. Many international companies choose to operate in Thailand because the country has sufficient infastructure to be effective, and low enough labour costs to be economical.

I have spent plenty of time in Isaan, where the allegedly disenfranchised poor come from. The sit around, all day, doing nothing, wiating for a handout...... bums, the lot of them. They have ample oportunity to work, but choose not too, deciding instead to complain and moan about the rich people in Bangkok. Yes, there are lots of rich people in bangkok - but there are lots of rich people in London, Paris, and New York too. I have quite a good job, and make good money...... because I had a good education...... because my parents worked hard to give it to me (they are not uni-grads)...... and their parents worked hard to put them through school so they could get decent jobs...... and their parents fought in World War II and / or emigrated leaving their family and friends behind so they could better provide for their off spring. Moreover, the education and social systmes in my home country exsit because of the taxes paid by my productive fmaily, not from the wasters that windge and bitch...... so, because of the efforts of 3 or 4 generations, I have now reached a point where I could be called "sucessful" ...... no one "gave" it to me, it was earned - my sucess is te cumulative effort of my families efforts; but there are people out there that think I should now share my pie with others, who can't be bother to bake their own?

So, the so called "poor people" who will not get off their ass and work their way out of poverty need to start pulling their weight. From the fruit of hard labour there will be rewards. Our maid is a young lady from Isaan - we emplyed her because her english is quite good and she is quite intelligent, capable of following instructions...... this is because her mother (mother of 4, husband dead) has gone her entire life, doing without, and making sure her kid finsihed school..... unlike most of the families who work so they can buy another motorbike that will get crashed when the husband / son gets out of his mind on some cheap crappy loas whiskey. So, the girl is a "maid", so no big achievement there right? WRONG - she is earning money instead of complaining about having none.

I honestly believe there is quite a fair share of equity in Thailand - sure there are people with ill-gotten gains..... but it is naive to think that it doesn't go on in every country in the world - just some are better at hiding it.

I am coming from a country where guys with basic trade skills earn as much as universtiy graduates. There is no equity in that. Office workers here in Bangkok earn a lot more money that the national average. Enough to have a nice but modest home, a reliable car, an occasional holiday, etc..... in otherwords, a normal life on par with every other developed country in the World. They are not wealthy, but unless they work hard on top of their qualifications, then why whould they be.. Simply having a degree is not, and should not be a pass to wealth - yes it opens the door, but the individual has to walk through it. Everyone cannot have a Fortuner or Accord..... much less a Merc. Everyone thinks that they are entitled to the better things in life, and no one wants to think of themselves as average ..... but until you prove yourself as above average, then why should you get paid more for it? So I say, continue to reward those who have worked hard and let nature take its course. My fmaily worked hard over several generations to help me get to where I am today - it is now my duty to continue that tradition, and if my child fails in life it will be my fault for not proving for them, not raising them correctly, etc...... no one elses.

This is why I admire the much loathed Isaan bar girls, and the dodgy taxi-bike drivers, and so on..... while people are ridiculing them, do they ever stop to think that these people are doing the best they can to get on in life - and for the most part they do...... So that their kids don't have to do the same thing......

Married a bar girl, did you?

And if he did, so what?

It matters not whether a woman is a bar girl or a princess it is what they do with the life they have.

Not everybody drinks during the day and some of us old men can relax without a drink or a young lady around.

I spend part of my days between the rain on keeping the grass down or out riding my bike or during the rain I am on my computer or reading.

I am 67 this month and I have had my Phantom almost 2 years and was the 4th owner.

The previous 3 pimped the bike by changing the seat to one with leather fringes (which I replaced after 6 months with a stock one from Honda), leather straps on the handle bars which magically fell off when they got close to a box cutter, foot plates front and rear, still there, side panniers and I added a top box.

In the 3 years before I bought it the bike covered about 5,500 km and was clean, shiny and well polished.

In the nearly 2 years I have had it I clocked 31,500 km, washed it quite often, serviced it every 2,000 km and the only problems were a spark plug which died, the main fuse blew and the battery died after 5 years.

Last Friday I drove it 730 km to BKK and back in the same day and it just kept on rolling through the sun, wind and thunderstorm and never missed a beat.

I am hoping to replace it very soon with a Yamaha Virago 535 cruiser as it should give me an extra 20 or so kph for comfortable cruising.

I did look at the new CBR 250 and also the Lifan LF 250 but the Yamaha just appeals to me more than the Lifan and much more than a sports bike.

I don't have the need for speed nor do I need a crotch rocket just something that gets me where I want, when I want and in some degree of comfort, so PauD I am with you 100%.

British Embassy

sure! why the easy way getting the residence certified by a local immigration office? it must be much more fun to travel (perhaps a few hundred kilometers) to Bangkok, doing it the complicated way and pay a multiple of the fees.

But Nam, you forget that we are Brits and must all do our bit to ensure that our local consular officials are able to continue to live in the manner to which they are accustomed.

I am old enough (I think) to remember the times when the British Embassies actually did help British citizens.

I went to BKK and back to Khampaeng Phet yesterday on my Phantom.

730km round trip and it took me 5 1/2 hours to get to Sathorn and 6 1/2 hours to get back including pit stops and the last 130 km I watched an incredible lightning storm ahead of me.

The bad news was that I forgot some rubber boots so I had very wet feet for the last 80 km though my rain suit kept most of the rain off.

I nearly ran into 3 trees which were blown down and covering the motorcycle lane.

The bike never missed a beat the whole way.

I had an ache in my left shoulder probably from changing gear a lot and my a** was a bit sore but it was a good run.

Add a better gearbox where 5th and 6th gears are not overdrive then that would be a better bike.

It was built to spoil a clear run from Bkk,to C.M.,a fly over the boring place would be great.. Traffic is awful.

There is a bypass road coming up from BKK which cuts off the whole city if you are heading to CM.

The weather is a lot like the Uk actually. For 10 months of the year it is so hot and humid everyone tries to stay in the AC (ie inside) then they pray for two months of cool weather so they can sit outside. Some times they don't get it and the whole year is uncomfortable, a bit like the Uk. When they get the two months of cool they go on and on about how great it is, and when they don't they moan about how terrible it is. It's a home from home in reverse. Personally I don't know which is worse.

I'm assuming that you find that most households in Thailand have A/C? This extension is probably in the great minority.

Although I was referring to the expat community I guess you are right that many Thai homes don't have air con. I can only imagine how uncomfortable that must be. Probably a lot like living in the Uk without heating.

I live out in the sticks and have an a/c in each of the 2 bedrooms upstairs.

They are only on for a few days of the year when my wife's family come up from Bangkok.

My son who is 6 uses it a little but complains that he is cold and shuts it off.

The rest of us use fans and while it gets warm at times we can always have a shower to cool down and feel more refreshed.

And no it actually isn't uncomfortable at all really. It is 35 outside and 30 indoors and I am sitting here in a pair of shorts with the fan on the first setting quite comfortably waiting for this afternoons thunderstorm and heavy rains.

In theory it is an excellent given all the access and teaching skills but just as a thought how can you connect perhaps 400 tablets to the internet at the same time?

How big has the outside to be and who will provide it.

CAT, TOT, TT&T and where will they find the bandwidth on 1 x 2Mb landline?

Now imagine 10,000 schools all fighting to get onto the internet during school hours.

If you think that the existing CAT international gateway is big enough now how do you think that it will cope with another 2 or 3 million users in the future?

Also if the school children take the tablets home especially in rural areas how will they connect to the internet.

GPRS/EDGE, 3G, WiFi, landlines.

I use EDGE up in the sticks and when my mate comes over from Denmark both of us have a poor connection if we are both on line.

The price of coffee beans is going up 40% coming month.

More TEA Vicar ??

Only if it is Earl Grey and comes with a copious supply of ginger biscuits.

Chocolate biscuits tend to melt over here and if you put them in the fridge then you have to break them apart.

I couldn't find one in Thailand a few years ago so I bought one in Pakistan while I was working there.

Sadly my wife wouldn't let me put it on the pickup and I sold it to a mate for his truck.

Can you please call me on 0898 131 765 as I am very interested in the bike.

Cheers

Billd

Hi Vincen

I sent you a PM today as you have no contact details.

Come on... Nobody know where to order

Try this link and scroll down to tyres.

http://www.bkkriders.com/shops/index.html

I went to Big Bendum in Bangkok and Ek Pai Boon speaks good English as well.

If you are not in BKK he can send it to you.

If he hasn't got one in stock he will try to get one.

Best of luck.

DOES ANYONE KNOW WHERE I CAN DOWNLOAD A WORKSHOP MANUAL FOR THE HONDA PHANTOM T200

Try going to this forum as they are usually very helpful.

http://www.singaporebikes.com/forums/forumdisplay.php/27-SingaporeBikes%E2%80%A2Phantom-Knights

Or this one

http://www.singaporebikes.com/forums/showthread.php/244355-Phantom-TA200-How-to-DIY-Guide%28with-Pics%29-Updated!-13-12-09

PS All capital letters in the text is considered to be shouting and not polite to use. Form me it is no problem.

Cheers

I bought a Kominie rain proof jacket and trouser Size Euro XL down at the Paddock shop in BKK last year for about 3k baht and they are pretty good at keeping the rain off.

The only problem I have had with the jacket was that the zip teeth were a bit fine and the velcro flap holders were just patches and not all the way up.

It cost me less than 500 baht and now it is OK.

Know of an ex-military Brit up country. Married a b-girl. She has a kid from another man and another kid with the Brit. Total alki! All three live in a studio. He drinks alllll day long. Kid acts up at the local Thai school. Not sure whats up with them now, but his life does seem hard.

Know of another couple, have two kids, two cars and live in a new house. The Thai lady has a PHD. In part I think it depends on who you hook up with!

I know of an ex military Brit who married the manager of a restaurant.

They live on 10 rai of land up country 65 km south west of Khampaeng Phet. and have another 10 rai with a shop and restaurant rented out.

They have a 3 bedroom house, the wife's mother lives in a small house on the land.

Granted the pick up is 10 years old but they have a scooter and he has a motorbike.

The wife didn't go to Uni but has done quite well.

The husband never went either and did very well.

Their son goes to a school in Khampaeng Phet that has an English language program and is no problem at school.

Neither of them drink during the day very often.

He didn't "hook" up with her but met her 18 years ago when he was sent here the first time.

They have been known each other 18 years and been married for 11 of them next week.

The son is 6.

Ain't I lucky.

Please don't run down all expats and ex military as there are quite a few of us here both in the city and out in the sticks who are quite nice people when you get to know us.

Billd, You say it well, go back one further generation, and George Vl and his family stayed in London and refused to seek safety in Canada, They regularly visited victims of the blitz, and Princess Elisabeth was an army driver. Yes, our Royals have privilege, but it is not served up on a plate, they have to earn it.

Thanks Anterian

Whilst they have privileges they are also in the media spotlight 24/7 which must be far worse than being in the military.

Perhaps my (removed) post was misconstrued - so just to make my opinion clear:

If Harry was not a member of the (British) royal family he would be a footsoldier...

This is not news - he is inevitably going to rise in the ranks, regardless of his true potential. Just like his father, and many other 'connected' figures.

Damages the reputation of a once formidable army more than anything else.

Why? Kings and princess have always been in charge - for thousands of years. He has done the training, passed the tests and course, and done the service time (he even had a major falling out with the Government when they rerouted his Iraq hot-zone posting (after a press leak alerted the world and made him a prime target - he only agreed in the end as it became obvious the leak caused danger to his fellow soldiers). I think he has deserved his position - much more so than many upper crust people in the British Army's history - where your name guaranteed ranks or commission - and gave us mistakes such as the Charge of the Light Brigade and the Jallianwala Bagh Massacre etc.

And who do you think was behind the press leak? The pampered British royals always do a stint in the armed forces even if they are clearly not cut out for the role. Remember prince Edward who was ordered by his dad to join the paras even though it was obvious that he was hardly para material. 'Make a man of you boy!' He only lasted a few weeks as i recall, before he cried off and went back to his natural role as Andrew Lloyd Webber's tea boy. The idea that any of the royal princes would be seriously put 'in harms way' is laughable. They do their stint purely for the benefit of gullible souls who believe all this Hans Christian Anderson nonsense that they are the same as the rest of us. Although in Harry's case he might be an exception to this rule as he is not really a 'Royal' is he.

I suggest that you read up a little before you reply to a post.

Prince Edward was in training to be a Royal Marine and not a member of the Parachute Regiment.

His Father, Prince Phillip was a serving member of both the Greek and British Royal navies and served with distinction in the 2nd world war.

Prince Charles originally joined the RAF and qualified as a pilot then transferred to the RN where he served on a guided missile destroyer and 2 frigates before assuming command of a minesweeper. He also qualified as a helicopter pilot.

Prince Andrew joined the RN and learned to fly fixed wing aircraft with the RAF and then became a helicopter pilot with the RN serving in the Falklands war with distinction.

Prince William is a fully qualified helicopter pilot on Sea Kings with 22 Sqn RAF flying rescue missions from RAF Valley.

Prince Harry is a serving soldier who has spent a fair amount of time in the army in one of the most hazardous war zones the the British military has been in for many years and from what I have read he was respected and liked both by his commanders and also by the troops he commanded.

May I ask about your own personal service in the military which I am sure surpasses my 25 years in the RAF and of course is far more the the Royal Princes exploits.