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billd766

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Posts posted by billd766

  1. Move to China, far better than Thailand , lot less problems with visa, if you do not leave China for 3 years you get treated as chinese, and obtain long term visa. If you marry a Chinese girl you get a life time visa, no problems with money in the bank. The women are far more beautiful than Thai's. China is a beautiful country.

    You forgot to add that China is controlled by a murderous regime that would think nothing of mudering thousands to maintain their undemocratic grip on the country. Now why don't you foxtrot off to a China related forum. ;)

    If you wear a Red Shirt then you are describing the current Thai Regime!! Ok only hundreds not thousands.

    Just remind me when was Khun Mark elected?

    Back on topic Soi Cowboy, just like anywhere in Thailand, requires you to keep your wits about you. Get sh*tfaced and insult a Thai and you are asking for trouble. That said I sincerely hope the "alleged" report of a death is just that,

    Reminder ... Khun Mark was elected as an MP in 2007, and PM in 2008 after K Somchai (who was also elected PM in 2008) was banned.

    And back on topic, Soi Cowboy, just like anywhere in the world, requires you to keep your wits about you, maybe a bit more than some places though.

    @Powderpuff - every bar I go into in Cowboy, runs a tab - but I don't go into all of them. It's usually a wooden 'cup' with a piece of paper for each drink you get (or updated each time you get a drink). Every time a piece of paper goes into my 'cup', I check it.

    Actually Khun Abhisit was elected as an MP in 1991 at the age of 27 and is currently the MP who was the youngest MP ever elected and also the youngest MP to be elected as PM.

    Khun Thaksin Shinawatra was only elected to be an MP in 1994.

  2. One of the other things the guy at Honda showroom told me, via my wife, is that a lot of things are interchangeable between the new 150 and 250. The new 150 windscreen looks about the same size as the old one, and I want to see if the 250 is larger. If so, I'll probably do a "swap" to cut down on wind resistance when doing 100k+.

    JUDAS....thanks for the concern. Yeah, I'm ok. Turns out it wasn't anything too serious. But now have peptic ulcer and acid reflux (which was what was causing the intense burning sensations in my chest, throat and upper arms.) Both are treatable. Besides, my mother once said that if only the good die young, I'll out live Methuselah.

    Another factor I had to take into consideration when deciding to buy the 150 instead of waiting for the 250 is my age. Ok, while most who try to guess my age are way off the mark (thank you Mother Nature), the truth is that I'll be 62 in 7 weeks, and my "need for speed" isn't as important as it was 10-15 years ago. So, while the 150 isn't going to be as fast as the 250, that's fine, as it will still do what I want, and suits my needs. But will, more than likely, change the tires from IRC's to Michelin or Dunlaps. Anyone know where I can do that here in Chiang Mai?

    I know how you feel about the need for speed as I ride a Phantom but I am still thinking hard about the 250.

    I would have thought that you would perhaps still have that need for speed as a mere lad of 62 whilst I as an old man of 66 still need training wheels sometimes. :)

  3. When asking for a Pension Forecast ask specifically for them to include any "Additional" pension. They do not automatically include this. You have to ask. I have had 4 pension forecasts since 2003 and my "additonal" pension is just over £100 extra, bringing my weekly pension to £201 in total, as at about a year ago. I will be 65 in June 2012.

    Wow thats a good weekly pension so l assume you are based in the UK or have a UK address. What was the "additional" pension on top of the basic that was forecasted for you. I am currently not 65 until March 2012 but will ask for a forecast. Have lived in Thailand for the last 10 years so only expecting the basic

    I thought the same , it does look a good weekly pension :) I would love to know a bit more

    One other point that's come up in my conversation with soon to be pensioner friends here , and I know its possibly not some thing we want to think about , but once your UK pension is being paid be it into a Uk bank account or a Thai bank account,what happens when the pensioner passes away :(

    If no one contacts the uk pension service to let them know , or may be your Thai wife does not know what should be legally done in such a circumstance , what will happen to your pension payments ?

    TL :jap:

    When a UK citizen dies in Thailand the police should be informed.

    If there is no apparent crime i.e. you died at home in bed or hospital etc then they write a report and you have to go to hospital to get a death certificate and the police are supposed to inform the embassy.

    You or his wife should inform the embassy also plus notify the relevant pension departments (if he has more than one pension).

    I am slowly building a folder for my wife and a couple of friends to deal with on my death:

    things like where is my passport, credit cards, bank info, legal documents, wills, insurance documents, who to inform, relatives, children etc and all the tedious things that you know have to be done and you keep putting off.

    An example is when you die do you want to be buried or cremated, in Thailand or elsewhere, what to do with the remains?

    The UK Embassy has some information and if you are from another country their Embassy will have the information as well.

    The thing is to do it NOW and not leave it until you die because if you do you will have a much bigger problem.

    Even if his wife is fluent in English it will not be that easy for her unless she knows who to contact and what to ask for and if her English is not so good she will have a real problem.

    Does he have a joint bank account because if it is in his name only it could be frozen until the wills etc are sorted out. If his pension is paid into that his wife will not be able to get any money to live on.

    If you need any more information I will try to help.

    There are threads on Thai Visa about this.

    One thread is here

    Dying at home in Chiang Mai

    Posted 2009-05-22 16:56

    but you will have to search the forum for it.

    I hope that this will help you.

  4. Your friend will be paying 11,000 a month rent, water and electricity say, 5,000, staff say 20,000, stock say 20,000 per month.

    His monthly running costs may come to 50,000 a month or about 1,500 baht a day which means he has to make a profit of at least that without any "hidden" costs or him taking any salary at all.

    The profit on a bottle of beer is less than 10 baht, on lao khao probably 40 or 50 baht if you are lucky.

    He will want to make about 20,000 baht a month for himself AND free drinks all the time.

    IF it all goes tits up and he goes broke with outstanding bills to pay take a guess at who will be stuck with them.

    Clue, it won't be him.

    You can sign a 3 x 3 year lease but at how much deposit and who much will you have to pay if the business goes bust.

    IMHO this is not worth 2,500 baht a month especially if you will not be there for at least 6 months.

    I suggest that you save your money and politely explain that much as you would like to help him the exchange rate is very bad for you.

  5. I only know Gunga Din from this forum and having read the Stickman article (I rarely read Stickman) the person I remember from this forum doesn't bear much resemblance to the person in the article.

    I apologise to his daughter Emma for the article though it is supposedly well researched and written it seems as though Stickman neglected to contact Emma thus to me getting the article incorrect.

    As for all the details in the piece as was said earlier you can say what you like about people who have died as they cannot answer back but it sometimes hurts those left behind.

    It will be interesting to read what is written about Stickman when he dies.

  6. I have been at my friends place and he says he cannot get on to the internet.

    He uses a wireless modem and has 3 laptops.

    He normally uses IE8 but also has either Firefox or Google Chrome on each laptop.

    All 3 laptops have wireless connectivity but no internet connection.

    I used my spare laptop and got straight on to the wireless link and straight into the internet using Firefox.

    My laptop was right next to his.

    Does anyone have any idea what the problem can be?

  7. Amazing what you can do with a crock pot with the toughest piece of meat.:whistling:

    Especially with some potatoes, onions, garlic and yellow, Panang or Masaman curry paste.

    Now your cooking.:licklips:

    Sometimes I have put too much curry paste in and it brings a tear or two to my eyes and I start singing that old Johnny Cash song, Ring of Fire.

    But it still tastes good.

  8. I can't help you with a Honda CB 400 but I can suggest that when you see one advertised,

    1 Check on the advert if it has a green book.

    2 If it doesn't say and you like it check with the seller if it does.

    3 If 1 and 2 are no then walk away from it.

    4 It costs between 50 and 100,000 baht to get a green book as the bike has to go through some really tight emission tests to pass.

    5 IF there is a green book, IF you like the bike, and IF everything is OK and you buy the bike tell the seller that the money is his AFTER the transfer at the land transport department.

    If he is genuine and most people are he will be quite happy to accept that as he knows the bike, it is his and it is a reasonable request. This means that you have to carry all the documents required (somewhere in the bike forum is the list) and so will he.

    If he doesn't want to do that then politely say OK I will look elsewhere and walk away.

    If you pay before the transfer and it doesn't go through, he has the money and you have a bike that has a BIG problem.

    Caveat emptor (I think). Let the buyer beware.

    And when you finally get what you want.

    Happy biking.

    I ride a 2005 Honda Phantom 200cc.

    A rocket ship it ain't but it slogs on through rain, wind weather and some fat old guy riding it.

  9. Dear Mr. T.

    You have made your point. Over and over and over.

    Time to sit back and let us speculate how suitable this machine will be for the rest of us.

    You are in danger of being tagged a "serial antagonizer".

    And that could mean a little "vacation".



    A long vacation would be nicer.

  10. The thread is all abnout the Honda CBR 150 and 250.

    You keep bringing other bikes in for comparison which actually either are not available in Thailand, are imports grey or not which will cost large sums on money, probably more than a CBR 150 just to become legal IF they can pass the emission tests. If not, you just threw away the cost of a perfectly reasonable bike.

    If people don't want a CBR 150 or 250 they won't be looking at one but something more to there needs at a higher price and be perfectly happy to do so. On the other hand if the Honda is what they like they won't give a rats ass what anybody else thinks or says because it is THEIR CHOICE.

    If you can persuade anyone to buy a big bike instead of the Honda then good for you but I doubt that will happen as the vast majority of the posters here are looking for something that is reasonably priced, street legal, fixable at most local dealers and is not to expensive to keep on the road and perhaps in the future has a reasonable resale value.

    As I recall this is a thread about the Honda CBR 250.

    Everybody who has read the thread knows that you don't like it and I would think that 90% or more don't care what you think any more so I am politely asking you to please give it a rest and get on with your life and let the people who ARE interested get on with theirs

    EXACTLY! I'm in that 90%+ group who don't give a rats ass about what he, or anyone else, thinks. I'm waiting for the 250 to come in, but if I decide I like the 150 better, then I'll go with that.

    And I dont give a rats ass about what you say or tell me to do. If you dont like it , then piss off of this forum and find yourself another home!

    As you have some superior rights to whats going on here... You dont have that that or anything close to it even if you buy this bike, like it and live in Thailand.

    Me.. I am gonna DISS this bike for the junkyard crap it is till it ends it days at production site. Hopefully then they will release something better then and have learnt a lesson or two from this world crap CBR.

    What a nasty, narrow minded impolite little person you are.

    Why should I "piss off of this forum" on your say so.

    I have never claimed superior rights on this or any other forum and as far as I am aware only a moderator can get me banned.

    I know you are not a moderator and as far as I am aware you have no official connection with either Honda Thailand or Honda Japan.

    You would be better off ranting at them as they are the people who have made such an inferior motor cycle albeit in your mind though not in other peoples opinion.

    If you really want to save Honda and teach them a lesson why don't you apply for a job as a world manager for new motorcycle releases.

    Who knows, they may take you on but I doubt it.

    Your inter personal skills are not quite good enough.

    If you are going to diss the bike until the end of producion I personally hope that it will be produced for another 10 years. At least it will serve to get your post count up.

  11. Very good that at least the man at the top recognises it. Pity the rest of Thai society does not. whistling.gif

    Recognizing that there are double standards is one thing. Doing something about it is something completely different. The Prime Minister has said some sensible things about tackling the problems facing the country. So far, he has done little about them. He will be judged by what he does, not what he says.

    He is but one man.

    However if the will is there that one man can work wonders.

    Now what if there are 10, or 100 or 1,000 people working in the same direction.

    Talking about China did Chairman Mao say that even the longest journey starts with a single step.

    He cannot do it all on his own but must be given credit for at least trying.

    I personally hope that he succeeds.

  12. I am glad to see this thread appear, because the other one is suffering from someone who thinks its a moral duty to crap all over a product that he never intends to purchase. Maybe if we can keep this thread to real life observations and experience this will become as valuable as the CBR 150 thread which is now massive. So please no opinions about what the 250 should have been or how Honda hurt you you by not living up to your expectations. Just real CBR 250 stuff.

    I think we have about 10 days min before we will see any of the roads. I am tempted but I am also considering a cruiser because I never had one. This thread should help me decide.

    I totally agree with you and I am also thinking about a 250 but not until next year anyway.

  13. From what I can see there are about 4 or perhaps 5 posters on this thread knocking the bike but none of them seem to have seen on let alone actually ridden or bought one.

    I suspect that Honda will sell more CBR 150 and 250 bikes in Thailand alone than there are riders and owners of big bikes in Thailand in total.

    I ride a Honda Phantom 200 which suits me nicely but I may change up to a CBR 250 if things work out right though I would have preferred a VTR 250 but it never came here.

    The Phantom is not what I would call a great bike either but I have no desire to get a big bike anyway. I have a friend in BKK who has a BMW 1200 and also an big black Yamaha (can't remember which model) and I am glad for him as he is happy with what he owns. I could probably be OK on the BMW but I would think the Yamaha would kill me within a few days.

    Not everybody in Thailand wants or can afford a big bike and yes it would be wonderful if there was a larger choice of LEGAL bikes with green books and warranty.

    The Aprilia mentioned earlier is GBP 4,099 in the UK and given an exchange rate of 47 baht it comes to about 192,700 baht which is a little more than 67% more expensive than the CBR 250. If you were to add a conservative 250% import duty and various taxes it would come in at around 482,000 THB and this for a model with no fuel injection or ABS.

    Also there will be very few if any dealerships in the larger cities and as for the smaller towns and villages "forget it" springs to mind.

    Wow, value for money or what.

    Why would anybody in THAILAND want to pay more than 3 times the price for a 125 cc motorbike than you would for the Honda.

    For that price you could get a Yamaha FZ6 600cc 4 cylinder or a Kawasaki Vulcan 900 classic 900cc bike,a Suzuki SV 650 SA at about 480,000, the cheapest Ducati 700cc at 580,000, the cheapest BMW would be about 600,000, there is a Triumph 865cc for only 510,000 baht. There is a Honda Fury VTI 1300 ABS for "only" 668,000 baht

    All these should be available in Thailand.

    So who would want to import a 125cc motorbike from an EU country when you have such a choice and I am sure that at least one of them is a "great" bike.

  14. I am making a folder on my pc with instructions on what to do, who to contact, where things are etc for my wife and 2 separate farang friends to deal with.

    My wife can deal with the Thai parts but I don't think her English would be good enough to deal with the pension people etc.

    Thanks for the poster who suggested writing in Thai as well.

    Something I did not think of.

    As for any flamers who may comment on my death (or not) they will be more than welcome to join hands with me at the temple when I get cremated.

  15. When I spoke to them a few weeks ago they told me that my wife would be entitled to payment for our son (aged 6 now) until he is 20 as long as he is not at University.

    My wife was 45 last month and will qualify for a pension in her own right at the pensionable age for women now 65, next year 66.

    If you look at my post of 30 Oct it has a copy of their letter and their contact details so I will probably ring the later and also email them for further information.

    Post #9

    I rang the Pensions Bereavement Department to check what my wife would be granted (assuming nothing changes before she need it) and looking at the letter they sent me the clearly state in the second paragraph that my wife IS entitled to a GBP 2,000 Bereavement Payment AND a Widowed Parents Allowance until our son reaches 20 provided he is in full time education but not at University.

  16. Down here in Khampaeng Phet province by the Mae Wong national park it was 18C at 6am on Monday and Tuesday and a high 22 this morning.

    I am back to wearing trousers trainers with thick wollen socks I bought in New Zealand a couple of years ago (see there is a real use for sheep after all) and my fruit of the loom sweater I bought in the UK years ago while riding my Honda Phantom to the village in the morning.

    Get some beautiful sunsets the night before though.

  17. Up here in Klong Lan 125 north of you it is normal and there was only one bit of flooded road last Wednesday between Lat Yao and the route 32 to NS at Ban Ben Bo.

    Also no rain here for a few days so hopefully the Ping and Chao Prayha rivers are lower.

    Yesterday and the day before it was 18C at 6 am.

    I got through easily on my motorbike but some <deleted> in a truck going the other way gave me a free cold shower on the right side.

    Stupid barsteward.

  18. I tend to have several ways of wanting things now.

    Do I

    Like it

    Want it

    Need it

    Got to have it

    Will die if I can't have it

    Very importantly can I afford it

    It is starting to work for all big ticket items but before i retired I was like

    That printer has gone through 2 sets of cartridges.

    I will buy a new one today.

    I gave that up years ago but my wife has the memory of an elephant and never lets me forget.

    Just because I never listened to her then.

  19. Helmet for driver ok ,what about passengers ? and kids if you have the whole family on a motorcycle ? :whistling:

    Strangely enough when I read the OP post that is what it is all about.

    Though I live in Central Thailand my son is NEVER allowed on anybodies scooter or motorbike WITHOUT a helmet and he knows it at 6 years old.

    He also knows that if Daddy sees him on a bike without a helmet, Daddy to say the least will be mightily pissed with both my son and the rider.

    I ALWAYS wear mine even on a journey of less than 500 metres.

    Wear a helmet and save a life.

    Who knows it could be yours.

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