GizmoBKK

Isn't 13 a Friday? Grrr... Some people have to work...

I'm working on the 13th. Riding down after work.

Hmmm... Thought initially there is no more day after work

What time will be "after" work approximately? I might not be able to leave before 7 pm, around Thong Lor. Means it will be dark already

Anthony,

Yeah, truly your addiction seems to be pretty much worse than mine

Anyway, would be nice if you could let me know once you get the tail bag to let me have a look at it.

I am currently using this "FLM Spoiler Bag" which is quite ok, BUT with the wide R1 tail I am afraid that the standard straps scratch the holy paint so that I always add some tape for protection, and furthermore the standard straps are not ideal to fix at the passenger's pegs.

FLM Spoiler Bag

I was also wondering if this Fast Pack might be useful:

Fast Pack

Let's go for a ride some time,

G.

hey gizmo, i have the same bike. what did you have done at riders club? anything extensive or just basic stuff? never been but have heard good things, i usually take my around to red baron but have to specify which mechanic i'll allow to work on my bike

got any recent pics of your R1?

Hi Anthony,

Actually, I just went there to get my hazard warning lights fixed and suspension adjusted, but immediately they found a couple of other things wrong: repositioned a cable, fixed some lose bolts, exchanged brake fluid, adjusted front brake, and also recommeded (and finally changed to) some new tyres. Never had the feeling they wanted to convince me to sell anything though, but convinced me of their excellent skills! (Garage is also impressively neat and tidy.) Afterwards I felt I had a new bike and was very happy to have invested these 15,000 Baht + before doing the BKK-Pai-Loop!

Planning now to bring the bike there for some more basic maintenance, as i have neither the experience nor the tools to do it myself.

About Red Baron, I have also heard a couple of good things, but personally I remain a bit sceptical after one of their sales persons told me "no accident" when I was interested in one bike - and there were some very obvious scratches...

Pic is here:

Saw one of yours somewhere with a race exhaust. (was it Akrapovic?) Do you "feel" any difference? Or just hear it? (Or is it for the cool looks only? ) Pretty expensive, isn't it? > 50,000 Baht, I guess...

One more thing: do you have a good seat bag? Pretty wide tail, the sexy girl...

Safe ride!

G.

Isn't 13 a Friday? Grrr... Some people have to work...

Any idea what is the programme for Saturday? And until when?

Trent and myself had a great day at Yamaha dealer in Bangkok, great bikes, great service.

[...]

Are you talking about the one on Ratchada? Went there and was also impressed with their service, especially with their mechanics who seem to be totally addicted to bikes. Wonderful!

If you are based on Phuket, you might not want to bring the bike to Bangkok, but just in case: I recently had my 2004 R1 at the Yamaha Rider's Club on Ratchada (behind Esplanade) and the guys there are perfectly equipped and did an excellent job!

Hmmmm, hmmmm, hmmmm...

Makes me think we should take 3 days?

But it really doesn't fit in my schedule. First idea was to just go straight to CMX in one day. Saw your report, BigBike, from which I read it can be done in a day easily. Then we started dreaming...

Ok, thanks for your input, and I will let you know the outcome.

IMO, the question is not how old you are when you are riding a bike, at what speed you travel, or if motorbikes in general are more dangerous than other means of transportation.

The underlying problem in Thailand is the complete lack of road safety education.

I took the theoretical and practical test for a driving license in Thailand. In the theory test, there was not a single question on braking distance or safety distance. And the practical test is the most ridiculous thing I have ever seen in my life; about 30 m of riding are required. As long as you are not completely drunk and will fall off the bike, for sure you'll pass the test.

Thus, possession of a completely legitimate driving license does not necessarily mean the owner can drive.

I even talked to some Thai friends who are well educated and usually quite fast on the road with their cars. They are completely unaware of physics, and they have never heard of any formula that gives you the braking distance in dependence of the speed!

So, the whole thing is not just about irresponsible parents. Education about road safety (and the physics involved) should be implemented in the schools, and PR is required to increase safety awareness. Who has ever seen "Der 7. Sinn" on German TV knows what I am talking about.

Have a safe ride!

Hi there!

Next week, my friends and I will go from Bangkok to Chiangmai. The longer we discuss the route, the weirder our ideas are getting.

The latest proposal is to leave Bangkok on Monday and go to Mae Sariang. Google map tells us this is a mere 745 km. The next day we want to go via Mae Hong Son and Pai to Chiangmai (400 km)

In principle, it shouldn't be an issue to do about 1100 km over a period of two days, but we have no detailed knowledge about the road conditions. We want to enjoy the trip and not do any kind of racing, but as we all have big bikes (with my R1 being the smallest cc-wise), we will be able to increase average speed a bit where traffic and road conditions allow us.

My question now is: does anybody know the route, and what is your experience how long that would take?

Thanks for your input and best wishes for the New Year to the biking community!

G.

There must be a mistake right???

350'000 seems ridiculously cheap for that bike, especially at "red baron"

http://www.redbaronbkk.com/products/item.p...=080717-0000295

Agree with you that Red Baron is usually not the cheapest, but on the photo link the bike just looks GREAT. Which year is it and how many km? As mentioned by dotcom, you'll probably have to add costs for inspection and registration, but I have in mind it's "only" 70,000.

If the license plate is included, than it seems a hot hot deal, and you better do your test ride quickly or it'll be gone!

Enjoy.

let me start another useless discussion about "taste":

keyser, you don't indicate if you're male or female, if you are looking for surgery for yourself or for your girlfriend/wife.

if it's for your lady, well, then enjoy it if you like it...

if it's for yourself, then JUST DON'T DO IT! i never understood why so many (thai) women want silicone. for me, there is nothing more repulsive than PLASTIC boobs; i want to feel the real thing. and trust me, small breasts suit the usually petite female thai body VERY well.

...

They have the right to charge different prices from different people.

...

Interesting: have they???

Sure...speaking in general terms, a business can charge whatever they want

Many countries have a kind of "anti-discrimination-law". I was just wondering if anything similar exists in Thailand.

...

They have the right to charge different prices from different people.

...

Interesting: have they???

You don't want to loose your ability to go between cars that are stopped at a light without taking out someone's mirror off.

I'm riding a 1 L bike, and am surprised that in more than 90 % of the cases I go between cars as all small bikes do.

Highly depends on what you want/need. When you like to do tours out of town, you'll get bored quickly with a (too) small bike.

Not just certain models but all of them. There is just not enough weight to stop you in a hurry.

Physics is a while ago, but if I am not completely wrong, weight is not in the equation for decelaration...

The driver locked up his breaks and the front tire flew to the right slamming them straight down on the road and under the car.

For locking up the brakes, there are usually two reasons: 1) the driver panics and "grabs" the brake instead of gently "squeezing" it, braking "progressively". 2) as you pointed out earlier, traction is too low which is in most cases a result of the dirty roads.

ABS would be a solution, but still only available for a few bikes.

The taxi or any other vehicle pulling out is - unfortunately - a normal situation in Thailand, so the only choice IMHO is to be prepared for that any time. (And ride at speeds only at which you feel confident with your braking capabilities.)

Get the 400 cc or more if you like the fun part. Get the small bike if you "have to" use a bike for communiting everyday, not more.

Safe ride pal!

I C. Cool glass of beer sounds like a reasonable idea.

Myself riding an R1, a friend with a CB 1300 will join. Idea is to meet on Thonglor sometime Saturday morning, but nothing confirmed yet; depends on whether some MIY (men/women in yellow) will block my favorite gas station or not...

...

i'm not sure if i'm going Friday or Saturday. if there is an alcohol ban due to the Kings Birthday then i would rather go saturday but if not then Friday.

...

Hmmm... let me try to figure that out... If there IS an alcohol ban on Friday, you go Saturday. No ban on Friday, you'll leave on Friday...

So, you can only ride a bike when you're drunk???

Anyway, anybody definitely going on Saturday morning from Central Bangkok/Sukhumvit area?

I won't go into all of this, but one comment is flashing like a siren. The army. Their inaction was a sign that they in fact play a very major role in Thai politics. Try and think it through.

No kidding, Sherlock.

The militars have been running this place from behind the curtain for a long, long time. All pretenses of democracy or what not are just window dressing to keep the rubes appeased.

Here is some more food for thought under the headline "How did Thai protesters manage it?"

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/7762806.stm

Apparently the BBC is still allowed to say what we are not allowed to say in this forum.

posted this in another thread already, but might be useful here too:

two most recent bangkokpost sms:

1) PAD will continue to occupy Suvarnabhumi even though court dissolved PPP, Chart Thai and Matchimathipataya. PAD claims Thaksin's proxy would still run govt.

2) PAD accepted AOT's demand to allow incoming flights to use Suvarnabhumi after Constitution Court dissolved PPP. First incoming flight expected within 24 hrs.

wait and see...

and in this minute the next bangkokpost sms:

PAD accepted AOT's demand to allow incoming flights to use Suvarnabhumi after Constitution Court dissolved PPP. First incoming flight expected within 24 hrs.

we will see.

just received this bangkokpost sms and am speechless:

PAD will continue to occupy Suvarnabhumi even though court dissolved PPP, Chart Thai and Matchimathipataya. PAD claims Thaksin's proxy would still run govt.

how ignorant can these people be? is sondhi's objective to ruin this country?

This will make things worse (14:04):

Govt House protesters move to Don Mueang, Suvarnabhumi

(BangkokPost.com) – One of the People’s Alliance for Democracy (PAD) leaders, Maj-Gen Chamlong Srimuang, on Monday told protesters at Government House to move to Don Mueang and Suvarnabhumi airports.

According to Maj-Gen Chamlong, anti-government demonstrators will no longer be allowed to spend a night at Government House for their own safety, following repeated grenade and gun attacks at the compound previously.

He said the daily demonstration at Government House will now be held until evening, and only the PAD guards will station at the site during the night.

www.bangkokpost.com 14:02:

PM ready to take King's advice

BangkokPost.com) – Prime Minister Somchai Wongsawat on Monday said he is ready to take His Majesty the King’s advice on ways to end the national crisis.

Earlier, independent writer Sulak Siwarak suggested Mr Somchai ask for solutions to national problems from His Majesty the King.

The prime minister briefly said it is the duty of relevant officials to take legal actions against the protesters who have taken over the country’s two main airports in Bangkok.

The premier arrived in Chiang Mai province on Monday morning after he paid his respects at Phra That Phanom temple in Nakhon Phanom after spending the weekend in Udon Thani.

Well, not my favorite solution, but it would be a solution. And a solution is urgently required...

First 6pm Saturday, next 6pm Monday...how about they just stop speculating. Sigh.

For Saturday, they said "Saturday 6 pm the earliest". For the most recent announcement, they skipped that. ;-)

Say whatever you like about Thaksin, but he tried to make Thailand a modern country, and he never exercised politics by trying to destroy the country.

What is happening now is complete insane, and I follow it with great sadness. Whatever the outcome of this, there will be no winners, only losers. The reputation Thailand has spent decades to build up as a safe destination for tourists and foreign investment, has been destroyed in a few days.

We can only speculate how much damage this will cause to the Thai economy, but the cost will be huge, and ordinary Thai people will start paying the price first when this is over. Businesses are surely already planning how Thailand can be avoided in the future. Tourists are canceling their Christmas holidays. Millions of jobs could be lost.

Arguing that this is only causing some inconveniences to passengers missing their flight is ridiculous. 3% of world cargo passes through Bangkok.

And this is happening in the middle of one of the worlds worst global financial crisis ever. Thailand has never needed a competent and efficient government as much as now.

When countries all over the world spend all their energy on how to avoid economic meltdown, Thailand does whatever it can to create one. If this is not madness...I don't know what is.

One of the more valuable comments in this thread; well said!

Meanwhile Suvarnabhumi remains closed and i receive this bangkokpost sms (no further comments on their website, yet):

The Airports of Thailand (AOT) announced that Suvarnabhumi airport will be closed until 6 p.m. Monday.

I guess they mean Monday Dec 1... Let's hope for everybody's sake they are right and it will not take longer than this.

BREAKING NEWS >> Friday November 28, 2008 16:25

PAD removal to progress from mild to severe

BangkokPost.com) - Senior government, police and military officials took part in a teleconference called by Prime Minister Somchai Wongsawat Friday to discuss the national situation after the government declared a state of emergency on two of Bangkok's international airports the night before.

Interior Minister Kowit Wattana, who was appointed by the prime minister to oversee all authorities involved under the emergency executive decree, said methods aimed at removing the PAD groups from the airports would progress from mild and increase in severity, and that the focus would be on negotiation.

Metropolitan Police commissioner Suchart Muenkaew was assigned by the prime minister to lead all operations to clear protesters from Don Mueang airport.

Pol Lt Gen Suchart said after the teleconference that authorities will attempt to convey to members of the mob that they are violating the law and persuade them to leave. Some of these attempts could be relaying the message through friends and relatives, posting of announcements, and air-dropping fliers.

According to Pol Lt Gen Suchart, representatives from the National Human Rights Commission, the Lawyers' Council of Thailand, the National Anti-Corruption Commission and the media would be invited to discuss each and every step the police plans to undertake. There would be live broadcast of police work, including crowd dispersion if such a measure becomes necessary.

PAD members at Don Mueang airport on Friday lined up cars to use as makeshift bunkers covering the airport's entrances. Barb wire and pickup trucks were also being used as barriers elsewhere in the airport compound.