floridaguy

http://www.mocyc.com...nd%2Bmotocy.com

Repairs, maintenance, finding spare parts will be a huge PIA. Used Rebel will need a lot of work, most used Rebels in Thailand are junk. You want a small cruiser, much better to get a new Lifan 250B: http://www.lifanth.c...58-lf250-b.html

Well, with a Rebel you might have an old piece of junk, but jury's still out on Lifan and you could end up and a new piece of junk

A standard Honda Rebel is about as "exciting" as a Phantom... Yawn!

But with a little work you can turn one into something special- check this one out:

Honda Rebels are incredibly simple bikes and it wouldn't be hard at all to restore one, but I think finding one that's road legal in Thailand might be a challenge...

Best of luck!

Wow, that one is awesome customized like that. The purpose for my interest in the Rebel was to do something very similar to it but with the low slung drag handlebars.

To the OP, if you want a Rebel, go for it. They are harder to find than the Phantom, and parts are also very hard to find. You would want to find a mechanic that has experience working on them and make good friends. I almost never see them being driven around, but do see them for sale. Acutally, there is one for sale now for 30k that I just saw a couple of days back on one of the web boards. If you are interested, let me know and I will see if I can find which one.

I did it myself 3 times. Went to DLT at Chatuchak with the bike. All told, about 30-45 minutes from walking in, renew insurance, changing my name and the bike color, inspection of the bike - checking frame and engine numbers, then out the door. 2-3 days later they called and said the book was ready for pickup. Always better to do it in person.

Tell me about it. I can't find workers. I have people that drive to the northeast and pick up workers, but even they say they can't find anyone willing to come like they used to. I could use 40-50 people tomorrow.

Well, I am out of Bangkok for a week or 2, working in Chonburi. Anyone know of any place in Pattaya where I can buy a spark plug wire for a Honda Steed 400?

I see these all over the internet and around Bangkok for sale for about 30-40K. I test drove one last year. Cute little bike. No power, but this one was in very rough shape. I passed on it.

Well, I dismantled the bike, removing the gas tank and seat and the S&S air filter assembly and gave the bike a thorough once over. This may not be the only factor, but I found one of the spark plug wires was broken inside the boot. I missed this during several quick inspections because the rubber portion of the boot hid it. The Steeds have 2 spark plugs per cylinder, total 4. From what I understand, 1 per cylinder is the main spark, and the other supplies a secondary spark to help fully burn fuel and provide less emissions. I don't know whether the broken wire supplied the primary or secondary spark, but it certainly must have contributed.

Bad news is that I couldn't remove any of the spark plugs to test for spark. My sockets weren't deep enough, and my open end wrenches would't fit. I suspect there must be a deep well socket with thin walls that I can find at Home Pro or Home Works.

Also, the air filter is a metal screen type, so no water there. I also found a blown fuse, but I suspect that it is for the radiator fan. All in all, I really couldn't find a "smoking gun" as to why it wouldn't fire up. I think that it would have still fired up even on one cylinder.

Well, I am leaving Bangkok tonight, so I will have to wait for next week to take the broken wire to the mechanic and have him order a replacement. These spark plug wires are hard, heat resistant plastic. They have aged well for being a 16 year old bike, but does anyone know if they make a braided or heat resistant rubber replacement?

Here is the broken spark plug wire with the rubber boot section removed.

Didn't think about the air filter I guess because it was enclosed and it has sat so long I would have thought it was dry. Will take a look thanks

Ok, I have a Honda Steed 400. For the past 2 years, I only wiped it down, never washed it with water. 4 weeks ago I washed it myself with a hose with no nozzle. I was careful not to let water near electronic parts - spark plugs, battery, wires, starter wires, headlight/indicator lights, etc. Now it will not start. I drove the bike a couple of hours before the washing, so I know it was running flawlessly before hand. Now, it will turn over, but no start. I ran the battery down trying, so I tried push starting with no luck. I had the battery recharged and have been away a few weeks. If there is any lingering water, I assume it would be all gone by now. I had a local mechanic give it a try, and he couldn't get it started, but was only familiar with scooters, not big bikes. He mentioned the carbeurator, but he really didn't know. The bike won't fit in my truck to carry it to my regular shop, and he is too far away to come here to On Nut. If I could get it to my regular mechanic, I am confident he could get it running. But I think I will give it a go myself, I am no mechanic, but have some aptitude and experience.

So what should I be looking for? Blown fuses? Bad starter? Fouled spark plugs? Water in spark plug wires? I am back in Bangkok today and will look at it but I would appreciate your thoughts on what I should look for.

I know exactly what the OP is talking about. You flag them down. They open THEIR window and say Bai Nai (sp?); you tell them, and then um and ah and then say no and drive off. Mean while you miss a couple of other taxis that might have taken you. I work in Asoke and live in Lad Prao. Getting a taxi in certain times of the day up there is neigh on impossible (sometimes you have too much stuff for the MRT). It drives me up the wall. Another place is near Pratunam - getting a cab there is bloody impossible.On some Occasions I have asked "where do you want to go? Is there an MRT / Sky train near there?" and get in.

Sometimes they are straight from the boonies, and don't know where you want to go is ("I show you" often helps) Mostly they just want flag fall rides over and over again so they get 35baht (+tip from farangs) for a 15 baht trip.

So, like the OP, if they open the window I ignore them and concentrate on the ones actually doing the job of taxi driver.

@Naam - it can close the door, not open it. A simple answer to the Honkies who just do not think their part of the deal is to close the door. Also, in HK, a taxi has to take you anywhere you ask them to. Its the law, and if they refuse just say you will call the police. Job done.

It is the law here in Thailand as well. If a taxi driver says no, you can call the BMTA and report them. The fine is 500 baht per infraction, with multiple offences punished by not renewing their taxi license.

OP back again.

The bike in the picture isn't the bike I'm considering - that one looks far different .

The picture's only to demonstrate what the chaincase/primary drive cover looks like; I couldn't find a better picture.

This photo is from a story in a Thai biker magazine from a couple of years ago. I actually just threw that issue out 4 days ago when I moved condos. It is a Steed 600, but it is completely custom, done by a professional shop. I believe they hand crafted alot of the parts, and borrowed alot from other bikes as well. I remember this bike well, it had alot of brushed parts on it. I liked it alot, and it was the reason I got my Steed 2 years ago.

To answer, I believe that this is an actual functioning part on the 600's. I have only seen one 600 in Thailand, all the rest were 400's, and they don't have the same cover on them. I see 10 Steed 400's a day, but just don't see the 600's.

I know someone in Bangkok who does this. Send me a PM and I will pass your information along to him.

I have been looking for a shop in Thailand that either sells spare parts or repairs damaged glasses for more than 10 years with no luck. If anyone finds one I would love to know about it cos I have 3 pairs of broken glasses sitting at home, one of them only 1 month old.

Jeesh, maybe I should set up shop somewhere. I was a licensed optician back in the US for 10 years. I used to make custom lenses onsite and sell and repair frames also. It really is a dying art, repairing eyeglass frames. But some old glasses are antiques and rare, so must be repaired properly. I have been very disappointed with the lack of quality opticians and shops here in Bangkok after the last several years of searching. I mean, they don't even have the proper examining equipment. In the US, a licensed optician could give basic eye exams and provide prescriptions for eyeglasses and contacts, but could not diagnose any other conditions nor prescribe any medication. Some of the equipment used here is more than 10 years old, and I have not found a shop with good, modern equipment. They don't even know what I am talking about when I ask. Shame really, the quality of care available in Bangkok.

also, in Settings-General-Reset, have him Reset Network Settings

I agree, B-Quick has good service. They are competing with the other big auto repair shops. They pulled 2 nails out of my tires and repaired them no charge. They never charge for tire plugs, whether car, truck, motorcycle or big bikes.

Why is it always African American? Very few blacks in America are actually African. We don't call anyone else by their origins, ie European American, Indian American, South American American. Growing up, I was called asian, and we called black people, wait for it, black people. I grew up outside of Detroit, in a city that was 55% black and less than a half percent asian. I never once met someone from Africa until I moved out of the US. If you saw a black person here, he probably actually was from Africa. Especially since Sukhumvit from Nana to Soi 5, is called Little Africa, for a reason.

On topic, in my experience in Thailand, anyone greeting you on the street, whether Thai, or black or Indian, or whatever, they are just trying to sell you something. I confuse them, so sometimes they give me the American "whats up?" or sometimes they speak to me in Japanese (I guess I look it a little). I mainly ignore anyone that greets me in any way on the street. Not stuck up, just not buying.

Well, why does it always have to be the GF or wife? Anyway, easy test. Same nearly as the one for the car. Driving test is hilariously easy. Take off from standing start along 10 meter long, 1 meter wide raised concrete strip (must not allow tires to leave strip or put feet down), make a turn or u-turn, make several more turns and sharp turns through orange cones, come to a stop at starting area. I borrowed the scooter of the lady in front of me, she failed first time. Second time, she failed because she took off and forgot to put the stand up. I almost left the strip from laughing so hard at how easy it was.

Sorry, I think I was a bit misleading with the topic.

I also think there isnt any law against having a savings account outside Thailand (at least if there is zero funds in it). I was more thinking what kind of restrictions (if any) there are on Thai Citizens sending funds from their Thai bank account to their own or family members account outside Thailand.

None what so ever. like you just told us, you just did it right? Just because they put "Personal expenses" on the form who cares. It was a personal expense. Done deal. You are answering your own questions.

Thanks for your input. However "who cares" reply wasnt actually the kind of answer I was hoping for. I know a lot of things work like that here in Thaliand, but I am more interested to know what is actually the rules and regulations for the matter.

Maybe one of the BB staff members here would shed some light on this?

The link to BB showing "Gift" as an option is interesting. Why wouldnt "Personal savings" be an option?

If you want chapter and verse on the rules, then I suggest you google the Bank of Thailand's rules on foreign transfers. They also have the email address of the relevant offical who you can contact on the matter, and if you have questions they are pretty good at getting back via email, probably unique in Thailand.

However, the banks are very strictly compliance on this issue, and yes, transfering funds overseas to support members of the family is fine.

Where it gets a touch more tricky is sending money overseas to yourself. I, as a Thai passport holder, for one reason or another can't send money from my Thai bank account to my own Australian bank account according to BB. I didn't muck around to ask why, as I just nominated a joint account but used my wife's name as the beneficiary. Given it is a joint bank account, the money winds up with me anyway.....

I also hold Thai and US passports, and have never had a problem transferring money to my own accounts in the US, either online or in person and the branch. I think the OP may be over thinking the categories. They basically are saying you have to have a legitimate reason to send money abroad, not "To purchase drugs" or some other silly thing. I have sent myself money and tried all the options, and they all work! No questions from bank staff. I even chose "Send money to support Thai family living abroad", they asked who, I said my 2 children, "Oh, are they Thai citizens also?", Nope and no questions further.

None required, I went last January.

My BMW 3 series would do the same thing. First happened during an undercarriage car wash. Then just a big puddle during a rainstorm. It would stall and die at almost every rain storm, so I just didn't drive it during a storm. Turns out it was common for that model of Beemer. It was an electronics board, forgot the name, in the engine bay on the passenger side. It was behind a service panel that was notorious for allowing water and condensation in. I removed the board and stuck it in the oven on very low heat for a couple of hours and that did the trick. Then I reinstalled the board inside a plastic bag, inserted a few bags of dessicant (like what comes in the box with new shoes), and sealed it up with tape. No problems since then. Even took it back and had an undercarriage car wash and then sprayed the engine bay with water and no problems.

come mon guys, you have to inspect the bike before rental and see if there is any damage, then note it down on the contract. I mean I rented a car from Budget in Germany and did not check thouroughly and had to pay for a damage on the front window which I had overseen. So it is not particularly Bangkok Bike Rental. That can happen at any bike/car rental place.

I rented a KLX250 for a week a few month back and checked the bike before and I had no problems whatsoever with them when returning the bike. I was happy finding a bike rental in Bangkok with a good selection of bikes.

To check the bike thouroughly is mainly the job of the (good quality) rental place. And they have to do this EVERY TIME the bike is returned, not only occasionally. They should have seen the dent before giving the bike out.

I agree. I rented the bike during daylight and no mention of the dent, but plenty of cosmetic damage from scrapes. She took photos at the time of rental when we both inspected the bikes, but this dent could not be seen unless looking straight on to the wheel from the front or below and looking directly at the dent. How he found it in the dark is what made me suspicious, since we couldn't see it in the daylight. Here is a photo of the two bikes we rented at the time of pickup, and just before we dropped them back off after our ride.

I rented from them a couple of months back. Two bikes, ER6Ns for 24 hours. First, they wouldn't honor the 10% discount for Thaivisa members. No big deal, it was still a good price. Then, after returning both bikes, problems started. We returned it to the owner's home near the shop at their request, and it was after dark. The French guy who owns the company inspected both bikes and zero'd right in on a dent in the front wheel. I couldn't see it until he shined a torch on it, even then it was very hard to see. He asked me if I hit a deep hole, I replied no. I am an experienced rider, I never noticed any problems with vibration on the front, and no one rode that bike but me. I had the bike for a day trip to Bang Saen that day with a group of 5 other bikers. We all took the same route, no big pot holes, no one else had problems with their own (un-rented) bikes. They wanted to keep both my passport and my 5,000 baht deposit. I got my passport back, and he said that we would split the cost of the repairs. I couldn't prove that I didn't cause the damage, and he couldn't prove that I did, so I agreed to an inspection of the bike. I heard back from the girlfriend 3 weeks later that they still hadn't had it inspected by the Kawasaki dealer, and nothing since. No word on the cost of repairs, no negotiation for cost, no thank you for the free 5,000 baht.

I will never rent from them again, and neither will I recommend them. My American embassy friends who accompanied me that day also avoid them, because of the rudeness of the owners and the way they treated me throughout this ordeal. Just poor service. Funny part is that after all the horror stories you hear on this forum, this time it was a foreign owned bike rental place cheating a Thai renter. Live and learn.

Some Sol, Bilmola and LS2 2012 full face helmets have sun shields on.

I've seen some Index helmets with the flip up shades also.

Guess I know what im getting myself for Christmas!

You're welcome ...

What is wrong with me?!? I was trying to look around the girl to figure out what kind of bike that was. Girl?....what girl?

Well, I spotted the car with the camera, hopefully it spotted me too, making a funny face as I passed it on the back of a motorbike taxi on Thonglor. I am very happy to see that Google maps is taking an interest in Bangkok, and the Street View is amazing. I can't wait to see how well this turns out.

Anyone know how long it normally takes from when the camera car is in town to when the Street View is available for that city?

Have a custom Steed also. I source parts mainly from http://www.drbike.co.th/ They are pricier but more professional, carry a large range of products and can order what you need, but they take alot of time to complete the jobs. Located on Chok Chai 4 in Bangkok. I have also used http://www.dbigbike.com/ They are a larger shop but less professional, price is better, they used to be out in Nakon Pathom, but I see that they have moved to Thonburi assuming because of floods. Dr.Bike's owner speaks some english, but as far as I know, no one at DBigBike does.