taichiplanet

My Nuovo has 16". I meant if i got a Click or something and then wanted to put 16" wheels on it. Would prefer to put alloys on it but after a quick search can only find 17" alloy replacement

http://daiichialloy.com.www.readyplanet5.com/index.php?lay=show&ac=article&Id=370250&Ntype=2

Been thinking of getting the new Nuovo too, but might wait a while to see if they bring out a Fi version. I've also been trying to get a look at the Suzuki Hayate that is supposed to have Fi but no dealer i've been to has it, anyone seen one?

The Nuovo i am riding at the moment has done 38k kms. When i first got it about 2k kms ago the auto gearbox made a very loud whistle so i got my mechanic to change a few bearings and cogs which improved it to a whine at 30km. I think the problem was caused by a warped rear wheel (which he also fixed) but is this a problem others have with the Nuovo?

Since there has been a bit of a discussion on tyres here, would it create any problems to change 14" wheels to 16" wheels (besides speedo error)?

Just been to the local Suzuki dealer, they have more Hondas and Yamies than Suzuki. Not a Skydrive or Hayate on the shop floor. The saleswoman was adamant that the Hayate doesn't come with Fi even though i pointed out the official website says so. They didn't even have a brochure. She did agree that the Jelato, Shogun and Skydrive had Fi. The Honda saleswoman yesterday, that had a 'new' carbie Hayate, was also adamant it doesn't come with Fi. Maybe Suzuki HQ want to clear the carbie models before they tell the sales team about the Fi!

Fairly difficult to buy a bike if you can't even see it, let alone any hope of test driving it. The Suzuki dealer had a couple of Elegances but fairly mundane/uninspiring colours.

Prices are (including tax/ins/reg,)all with alloy wheels:

Hayate 125(carbie) B50,050

Skydrive 125i B49,050

Elegance 135 B56,150

Looks like i'll have to wait until both the Elegance and Hayate come out with Fi before deciding. By the way, from the specs i could find the Hayate is carrying about 5kgs more than the Elegance.

Don't know if Suzuki are actually making them yet but diffently on their website. (Good website by the way, easy to get info while APHonda's website is rubbish)

www.thaisuzuki.co.th

The Jelato and Skydrive also are stated as having the DCP-Fi, while the Shogun is stated as having EPi. All seem to be E20 friendly. Seems Suz is on the ball compared to Yam.

I suppose the question is how long will Benzine 91 be available, my mechanic told me a while ago that Ben95 was going to disappear. Though i suppose Ben91 cannot disappear as too many engines depend on it at the moment.

It really comes down to price. The average Thai is not gonna spend a lot of money on a bike, maybe a 150 cc or so scooter is more than enough. If they can afford a bit more for a better bike they are probably gonna buy a car or pick-up.

As for a bigger cruising scooter, I can see the advantages but it’s not my style. I’d prefer something like the Kwaka Ninja 650. I want a small/medium sized auto as a 2nd bike for the occasional use in the city, and a bigger scooter would lose the advantages of weaving through the traffic. Around 150cc injected would be a nice balance; enough power but not lose out on maneuverability. Anyway, Farangs are a small market here and we are just gonna have to put up with whatever the Thais are thought to want!

It is strange that Yam is not as aggressive in introducing injection, but as Richard said maybe it is a cost factor. If, as jackcorbett said, they are testing it out first on the Spark before putting on other bikes then I am willing to wait a few months to see what happens. With injection the Elegance would then fit all of my criteria.

Thailand is supposed to have fairly strict emission rules, don’t know if they will tighten them up more, but maybe that will force Yam more firmly down the Fi path.

Today I’m gonna try and find a Suzuki dealer that actually has a Hayate 125i to see what it is like. The ‘new’ carbie version I saw yesterday didn’t seem to have the build quality of the Elegance; though if it has been sitting around for a year or so then maybe that has taken the sparkle off it!

What does Hayate mean anyway; is it some reference to horsepower (ate hay)!

Been looking at getting an auto bike as a 2nd bike (been riding a friends Nuovo 115 auto for a while, great storage and zippy enough around town). I basically narrowed my choice down to the Wave 110i AT, Suzuki Hayate 125i and Yam Nuovo Elegance 135. Today i checked out the bikes; though i didn't see a Hayate i, the dealer had a 'new' carbie model. Asking the Honda/Suzuki/Tiger mechanic what auto i should buy and he said 'Nuovo Elegance'!!

I then went to my friendly Honda dealer in Naklua (probably the same one jackcorbitt frequents), i looked at the PCX (too big and expensive: 70k), the Wave (no underseat storage 44k) and they had a Nuovo Elegance in for service. I liked the Nuovo, nice size. Gotta love Thailand, the friendly Honda staff asked what colour Nuovo did i want and they could organise one for 55k! I'm assuming prices didn't include rego and insurance.

Yes, the Spark has the 135i engine so i am also wondering if they will soon put it into the Nuovo?

These guys have lots of brains; chuck a bomb and scare away all the locals and tourists, then no one makes any money. Just what Thai tourism needs, wonder if the international media will get in on the act?

I agree it is the schools that need to be regulated; if they do the job properly then there is no problem. It would be actually a lot less work to check the schools than to check every student. For an example of how the system should not be run, take a look at what is happening with international students and private schools in Sydney,

I went to the Jomtien office to extend my ED visa the day before this incident silentnine had and had no problems. Though I must say the officers involved were not their usual cordial selves; there did seem a dark mood in the whole office, or maybe they were all just suffering from sheer boredom. :-)

The school I go to is good and a few of my class mates have picked up basic conversation quickly, while I struggle to remember the words (sa-moong mai dee - my brain's no good!). Even though I turn up for every class I struggle, the fault is mine as I don't consistently study out of class, and I tend to like to learn to read the Thai characters rather than to remember words. But what is expected from 4 hours a lesson a week?! It would be nice (555) if there was some indication of what your Thai ability should be after one year, so that we have something to work towards.

You'd have to contact the factory about getting the sidecar seperate, there are a couple of Tiger websites which you can find Kun Pariya's email on; just google 'thai tiger sachs' and you will pull them up. In Thailand you cannot legally add a sidecar to a bike (which doesn't stop any thai from doing it!), but in the case of the Tiger it is registered as a bike and sidecar, which means in Thailand you can't buy a Retro and then add a sidecar later. Of course this won't stop you buying one for Nepal. Apparently it is based on an old BMW sidecar.

The CEO of Royal Enfiled was in thailand recently, hoping someone would put their hand up to sell them. I suppose the problem in Thailand is the horrendous tax, maybe if they do a factory in LOS the tax will be less. I doubt that will happen as i'd reckon the labour would be cheaper in India and they are eyeing the Us market. Hopefully Tiger will come up with something better than the TT150.

Even if the CBR150 horsepower is optimistic (though with some simple mods it must be around that), the point was that a 150 is around the same as Tiger's '250'. All i'm saying is i'd want a lot more horsepower from a Tiger classic/cafe-racer style bike.

I've wondered at the low HP of the Tiger 250 engine too. I suppose some of the reason is that is actually 232cc and it is also running a 9.0:1 compression. Compared that to the CBR150 which is around 21HP but has DOHC and 11.0:1 compression. Obviously the 250 Boxer has great torque but surely they could up the compression and not sacrifice any reliability.

mbox mentioned on another tiger website that maybe Tiger can marry 2 250 engines to make a V-twin. Now that would make a nice retro/cafe racer bike for Tiger!

I'm still waiting to get my GB400 back. The guy making the petrol tank has had it for 2 months now, and after promising for the 3rd time that it will be next week, it looks like my mechanic will get it back next week. Maybe! So hopefully it is to the design i wanted. When my mechanic gets it back we'll do a couple of simple mods, test it and then completely strip it down to rebuild and repaint it. Would have been much nicer to buy a new Tiger TT500!

I love the Lambo sidecar above, much nicer than a Messerschmidt 3 wheeler!

Anyone actually done the ED Visa first year exam? What is involved?

Your right about the state of the GB400s Allan. Luckily i found a good mechanic here in Pattaya and he has been looking at a few for me. He can make tanks etc out of metal and has a mate that can make anything in fibreglass from scratch. About 45k will buy a reasonable one that only needs cosmetics, he has found one for me but just getting the import papers checked to make sure i can get a legal greenbook. How much does your guy want for a mechanically good and straight GB400?

Being a classic car buff i'm looking at more the old style cafe racer (similar to photo). Also check out http://www.deus.com.au I don't think it would be hard to modify the tiger boxer 250 frame (goodbye warranty!) but i'd like a little more power, wonder if they have a dohc kit for it!

Not a bad idea Allan! What do you do with the flat part of the frame though; replace it with tube? I suppose it wouldn't be hard to give the front more rake.

I can pick up a good honda gb400 for low 30k and registration will cost about 40k (hey i was promised 100% guarantee and only 2 months; 555!). the GB has 30hp and the boxer 20hp, but the boxer is new and i am guaranteed rego! Gonna have to think about it. I suppose if i can get a boxer with a green book without the tank, instruments, seat, fairings, front and rear lights then it could bring the price down a bit. I wonder if the front fairing/windscreen from the TT can be adapted to fit the boxer?

Got the gf to call the Tiger Rep in Pattaya, he said there was a 110cc and a 125cc Retro. Got a garbled reply about the TT.

Contacted Kun Pariya, he said there is only a 110cc Retro, price THB29,800. K. Pariya said the TT150 was on hold, probably available late this year or early next year. I really wanted at least a 250, and he replied that 'The current chassis is made for the 150cc therefore it will be a while before we decide to make 250's'.

Interestingly the the specs he sent stated that the TT has an aluminium fuel tank; at least you can polish it up, but would think it'd get a lot of dings in an alloy tank.

Anyway, looks like i will have to pursue my cafe racer creation with a GB400 or SR400!

Learning anything in the end comes down to how much time you put into it privately. Of course a good teacher is of immense help and methods of learning suit different people, so it is worth while looking around and having a sample lesson at each school.

The ED visa is fantastic for me, as it solves my visa problems and i get to learn Thai. I goto the CTLS language school in Pattaya and am very happy with it. It's professionally run, the teacher is good and it is a little laid back; which a school for adults should be. I noticed in a previous post that it is stated that CTLS doesn't have any students; well, you are WRONG! The great thing also about CTLS is you pay half the fee to get the temporary 3 month ED visa, and pay the rest when you apply for the full one year ED visa. The other schools in Pattaya didn't offer me that.

2 weeks ago i looked for a one way ticket Syd-Bkk. Jetstar was the cheapest (including taxes) A$564, Thai Airways was about A$750.

Today Jetstar is A$564, Thai Airways on their website is A$624, and Thai Airways through Travel.thaivisa is A$595.

Considering Jetstar charges an extra A$30 for food, and A$7 for comfort package, Thai Airways is cheaper and give more flight choices.

I don't know what you are all whingeing about!

Used, if it has a plate and is 'in province' it cant be done in a day here it takes 2 days but I could belive other provinces may be slower about reprinting the book.. Here its one to drop the paperwork and make sure it all complies, pick the book up on the second day.

If its out of province then a provincial transfer has to happen, this can be done differently, put in your name in other province or first move province and put in your name.. Think 1 to 2 weeks if all goes well.. But maybe I was lucky with speed ??

If its a new reg as quoted a few months for the real plate to arrive but you should get a red plate issued with in province, daytime use, restrictions, most people drive on a red plate without problems.

If unplated and they are talking about adding a grey book, depends how fast they can find one and how long it takes them file off and restamp the frame !! Adding a real book to a big bike is a long drawn out process I am informed. Think 80k on a 400cc here and quoted in CM, heard 50 in BKK but that was from a shop thats been shown up as not straight.

I had to do it the other way round - a CM bike transferred to Pty. About 2 weeks, and 3 trips to Chonburi office! My gf did warn me! A mate is getting a CB400 registered in Bkk through a dealer and it is about 3 days.

Anyway 2 days instead of 1, big deal - just don't hand over the money until the greenbook is ready!

thanks Issaan Law for the translation, looks like it may be a bit easier for us married to thai ladies, interesting on the 15 day visa run now, that will effect some expats surviving on visa runs.

thanks again

jimmyyy

just had a mate come back from a border run to Cambodia. He is on a one year vsa so the 15 day rule wouldn't effect him. He did ask and was told that the 15 day rule had been 'suspended' for the time being. Seems they've come to their senses!

Happy Birthday To His Majesty. Thailand needs you more than ever!

AirAsia is offically a crap airline to me now! I was booked on the 26th Nov to Shenzhen, been ringing AirAsia every day (as they couldn't/wouldn't automatically put me on next flight) to go on the next flight until they knew when Bkk airport would open. Ok, on hold about an hour or so costs about Baht100 each day. Not their fault, so i put up with it, at least they answered the phone eventually! Kept asking about Utapao and they said we can only operate out of Suvarnbhumi. Yesterday they say Bkk airport is closed until 5th, first available flight is 5th. Of course i was elated last night that the airport was opening on 5th and i could salvage some of my trip. I ring tonight just to confirm flight and they say Cancelled, no flights to Shenzhen until 7th! Not only that, i find out that there was a flight out of Utapao to Shenzhen today! They have my email and mobile but couldn't be bothered to contact me. Anyway i know it useless to whinge about it but i am feeling pretty frustrated as was supposed to be on a course in China and will only have 4 days instead of 14. Besides i just had a beer and i don't drink! Bloody AirAsia is turning me into an alcoholic!!!

Big surprise, the P.A.D. won't be leaving!

Ever wondered why most civilized countries don't negotiate with terrorists?

Now you get your answer.

PAD are not terrorists. Save that word for real terrorists such as in Mumbai.

Redshirts murdering people with bombs, what would you call them?

There was no negotiation with the courts. The courts ruled how they were going to rule. What was negotiated exactly?

The PAD have not achieved what they want. The Thaksin forces are just going to rebrand and install another Thaksin puppet/relative.

I think that by international law, taking over the international airport's control tower is an act of terrorism!

A mate and I went to Bureau of Immigration yesterday at Sathorn. We got a very nice lady that actually apologised to us for the inconvenience that this has caused! My mate just did a visa run to Cambodia this morning (he can no longer wait for the airport to re-open, he has to go back to work) and said there was no problem with the overstay if you have the documentation; he had to write some sort of letter as well, explaining it.

Maybe due to the high Baht (for some of us), no tourists coming from other Asian countries, and a 30% drop in overall tourist numbers before this crisis, they are starting to realise that they have to look after the people that are wanting to stay or return!

still.... you go to thai immigration in chiang mai and they give you 7 days for 1900 baht. No discretion applied.