HeyNow

Saw a post on a Thai website today which puts the price at 210,000 baht with a debut on 17-March-2017:

http://car250.com/yamaha-xmax-300-เปิดตัว-17-มีนาคม-2017-ราคา-21000-บ.html

But from my reading of the article, it's only talking about a European release date and the price is a direct conversion from the price of 5,499 Euros mentioned in another article. So it's still unclear whether or not this will be released in Thailand, and if so, at what price.  If they try to sell it at 210,000 baht here, I don't think there will be many takers. 

I too saw the news about the new X-Max on my Facebook feed. From what I've read, it's built in Indonesia. Good to hear from at least one source that it may make its way to Thailand. By the numbers, it looks to outclass its competitors (e.g. the Forza, Burgman 200 and Sym GTS300i ) - more HP, more torque, less weight, more fuel capacity, bigger tires and brakes.

Personally,  the styling suits me better than the Forza. Of course, beauty is in the eye of the beholder, yada yada. If anything, the X-Max tries to be a little too sporty/aggresive whereas the Forza is way too bland and bloated. The black-gray and black-white color schemes look pretty sharp, but the brown-black is fugly! 

A big question mark is the price tag. If it's really 240,000 that'll definitely put a damper on my enthusiasm and I doubt many Thais will go for it either. If Yamaha can keep it around 160-190K, similar to the Forza, then they may get more attention. Another question mark is whether Honda will revamp the Forza in 2017 or 2018. If Honda can sharpen up the styling and shuck some of the weight while keeping it at the same price point, I just might go for that instead. 

With the NMax and now the XMax, it seems that Yamaha is working hard to loosen Honda's stranglehold in the premium and superscoot markets. Honda's been quiet so far, but I bet they'll release some updated products in the next year or two to fend off Yamaha's assault. 

Not sure what part of town interests you most, but many people enjoy running just outside Royal Flora Ratchapruek in the mornings and evenings. They open a section of road from the guard house near the first traffic circle to the second circle by the entrance of the park. Vehicle access is limited to those who are going in to park, which is nice because it makes the area relatively vehicle-free. There's plenty of parking and no access fee. The surfaces are well maintained. There's even a coin-operated vending machine for cold drinks at the entrance to the park - perfect after a long run.

Another option nearby the first is the new bike path along Canal Road that runs from the Samoeng intersection up toward Thanon Ratchapruek. It too is very smooth and protected from traffic, since it's brand new and a divider separates it from the main road. Not too many bikers using it, so I think it'd be plenty safe for running as well.

El Charro definitely has a leg up in terms of usability. But they get a great, big one-legged "A" for environmental friendliness; so much wasted paper. And in terms of flavor and texture, I don't think either company does a very good job. It is a reflection of the very sad state of Mexican food in Chiang Mai that even the best we have to offer is only just passable. But that is a topic for another day.

Oh, but I should say that IMHO El Charro's salted tortilla chips are quite good by any measure. Definitely better than Danita's. There's a brand from Greece being sold at Makro that isn't half bad either and is a bit more economical. Strange given El Charro is made here.

I think Canuckamuck and CMSteve are both pretty right, as in my experience places further to the north tend to be worse off. Way up in Mae Sai (not in jangwat CM), it can get pretty horrendous.

If your goal is to minimize exposure to the smoke while still being in CM, then a good bet might be to go up, as in way up Inthanon or Suthep. 

I believe Chiang Mai Rock Climbing Adventures (CMRCA) has trekking poles. See the following link:

http://store.thailandclimbing.com/collections/trekking-poles

Their shop has great staff and a pretty impressive selection of hiking/climbing gear. Be forewarned that the place is a bit hard to get to and parking is scarce. Definitely take a motorbike if possible.

My favorite shop for printing photos seems to have packed up and left Central Airport Plaza. It was called "Digital Photo+Shop" and had an orange storefront on the 3rd floor of CAP. Anyone have an idea where they may have moved to? Or are they done for good?

Many thanks,

HeyNow

Hello,

I need to cancel my visa in order to switch to a different type. I'm wondering if anyone here has experience doing this and if it necessary to go super early with the rest of the visa renewal crowd? Or will it work to show up later, since it's a different kind of service?

- HeyNow

Thanks for a very helpful post. I'll be heading there in the next few days and will verify that the location information is still current.

Hello,

I currently do not have a 90-day "Receipt of Notification" stapled into my passport. That's because I went to visit another country, and I haven't had to do 90-day report yet. When the time comes for another check-in, may I do it via mail? (I know I can't do it online this time, since it's my first one since returning).

Thanks,

HeyNow

I have the first-gen PCX and have taken it up north multiple times through mountains. Up Doi Inthanon as well. With myself (80kg) and my gear (maybe 7 kg?), it's slow going on the steepest bits, but it can be done without getting the sense that I'm thrashing the bike. I've never had a problem with the engine or brakes overheating in either direction.

That said, doing it 2-up is another matter, and I think that unless you and your pillion are real lightweights, you might be better off with a Forza 300or Burgman 200.

I recently added a small top box to my 1st gen Honda PCX. But the cover I'd been using wasn't made for a bike with a top box, so now the cut is all wrong and it's not tall enough to cover my bike properly. Basic motorcycle covers are plentiful at places like Tesco or Big C, and I guess I could just get an extra large cover. But I'm wondering if anyone has a solid lead on where I can get a scooter cover that's specifically designed for a medium-sized scooter with a top box?

Thanks in advance,

HeyNow

Rayinkrabi, if it isn't too much trouble, would you be so kind as to post some pics of the final result?

Having ridden in it a bit myself, I feel it's been done pretty well. It's nice to get out of traffic. The lanes feel too narrow for two way traffic, but that hasn't been an issue for me yet because nobody's really using it yet. Also, I appreciate that they put up barriers to keep motorcyclists from using it. But I do wish they'd spaced the barriers out a bit more. As it is, the clearance is really tight, even on a road bike. Unless you feel very confident in your ability to maneuver your bike, you must slow down to pass through. Maybe that's not a bad thing, though, because the barriers are only found at the places where side roads feed into the canal road, and it's wise to slow down there anyway.

I also like how the lane opens up in places and allows you to merge back onto the main road if you want.

One question is how well the lane will be maintained over the coming years. If they let it fall to bits, then it won't be good for much except as a jogging path.

Home Pro usually has them in stock in several varieties, all made by 3M.

Since the start of the New Year, I've noticed that my phone (Galaxy S5) goes into 4G mode in some parts of the city, despite the fact that I have a 3G sim card. Likewise, my internet package is 3G. I've run a speed test when I've seen this happen, and the speeds are definitely 4G (e.g. 17 Mb down, 11 up) - my 3G is always much slower than that. This is with True Move.

Has anyone else noticed this? Is this just some kind of glitch or is True Move doing some kind of automatic migration from 3G to 4G?

Thanks,

HeyNow

Can anyone tell me if the larger, Toyota Innova minivan taxis are also available curbside at the airport? I have a group of six or seven that I'd like to take from CEI to Mae Sai and would rather that we ride together instead of splitting across two taxis. Any information on rates or availability for this type of vehicle would be much appreciated.

Thanks,

HeyNow

In terms of performance, I've had excellent results with both Windows and Android devices. The site and app are both very responsive and relatively well designed. Very cool how they now let you download TV shows (up to 7 at a time) and keep them for a week. Wish they'd do the same for movies and expand their movie catalog in general. The sci-fi section, for example, has a whopping 33 titles. Some titles seem to be miscategorized (e.g. Captain America as "Drama?")

I emailed customer support several weeks ago, asking for a couple shows in particular. Lo and behold, just this past week two of them showed up. I agree that the content is rather limited, and they'll be hard pressed to compete with sites like Hulu that have the most up-to-date content or Netflix with their original programming. But based on my limited experience so far, it seems like they're serious about improving their service. I'd say it's a service that's definitely worth keeping an eye on, as they do seem to want to do it right.

There's a Government Savings Bank (Omsin) at Big C Hang Dong that has a coin counting machine. (Other GSB branches might have them, but this is the only one I've ever tried). They'll take your change, run it through the machine and give you bills minus a service charge. Sounds simple but it's a slow machine and a slow process. That's because they presort the coins by denomination and reject any that are too old. Also, they don't convert satang (the little 1/4 and 1/2 baht coins), so don't even bother bringing those in. And of course, you can't get gift certificates to Amazon like you can with Coinstar - not that they'd be of much use here anyway!

If you have to buy it locally, you might try places like JIB, IT City or Banana IT. If you're willing to wait a couple days for delivery, InvadeIT (www.invadeit.co.th) has Windows 7 Pro available at 5,590 THB.

Homepro sells an assortment of 3M masks that are N95-certified. When the burn season comes around, I switch from running to biking, and find these are quite comfortable to wear. They are effective for removing particulate matter when used properly. I suspect, however, that this solution wouldn't work for running because perspiration causes the masks to be unbreathable.

Hi,

I know it's possible to buy kyat at the airports in Yangon and Mandalay. Does anyone know if it's possible to buy the currency here in Chiang Mai? If so, where?

Many thanks,

HeyNow

I've personally done a lot of purchasing at Maximum Sound, a music store just a couple doors down from MIW on Changklan road. Somsak, the owner, speaks excellent English and carries a good selection of name-brand guitars, amps and accessories. Not sure what they've got in stock by way of Fenders, but I've purchased strings, straps and a pedalboard there, all name-brand and definitely not fakes.

There's also a store in Central Festival mall that carries very high end gear - Taylors, Martins, Gibsons and the like. I haven't been in to the store to peruse the goods or chat up the owners, but have definitely walked past and had to wipe a bit of drool off my chin.

InvadeIT (www.invadeit.co.th) has a decent selection of name-brand cards, their cheapest being a 64 MicroSDHC by Samsung for about 1800 THB. My experience with their service has been very satisfactory and their prices are generally pretty competitive. One thing to do, though, is to email them before you order to make sure that they either have the item in stock or can get it in short order.