biggestfan

Would you buy a bike back home without a log book ???????????????????????????

Unfair analogy.. Back home theres not heaps of bikes unbooked out in the market..

And if you have a machine without a book.. You just get it tested (MOT'ed) and get it plated.. Its a trivial process because theres not a whole system of corruption built on scamming and theft, theres simple rules.. Lights work, indicators work, emissions clean, not too noisy ?? If it passes the safety rules then heres your reg documents.

So yes I wouldnt have much of a problem buying an unbooked bike back home.. In fact I have bought cars and machines without any (v5) papers or logbook and just applied and had them issued.

So if you get a bike in Thailand (say a 450 - 650cc) that has no green book (was imported as engine & frame separately and assembled), what does it cost to get a legitimate green book for it? I'm guessing as much or more than the bike otherwise that's what everyone would do, right?

I'm living in Bangkok now and the pool here is quite deep (scuba groups train here) so, if you're in the pool, you're swimming as you can't touch the bottom except for a small area on one side. What I find I miss the most from having a pool in Atlanta was my nice big blue foam floating chair with two nice large cup holders. I can't even imagine what shipping such a beast here would cost but I can't seem to find a supplier in Thailand nor have I seen one in any pools.

My summer morning ritual used to be jump in the pool first thing, swim a bit, then read & relax in the big chair for an hour or so. This thing was like a floating fixed 40 degree angle back of rather substantial size. Your legs are about halfway under water and it was a very comfortable reading position so you'd stay cool. I also had two simple blue foam floaters for sunbathing which had a folded over section to rest your head on that were nice for relaxing on. I'd love to be able to do that again and would appreciate any pointers on how I might acquire such a chair or floaters in Bangkok.

I'm looking to buy a rather used old 650cc honda motorcycle that needs some electrical and cosmetic work. As I expect this to be my daily ride, I'd really like to build a relationship with a good mechanic who really understands old Hondas and can import parts for Japan as needed. Also the bike has some rust spots (only cosmetic) and could use a new paint job so a place that has some custom experience would be my dream.

So far, asking around, it seems that the shops are either some kind of exclusive clubs (which are typically for a specific brand of bike, not sure how to join, and seem to cater to 400k+ baht bikes) or places that maintain scooters to keep them running. I guess this reflects the fact that there doesn't seem to be a middle range braket in Thailand due to the tax rules but I would expect there'd be some place in Bangkok that is the exception to the rule.

Appreciate any recommendations (or avoidances) from anyone experienced in this matter. FWIW I do not speak Thai but I have staff and a wike who do so they could translate if English isn't an option.

Many thanx!

Both my boys (aged 2.4 and 1) were born at Piyavate Hospital in Bangkok. Doctor Tongyai, director of the "Perfect Woman Institute", is apparently quite well known for people with fertility problems and lectures around the world on it. We didn't have such problems but there were potential birth complications (big baby, small mommy so not turning around) and we knew we were in for a C-Section both times. I was pretty impressed with the guy as he remembered my wife (who is Thai) each visit and continued conversations that were left off at our last visits. They have all the latest world-class technology there. 3D real-time ultrasounds, etc...

Ended up staying 4 nights in a private two-room suite, C-Section by their top doc, dealt with some slight jaundice complications and paid about 70k THB which I thought was amazing cause my insurance co-pays alone in the USA would be higher than that if you could even find a facility as nice for an individual patient. Highly recommended.

Side story... mother in law is very superstitious with numbers as many Thai ladies are. Since it was a C-Section she spent a lot of time figuring out the date + the kid's Thai name (which I didn't make easy by rejecting probably the first dozen.. briefly had one I liked until some kid with that exact name came in an interviewed with me turned out to be a complete idiot. dam_n. haha). The day before the selected date I was joking to family & friends about how silly I thought it was and supposed that, if they could, they'd pick the hour minute and second of birth.

So I'm in the OR in my scrubs ready to "assist" and everything's ready to go and I'm wondering what we're waiting around for. Then I realize the doc & attendings are all looking at a clock on the wall behind me and he's got the scaple out with everyone standing by.

9:58.30a Sept 7th - Ready Set Go! I'm thinking "Son of a..."

9:59a on the dot - "WAH!!!" as my son is born at the exact time my mother in law asked the doc for but kept me in the dark about.

haha don't underestimate Grandma.

best of luck Dad.

Well I can talk about Bangkok Rayong first hand having had surgery in there about 3 years ago and couldnt fault the service I got in there...first class

I went for a consultation about some surgery a couple of years ago, and didn't feel at all comfortable about the surgeon there. Neither did my wife. The guy seemed like a complete amateur who was just going to 'have a go'. Another time I dragged myself there from my sick bed and was given a pile of pills after seeing various doctors. A day later I had to drag myself back with the same symptoms. They checked me again and this time gave me the correct pills but still charged me again.

I'm sure there are plenty of good experiences like your's too.

I'm selling my electric guitar, anyone know a decent shop in Bangkok that buys second used guitars?

Fortune Town has a basement music shop that has lots of used equipment. I forget the name as I'm currently not in town and don't have their business card. They did a good job fixing my acoustic bass pickup and some there speak decent english. I bet they buy used equipment as well.

If you check them out please let me know how it went.