Surfing Spleen

Nice house! Do you enjoy living in Phayao?

Thanks for the info! My advice to her will be to have her child (an adult) go to a Thai Embassy or consulate, show both & her Mom's birth certificate, and apply for a Thai Passport. Next she should come to Thailand and apply for a Thai ID.

Once she has her Thai ID (even with a farang last name) she should be eligible to inherit the land regardless of size. Same goes for her children who are a quarter Thai.

Sound about right?

Sounds about right. But for the Thai ID one needs to be registered on a household book.

No, the children are not a quarter Thai. Been born from a Thai parent makes them 100% Thai.

Good point; though they may be 1/4 Thai ethnically they should be considered 100% Thai by the Thai government.

Thanks for the info! My advice to her will be to have her child (an adult) go to a Thai Embassy or consulate, show both & her Mom's birth certificate, and apply for a Thai Passport. Next she should come to Thailand and apply for a Thai ID.

Once she has her Thai ID (even with a farang last name) she should be eligible to inherit the land regardless of size. Same goes for her children who are a quarter Thai.

Sound about right?

A woman asked me to post this question so here it is:

"Can an ethnically Thai woman who is an American citizen with a farang last name buy property in Thailand? If so, will her children inherit that land and legally own it even though they are not Thai citizens if she wills it to them and passes away?"

She was born in Thailand and speaks Thai as her first language though she has not lived in Thailand for over thirty years. She is going to ask a lawyer but I told her I'd ask here as well because I thought I remembered a post along those lines but couldn't find it again after a search.

The kids are 1/2 Thai and not Thai citizens.

Thanks in advance!

Thanks for the info, Barry!

I really really (really) like that Yamaha bobber, anybody know where I can buy something like that? How much would it set me back and would it come with a green book (i.e., would it be completely legal)?

No details but with this map you can at least see where it is:

http://www.mapguidethailand.com/home/map.php?&l=en

Zoom in on Yasothon and follow route 2169 NE until you see it. Are you going for Bong Fai or Songkran?

http://www.likitracing.com/index.asp?&title=Home+Page

http://www.panomracing.com/

Thanks for the info. I tried Likit and they were extremely limited with regards to the Elegance (too new of a model) so I'll check on Panom. I did get a cargo rack at Likit and found them to be friendly and their prices were reasonable.

There are plenty of places that customize big bikes, particularly in Pattaya, but what about scooters (by "scooter" I mean such as Finos, Sonics, Waves, etc.) in BKK?

There must be places doing interesting work other than changing seats, adding a colored strip to the exhaust cover and changing to skinny, spoked wheels. There are many "Mom & Pop" shops but that is not quite what I'm looking for.

Is there a giant emporium or large store somewhere that does wheels/mags, exhaust, etc? Is there anywhere, for example, that has mag wheels on display or do you have to have them custom-made or chromed yourself?

I changed the stock shocks on my 09 Elegance to Yamaha's OEM upgraded gas shocks and the ride is better. I don't know the specifics but they have a black "S" on them. There is also an aftermarket carbon fiber exhaust available which I may give a try.

The handlebars on the PCX will make it easier to mount a GPS than the Nouvo. Anyone have a GPS on their Nouvo?

Ditto +1

I owned a Ducati Monster and disconnecting the kickstand auto engine shutoff was my very first mod and I couldn't get it done fast enough. I like my Nouvo but screws keep falling off it, don't they use Loctite here? It also tends to run rough for about a half kilometer if it hasn't been ridden in a few days. Minor complaints, overall it's a great little putt.

Ted,

Thanks for the info! I saw a fancy Fino but the pimped Elegance wasn't there the day I visited. I already upgraded the shocks to the Yamaha upmarket (though Ohlins is definitely QUALITY) and I'm already happy with the stock disc brakes so I'm considering other mods. Aside from what I already mentioned I'd like to figure a way to hook up my GPS.

I'm on the other side of town but I'll give you a ring this weekend and see if you're busy.

Spleen

The Panom Racing site is in Thai and I couldn't find it on Google Maps. Bai Mai Dai Read Thai Mai Dai.

I'll check Panom Racing, thanks for the tip. I went to Likit and the folks were friendly but they could do very little to pimp the Elegance. I was disappointed to find that other than maybe paint or handgrips they said the Elegance was too new of a model and there weren't aftermarket parts available. I'd like to get some custom chrome mags, upgrade the exhaust, add a windshield, and a larger, stickier rear tire.

The Nouvo has a carb (vs FI for I believe all of the newest Hondas). If I'm in the boonies and something happens to the fuel system I'd rather have the carb though the FI is more responsive and smooth. If I let the Elegance sit a couple days without starting it tends to not want to start up right away and runs rough for about 1-2 km.

A bike with FI may be more suitable for a girl living in the city. If she plans to do some shopping, however, the Nouvo is worth consideration as it has a large storage space under the seat and a neat little hook up front to hang bags from.

Depends on your personal situation, eg what's the main use of the property?

a) Holiday home?

\ Permanent home?

c) Expecting large capital gains?

d) Rental income?

If a) or c), I wouldn't buy one. \ or d) would be my reasons to own condos in BKK.

+1 on the above for Sukhumvit area/CBD. IMHO you're probably better off renting if you don't mind living a distance away from Sukhumvit such as Lad Phrao, Ramkamhaeng, Bangna, etc.

Baan Patra (www.baanpatra.com) has single family homes that run from about 4 - 7+ million baht. It's 12 km from the On Nut BTS and 7 km from the new airport. The area seemed secure with a community pool, fitness, etc. I'm no expert so I can't speak to the build quality, drainage, etc.

there are tons of moo baan around onnut but becareful though. In onnut, near prawet intersection is where bangkok's only dumpsite is located. yeah, the only or rather central dumpsite for the entire Bangkok!!!!

The stench can be very overwhelming sometimes. i live in one of LH's project near the site and if the wind direction blows towards the airport, we have to close up the windows and put on the aircon. Only happens during wet season, cold and hot season, it's fine.

Now that you mention it, there was an odd smell out there... I didn't pay much attention to it at the time, probably because the wind kept changing direction.

Baan Patra (www.baanpatra.com) has single family homes that run from about 4 - 7+ million baht. It's 12 km from the On Nut BTS and 7 km from the new airport. The area seemed secure with a community pool, fitness, etc. I'm no expert so I can't speak to the build quality, drainage, etc.

Not being disrespectful to the OP, and his experience.

Ironically enough they gained one customer from this thread.

And that is me.

This based upon all the positive posts about the place in this thread.

Will go and have a beer there.

Again, sorry for the OP and his experience there.

Me too

I have just bought the new nuovo elegance and its a great bike the only thing i dont like are the factory supplied tyres on the mag wheels because they are bloody awful in the wet weather other than that its great and quite good on petrol

With regards to the auto box you see many of the motor bike taxis with them> do you think they would use them if there was a big mechanical problem?

I have the same; 2009 Nouvo with the mag wheels and I tend to slide around on wet roads too. Anybody have suggestions on an upgrade to stickier tires? I was also looking to get a bigger wheel for the rear.

Helmut, are you happy with your Yamaha?

I am very satisfied with my Yamaha Nuovo. I use it to 90% in Bangkok. I think a scooter is better to get through a traffic jam than a big bike. Outside Bkk. I would prefer a big bike.

But I would like to do the trip to Pattaya....

+1 everything you said. I ride a Harley, Ducati Monster & Suzuki SV1000S back home but here I have a 2009 Nouvo and it works well in BKK traffic. I was thinking about taking it to Nakhon Nayok.

Beautiful Bike and GREEN is the way to go with Kawasaki! I've never owned a Kawasaki (only Harley, Honda, Suzuki, Ducati and Yamaha) but if I went for a Kawi it would be green. The full fairing is easier to clean than a naked bike. Depending on where the oil filter, etc. are located maintenance could take a bit longer if you have to strip off the fairing but in Thailand that shouldn't be an issue as maintenance is cheap.

Good for you if you can afford a BMW R 1200 G/S enduro or the like.

IMHO, for your purposes a 250 cc might work. A KLX or Tiger 250 with knobby tires? Forget top speed!

Anything might happen, chicken or a buffallo on the street. I would not go faster than 100...

Change the sprockett according to your needs to get better accelleration out of otherwise gutless 250 cc engines.

That Kawa 650 is both light and okay for your purpose as we.. When you look at used prices for an Africa Twin or a Transalp or a TDM 850,

the new Kawa may look really attractive!

A new bike under warranty should be your choice.

Enjoy your touring!

Chris

Yes yes, what he said! +1