Get Trusted Thai Friend To Buy Motorbike For Me?

[OliverKlozerof]

I'm still hoping to move down the path toward motorcycle riding in LOS. In BKK, long wait at DLT to get license. Don't think I'll actually move outside town temporarily to get one. Honda Safety course guy said also several month wait to take course. Yeah, I know if I'd made appointment back then it might be coming up soon but....
So, here's the next idea:
A friend up north got a trusted Thai friend to buy a motorbike for him. Insurance is one of my concerns, and I thought in order to get motorbike insurance you needed a license. My friend doesn't have Thai motorbike license, but said the compulsory insurance that 'came with' the motorbike covers whoever happens to be riding it.
If this is correct, then perhaps I can find a trusted (the key term), Thai friend to do the same for me. Then I'd have • a motorbike, • be insured on it, • be able to ride around BKK and elsewhere in LOS to do the things I've been wanting to do. Then I'll go ahead and make an appointment at the local DLT and just wait until I can actually get a license, and then transfer ownership to me. In the meantime, if I get stopped, I've heard in most cases, B500 or so takes care of it.(?)
Think this would work? Again, I know it's not the ideal way, but....

[Nickymaster]

A Thai driving license has nothing to do with bike registration. You can register a bike without one. But you wont be insured when driving here unless you have an International Driving Permit from your home country.

[jackdd]

You don't need a driving license to register a bike, so i don't see a reason why you should register it on somebody else.

The insurance that "came with the motorbike" is the compulsary insurance, this covers only medical costs, and only up to 80k per person (30k for you as the driver if you are in the wrong). So if you happen to crash into a Benz and cause 500k damage you have to pay this out of your own pocket, but this compulsary insurance does indeed not require a driving license.

Any real insurance will probably only cover you if you have a valid driving license. Insurances are usually vehicle bound, so when you buy it you don't need a license, but if you ever make a claim they will most likely ask to see the driving license of the driver.

500THB is afaik the official fine for driving without license, but depending on how much you drive in Bangkok you might be checked twice a week, so 500THB each time will sum up.

Edited January 12, 2019 by jackdd

[OliverKlozerof]

Nicky and Jack said...

• 'You don't need a Thai drivers license to register a motorbike.'

 

Is this the same as saying I don't need a Thai drivers license in order to buy a motorbike in my name from a shop and drive it off the lot?

 

(I do have a Thai car license, BTW, but not motorbike license. I also don't have any valid licenses from any other country...my US car license lapsed some years ago...that's why I got a Thai car license.)

 

Re: International Driving Permit
Guessing this would need to be specific to motorcycle driving? Or, can I get one using my Thai car license that would suffice? And: Can one acquire IDL (I'm American), in LOS and if so where?

[OliverKlozerof]

14 minutes ago, jackdd said:

500THB is afaik the official fine for driving without license, but depending on how much you drive in Bangkok you might be checked twice a week, so 500THB each time will sum up.

Really? I had no idea. Can anyone in BKK second

this? I'd mostly being riding upper Sukhumvit and sub sois around here. But might occasionally head over to Silom, etc.

Edited January 12, 2019 by OliverKlozerof

[jackdd]

1 minute ago, OliverKlozerof said:

Is this the same as saying I don't need a Thai drivers license in order to buy a motorbike in my name from a shop and drive it off the lot?

Yes

 

1 minute ago, OliverKlozerof said:

Guessing this would need to be specific to motorcycle driving?

Yes, of course, if you don't have an American motorcycle license you are not allowed to ride one in Thailand with it

 

3 minutes ago, OliverKlozerof said:

Can one acquire IDL (I'm American), in LOS and if so where?

https://www.aaa.com/vacation/idpf.html#four

[canthai55]

You do not seem too worried about hitting a pricey car.

Here is something else to ponder - what if you hit and kill a pedestrian ?

Anyone not carrying full first class insurance is ...

No need to finish the sentence above

[robblok]

5 minutes ago, OliverKlozerof said:

Really? I had no idea. Can anyone in BKK second

this? I'd mostly being riding upper Sukhumvit and sub sois around here. But might occasionally head over to Silom, etc.

Depends where in BKK some places they often check and the area you mention might be checked a lot especially if there are clubs and drinking going on. I don't get it why you don't make a license it will cost you one day. That is it not a big problem.

[jackdd]

2 minutes ago, canthai55 said:

You do not seem too worried about hitting a pricey car.

Here is something else to ponder - what if you hit and kill a pedestrian ?

Anyone not carrying full first class insurance is ...

No need to finish the sentence above 

Killing somebody in an accident is cheap in Thailand (and the compulsary insurance will pay 200k even without license), hitting an expensive car costs way more:

 

[baansgr]

Sorry but trusted and Thai is an oxymoron. Buy it in your name only

[bikerlou47]

Can someone tell me how I can prove a green book is fake?

Are there numbers that need to match?

[jackdd]

7 minutes ago, bikerlou47 said:

Can someone tell me how I can prove a green book is fake?

Are there numbers that need to match?

Take it to your local DLT and ask them if it matches what they have in their computer. and make sure the chassis and engine number matches your bike

Edited January 12, 2019 by jackdd

[richard_smith237]

Go down to the DLT and get a license...  it really is that simple... (of course, get your documents in order before you go)... you will have to take a test etc.. you can borrow bike there.

 

There is lost of information pinned on ThaiVisa forum about taking your test & obtaining your license... 

 

Regarding owning and insuring a motorcycle...   You need an Affirmation of Residence... Copy of Passport and thats it !...  I was in and out of a shop within 30mins (fully insured, theft insurance and compulsory insurance and taxed).... 

 

The next day I was at the DLT (with Medical Certificate, Affirmation of residence, Passport copies) and obtained my Thai Motorcycle licence (my UK license allows me to ride a bike - which was just transferred into a Thai licence after watching a video and taking a couple tests (reaction, color, proximity etc))... the longest part was waiting to receive the card / licence. 

 

 

One issue: IF you don't have a licence your bike may not be insured. 

 

In short: Getting everything done correctly takes a little leg work, but not much and its very easy to get everything in your name. 

 

 

[FritsSikkink]

Another unlicensed danger on the road, just what we need.

[richard_smith237]

11 minutes ago, baansgr said:

Sorry but trusted and Thai is an oxymoron. Buy it in your name only

Paranoid BS from someone who has not chosen their friends intelligently....  

 

Of course, put the bike in your own name, there is no reason not to...

 

....but to imply that Thai's, all Thai's, cannot be trusted is an idiotic generalization made by someone who is perhaps incapable of establishing genuine friendships, quite likely a result of his superiority complex which Thai's can sniff out a mile away.... 

[richard_smith237]

3 minutes ago, FritsSikkink said:

Another unlicensed danger on the road, just what we need.

In reality having a license or not here in Thailand makes little difference to the danger someone poses on the roads, to themselves, or others...  Obtaining a license in Thailand is so easy, it doesn't involve any training or useful road or safety knowledge.... the whole system is farcical... 

 

 

[FritsSikkink]

30 minutes ago, baansgr said:

Sorry but trusted and Thai is an oxymoron. Buy it in your name only

Racist BS

[NCC1701A]

2 hours ago, OliverKlozerof said:

In BKK, long wait at DLT to get license.

how long of a wait? i guess things have changed since i got my Thai motorcycle license using a Honda click for the test. It was super easy. 

 

2 hours ago, OliverKlozerof said:

A friend up north got a trusted Thai friend to buy a motorbike for him. Insurance is one of my concerns, and I thought in order to get motorbike insurance you needed a license. My friend doesn't have Thai motorbike license, but said the compulsory insurance that 'came with' the motorbike covers whoever happens to be riding it.
If this is correct, then perhaps I can find a trusted (the key term), Thai friend to do the same for me. Then I'd have • a motorbike, • be insured on it, • be able to ride around BKK and elsewhere in LOS to do the things I've been wanting to do. Then I'll go ahead and make an appointment at the local DLT and just wait until I can actually get a license, and then transfer ownership to me. In the meantime, if I get stopped, I've heard in most cases, B500 or so takes care of it.(?)
Think this would work? Again, I know it's not the ideal way, but....

this is all a bad idea and unnecessary. get your license. buy a motorcycle. you will be forced to get the compulsory insurance when you register it. you can do a lot of damage on a motorcycle so get real insurance like this:

 

https://www.locktonwattana.co.th/en/insurance/detail/170

 

 

2 hours ago, OliverKlozerof said:

Honda Safety course guy said also several month wait to take course.

many videos on you tube. make sure you understand counter steering. A very important concept that will save your life. subscribe to MotoJitsu . many of these very basic concepts can be learned and demonstrated on a scooter. even counter steering. don't forget full riding gear. if you don't spend a bare minimum of $700 for full gear then you are just kidding yourself. 

 

 

 

Edited January 12, 2019 by NCC1701A

[OliverKlozerof]

1 hour ago, richard_smith237 said:

Go down to the DLT and get a license...  it really is that simple... (of course, get your documents in order before you go)... you will have to take a test etc.. you can borrow bike there.

 

Can't blame you for not seeing my other threads.... Here in BKK you have to wait several months for an appointment to get a motorbike license at any of the 5 DLTs here. (Only 5 DLTs for the millions that live here.) I was told by several that outside of BKK you can get one in a day (or two). Considered temporarily moving outside of BKK, but looks like I won't do that. Another guy said if you take a course at a place like Honda Safety Center, you can then fast track through DLT. But HSC also has several month wait. Ergo....

[ukrules]

You don't need to show any kind of license to buy a motorbike.

 

I've bought both a car and a bike and wasn't asked to show a license at all.

 

They did want to see a certificate of residence from immigration to put them in my own name.

 

There is no valid reason to ever put a vehicle in anyone elses name unless you're buying it for them as a gift or something like that.

[OliverKlozerof]

5 minutes ago, ukrules said:

There is no valid reason to ever put a vehicle in anyone elses name unless you're buying it for them as a gift or something like that.

I thought people were saying in one of my other threads that you needed a valid license to buy a motorbike in LOS. Guess I remembered wrong.
I have no house and no yellow book. I've lived in current apartment in BKK 4 years; previous one 9 years. Guess easiest to go to US embassy to get residence certif for this purpose....

[richard_smith237]

7 minutes ago, OliverKlozerof said:

I thought people were saying in one of my other threads that you needed a valid license to buy a motorbike in LOS. Guess I remembered wrong.
I have no house and no yellow book. I've lived in current apartment in BKK 4 years; previous one 9 years. Guess easiest to go to US embassy to get residence certif for this purpose....

Correct - You will need an Affirmation of Residence *(from the US Embassy) for both Purchase of the bike and your License....  The Purchase requires the original (but you can sometimes get away with a convincing colour photocopy), the DLT accepted a colour photocopy for the License. 

[richard_smith237]

26 minutes ago, OliverKlozerof said:

 

Can't blame you for not seeing my other threads.... Here in BKK you have to wait several months for an appointment to get a motorbike license at any of the 5 DLTs here. (Only 5 DLTs for the millions that live here.) I was told by several that outside of BKK you can get one in a day (or two). Considered temporarily moving outside of BKK, but looks like I won't do that. Another guy said if you take a course at a place like Honda Safety Center, you can then fast track through DLT. But HSC also has several month wait. Ergo....

 

My first hand experience is different:

In Feb 2018 I rocked up at the DLT Area 3 in Bangkok (just after Sukhumvit 99)... and received my licence on the same day. 

 

With my UK Driving licence (which has provision for motorcycles) I was obtaining a Thai Motorcycle Licence - arriving at the DLT at about 9:30am I had to do the Reaction Test, Brake Test, Colour Test... then watch a video (~45mins)... then had to wait for the actual Licence to be issued... 

 

That said: I'm not sure if there is a waiting list for a full practical and written test... The only way the Op will ever find out is getting down there and seeing how he gets on. 

 

 

[johng]

You don't need a drivers license to buy a bike or car and/or register it in your name..you would need a "certificate of residence" ,work permit or "yellow book" to register it in your name..just money to buy it.

[OliverKlozerof]

1 hour ago, richard_smith237 said:

 

My first hand experience is different:

In Feb 2018 I rocked up at the DLT Area 3 in Bangkok (just after Sukhumvit 99)... and received my licence on the same day. 

 

That said: I'm not sure if there is a waiting list for a full practical and written test... The only way the Op will ever find out is getting down there and seeing how he gets on. 

Having let my US license lapse, I went to the same DLT in Bang Chak (just 2 BTS stops from me) to get my car license what, 8 years ago? Just went there again this last Oct. (with all the necessary paperwork), and was told appointments were being given out for "next year" (i.e., 2019). I (mistakenly), thought I'd just met a grumpy official, but after coming home and asking here on T/V, received confirmation from others that this was indeed the current situation (BKK DLTs are swamped).
If I'd had a motorcycle license from another country, I think I would have been allowed through. But unfortunately that's not the case.
That's why I started another thread concerning moving temporarily out of BKK to go to a DLT where there's no wait. But I concluded that could also be a pain in the butt.
No emergency in this, but I'd like to eventually 'get it sorted' as some of the English speakers on T/V say. ????

[ukrules]

You can buy anything you want and register it in your name.

 

You need a license to drive it. These are very different things, don't confuse them!

[baansgr]

On 1/12/2019 at 4:06 PM, FritsSikkink said:

Racist BS

Thai is not a race.

[baansgr]

On 1/12/2019 at 3:50 PM, richard_smith237 said:

Paranoid BS from someone who has not chosen their friends intelligently....  

 

Of course, put the bike in your own name, there is no reason not to...

 

....but to imply that Thai's, all Thai's, cannot be trusted is an idiotic generalization made by someone who is perhaps incapable of establishing genuine friendships, quite likely a result of his superiority complex which Thai's can sniff out a mile away.... 

Sorry, of course your tirak is different.

[nahkit]

On 1/12/2019 at 4:39 PM, NCC1701A said:

this is all a bad idea and unnecessary. get your license. buy a motorcycle. you will be forced to get the compulsory insurance when you register it. you can do a lot of damage on a motorcycle so get real insurance like this:

When I bought my 150 click a few months ago the Honda dealer told me that the only insurance available for small bikes was for theft only. Does the company you linked to provide more than that? I have clicked on the link you provided but it doesn't give any specific information regarding motorcycles.  

[jackdd]

1 hour ago, nahkit said:

When I bought my 150 click a few months ago the Honda dealer told me that the only insurance available for small bikes was for theft only. Does the company you linked to provide more than that? I have clicked on the link you provided but it doesn't give any specific information regarding motorcycles.  

Insurances in Thailand usually come in different levels:

3: Compulsary insurance, only covers medical costs

3+: Covers third party damage

2: Covers third party damage + Theft / fire

2+: I don't know what the general difference between 2 and 2+ is, might depend on the company

1: Covers damage to your own vehicle, third party damage, theft / fire, usually medical costs coverage (but often still quite limited) and bail bond.

 

So when he talked about theft insurance, this is probably a "class 2" insurance and should cover third party property damage as well. I've never seen a "theft only" insurance yet, but does of course not mean that it can't exist, you should just ask him to see the quote from the insurance company, then you will see what exactly is included.

Edited January 14, 2019 by jackdd