Hi all, Just curious on the Big Bike parking. In Australia a Big Bike is anything over 600cc but here it is 300cc. A Yamaha R15 is 150cc and is the same size wise as a Yamaha R3 which is 300cc. My friend was denied entry to a westgate parking section when there was plenty of spaces but because the badge said R15 he wasnrt allowed quite sternly. We thought it was a bit OTT considering I was on an R3 and was next to him and bikes are nearly equal in all dimensions. Keen to learn and hear more... Thanks

 

There are so many 150cc bikes in Thailand. If they would allow them anywhere in big bike parking area then soon it would be necessary to have a big big bike parking for bigger bikes...

 

In my experience parking conditions are very different in many places. In some places medium size bikes still fit in the usual parking areas. In other places it's difficult with anything bigger than a Click.

 

Personally when I go to some places regularly I make sure to give the guard(s) a tip which they remember. After that parking is never a problem.

 

4 hours ago, Nevalern said:

but because the badge said R15

There's your problem.

Get yourself some R6 badges made.

Job's a good 'un.

Thank me later.

 

Seriously, a decade or more ago i bought a fully reconditioned beautiful 1960's Ford 4000 tractor.

The shop says what stickers do you want on it?

I said why, just put the proper 4000 ones on.

He says, oh, most of the Thais want a 5000 or 6000 series on, bigger, more expensive tractor....

True story.

Just now, thaiguzzi said:

 

There's your problem.

Get yourself some R6 badges made.

Job's a good 'un.

Thank me later.

 

Seriously, a decade or more ago i bought a fully reconditioned beautiful 1960's Ford 4000 tractor.

The shop says what stickers do you want on it?

I said why, just put the proper 4000 ones on.

He says, oh, most of the Thais want a 5000 or 6000 series on, bigger, more expensive tractor....

True story.

What?  Next you'll be trying to tell us that all those AMG and M badges plastered over every entry level Benz and BMW aren't real too.

The local Robinsons (Buriram and Surin) state a 400cc lower limit for their big bike parking areas, but, judging by some of the bikes you see parked there, they never bother to check.  They certainly haven't whenever I bring my Rocket in.  Doesn't bother me though.  If there's no free spaces then I just park it on top of the R15s anyway.

4 hours ago, OneMoreFarang said:

Personally when I go to some places regularly I make sure to give the guard(s) a tip which they remember. After that parking is never a problem.

Same philosophy as a certain big gambling town in another country. Grease the palm !

3 hours ago, thaiguzzi said:

 

There's your problem.

Get yourself some R6 badges made.

Job's a good 'un.

Thank me later.

 

Seriously, a decade or more ago i bought a fully reconditioned beautiful 1960's Ford 4000 tractor.

The shop says what stickers do you want on it?

I said why, just put the proper 4000 ones on.

He says, oh, most of the Thais want a 5000 or 6000 series on, bigger, more expensive tractor....

True story.

You should put some Big Bud 16V-747 stickers on the tractor.

 

9 hours ago, ballpoint said:

What?  Next you'll be trying to tell us that all those AMG and M badges plastered over every entry level Benz and BMW aren't real too.

The badges are real ???? 

 

Cheers guys I'll tell my mate to remove the 5 in his sticker. Wala then it's an R1....lol

 

The Problem with 'Small Bike Parking' is that any tool parks his click so close to your bike that uprighting your bike off the side stand becomes almost impossible without making bike to bike contact. 

 

With 'Big Bike Parking' the other riders tend to park their bikes with more space, they are also more likely to be more enthusiastic about protecting their kit and not damaging any one else bike by parking too close. 

 

The other issue is that some 'small bikes' are actually larger than some 'big bikes' and require more space to park - but the lowest common denominator always exists, the one who doesn't care for anyone else kit - Personally, I'd be slipping the guard a little extra to park in the Big Bike Area. 

 

That said, I'd be a little peeved it I went to park my Big Bike and it was full of 150cc pocket rockets. 

 

My G310GS looks like a bigger bike than it really is, I often wonder if I'm going to be rejected in the Big Bike parking because its less than 400cc but I've never had an issue. 

 

 

14 hours ago, ballpoint said:

What?  Next you'll be trying to tell us that all those AMG and M badges plastered over every entry level Benz and BMW aren't real too.

I was in a used Benz car lot in Bangkok recently, most of the cars were "badged" incorrectly! The proprietor wasn't trying to hide the fact, just stated that most Thai's do it!

9 minutes ago, CGW said:

14 hours ago, ballpoint said:

What?  Next you'll be trying to tell us that all those AMG and M badges plastered over every entry level Benz and BMW aren't real too.

I was in a used Benz car lot in Bangkok recently, most of the cars were "badged" incorrectly! The proprietor wasn't trying to hide the fact, just stated that most Thai's do it!

 

My Previous 2 cars were both BMW's with an M-Sport Trim, I had them both de-badged, the 'M' Badge looked completely daft on a car thats is most definitely not an M model other than the trim. 

 

The same goes for AMG - in Thailand Cars with M and AMG badges usually depict the 'Trim' and not the model of car / engine. 

 

 

20 hours ago, Nevalern said:

We thought it was a bit OTT considering I was on an R3 and was next to him and bikes are nearly equal in all dimensions.

Because it's not just about dimensions.

 

As richard_smith237 correctly pointed out it's more about the price of the bikes and the handling by its owners. Cheap bikes are parked too close to each other and make physical contact all the time. Their owners don't care. The big bike parking areas help to protect owners of bikes who cost quite a bit of money from scratches. Size of course is also a factor as bigger bikes just need more space both for parking as well as handling.

 

Now why are there cc limits then? Well they can't give the guards a list of all bikes on the market with prices to decide which ones to let in and which ones not. So they go with the next best indicator which is cc. Of course cc is also not perfect as there are small cc bikes which are more expensive than bigger cc bikes.

 

Rejecting a R15 for the reserved parking really isn't OTT. At the new Central in Phuket they let all kinds of idiots (e.g. 15 year olds on an MSX with bicycle tires and a straight through exhaust) park in that area and I'd prefer they wouldn't because a lot are totally careless like most scooter owners.

 

Instead of categorizing, they should provide sufficient space. I got spoiled riding my 650cc to malls, when I had to ride a smaller bike I was reminded how miserable the parking is.

 

Why can't a whole parking floor be dedicated to bikes? If it's the subject of "Car drivers actually spend money while bike riders are poor" even has a joke that doesn't hold itself anymore.

A few malls now have "Superbike parking" instead of "Big Bike" parking. Central Eastville is one example, the superbike parking is in a covered area right next to the main entrance so you're in the mall within 20 seconds of leaving the bike. There is a security guard in the area at all times. Not sure of the criteria for getting in but the smallest bike I've seen in there is a CB650, generally it is Triumph's, BMW's, Ducati's etc.

 

I''m all for this. These spots are designed for people with decent bikes that park them carefully and expect others to do the same. I don't want some kid on a modified R15 scratching up against my bike as he parks it, or sitting on it on the stand (playing with the kill switch, full beam etc.), smoking a cigarette/popping his zits in my mirror while he waits for someone ????.