Bikes No Green Book ?

[mercman24]

looking to buy a bike,  i came across 3 with NO GREEN BOOK, just asking as Thais seem to think its no big deal not having the green (log) book been told bill of sale is enough to get the necessary, as a farang i am very cautious, about this. a guy wants 10,000 extra for a bike with a log book (not same bike i might add) thoights anyone bought a bike with no green book,  thanks

[transam]

How are you going to tax and insure it....?

[Jane Dough]

Personally there is no way I would not touch a bike without a green book. 

 

And I am not particularly cautious. 

 

Could be stolen, illegal import...anything. Bike shops do sell them but buyer be very beware.

 

Rooster

 

 

[richard_smith237]

No Green Book -> No Sale... It's that simple. Don't go near it. 

 

No green book = most likely stolen or has outstanding finance. 

 

No Green Book = no proof of ownership, bike can be re-stolen or confiscated by BiB.

 

 

 

[johng]

Never buy a bike or car without  green/blue book...unless the vehicle will never ever be used on the road again or broken up to be used as parts, but even then its very risky as it could be stolen !!

[Kwasaki]

4 hours ago, mercman24 said:

looking to buy a bike,  i came across 3 with NO GREEN BOOK, just asking as Thais seem to think its no big deal not having the green (log) book been told bill of sale is enough to get the necessary, as a farang i am very cautious, about this. a guy wants 10,000 extra for a bike with a log book (not same bike i might add) thoughts anyone bought a bike with no green book,  thanks

My experience was many big bikes didn't have green books 15 years ago and the Thai govt started tightening laws.

They were cheap to buy and you could insure it but could get no road tax disc.

If you bought from a dealer, you could get illegal legal so to speak with a copy of a green and a number plate but as years passed that's been dealt with too.

Quite a few people in our village have bikes with no book but only ride local, quite a few people have old cars that they don't bother tax and insure even if they have a book.

As said don't buy a motorbike nowadays without a green book.

The guy that " wants 10,000 extra for a bike with a log book (not same bike i might add)" as you say, it's probably illegal.

[thequietman]

I have a Yamaha 600 cc for sale with no book if you're interested. Built by a farang. 

 

30,000 baht.

[OneMoreFarang]

6 hours ago, Kwasaki said:

My experience was many big bikes didn't have green books 15 years ago and the Thai govt started tightening laws.

They were cheap to buy and you could insure it but could get no road tax disc.

If you bought from a dealer, you could get illegal legal so to speak with a copy of a green and a number plate but as years passed that's been dealt with too.

Quite a few people in our village have bikes with no book but only ride local, quite a few people have old cars that they don't bother tax and insure even if they have a book.

As said don't buy a motorbike nowadays without a green book.

The guy that " wants 10,000 extra for a bike with a log book (not same bike i might add)" as you say, it's probably illegal.

This is also what I heard a couple of years ago.

At that time I would not have touched such a bike.

Now, after years of riding bikes in Bangkok, I would consider a bike without green book but with a sales invoice. Because the police, which stopped me many time for not riding on the left side of the road, never ever asked for that book. It seem in real life nobody cares if people have that book.

I don't know if it's still possible to insure bikes with out book. That is obviously an important issue.

[moe666]

6 hours ago, OneMoreFarang said:

This is also what I heard a couple of years ago.

At that time I would not have touched such a bike.

Now, after years of riding bikes in Bangkok, I would consider a bike without green book but with a sales invoice. Because the police, which stopped me many time for not riding on the left side of the road, never ever asked for that book. It seem in real life nobody cares if people have that book.

I don't know if it's still possible to insure bikes with out book. That is obviously an important issue.

Do not kid yourself I have been asked for that info at traffic stops.

[johng]

I always keep a copy of the green book,tax and insurance under the bike seat..quite often the police want to see more than just a drivers licence at one of the many regular checkpoints around the Pattaya area.

[CrunchWrapSupreme]

If the cops don't ask for the book, they will most definitely look for the pink road tax sticker, which you need a green book to get every year, when you pay your road tax and insurance. That's why you see the sticker prominently displayed on nearly every bike, stuck somewhere underneath the steering column, or sometimes in a fancy glass tube next to the license plate. Guess what happens when the cops don't see it? Quite often you'll see a police truck roll by, with a bike in the bed.

[OneMoreFarang]

2 hours ago, moe666 said:

Do not kid yourself I have been asked for that info at traffic stops.

And what did you do or what would you do if you don't have that document with you? I my experience 100THB solve those irritating problems.

[PremiumLane]

It will all be good, probably won't get asked about it at police stops.... until the day you have an accident, then you are royally screwed. Plod turns up, asks to see your documents, you don't have any, guess who is paying for everything... you

 

Only buy a bike with no green book for track use or off-road

[Isaanbiker]

OP, never buy a bike without the book. Here in Isaan, you can see countless Thais on bigger bikes that were stolen somewhere in more touristy areas.

 

  10 years ago, many cops in Sisaket had big bikes without a title, but that's gone for understandable reasons.

 

   Next Problem is that you won't be able to buy insurance without the book. Even when the bike comes with the book, check twice before you buy it.

 

  There are people who are specialised in faking new books. 

 

 

   

[Isaanbiker]

2 hours ago, OneMoreFarang said:

And what did you do or what would you do if you don't have that document with you? I my experience 100THB solve those irritating problems.

That depends on the cop. A German guy had a bookless bike 10 years ago that was taken away from him when the cops wanted to see proof that it was his bike.

 

   And it wasn't stolen. 

[Don Mega]

2 hours ago, OneMoreFarang said:

And what did you do or what would you do if you don't have that document with you? I my experience 100THB solve those irritating problems.

Police in Pattaya confiscate bikes that have no book, have 3 friends who have had their big bikes taken in the past 12 months.

[mercman24]

up date..  this guy sent me 9 official documents, said i could tax and insure the bike, BUT ADVICE TAKEN, i reply but i am not the OWNER, so scenario, 6 months down the line this guy shows up (his mate) saying this is my stolen bike i have the green book, so its goodbye 65000 baht and the bike , no thanks, my local mot station (they do my yearly road tax) did not have a clue when i showed them the documents, why are there so many bikes about with no green book as surely when a bike is registered there is a green book, (3 so far just by my enquiries)

[mercman24]

[mercman24]

this is what the guy sent me, may be of interest,

[mercman24]

oops one more

[lemonjelly]

Sounds like trouble, I’d steer well clear 

[Just Weird]

On 12/11/2019 at 7:04 PM, Kwasaki said:

My experience was many big bikes didn't have green books 15 years ago and the Thai govt started tightening laws.

That's because at that time most big bikes were illegal imports;  a friend and I were both going to buy bikes from Red-something(?) in Ramkahmhaeng Road, can't remember the name now, until we were told that they couldn't be registered or have the green book issued.  I opted out, he didn't and he used the one he bought unregistered.

[Isaanbiker]

15 hours ago, Just Weird said:

That's because at that time most big bikes were illegal imports;  a friend and I were both going to buy bikes from Red-something(?) in Ramkahmhaeng Road, can't remember the name now, until we were told that they couldn't be registered or have the green book issued.  I opted out, he didn't and he used the one he bought unregistered.

Guess you mean Red Baron? My bike, a Yamaha Virago 1100,  was imported from Japan by them, the story even gets ridiculous when a guy from RB told me that it came in in parts. 

 

I assume that they imported whole bikes, had their people at Transport offices who made them "legal."

 

  I do have the green book and it's in my name. But it was easy to get a bike "legal" for a certain amount back in the old days. 

 

Now nearly impossible. Too many bikes are stolen, just don't buy one if they don't have the docs for it. 

[Isaanbiker]

17 hours ago, mercman24 said:

oops one more

All these documents do not replace the green book. 

[Just Weird]

21 minutes ago, Isaanbiker said:

Guess you mean Red Baron? My bike, a Yamaha Virago 1100,  was imported from Japan by them, the story even gets ridiculous when a guy from RB told me that it came in in parts. 

That's the one and, yes, we were told the same about them being imported disassembled.

[Kwasaki]

21 hours ago, Just Weird said:

That's because at that time most big bikes were illegal imports;  a friend and I were both going to buy bikes from Red-something(?) in Ramkhamhaeng Road, can't remember the name now, until we were told that they couldn't be registered or have the green book issued.  I opted out, he didn't and he used the one he bought unregistered.

As did I you could at that time, they weren't so illegal because of brown envelope era days that was acceptable, they were brought in from Japan in containers by Thai dealers at the time and everything was more or less just parts, they were put together from many parts as was my CB400SF, which had a 1998 frame and a 2000 engine.

And yeah the word you're looking for is from high erachi in western countries beginning with 'B' but they still use it in Bkk and are a good legit bike shop just as others now. ????

[Just Weird]

13 hours ago, Kwasaki said:

As did I you could at that time, they weren't so illegal because of brown envelope era days that was acceptable, they were brought in from Japan in containers by Thai dealers at the time and everything was more or less just parts, they were put together from many parts as was my CB400SF, which had a 1998 frame and a 2000 engine.

And yeah the word you're looking for is from high erachi in western countries beginning with 'B' but they still use it in Bkk and are a good legit bike shop just as others now. ????

The part that I left out, that we were also told by the dealer, Red Baron, was how the bikes came to be in parts in containers!  

 

"High erachi"?  You mean "hierarchy"?

[tlandtday]

On 12/12/2019 at 2:06 AM, OneMoreFarang said:

This is also what I heard a couple of years ago.

At that time I would not have touched such a bike.

Now, after years of riding bikes in Bangkok, I would consider a bike without green book but with a sales invoice. Because the police, which stopped me many time for not riding on the left side of the road, never ever asked for that book. It seem in real life nobody cares if people have that book.

I don't know if it's still possible to insure bikes with out book. That is obviously an important issue.

yeah but without book you cannot tax or insure it so you will be stopped and fined or maybe bike confiscated for not registered...

[OneMoreFarang]

42 minutes ago, tlandtday said:

yeah but without book you cannot tax or insure it so you will be stopped and fined or maybe bike confiscated for not registered...

Correct.

But it seems in some areas the documents are checked and bikes are confiscated and in other areas nobody cares.

I ride bikes since 20 years in Bangkok. The police stopped me at least a hundred times for not riding on the left lane. But they never asked to see my green book(s). 

[Kwasaki]

11 hours ago, Just Weird said:

"High erachi"?  You mean "hierarchy"?

Yeah cockneys ain't good with english spelling stuff.????