Amazing The Things You Can Get Done Here

[Naam]

When my hired Honda had a rear wheel puncture two young guys said "We can fix that".

In 20 minutes at a cost of 300 baht I was back on the road.

Such service is hard to find in Germany.

in Germany you go to a repairshop, they will sell you a new tire and tell you "come back tomorrow"

[ray23]

Well I tried guys but in all honesty this has become a bashing thread and not something I care to participate in.

So a liitle clear up Thailand served in Korea, Vietnam, that is why rural Issan has some many nice airfields, it still serves in the UN today.

You know I was amazed when the muslim wanted to kill a guy because he wrote a fictional book Outraged at Denmark over a cartoon as I recall. But yet look what a simple peice of cloth caused on here. Truth is this is why there will always be wars. People who can't accept something different then thier own thoughts. So all of you that were so Anti war Ect. is this how think it will be accomplished?

My patience with rude comments is done, to me or anyone else. So have fun guys the threads all yours.

[ozzydom]

Off-Topic posts have been removed from this thread.

[Huey]

Great work and good reminder

[Pierrot]

Well I tried guys but in all honesty this has become a bashing thread and not something I care to participate in.

So a liitle clear up Thailand served in Korea, Vietnam, that is why rural Issan has some many nice airfields, it still serves in the UN today.

You know I was amazed when the muslim wanted to kill a guy because he wrote a fictional book Outraged at Denmark over a cartoon as I recall. But yet look what a simple peice of cloth caused on here. Truth is this is why there will always be wars. People who can't accept something different then thier own thoughts. So all of you that were so Anti war Ect. is this how think it will be accomplished?

My patience with rude comments is done, to me or anyone else. So have fun guys the threads all yours.

Ray, what you do is great. But if the people you honor had the same reaction you have, quit, we wouldn’t talk about them today. A tougher skin is part of the tool kit. The dogs bark, but the caravan moves on.

[roamer]

Strictly on subject there is a stall in MBK, 5th FlR I think, anyways just down from escalator leading to cinemas where they do all this stuff, lots of books for you to pick your designs out of and then get them personalised, do it on baseball caps and T shirts as well. Makes for an incredibly individual present for someone, especially if you hail from somewhere (most places) where its impossible to obtain anything like it.

Also on subject, lets hear it for the "can do" culture here that is restricted only by your imagination, friend of mine has a wonderful sculpture assembled from various large flywheels and cogs from a scrapyard where they sandblasted it all and welded it together for peanuts. And for the garage guys that fitted back the skirt on the chassis of my hire car for 200B and saved me 5000B deposit....lets hear some praise for one of the positives about LOS.

[justcruisin]

Hi Ray,it seems this post has gone half way around the world and come back again!!

If you need something done in Thai it is easy and not too expensive,some people like to

moan,but all they have to recall is.... what can be done in your home country with a smile and good price...Zilch.

I recall a few months ago in Udon,flat tyre in town at 22:30,within 20 minutes bike up and running for 100Bht.

Just one of many examples I can quote.Last week had a beautiful stainless exhaust made for my honda africa twin,all stainless and cost under 7k Bht.The list go's on.

Nice patch too...guess who saved the Aussies working on the Burma Thai railway in early August 1945,The american long range bombers.People forget and not much is recognised by some historians,Thai actually declared war on the states in Feb 42 as I recall but the Thai ambassador in Washington refused to deliver the edict to the president.

Amazing Thailand

[ray23]

You know for my first four years here I had a phantom 150, quick little devil. But the chain required constant tightening, when your out on a trip not exactly a convient thing to do. I would pull into the first shop I saw and they would tighten it. In four years not one shop would ever let me pay for that. I would always tell them I would by them a beer and left a bit of money.

Had a problem with the horn on the 400 the other day, pulled into the shop. Chief Mechaninc stopped what he was doing to come help me. I've went to this shop depending on what I need for about five years. I got to know them so well I invited the entire shop to my wifes birthday party a few years back. He rewired the entire thing and replaced the relay assembly, 200 baht including the beer tip.

You know people complain about service here, I've seen it as well one dish come out of the kitchen at a time wih long delays. The wiatress to busy waching the TV to be bothered with customers. But overall I have never gotten the kind of service here, anywhere else.

What I try not to do is to get angry yell and tell them how stupid they are. I've learned thier way may be different but it works and if your patient most of the time you will get what you need. When you really think about it they open a buisness to make a living build a clientele just like anyone else. Where I live thie are not enough farrangs to cater to them excluivley. Along comes this pissed off guy, that doesnt even speak your language so you have no idea what he is pissed off about. Begins to yell about you not knowing his native language a place you have never been nor have any intention of ever going. How long would you try to help him? Yep! an amazing place.

You know there are somethings guys here are not set up to do, you get into the real performance bikes, you really need a computer to the things just like on a car. Don't expect to go into one of my hole in the walls to get something like that done. That you need to have done at the right place. Heck the Harley dealers fly mechanics around to do repairs, different ball game.

Sometimes it get be very simple things that throw them simply because they have never seen it. We take care of our own yard. I hate trimming grass. Answer a cement border around the tree, flower bed ect. Boy I had the darnest time trying to get them to understand what I wanted. my poor wife gave up instantly, it can't be done LOL Why did that happen they thought I was nuts, of course that part is true. But, not about this. When I finally got them to try. I later showed them what it wss for, they loved it. They know now and they understand why, the next guy that wants that, won't have a problem at all.

In designing the vent system I could have brought the project to the little shop I have mentioned several times, he could have done it. Instead I brought out the guy who has done our aircon work for years now. Why he understands the volume of air I wanted. Darn thing is going to have a dual fan assembly in it.

Everyone's life is a bit different. The problem for us was that the house holds heat. So a lot of the time it will be 30 in the house and 25 outside. Fine a long as all the doors and windows are open put a fan by the window and you cool things down quickly. Close that window instant hot again. My wife is frightened of just about everything. So for her it's close the widows and drapes abou 8:00 P.M every night. We have two dogs not mean but thye act like they are. My last three years of working in Cop shop I was the Watch Commander of a jail, I hate bars. I would have done that accept I know the drapes are going to be closed anyway and the air flow is goign to be blocked.

So here we sit perfectly good cool air outside and run air all night to sleep. Just didn't seem like the best idea to me. But it rains a lot here, so a direct hole to the outside of your house is probably going result in a lot water of running down your walls. answer a 90 degree turn down places directly inder the eve of the house, a blower assembly and that cool air is coming inside with everything locked up tighter then a drum on the house. Now your operating a fan not a airconditioner compressor, that is going o cost a lot less.

What it costing me for this little jewel, made from stainless steel dual fan asembly, filter system, aluminum grating, installed 4K. We are having one done now if it works as I think it will. Then we will get two more made for the bedrooms, First one is always the toughest, then it's just repeat what you did the first time. The air conditioning guy is good at what he does, mattter of fact teaches at a trade school. Yep these Thai's are lazy people he just runs a business all day and teaches at night and has done so for years.

Nothing is that much different he speaks very little english, I handed him a rough sketch and worked from there. He will actually do the design and enginerring and production. Complete electrical installation. All I did was doodle on a peice of paper, But a vent is a vent and a fan is a fan to him . The wife kind of understood this time so it was a lot easier. If it works like I think it will and you have the frightened significant other at home but and still want to be cool at night, without running the air all night. I'll pass it on.

By the way I'm not a quitter conversation just went to something I have no interest in. I know some guys enjoy debate, I'm not one of them. as to the original entry I know what it means to me and thats good enough To those that I give tribute they will understand others will never understand everyone is different has had different life experiences. That just life. I'm a retired cop from southen California, trust me I have a had enough arguments and fights for three life times. I'm retired I refuse to live the balance of my life like that. But. for those who have had a different life then me probably fun, it's just is not for me. Thanks for getting the thread back on topic. Now I can enjoy the sand box as well.

Edited July 20, 2008 by ray23

[Dustoff]

Good post, Ray23

By Ray:

So here we sit perfectly good cool air outside and run air all night to sleep. Just didn't seem like the best idea to me. But it rains a lot here, so a direct hole to the outside of your house is probably going result in a lot water of running down your walls. answer a 90 degree turn down places directly inder the eve of the house, a blower assembly and that cool air is coming inside with everything locked up tighter then a drum on the house. Now your operating a fan not a airconditioner compressor, that is going o cost a lot less.

One of the best improvements I have done to our home was to install a 24-inch rooftop rotating vent - the spinning, metal, louvered sphere kind - and it has been serving us wonderfully for several years.

It takes no power as the rising heat keeps it turning and that motion flings away any rain, even in a very windy storm. I have never yet seen sign of even a drop of water falling onto the attic floor. Not only does this device remove the excess heat from the attic, which majorly helps the aircon because we no longer have heat radiating down from the ceilings throughout the house, but we can choose which part of the house benefits the most by simply cracking a window in that room.

When the aircon is on, I keep the attic-access cover closed but in the evenings I open the cover which pulls in the cooler air from outside from any direction I choose. I am still seeking to replace that cover with a metal cover with louvers that I can manipulate more easily with a lever much like window louvers.

[ray23]

You know that seems like a great solution as well I was always worried about leakage but you answerd that one. Thanks.

Geeting the hot air out of the attic has to help.

What were the costs involved?

[Dustoff]

You know that seems like a great solution as well I was always worried about leakage but you answerd that one. Thanks.

Geeting the hot air out of the attic has to help.

What were the costs involved?

My wife would know better (she is not here right now) but I think it was only about 3000B and they did a great job. There are different sizes available so you can go with an unobtrusive one or a fat one for a very large house. Just make sure they have the angle-bracket to match the slope of your roof so that it stands straight up, not tilts off at an angle.

I don't do all that well with heat and wanted something 'green' and this is totally passive and very efficient indeed. It also keeps us from ever having to run the aircon in the evening and thru the night. The dry air negatively affects both of our sinuses and eyes while we sleep so this not only eliminates that but saves us a considerable amount of money as well. Our aircon comes on at an in-house temp of 29C (85F) and I turn it off when the outside temp drops below that.

We even installed this before we purchased the house and the owner said no prob when we offered to just leave it there if we moved out. Landlords rarely turn down an upgrade at your expense.

My wife thought I was nuts when I wanted it (like when I wanted to buy a new Tuk-Tuk with a souped-up engine instead of a car) but she now takes her friends out into the yard to show them (the vent - she talked me out of the Tuk-Tuk) and raves about it...

[baanthale]

Hi Ray,

Nice art work, and you are right, it is amazing what can be done here for nearly no money at all! What ever your logo means for you is your business, and and I respect that

[Hawkup2000]

One of the best improvements I have done to our home was to install a 24-inch rooftop rotating vent - the spinning, metal, louvered sphere kind - and it has been serving us wonderfully for several years.

It takes no power as the rising heat keeps it turning and that motion flings away any rain, even in a very windy storm. I have never yet seen sign of even a drop of water falling onto the attic floor. Not only does this device remove the excess heat from the attic, which majorly helps the aircon because we no longer have heat radiating down from the ceilings throughout the house, but we can choose which part of the house benefits the most by simply cracking a window in that room.

When the aircon is on, I keep the attic-access cover closed but in the evenings I open the cover which pulls in the cooler air from outside from any direction I choose. I am still seeking to replace that cover with a metal cover with louvers that I can manipulate more easily with a lever much like window louvers.

If you stand on BTS platform in Siam with your back to Paragon you will see some "rotating metal globes" on the roofs. I have been wondering what that is. Is it the same?

[Dustoff]

If you stand on BTS platform in Siam with your back to Paragon you will see some "rotating metal globes" on the roofs. I have been wondering what that is. Is it the same?

Umm, I have no idea where/what this is but yes, rotating metal globes with slots cut into them on rooftops are very likely what I am discussing.

[rjj04]

Hello... I am in Udonthani and would like to get the same modification done... add a sissybar. Can

you tell me the name location of this shop so I don't need to spend a few hours trying

to get some other "hole in the wall shop" to understand

Thanks In Advance,

Robert

Sizzy Bar and Back Pack:

As I said we tour, this is a concept from the old biker days in the states referred to as a sissy bar, IE the passenger afraid of falling off the back. What does it do well makes the wife feels safer, she actually will lean back on that and go to sleep happens everytime after lungh. Also gives me a place to attache the back pack, we have two the other one is much larger you can easily get enough clothes in it for a ten day ride. They have velcro attached to them so easy to get on adn off. The othre one still has the original harness. So you walk up to the bike and just put it on from there instead of bending over, Bad back remember.

This sissy bar has been modified and used on three different bikes unfortunatley in the last one I lost the rack he made. Next bike we will start all over. He makes these out I/2" steel square or round bar depending on what you want. It is then chromed the back pad is added, cost about 4k baht.

This guy had never made anything like this, so off we go poor wife trying to explain something to this mechanic that she had never seen before lots of pointing at things I saw in the shop bunch of grunting. He mesaure some stuff on the bike and makes a template on his garage floor using chualk two weeks later, it done. Done right and looking good. You know it would be hard to explain just how hi guy really is, his formal training is in art. Bu his father wanted to have a job that made money so he ened up a mechaninc, doesn' speak a word of english another one those hole in the wall things. the guy is a true craftman takes pride in his work.

The seat we had modified with four inches more foam on the wifes seat she is a short little lady, but now she can look over my helmet and see as much as I do. Not sure that was such a good idea, she back seat drives now, seat mofication 100 baht you got another hole in the wall. he also modified the back packs intersint trying get across the idea of a velcro, but it worked.

What I have learned from all this don't cut the little shops short, just because they don't have expensive surrondings doesn't mean they don't know what they are doing.

I've had done a lot of custom airbrush work here but I think this is enough for guys to get the idea of the thread

I'll add the vent system when it's finished next week or when he gets it done

So thats it for me what about you guys anyone else ventured out into the custom work field here?

[ray23]

Sorry Robert, been busy all day, then Motto Gp was on, priorities you know

On ring road go towards Nong Bua Lampho from Lotus. When you pass Giggio's (big bike shop) make a right at the first light. You will cross two bridges, the shop is immediately past the second bridge on the right side. He doesn't speak english so having someone along who speaks Thai if you don't will be very helpful. Don't get in a hurry he does this all by hand and each one is a custom fit takes time. What I usally do with him if I want to use the bike give him a few days so gets his masurements and fitting done. Then I take the bike back while he does the fabricating and chroming. Then I bring the bike back for instulation. Be sure and get a firm price before you let him start, this is Thailand and you may have negoiate a bit. But he has never increased the agreed upon price with anyone I know.