Crashed Me Bike Last Nite. Bloody Crap Thai Drivers.

[JimsKnight]

I agree about bangkok. It's not the big bad monster it's made out to be. Not that you should drop your guard or anything though...

[thaicbr]

LIVIN and TONY. you might find this hard to believe BUT i had to tell them where to go and get the downpipe cos they didnt have a clue and then just so i got my moneys worth i told them to change the levers and muffler cos they were bent or scrapped.

as far as i know they have, so i should have a nice carbon finish muffler and gold levers on it when it comes back :D

[LivinLOS]

Well at least your seeing some benefit..

Actually it was the forks I was surprised they found so easily.

[BigBikeBKK]

LIVIN and TONY. you might find this hard to believe BUT i had to tell them where to go and get the downpipe cos they didnt have a clue and then just so i got my moneys worth i told them to change the levers and muffler cos they were bent or scrapped.

as far as i know they have, so i should have a nice carbon finish muffler and gold levers on it when it comes back

I don't find that hard to believe at all- Has the shop ever even worked on a CBR250? And yes, as LivinLOS pointed out, where did they find new front forks?

Anyway- good to hear you're keeping an eye on them and that the bike may come back even nicer than before the crash! Good on ya!

Hope you'll have it sorted for the KK ride next week! (Bring a FOR SALE sign with you- you never know, you might get lucky at the bike rally!)

Happy Trails,

Tony

[thaicbr]

They straightened the forks. i was surprised but i checked it out by showing the picture to another engineering shop and they said no problem. when i tested them in the repair place they seem OK, go up and down with no friction and there are all new seals etc.

Allan

[BigBikeBKK]

They straightened the forks. i was surprised but i checked it out by showing the picture to another engineering shop and they said no problem. when i tested them in the repair place they seem OK, go up and down with no friction and there are all new seals etc.

Allan

Oh man... So you're saying the forks have now been bent TWICE? Dude- that's seriously asking for trouble... I pity the fool that buys this bike off of you. Those forks need to be REPLACED! Not bent back into shape!

Here's what going to happen to you or the new buyer when you hammer the brakes:

Come on Allan- Fix the bike right or sell it for parts. Don't turn it into a deathtrap!

[LivinLOS]

I know its not what you want to hear Allen.. But I have never heard of bemding forks back straight either..

[thaicbr]

Tony you CAN re straighten fork tubes its done all over the world. they are straightened on a hydraulic jig and are perfectly ok. many repair companies do it this way.

http://www.framestraightsystem.com/Motorcy...20%20Repair.htm

here is one of many i found while doing a google search.

[LivinLOS]

Learn something new every day !!

[BigBikeBKK]

Tony you CAN re straighten fork tubes its done all over the world. they are straightened on a hydraulic jig and are perfectly ok. many repair companies do it this way.

http://www.framestraightsystem.com/Motorcy...20%20Repair.htm

here is one of many i found while doing a google search.

Allan, I'm not saying the forks can't be straightened, but I am saying that they will not be as strong as before the crash.

From the link you sent:

These type or repairs are not always as strait forward as they may seem. At Frame Straight, we use the tried and true method of correcting fork tubes, using an H-frame, remote pedal controlled, 30 ton Hydraulic press.

So, are you saying that your forks were straightened with an H-frame, remote pedal controlled, 30 ton hydraulic press here in Thailand? That would be great if you could find such a shop here, but I really doubt that's how your forks were straightened... More likely Somchai and his buddies just heated the tubes and eyeballed them. Do you actually know how they straightened your forks? I would want to know!

The other issue of course is metal fatigue. The early stages of metal fatigue (Crack nucleation) can only be seen under a microscope. Sure the forks can be straightened, but they will be weaker than before they were bent and re-bent. Any process involving heat or deformation can produce high levels of tensile residual stress, which will decrease the fatigue strength of your fork tubes.

You know the basic concept- take a paperclip and bend it back and forth a few times and it snaps. A simplistic example of metal fatigue. So- with your forks, how many times do you think they can be bent before they snap? How much weaker are they now as a result of being bent twice? How much force will it take now to snap your damaged forks like in the picture I posted above?

Good Luck Allan!

Edited February 13, 2009 by BigBikeBKK

[thaicbr]

Tony. Good points. the picture you have shown is slightly miss leading. as it looks like the forks broke at the tube and alloy connection. not the tube itself but ok.

I am confirming details now. but they did say that they were done at an engineering shop.

[BigBikeBKK]

Tony. Good points. the picture you have shown is slightly miss leading. as it looks like the forks broke at the tube and alloy connection. not the tube itself but ok.

I am confirming details now. but they did say that they were done at an engineering shop.

Sure Allan, the picture is meant to demonstrate what happens if/when your damaged forks fail-

No disrespect to our Thai hosts, but I think the standards for safety here are bit lax, or perhaps the tolerance for risk is higher- case in point is repairing vs replacing the forks on your CBR250. That would never fly in your country or mine.

[ray23]

"Thais generally only think about the next 5 seconds of their lives and do not give a <deleted> about any one or anything around them. They are brought up this way. to not value or regard what other people are doing"

Never more accurate statement made. I would.also add no regard for human life whatsoever.

My little incident today i lost it on this one:

There is a point when enough is enough I have arrived. Now normally I'm real Jai Yen about trafffic. I'm used to being crowded by cars ect, just goes with the territory.

Today I'm going down ring road. Almost pulled into his car saw him my mirror at the last secondand he avoided me. Good Driver, definetly my fault.

However, the guy behind him aims his pickup right at me and chased all the way across the lane trying to hit me. Where I stand that is an Assualt with a Deadly Weapon. I'm taking that anymore it's happened before I sucked it up.

Well as luck would have we get to a red light, problem the pickup that tried to hit me was a gray pickup. There were four in a row at the light and I don't know which one.

But I see a guy laughing his head off, well I parked the bike in the middle of the lane with every intention of dragging that guy out of that pickup and kick his butt for as long as I could. Turns out he was the guy I cut off.

Light turned green wife hanging on my shirt I was lucky, truth is I'm 62 years old with a bad back. Not a real good idea. but when the adrenline is going you don't feel pain.

If I had succeeded I probably would have gotten my butt kicked but I guarantee he would have know I had been there. Then of course I would have went to jail.

You know I dont get upset about accidents no one is intending to harm anyone stuff happens.

But an intentional act is different I will no longer tolerate anyone trying to do harm to me or mine being stupid with a car. If I can get to them I'm going to jail.

I know whats norm are here and what is not this was not. Felt bad about the farrang I challenged he was a nice guy.

Last weekend as you guys probably recall a sugar cane truck wanted to cut off a biker on a Harely, the biker is laying in Udon Hosptial recovreing from surgery to recover two broke pelvis bones. Teh drivre said he saw he rider just want to cut him off.

Guys this ain't Pattaya or Bangkok this is Udon.

Probably best I got the wrong guy today I would have ended up with ten Thai's on me. Man if your going to take one on don't try it by yourself there is no one on one here. My move today was stupid I was by myself. It;'s not the guy in the car you got to worry about it's the ten cars behind him.

In bth my accidents her it was Thai's who came to my asistance, the first one a hit and run,. A thai lady walked over to me and handed me the fron plate that was knocked the pickup. The second heck they a were all trying to get to me the hopital offering first aid the best they could. So yes ther are good people out there but, thay are not all like that. I try to remember the good peopel but not when I'm riding only thing on my mind then are the bad ones.

I'm glad you are doing OK yes safety equipment is a must. No schedule for when some idiot is going to do you in.

Edited February 13, 2009 by ray23

[neverdie]

1 week on my bike here and i have been scared off, i loved riding the open roads in samui, but here it is a nightmare , no matter how cautious i am there seems to be no regard for others with thai drivers. It is not safe no matter how good a rider you are.....i just don't enjoy riding here, it has actually made me consider moving again!

Where is "here"? Just wondering

doh.sorry BKK

Its funny, but I hear alot of people saying this sort of thing.....I normally have trouble adjusting when I go back to the homeland....it seems they don't appreciate me riding on the wrong side of the road, undertaking, riding without my helmet & carry a baby grand piano on the back of my bike as i do it. Also apparently according to the local BIB, I am one seriously mad farker

[neverdie]

They straightened the forks. i was surprised but i checked it out by showing the picture to another engineering shop and they said no problem. when i tested them in the repair place they seem OK, go up and down with no friction and there are all new seals etc.

Allan

Allan, no offence but this is one of the main reasons I don't like buying second hand bikes OR for that matter riding other peoples bikes......you're a long time dead & its also a pretty ordinary trying to surf, root or dance when your in a wheel chair.

[thaicbr]

ANYWAY.... UPDATE. I went today and found that one fork leg had a crease. SO i have sourced a 2nd hand pair of forks to replace them. So every body happy except the insurance company