Africa Twin

[HamSabai]

Hi all,

After lots of hesitation, I finally bought an Africa Twin from a shop in Pattaya.

It turned out that this bike is going to need some work done. The engine is fine, but many small things need to be fixed (radiator, fan, front wheel, linkage, maybe suspension and probably a few other things I haven't noticed yet.)

It will require some spare parts and a good mechanic. Obviously, the garage I bought it from really sucks and has incompetent and stupid employees.

I need to go back to sort a few things out (green book etc...) so ideally I would stay there for a few days while I get the book transferred to my name, see the Burapa bike week, meanwhile I would give my bike to a reliable shop that could work quick and good, and enable me to go back home with a nice and clean bike after a few days.

So my question is: can anybody recommend a good bike shop in the Pattaya area, that could take care of my Africa Twin in a reasonable amount of time?

I asked the same question on GT rider yesterday, but thaivisa seems way more active in helping peoples

I'm leaving tomorrow for sin city so any advice would really be appreciated.

Thanks for the help.

[dynabob]

wranglers mc have a shop in pattaya ,i have yet to hear a bad report about them.good luck with book.LOUD PIPES SAVE LIVES

[HamSabai]

wranglers mc have a shop in pattaya ,i have yet to hear a bad report about them.good luck with book.LOUD PIPES SAVE LIVES

Isn't Wranglers a Harley/customs repair shop?

[gobs]

Hi HamSabai,

GT Riders are essentialy devoted to the North (Golden Triangle Riders). So unless many riders from LOS are visiting, the most of us are settled in the North and so far know better what "happens" in the north area...

Further, I don't want to be inquisitive, but as I was to purchase a "nice-said" Africa Twin in a shop in Pat' 2/3 months ago and didn't "feel good" with the things there (so didn't buy it), may I ask you were you bought it (what shop...), in what condition and at what price?

I don't know any shop in Pat', so sorry...

I don't know where you are settled, but if I were living in BKK for example, I should prefer to send my A-T there by truck, and then search a "good" mechanic. A lot of good shops there and IMHO more trusty/friendly...

Good luck,

Gobs

[gobs]

Just thinking...

HamSabai, try to post a topic in the Pattaya forum section...

Many Guys there know the bikes shop, even they don't check and scroll the TV Bikes forum...

Just my 2 satangs...

Cheers,

[Kf6vci]

HamSabai, it sounds like you were suckered. Please name the shop so TV readers can be extra careful.

Overseas, I would try to find a master mechanic whom one can trust. Have one guy do the work.

You got a good bike. How come you overlooked all the defects? Did you try to haggle? With hindsight, do you have advice for other buyers?

Hope you got a genuine rather than a dodgy green book. One hears tales about changed frame numbers and such. Good luck and enjoy the Africa Twin! It's the perfect dual purpose bike with a bullet proof engine!

[HamSabai]

HamSabai, it sounds like you were suckered. Please name the shop so TV readers can be extra careful.

Overseas, I would try to find a master mechanic whom one can trust. Have one guy do the work.

You got a good bike. How come you overlooked all the defects? Did you try to haggle? With hindsight, do you have advice for other buyers?

Hope you got a genuine rather than a dodgy green book. One hears tales about changed frame numbers and such. Good luck and enjoy the Africa Twin! It's the perfect dual purpose bike with a bullet proof engine!

Actually, I think I talked too fast on this one...

Went back there today, the mechanic did an excellent job and worked all day on the bike.

All the small problems are now fixed, the only thing left is to find a front wheel and replace it, and probably to find a new radiator because the bike seems to overheat quickly in the circulation.

They didn't make me pay for anything and the owner was very helpful and polite, he didn't tried to get rid of me quickly or anything.

I have to go back tomorrow and we will go get the new plates and the ownership transfered in my name.

To answer your questions kf6, YES, I would recommend that shop to anybody who wants to buy a bike in Pattaya, and YES, it is a genuine green book, with original frame number (hasn't been restamped) etc...

I actually bought that one instead of another Africa Twin in another shop that was in much better condition but had recycled book.

[LivinLOS]

and YES, it is a genuine green book, with original frame number (hasn't been restamped) etc...

Sorry to be an arse (I realize I was hammering this point in another thread) but how can you know that ??

If its been properly done its impossible to tell if a book is recycled or not !!

[dynabob]

nice one,excellent choice,i had one for 6wks (rented)could not get owner to sell.great all rounder,fast,great to handle and super brakes.about raditior may i suggest you check and make sure it has proper coolent,some owner's/shops use water which in hot climates is useless for cooling,but after prolonged use will rot the raditior at the bottom look for rought repair.i.e bodyfiller shit paint work.

but first i suggest you get a tin of honda rad flush follow instructions.refill raditior with honda coolent(no water)this should stop overheating and is much cheaper then new rad.

front wheel problem "learn how to wheelie"

[thaicbr]

'If its been properly done its impossible to tell if a book is recycled or not !!'

So LIVIN. no problem then is there. if the transfer takes place and the book and numbers look good then that's about the best to be hoped for. let it go.... ..........just let it go :D

[LivinLOS]

'If its been properly done its impossible to tell if a book is recycled or not !!'

So LIVIN. no problem then is there. if the transfer takes place and the book and numbers look good then that's about the best to be hoped for. let it go.... ..........just let it go :D

I guess thats kinda my point.. Some posters (your know who you are ) seem to have the 'well if you mess with bad books you deserve etc' kind of attitude or 'would you do that at home'.. Fact is you wouldnt have a dumb system to be abused like that in a sane country and you basically cant ever know when buying second hand.

[jrbkk64]

'If its been properly done its impossible to tell if a book is recycled or not !!'

So LIVIN. no problem then is there. if the transfer takes place and the book and numbers look good then that's about the best to be hoped for. let it go.... ..........just let it go

I guess thats kinda my point.. Some posters (your know who you are ) seem to have the 'well if you mess with bad books you deserve etc' kind of attitude or 'would you do that at home'.. Fact is you wouldnt have a dumb system to be abused like that in a sane country and you basically cant ever know when buying second hand.

There are plenty bikes for sale in Thailand where you defenitely can be sure the book is original. I bought a 5 year old BMWF650GS 3rd hand and the seller had all orginal documents, service book complete, invoice and related documents from Barcelona Motor. To make very sure I even asked Barcelona to confirm that they had sold the bike and if they had serviced the bike. All was in order. I found the bike on mocyc.com!

[davidgtr]

'If its been properly done its impossible to tell if a book is recycled or not !!'

So LIVIN. no problem then is there. if the transfer takes place and the book and numbers look good then that's about the best to be hoped for. let it go.... ..........just let it go :D

When you're buying your bike, hand your money over (to pay for the bike) at the Land Transport Dept after they've inspected the bike, passed it & agree to transfer the rego to you.

If it passes the test at the vehicle rego office then it basically doesn't matter whether the bike's been re-stamped or the book's recycled, as the authorities inspected the bike, examined the book & decided it was ok.

Some of you guys thrive on this "recycled" dodgy book hysteria. IMHO it's not the recycled book, but the re-stamped bike nos. to match up with what's in the book, that is dodgy. All illegal of course, but there's thousands of bikes registered like this & it's an absolutely massive racket, run by the same? group of men in uniform (I think.) Extremely difficult to stamp out when they are making so much money out of it.

And if you're buying a bike that's already registered & can keep the bike registered in your name in the same province, you will probably never have a problem. The problem seems to occur when you go to transfer the bike rego & ownership from one province to another & the officials in the new province are much more diligent at their work & check the legitimacy of your bike to the model it is supposed to be. That's when the shit can hit the fan, with embarrassing questions asked.

It is possible to know if you've got a re-stamped bike by checking the engine & frame nos. to see what type of bike model they are supposed to match up to, because there are lists of bike model nos. with their engine & frame nos. This is what the Land Transport Dept (at least in Chiang Mai) check if your bike is real – do the nos. match up to the bike model photos they have in their computer.

Many motorcycle manuals also have the model engine & frame numbers listed so that you can correctly identify your bike model. It aint difficult.

If your numbers don’t match up & are from another model, then your bike has been re-stamped & the book is more than likely still legit & not “recycled.” You’re bike has been recycled, not the book.

Hamsabai,

Good to know it was a false alarm about your bike deal. An Africa Twin is a great machine - extremely reliable & cheap to run. The Africa Twin is one of the most, if not THE MOST popular RTW bikes. Mine's got 220,000 (Thailand / Laos) kms on it & it just keeps going & going. It will do me another few years, until a satisfactory replacement comes along. Watch the GT Rider site & you will see lots of trip reports from AT Riders all over S E Asia. Chan Kok Pyng at M-Technik in Singapore is the guy to deal with for parts. Chan is the S E Asia AT guru - his bike has 300,000 kms up on it & is in immaculate condition.

[LivinLOS]

'If its been properly done its impossible to tell if a book is recycled or not !!'

So LIVIN. no problem then is there. if the transfer takes place and the book and numbers look good then that's about the best to be hoped for. let it go.... ..........just let it go :D

When you're buying your bike, hand your money over (to pay for the bike) at the Land Transport Dept after they've inspected the bike, passed it & agree to transfer the rego to you.

If it passes the test at the vehicle rego office then it basically doesn't matter whether the bike's been re-stamped or the book's recycled, as the authorities inspected the bike, examined the book & decided it was ok.

Have you followed any of the situations down here on phuket, where bikes they previously passed they have impounded, ransommed back, and refuse to change the name after they inspected and passed it as fine before ??

Some of you guys thrive on this "recycled" dodgy book hysteria. IMHO it's not the recycled book, but the re-stamped bike nos. to match up with what's in the book, that is dodgy. All illegal of course, but there's thousands of bikes registered like this & it's an absolutely massive racket, run by the same? group of men in uniform (I think.) Extremely difficult to stamp out when they are making so much money out of it.

The same point I have been making.. A huge %age of the second hand market is like this, with little way of ever knowing, if you buy a second hand bike you have to be ready for that reality.

It is possible to know if you've got a re-stamped bike by checking the engine & frame nos. to see what type of bike model they are supposed to match up to, because there are lists of bike model nos. with their engine & frame nos. This is what the Land Transport Dept (at least in Chiang Mai) check if your bike is real – do the nos. match up to the bike model photos they have in their computer.

Many motorcycle manuals also have the model engine & frame numbers listed so that you can correctly identify your bike model. It aint difficult.

If your numbers don’t match up & are from another model, then your bike has been re-stamped & the book is more than likely still legit & not “recycled.” You’re bike has been recycled, not the book.

I would never touch a bike where the frame and engine numbers were not the right kind of number for that model bike that year.. Thats the very minimum to have a hopeful resale.