Warning - Chiang Mai Police

[ajarnpim]

But surely if you have no registration, you can't get any insurance of any kind.

Aitch

If you don't have rego it is still possible to get the compulsory 3rd party insurance.

Most of the bike rental companies in Cnx have had this for years & the insurance companies have & do pay out for accidents.

Insurance for unregistered vehicles was available through the Road Accident Victims Protection Co Ltd. Read how to do it on GT Rider here.

For accidents I think all the police are interested in is "who hit who." The logic being if the way ahead was not clear you should not have proceeded & run into the other vehicle, even if they ran a red light or suddenly came out of side soi & got in your way. You hit them!

Sorry all you guys saying there are lots of new police checkpoints, the guys are out there all the time, rotating their locations; & the regular Cnx traffic police (Mae Ping traffic police station) are not the ones running the big bike crackdown.

Next month is Songkran & New Year. The BIB will need lots of money to celebrate, make tamboon, drink & be merry. Expect lots of traffic police checks all of March, then easing off after Songkran.

I don't think the big bike crackdown is related to Songkran.

Sorry, but some of you guys don't ride enough, talk too much & speculate about what you think is going on.

The bikes seized so far are at the Highway Police HQs on the super near the Poy Luang. More will be added to their collection.

Have a nice day. I'm off on a 3-day GT ride next.

wow 3 days, bully for you.

could it be possible that "the guys" know of some new police check points that you dont know about or that some of them ride even more than you.

Dont be so sorry

[ray23]

Ajarn he wasn't talking about guys like you and me. David Gt does ride a lot even make riders maps making for a living . The misinformation and conjecture must have hit a hot button on him. Really a great guy. By the way I consider myself a guilty of that as anyone else. But I took the time to verify the information

As you know even guy who have ridden for years, when they come here need to learn all over to ride again, different world. You even hav to learn how to buy a bike here.

The insults thrown around about doing things leaglly really doesn't help that some were making, that know nothing about riding or what things were like here two years ago, When you were going to get a grey book or no book. Doesn't help the rider who dumped 100's of K in a bike, Because it was all that was available.

Me I paid the 70K, cause I have always known that the day was coming when they would enforce the law that has l always been on the books.

I think those are the comments that got to him, not what you said.

If some of the experts had bothered looking at the photos they would have seen 125's sitting there to, turns out it is not directed at just big bikes.

It's an interesting situation if they are looking at this, it won't be long before they start looking for where the grey books come from. Going to be a lot of small shop owner's destroyed by this. When the answer really lies in making it possible to simply register a big bike like anything else. That not going to happen no tea money in that.

If you can show the import invoices and the tax paid on the bike parts, That is the easy part. Bangkok is the only place you can do it. You will pay tea money if your lucky you might get it done within a year. The assumption that all these bikes were stolen is naive.

What the current manufactures have to go through to sale big bikes here is nuts. But once a model is through the maze then they are all accepted. They are not jumping through the hoops to own one or sell one.

I'm happy they are here now as most riders are. Give us a chance to own a new bike that has not been thrashed and then cleaned up for sale, With what we know is a good book. I have yet to buy a bike here without a essential rebuild to make them safe. That is not going to help the used markets for years. Which is about what a lot of guys can buy.

In the end probably is going to help my resale as it does have a book. I might even get 50% of that money back. But, before it would not have helped the resale at all.

The possibilty of this continuing on is pretty slim, there are just so many out there without book or fees paid. So it will not change anything in the end just harm a few unlucky people. Thailand is Thailand.

What would work would be to let guys get this stuff done locally, let the bikes be checked a posible stolens they are they are. Then you could go bak to the real crook who imported it not the guy riding it. We haev no way to verify if a bike is stolen or not befoer we pay the money out. If they are not let them be reigistered without the tea money train. Any guess on if that will ever happen?

Here is something to think about I could have bought my bike for 180K, but getting that book cost me 70K think about roughly 40% of value. That is why many riders don't have books.

No one thinks that is a good thing, not to have a book but two thousand dollars to register a vehicle is simply nuts.

Big bikes are here and they are going to stay. This push if it holds true of most things like this here will simply fade away.

It's hot don't have a book stay home and enjoy the aircon, or keep infomed and avoid this little mess for a while it will be business as usual again soon. But be careful what you listen to on forums, try to verify what you are seeing through people who really know.

[Jungian]

That's what they do in my country, I suppose Thailand should be no different...

[Ajarn]

Sorry Aitch if my posts bother you. my only intentention when I post is to educate. When someone posts something I don't agree with, I post what I believe the facts are. No intention to piss anyone off, but there are a lot of fragile egos here, I think. I always try to be nice, never to start shitting on anyone, etc. If you think I am wrong, please post why. I can accept the truth from anyone.

[Ulysses G.]

You really are a strange character Ajarn! Why are you always at loggerheads with what people post? It's almost as if you're looking for a virtual fight sometimes: angry: Try to be nice, and maybe even agree with some posters, sometimes?

Ajarn has been on a diet for something like 2 years and lost 100's of lbs. Anyone who has dieted knows what utter misery it is (I am on another one at the moment). Who can blame him from being a little snapish sometimes.

[Ajarn]

You really are a strange character Ajarn! Why are you always at loggerheads with what people post? It's almost as if you're looking for a virtual fight sometimes: angry: Try to be nice, and maybe even agree with some posters, sometimes?

My impression is that Ajarn does not suffer fools lightly, but I have seen him agree with other posters any number of times. He might even agree with this one.

No, I don't suffer fools lightly at all, but I don't want to get anyone thinking that maybe I'm the fool. I post what I post with the intention of educating people to the truth. Some people get mad about that, but that's life

[Ajarn]

You really are a strange character Ajarn! Why are you always at loggerheads with what people post? It's almost as if you're looking for a virtual fight sometimes: angry: Try to be nice, and maybe even agree with some posters, sometimes?

Ajarn has been on a diet for something like 2 years and lost 100's of lbs. Anyone who has dieted knows what utter misery it is (I am on another one at the moment). Who can blame him from being a little snapish sometimes.

Maybe I sound snapish at times, but I never feel snapish. How are you doing on your new diet? I'm trying to diet using the Meals on Wheels for you, but having only a bit of success

[PeaceBlondie]

Thanks fo David for links to the photos. Makes a believer out of me. Not that I ever thought riding a big bike without plates, rego, insurance, etc. was ever a good idea. Honestly, as much as I love riding bigger bikes, I never had the cash or desire to do it right. Good luck to the guys who got caught.

[Ulysses G.]

Ajarn, I get really mean and anger easily when I am hungry. There is a new fat farm in Mai Rim - they advertise on Thai Visa - that does mostly raw foods. I will try it out and tell you how it goes (I lost 25 kilos when I did it at the Samui branch and continued at home).

[Rasseru]

My impression is that Ajarn does not suffer fools lightly, but I have seen him agree with other posters any number of times. He might even agree with this one.

No, I don't suffer fools lightly at all . . .

There, you see? He's saying no, but he means yes, to my post!

[Scrubber]

According to my Thai friends (who aren't som tam ladies), there is a new police chief in Chiang Mai who (and I quote) "doesn't care about money" and is just out to <deleted> with guys riding unregistered bikes. Apparently the police went into the Warm Up car park on Wednesday night and seized a whole chopper gangs worth of unregistered bikes. I don't know if any of you have been to Warm Up recently, but there are usually a sheet load of big bikes in the car park, very few with plates.

Anyway, I live to ride another day on my 100% illegal, stolen and shipped to Thailand Suzuki.

God bless the Yakuza. The greatest gang there ever was

p.s. any one got a spare green book for a Yamaha TW225?

I can confirm what Keo said - police went into the Warm Up car park and seized a few unregistered bikes. Another friend of mine went for a drink at a bar near the train station and had his bike taken away by the police from right outside the bar. It's not just checkpoints you need to watch out for - it's anywhere you park your bike.

Why don't the police actually do something that would benefit road users and clamp down on drink-driving?

Edited March 7, 2009 by Scrubber

[ray23]

Ok guys question not a statement best I can tell thi started in Pattaya, any chance this is a special team, formed for this purpose and will be rotating through cities?

[ajahnlau]

I have a large 900 cc chopper and it cost me all of 900 baht to register it and get plates easy peasy

What's the rest of the story?

LOL

Yep there is a bit more to it than i made out and figured I would have to come clean LOL

I bought my bike brand spanking new from the Kawasaki showroom just off the moat and rode it out the showroom without plates they called me 5 days later to tell me my plates and registration book were in an I could come and collect total cost 900 baht and a completely legal bike

That explains it. The topic was about used imported bikes with no plates. Can't compare a new bike legally imported.

[ray23]

Anyone with experince with bikes here already figured that one how out so how is the Vulcan, thinking very hard about it.

Will they take a trade in with a bike that has a book? That would solve the problem wouldn't it

[ajahnlau]

I have a large 900 cc chopper and it cost me all of 900 baht to register it and get plates easy peasy

What's the rest of the story?

That's only for Paul Harvey to know...

And he took the secret to the grave with him a few days ago.

RIP. One of the greats.

[Rtwo]

It has started in Chiang Mai. No plates? No invoice? Lose your bike.

Apparently the word has come down to seize 100 illegal bikes. Only 30 so far.

Watch out!!!

Excellent idea, I'm very glad to see that the law is being applied at last, just hope they follow it up by seizing all the un-plated cars that you see driving around, new ones included. Why should I have to go and jump through all the hoops and pay all the expenses when some just don't give a toss?

[Ajarn]

It has started in Chiang Mai. No plates? No invoice? Lose your bike.

Apparently the word has come down to seize 100 illegal bikes. Only 30 so far.

Watch out!!!

Excellent idea, I'm very glad to see that the law is being applied at last, just hope they follow it up by seizing all the un-plated cars that you see driving around, new ones included. Why should I have to go and jump through all the hoops and pay all the expenses when some just don't give a toss?

Nothing wrong with new cars with no plates, they're waiting for their plates. When you buy a new car, red plates are offered for a deposit of 1,000 to 3, 000 baht. You can take the red plates, or not use any plates until your car is registerd.

[ray23]

"Excellent idea, I'm very glad to see that the law is being applied at last, just hope they follow it up by seizing all the un-plated cars that you see driving around, new ones included. Why should I have to go and jump through all the hoops and pay all the expenses when some just don't give a toss?"

Obviously you have never registered an imported motorcycle my try to read the thread.

I wouldn't get to excited this won't last.

[Rtwo]

It has started in Chiang Mai. No plates? No invoice? Lose your bike.

Apparently the word has come down to seize 100 illegal bikes. Only 30 so far.

Watch out!!!

Excellent idea, I'm very glad to see that the law is being applied at last, just hope they follow it up by seizing all the un-plated cars that you see driving around, new ones included. Why should I have to go and jump through all the hoops and pay all the expenses when some just don't give a toss?

Nothing wrong with new cars with no plates, they're waiting for their plates. When you buy a new car, red plates are offered for a deposit of 1,000 to 3, 000 baht. You can take the red plates, or not use any plates until your car is registerd.

Of course there's nothing wrong with the cars but the owner is breaking the law. To be legal you must have red plates; the reason that many dealers offer you the option of driving them away without any is that they don't give a toss about the law or the potential problems that it might give you with the police or insurance company and because many of them have't got enough red plates as the must buy them from the reg authortity. Even with red plates, strictly speaking the vehicle can't be taken out of the changwat in which it is registered nor can it be driven between the hours of sunset and sunrise, if you do, you risk a fine and or having the vehicle impounded.

It's perfectly true that I've never attempted to register an imported motorbike but if I had I wouldn't ride it until it was properly plated. If that so difficult why do you bother doing it? You couldn't get away with it in your own country. It seems completely logical to me that vehicles used on the public roads be properly taxed and plated and I suggest that most of the motorcyclists you see riding around here without plates are riding around illegally, i.e. they may have no insurance, road tax or that the vehcle itself may have been stolen. Clearly the police think likewise and are intent on doing something about it, I say good luck to them and hopefully it'll make the place a little safer for us all.

[ray23]

Still haven't read the thread have you?

Obviously your not a rider. Why do you do the hobby you enjoy. The answer is the same.

If you going to live here full time you need more then the net and the bar. For some that may be golf or whatever for me it's motocycle touring. By the way I paid my 70K to get a book.

If you really want to understand you need to read the thread. Or continue to express yourself without proper knowledge to form an oppinion. We are lucky now we can get new bikes with proper book, that has only been a couple of years.

Car when I bough mine no red platese availabe all rented out so of course I wouldn't use it for five months after paying for it and the insurance thi Thailand thing are more grey then black and white.

[Isee]

Car when I bough mine no red platese availabe all rented out so of course I wouldn't use it for five months after paying for it and the insurance thi Thailand thing are more grey then black and white.

I would write it in as a term of the purchase contract that they provide an "authentic" red plate at time of delivery (as well as imposing a delivery date). If they won't agree to that, would give them 4 weeks to provide the vehicle white plates, after which a daily penalty of 200 baht. If they didn't agree to that, I would walk. Drove a hire car with a red plate and it was a pain worrying about whether I would be pulled over and...well you know how it works. Not being able to use your new car for 5 months is...well lets say, I personally wouldn't accept that outcome. The dealers really need to sort out their red plate policy and get new plate applications dealt with quicker.

[ray23]

Had the car for four years now it all worked out, grey here.

[Rtwo]

Car when I bough mine no red platese availabe all rented out so of course I wouldn't use it for five months after paying for it and the insurance thi Thailand thing are more grey then black and white.

I would write it in as a term of the purchase contract that they provide an "authentic" red plate at time of delivery (as well as imposing a delivery date). If they won't agree to that, would give them 4 weeks to provide the vehicle white plates, after which a daily penalty of 200 baht. If they didn't agree to that, I would walk. Drove a hire car with a red plate and it was a pain worrying about whether I would be pulled over and...well you know how it works. Not being able to use your new car for 5 months is...well lets say, I personally wouldn't accept that outcome. The dealers really need to sort out their red plate policy and get new plate applications dealt with quicker.

An excellent suggestion, last time Saha Panit tried the "oh sorry they've all be lent out" routine on me I said I'd rescind the contract and write to Toyotota unless the red plate was affixed to the vehicle when I came to collect it that afternoon. Surprise surprise they just happened to find one! Incidentally I'd never buy another vehicle from them ever again for that and for other reasons. I still wrote to Toyota detailing the incident and got a very nice letter back saying how concerned they were and asking me to contact them direct if I ever had problems with the vehicle.

[Rtwo]

Still haven't read the thread have you?

Obviously your not a rider. Why do you do the hobby you enjoy. The answer is the same.

If you going to live here full time you need more then the net and the bar. For some that may be golf or whatever for me it's motocycle touring. By the way I paid my 70K to get a book.

If you really want to understand you need to read the thread. Or continue to express yourself without proper knowledge to form an oppinion. We are lucky now we can get new bikes with proper book, that has only been a couple of years.

Car when I bough mine no red platese availabe all rented out so of course I wouldn't use it for five months after paying for it and the insurance thi Thailand thing are more grey then black and white.

This thread is nothing to do with hobbies! As I understood it it's to do with the police deciding "to seize 100 illegal bikes." You say you paid 70K to get yourself a book? So what, am I supposed to feel sorry for you? If that's what it cost then that's up to you. If you bought the bike without papers in thiis country why did you do that? I said that I haven't ever tried to tax an imported motorbike and that's true but my wife who works for a large freight forwarder here in Chiangmai has imported lots of bikes on behalf of her customers and has obtained documents that have enabled the owners to legally register the machines without problems in every single case including one bike shipped in from Australia in bits. If the freight forwarder has done their job right then there'll be a book, if not then then bike has been imported without the correct procedure being followed. If you follow the rules then there aren't any problems, if you buy a unregistered bike then you do so at your own risk and if the police go after you then tough luck.

[ray23]

Not interesed in your thoughts about car registerations and whatever that has to do with bikes. But I would like the information about the frieght company. You talked why people will pay that I answered you. My bike is legal, thats waht I paid I'm not complaining.

So now how about something contructive and post the information on the frieght company?

Never know might bring one in myself since it so easy.

[davidgtr]

.......but my wife who works for a large freight forwarder here in Chiangmai has imported lots of bikes on behalf of her customers and has obtained documents that have enabled the owners to legally register the machines without problems in every single case including one bike shipped in from Australia in bits.

Now that sounds like really valuable information. Any chance of sharing the info / some details for the company, please.

[keo]

saw a police pickup truck on the superhighway heading towards Nimman yesterday at about 5pm with two huge custom choppers in the back.

I scurried away through the traffic.

I'm contemplating doing the unforgivable and joining the honda dream massif.

<deleted> THE POLICE!!!555!

p.s. I heard from mae somtam tonight that they are at 80 seized bikes.

[ray23]

Well hopefully RTW, will post the info on his wifes company and we can have some realistic options.

I know at the moment I can't even get a V-Star through Yamaha and they are approved to to import Big Bikes, won't even do it with cash up front. I can get a new V-star but it will have a grey book. I've been trying with them for two years now. That have approaved model by Thailand and thats it.

So this would be a real boon to me. The amazing thing the cost for a book on a Vulcan 900 is 900 baht a far cry from 70K. At the moment that is the only approved import that I can ride. Besides the Harley. nice bikes but not for me.

[ray23]

http://www.allheadlinenews.com/articles/7009019278

Recent Japan Thailand free trade agrrement cars specifically mentioned nothing about bikes

[WinnieTheKhwai]

Which bigger bikes can be bought legally currently? (New ones) ? (Say 400cc and up)