May 5, 201312 yr There is a Yamaha big bike shop on Sukimvette in Pattaya. Right next to the true value store Soi Khao Talo. They have a bunch of little bikes outside & a small amount of show bikes (imported) for order. I think its name is Yamaha watersports. they also sell jet ski's & such. I found the staff to be kinda rude & not to knowledgeable at all about their product. Kawasaki is much easier to deal with instead of duh I dunno can write them & find out in about 3 weeks. they walked me on a chance of a sale on a 600 or larger. I bought Kawasaki instead. They were able to answer basic questions. Good luck. If their service shop is as poor as the sales that will be one hella bike to get repairs done on. Pattaya is nor renound for big bike repairs. You have to beg them to adjust your valves & bring them the guages to check the clearances on the valves. Watchara Marine is printed on the big sign out on the street. Yes, they don't seem interested in customers there.
May 5, 201312 yr Author Will stay away from grey-importers who can't provide the green-book and have to cut much bureaucratic red-tape Who told you grey importers can't provide the green book? I have the green book, not a bogus book but one delivered straight from the department of land transport. If you do it the right way there are no problems.Mind you also that my bike wasn't imported in parts, but in one piece. No red tape to cut or backhanders, just deal with the right people. Based on speaking to many bike-enthusiasts(both farang and Thai)I would at least say the (vast)majority of grey-importers can't/will not provide the greenbook; suppose every herd has one "white sheep" too
May 5, 201312 yr Author There is a Yamaha big bike shop on Sukimvette in Pattaya. Right next to the true value store Soi Khao Talo. They have a bunch of little bikes outside & a small amount of show bikes (imported) for order. I think its name is Yamaha watersports. they also sell jet ski's & such. I found the staff to be kinda rude & not to knowledgeable at all about their product. Kawasaki is much easier to deal with instead of duh I dunno can write them & find out in about 3 weeks. they walked me on a chance of a sale on a 600 or larger. I bought Kawasaki instead. They were able to answer basic questions. Good luck. If their service shop is as poor as the sales that will be one hella bike to get repairs done on. Pattaya is nor renound for big bike repairs. You have to beg them to adjust your valves & bring them the guages to check the clearances on the valves. Watchara Marine is printed on the big sign out on the street. Yes, they don't seem interested in customers there. There is a Yamaha big bike shop on Sukimvette in Pattaya. Right next to the true value store Soi Khao Talo. They have a bunch of little bikes outside & a small amount of show bikes (imported) for order. I think its name is Yamaha watersports. they also sell jet ski's & such. I found the staff to be kinda rude & not to knowledgeable at all about their product. Kawasaki is much easier to deal with instead of duh I dunno can write them & find out in about 3 weeks. they walked me on a chance of a sale on a 600 or larger. I bought Kawasaki instead. They were able to answer basic questions. Good luck. If their service shop is as poor as the sales that will be one hella bike to get repairs done on. Pattaya is nor renound for big bike repairs. You have to beg them to adjust your valves & bring them the guages to check the clearances on the valves. Watchara Marine is printed on the big sign out on the street. Yes, they don't seem interested in customers there. Watchara Marine has been named(or should it be shamed)several times so their reputation can't be tied down to one grumpy/dissatisfied customer; you have been warned. Can we roll up the sausage from the other end and recommend sale/maintenance for their good or even excellent service? Are there "white sheep" or is this utopia in Thailand?
May 5, 201312 yr Will stay away from grey-importers who can't provide the green-book and have to cut much bureaucratic red-tape Who told you grey importers can't provide the green book? I have the green book, not a bogus book but one delivered straight from the department of land transport. If you do it the right way there are no problems.Mind you also that my bike wasn't imported in parts, but in one piece. No red tape to cut or backhanders, just deal with the right people. Based on speaking to many bike-enthusiasts(both farang and Thai)I would at least say the (vast)majority of grey-importers can't/will not provide the greenbook; suppose every herd has one "white sheep" too Or you could say, people at the sideline always know better. This my 3rd import bike, all were with legal green book and I have many friends who have imported bikes all with legal green book. Of course I can name you the dealers you have to stay away from, and they are also well bespoken on this forum. Another fact is that many " bike enthusiasts " refuse to shell out the extra money for the green book at the time of purchase, because it is no problem to ride without a book, and when they found out that in fact it is a problem it will be too late to get it legal. So let's blame the dealer then. It should also be a known fact that older bikes can not get a legal green book as they will have no chance to pass the emission test. As I said, if you do it the right way, then there will be no problem but don't expect to get it in under the table since that door has been closed recently.
May 5, 201312 yr Author Will stay away from grey-importers who can't provide the green-book and have to cut much bureaucratic red-tape Who told you grey importers can't provide the green book? I have the green book, not a bogus book but one delivered straight from the department of land transport. If you do it the right way there are no problems.Mind you also that my bike wasn't imported in parts, but in one piece. No red tape to cut or backhanders, just deal with the right people. Based on speaking to many bike-enthusiasts(both farang and Thai)I would at least say the (vast)majority of grey-importers can't/will not provide the greenbook; suppose every herd has one "white sheep" too Or you could say, people at the sideline always know better. This my 3rd import bike, all were with legal green book and I have many friends who have imported bikes all with legal green book. Of course I can name you the dealers you have to stay away from, and they are also well bespoken on this forum. Another fact is that many " bike enthusiasts " refuse to shell out the extra money for the green book at the time of purchase, because it is no problem to ride without a book, and when they found out that in fact it is a problem it will be too late to get it legal. So let's blame the dealer then. It should also be a known fact that older bikes can not get a legal green book as they will have no chance to pass the emission test. As I said, if you do it the right way, then there will be no problem but don't expect to get it in under the table since that door has been closed recently. how i can say this in a polite manner; generally speaking i'm not expecting too much from people who show their self-esteem is a bit on the delicate site; a disagreement can make them feel revengeful, yet they need it. last thread from me on this and enjoy your bike!!
May 6, 201312 yr Based on speaking to many bike-enthusiasts(both farang and Thai)I would at least say the (vast)majority of grey-importers can't/will not provide the greenbook; suppose every herd has one "white sheep" too Or you could say, people at the sideline always know better. This my 3rd import bike, all were with legal green book and I have many friends who have imported bikes all with legal green book. Of course I can name you the dealers you have to stay away from, and they are also well bespoken on this forum. Another fact is that many " bike enthusiasts " refuse to shell out the extra money for the green book at the time of purchase, because it is no problem to ride without a book, and when they found out that in fact it is a problem it will be too late to get it legal. So let's blame the dealer then. It should also be a known fact that older bikes can not get a legal green book as they will have no chance to pass the emission test. As I said, if you do it the right way, then there will be no problem but don't expect to get it in under the table since that door has been closed recently. how i can say this in a polite manner; generally speaking i'm not expecting too much from people who show their self-esteem is a bit on the delicate site; a disagreement can make them feel revengeful, yet they need it. last thread from me on this and enjoy your bike!! Well how can I say it in a polite way that some newbie who came onhere asking where he could buy a bike, as he wasn't even able to explore a website of the manufacturer, only 3 days later knows it all better than everyone else on this forum who has owned and purchased bikes for many years in Thailand. I even had to fix the quotes for this know it all, as even that is behind his understanding .
May 6, 201312 yr I think the op needs to actually decide what sort of bike he wants ,seems he hasn't mentioned once even what style of bike he wants.
May 6, 201312 yr I think the op needs to actually decide what sort of bike he wants ,seems he hasn't mentioned once even what style of bike he wants. He mentioned a few times that he fancies a cruiser like the Yamaha Midnightstar, over here called Roadliner, but that is a bike which is only available in Thailand through import.
May 6, 201312 yr Author I think the op needs to actually decide what sort of bike he wants ,seems he hasn't mentioned once even what style of bike he wants. I think the op needs to actually decide what sort of bike he wants ,seems he hasn't mentioned once even what style of bike he wants. Mentioned in the first thread I was looking for a bike in the 900 ccm or up class; that leaves a lot of options indeed. General outlook is to a have bike with which I can make trips through Thailand and neighboring countries with my best friend, who will join me to live in LOS end of the year. As the days of Hayabusa high speeding are (far) left behind me, I opt now for a more cruiser type of bike; shaft or belt-driven and torque more important than speed/hp and with saddlebags that can be attached. Like Jbrain stated the optimum for me would be a Yamaha MidnightStar or comparable(Honda VTX 1800); the minimum being a Yamaha Dragstar, Kawasaki Vulcan or comparable.
May 12, 201312 yr Author To all forum-members who contribute useful information to this topic; I would like to thank you as it give me some valuable insight information about buying a motor-cycle, spare-parts,green-books, grey-importing, service and maintenance(and the lack of it) etc.: Thanks very much for your input FYI; just bought a second-hand yamaha dragstar 2009, well-maintained and with greenbook.
May 12, 201312 yr Yes to Honda and no to Kawasaki, the later you would have to order. CBR600RR, sitting at Honda, several flavors ready to purchase. I have been to the new honda shop in pattaya many times. They do have many 500s, cbr1000rr on the floor and even a crf250R but no cbr600rr
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