Buying a superbike for a 2 months trip?

[Wulf86]

Hello together,

I'm a independent traveller and I want to explore Thailand, Laos, and Cambodia by a superbike in the next 2 months.

I don't like to go always by public transport.

I know about the high accident rate here in the country alrady. Also I'm worry about that high amount of rain by the monsunseason.

Still I'm getting now to Phuket next week and want to have a look for second hand bikes. Also I don't know yet, if I'm allowed to buy a motorbike.

The prices for bikes should be cheaper then in Malaysia.

So I want to buy a cheap but good motorbike from any local brand. Important should be that I can carry my clothes and belongings with me by some external bags.

Do you have any good tipps or experience for me?

I'm happy about all support.

Thanks people.

Wulf

[paz]

What is a superbike? Normal bikes are expensive already in Thailand. Exotic ones often come without a full title and registration. What is your budget and what is that you really want ?

Edited October 29, 2013 by paz

[Wulf86]

Well, here in Malaysia they call a scooter a motorbike. And they call a usually motorbike a superbike. I'm confused by that, too.

My budget for a motorbike and clothes is arround 6000 Euro. I could by a fast scooter too. But I dont know if this is powerful enough for all hills.

[Denim]

If you only have a tourist visa I think you will not be able to own the bike, that is , have it registered in your own name. You would probably find it easier to hire a bike for two months.

[paz]

With that money you can buy a lot of stuff. You would be better making you mind as there is a lot of difference between a scooter, a 150cc, or a a Kawa er-6n, you have to decide what you really want. Give a look to the classified section for an idea of the prices. You could even work-out a deal with the seller agreeing to return the bike back after a time for a lower price, without registering ownership change.

[paz]

If you only have a tourist visa I think you will not be able to own the bike, that is , have it registered in your own name. You would probably find it easier to hire a bike for two months.

You can register a vehicle even when on a visa waiver. All you need is a residence letter from immigration and a cooperating land transport officer or agency. I say that because I've see it done. However as you say, a long term rental agreement may be a better option.

Edited October 29, 2013 by paz

[jbrain]

You can buy a motorbike in your name as long as you have a visa of any kind in your passport, even a tourist visa, as you will have to get a certificate of residence from immigration.

A Visa exempt is not a visa.

On a rented bike you can not leave the country, so visiting Laos or Cambodia on a rented bike would not be possible.

For 6000 Euro you can sure get some decent tour bike, or off-road bike, that will last you through the trip, and is resalable at a minimum loss afterwards.

Stay away from Thai and Chines brands.

[VocalNeal]

If the bike is not in your name you may have trouble getting it to leave Thailand for Laos or Cambodia. Same will probably be true for a rental bike.

I would go to a main Honda dealer and enquire about say a CBR250 and ask about ownership.

[Wulf86]

If you only have a tourist visa I think you will not be able to own the bike, that is , have it registered in your own name. You would probably find it easier to hire a bike for two months.

You can register a vehicle even when on a visa waiver. All you need is a residence letter from immigration and a cooperating land transport officer or agency. I say that because I've see it done. However as you say, a long term rental agreement may be a better option.

First thanks for all your support! :-)

So rental will be not possible because I want to leave the country. So I need to get a residence letter. Is there any requirement?

Who is a cooparating transport officer? The motorbike supplier?

I planned to get a Honda motorbike.

[Ninja4me]

If the bike is not in your name you may have trouble getting it to leave Thailand for Laos or Cambodia. Same will probably be true for a rental bike.

I would go to a main Honda dealer and enquire about say a CBR250 and ask about ownership.

He Can't really by a new cbr250, since he will get a red licence plate (if any) for a month or two. That makes it impossible to leave the country as well...

Edited October 29, 2013 by Ninja4mee

[LemonSqueeza]

id go to bangkok and buy from somewhere like red baron and try to swing a deal where they will buy it back when you are done.

id be looking for a great condition vfr, cbr or similar that is if superbike means sport bike.

otherwise a crf, or similar

Edited October 29, 2013 by LemonSqueeza

[BKS22]

I can't think of a more uncomfortable way to "explore" thru 3 different countries then on a superbike/sportbike. God awful for navigating thru heavy traffic and damn muscle numbing for long distance rides.

If you're only going to be here for a few months...you should just rent. But definitely reconsider your bike choice. Something more of a touring/enduro style motorcycle with an upright riding position and extra bag capacity will pay off big time in your journey. chok dee khrap!

[Jeffrey346]

Unless you have clear title [book in your name], you will never get the bike out of the country. It takes anywhere from 6 to 8 weeks for the book to arrive.

If you have time to tour Thailand for 2 months, you won't have an issue leaving the country with the bike.

[Andyfez]

Residence letter: unless the rules have changed, to get this you need to go to the immigration police with a signed rental agreement for your house.

If you are not residing here (just staying in a hotel) you may have a problem.

[Dario]

Why don't you bring your own superbike from Malaysia? You can temporarily import it into Thailand without paying any tax as long as you bring it back to Malaysia within the time frame given by the Royal Thai Customs. Just make sure they allow you in for 2 months, I think that's possible.

[AllanB]

Save yourself a lot of grief, red tape and money, rent a bike in each country you want to travel. Even people who live here have problems crossing a border with a vehicle, you have no chance.

Remember when Thais say "yes", it doesn't always mean yes.

[Cuban]

So rental will be not possible because I want to leave the country.

So I need to get a residence letter. Is there any requirement?

Who is a cooparating transport officer? The motorbike supplier?

Within Thailand "Driving Licences" and "Vehicle Registration Documents" (aka "Green Book" for motorbikes) are dealt with by "The Land Transport Office" most big towns have one, cities have a few to choose from.

Each office will/may apply the national rules differently depending on amongst other factors: who (transport officer) you speak to, how polite you are and what clothes you are wearing, if they had a good lunch or not, if they are seeking a 200 Baht service fee, or if their sibling has just been dumped by a farang boyfriend and they have the shits for all farang that day etc. Dealing with Thai bureaucracy can be easy if you approach it correctly - do it badly and everything is impossible and will require permissions from other people at different offices that are closed because of Public Holidays.

To "own" a motorbike or a car you need a proof of address in Thailand, rental agreement is fine, some LTOs also want this confirmed by the local Immigration Office, this is an example of Thais seeking someone else to blame if anything goes wrong, if there is a crash etc involving the farang and the farang is not at the address they gave the LTO records, the LTO can point to Immigration and say they they did not verify the address etc.

You will also need a Visa in your passport, in the past they accepted even short Tourist Visas, I believe this is no longer accepted and now you need a non-immigrant Visa of at least one year's validity.

When taking documents to the LTO you need 2/3 photocopies of everything, significant passport pages and the TM 6 (arrival card you fill in when entering Thailand) every side of paper that have something on them needs to be signed.

Getting the Green Book issued can take some weeks.

This may affect the insurance cover - which I suggest should be comprehensive in nature.

Also if travelling solo have your Medical Insurance paperwork easily found with details in BIG letters in Thai language as if you are badly injured you will need paperwork to talk for you with blood group etc etc.

You do not need a Thai driving licence to own a car/bike.

You do need to have a Thai Driving Licence if you intend to spend more than Three Months in Thailand, otherwise an International Driving Permit in English is accepted. There are many police check points in Thailand and they will inspect the licence frequently. International Driving Licences sold on side streets are not valid anywhere and are best avoided.

Not only are Thai drivers a danger on the roads but also the roads themselves offer some great opportunities to get into great difficulty with pot-holes, stray cattle at night and other motorbikes crossing main highways at 90 degrees to traffic flow without looking - I have encounters all of the above...

...but it was a drunk Thai driver that put me in hospital for two weeks getting fixed, I too was on a Honda.

I suggest you rent a bike, cross borders on foot, drive in daylight and not above 80-90 KPH, which is the speed limit for many roads anyway. Your reaction times are fine but Thais do strange things on the roads and understanding their logic in a given situation takes longer than your planned trip to assess and assimilate.

Taking "your" bike into other countries requires temporary import/export papers, fresh insurance in the country concerned and translated number plates. Also the ability to do all of this again comes back to the LTO and will be affected by Public Holidays and the international relations at the time between Thailand and the country you seek to cross into. Don't forget to get a multi-entry Visa and re-entry permit otherwise your nice long visa will be useless when you try to re-enter and you will get a 15 day visa-waver stamp. 15 days means a fire-sale on the bike, you may as well give it away.

There are police speed traps that will seek to fine you regardless of speed, the fines are about 200 Baht without a ticket, 400 Baht with a ticket and usually a detour to a Police Station to pay the official fine.

Like dealing with LTO officers do not be so rude as to offer money in these situations - it's illegal for one thing - understand their situation and sympathise at the difficulty and ask if there is any way that they can make it happen for a service fee? And smile a lot.

When you sell your bike, getting the Green Book transferred to the buyer's name will require you to to still have a valid Visa stamp in your passport, and all the other document copies again.

If your visa has expired then you need to get a fresh one to sell the bike - no one will take a bike otherwise as it is very very very difficult to get a legal transfer done without the seller's paperwork being in order. For a car I was quoted 50,000 Baht some years ago.

Edited October 30, 2013 by Cuban

[Hili]

I would go for a second hand Honda CB500X should be around 180-190k which is around 4500 euro. Also you dont have to worry about the registration in the first place, because its registered already. The transfer to your name could be done later after the trip before you are selling it again. Thats fully legal and nothing to worry about.

[misterphil]

Residence letter: unless the rules have changed, to get this you need to go to the immigration police with a signed rental agreement for your house.

If you are not residing here (just staying in a hotel) you may have a problem.

He will have a problem if he has no proof that he is residing here, so you are correct. If he has a friend who will kindly write a letter to confirm that he is living at his friends house it is possible for him to get the residency certificate from immigration, and a Thai driving licence which I would definitly get if touring the Country. I know this as I have a friend who done it, and his bike is parked at my house right now. ;-)

[Louisblackbird]

Doing just that is great been touring thsi since last year on 500 Honda

Yes you can buy a bike you will need a res permit obtainable easily enough

And a thai license

And of course

You can travel

Almost anywhere check my Fb

Trip

[mattincm]

If the bike is not in your name you may have trouble getting it to leave Thailand for Laos or Cambodia. Same will probably be true for a rental bike.

I would go to a main Honda dealer and enquire about say a CBR250 and ask about ownership.

He Can't really by a new cbr250, since he will get a red licence plate (if any) for a month or two. That makes it impossible to leave the country as well...

A newly registered bike can be taken out of the country by the registered owner. See the land transport office and ask them for the appropriate paperwork.

[morocco]

Easier to do in Cambodia. But you need bike registered in your name and reg. card to enter other countries. Just having a receipt no longer works. Can take up to 3 months to get the card. A lot sooner if you can grease the right palms. Once you have then no problem getting across borders, except China and Vietnam. That is a different story altogether.

Get an enduro bike, much better for the kind of roads and travel in these counties.

Edited October 30, 2013 by morocco

[f0xxee]

Yes a tourist visa can buy a bike in TH: You need a letter of residence from the local cop shop, ( you do NOT need to get this from Immigration, Embassy etc. Police will do for a fee.) You will need the required transfer docs (see attached), photo copies of your passport (signed using the SAME signature as shows in your Passport) and thats about it. Transfers will occur at the local Land Transport Dept.

I have bought several bikes this way, no issue.

Don't bet on Superbikes being cheaper here than in Malaysia, or better quality. Many were imported in pieces and reassembled by knuckle-draggers. Caveat emptor. If I were you I would buy in Malaysia and keep on riding.

If you decide to ride into Thailand you will need temporary insurance, and temporary import papers, all available at the border crossing on the Malaysian side. YOU MUST HAVE ALL MALAYSIAN OWNERSHIP DOCS RECEIPTS and REGISTRATION PAPERS to do this.

If you decide to buy in TH then you will definitely need a registered, taxed, and insured bike in order to ride out of Thailand into Laos. The key is in the paperwork.

I have done the Singapore to Chiang Mai ride a few years ago. There is something special about riding in SE Asia.

As far as buying a bike in TH, 6000 Euros should buy you something suitable. Try TV Classifieds...

[robblok]

Personally id say buy a second hand cbr250 as its one of the bikes easiest to repear. Why second hand then you don't have to wait for the green book too long. .

Edited October 30, 2013 by robblok

[Howard House]

Wulf, if you are interested I am selling my 650 Kawasaki Ninja for 170,000 baht . It has 33,000 klms on it. All good. I live in Krabi area . Call Gary 0872722098.

PS: I hope it is ok to put this post here or I can put in classified.

[oldsailor35]

If you intend coming to Samui, There is a German guy at Maenam who hires and sells big bikes from 250cc up. With a guarantee buy back if you want. You can buy a bike with a tourist visa, no problems.

[Wulf86]

Well, I think I will have the same problems to buy a motorbike in Malaysia, because I'm not a local, too.

Is it really easier to get a motorbike in Cambodia?

I need to get to a LTO in Phuket to verify the way of purchase.

The motorbike supplier can do the letter of residence, too?

Thanks all!!

Sent from my ME371MG using Thaivisa Connect Thailand mobile app

[DualSportBiker]

Your bike choice is sub-optimal; consider a dual-sport as many of the roads leave much to be desired. Even in Thailand, you can be caught out by a trench across an other wise perfect road - and hidden behind a blind corner of course...

[BlackArtemis]

You most likely won't be buying a supersport bike, but something with 45-80hp.

As others have stated the Kawasaki 650 line or Honda CBR500 line are in your price range.

There are some 600RR's for sale that are legal, but for 6k euro I would expect to be getting one not in prime condition.

Also you will have trouble selling it back unless you are willing to do a quick sale and lose a good chunk of cash or have the time to wait around. Most people do not have the cash to drop on a used bike and choose to finance instead, sometimes a bigger bike can be in the classifieds for months before it sells.

I have a 650r Ninja and most of the major roads are fine for riding here, it's also nice to know that in each major section of the country there is a dealership for support.

If I were to do what you were doing I would get a D-tracker 250, consider the 331cc kit and then have a bike that can hit decent speeds but also tackle most roads in Thailand and Laos. The cheaper price would also make it an easier resale.

Good luck on your adventure.

[shaurene]

Hi, I doubt if you can buy one in your name if it was me I would do a deal with a rental place for a good price but not from Phuket,

Go further up country. You could do a good deal for long term. Hope this some help to you, best of luck