Purchasing My First Motorcycle .... & Confused!

[Oliver2524]

Hi Fellow Chiang Mai Residents,

I plan to get a motorcycle within the next week. I just want a small semi-automatic, like my girlfriends Honda Dream 125 I have been using. I plan on using it mainly around CM, but I will take the occasional trip to Lamphun and other local provinces. I have been looking at a Honda Wave 100cc which I have seen for around the 32,000B mark at a few places. Hopefully a 100cc will be ok for me, as long as I don't ride it like I would a rental bike?!

Although, I am tempted by a second hand bike. But, I have read on the forum that motorbikes keep there value well, so, is there any point in buying secondhand? Plus, my GF keeps putting me off with stories of stolen/dangerous bikes, although, I think she doesn't like second-hand things anyway! If I could get a decent second-hand bike with a significantly better spec which would still be reliable + safe I would be tempted.

Also, what about insurance (that one I still need to research on Thaivisa)

Does anyone have any words of wisdom for me (and no, I can't afford a car )

Thanks all, and a belated Happy Christmas and a premature Happy New Year

[potaek]

Hi Fellow Chiang Mai Residents,

I plan to get a motorcycle within the next week. I just want a small semi-automatic, like my girlfriends Honda Dream 125 I have been using. I plan on using it mainly around CM, but I will take the occasional trip to Lamphun and other local provinces. I have been looking at a Honda Wave 100cc which I have seen for around the 32,000B mark at a few places. Hopefully a 100cc will be ok for me, as long as I don't ride it like I would a rental bike?!

Although, I am tempted by a second hand bike. But, I have read on the forum that motorbikes keep there value well, so, is there any point in buying secondhand? Plus, my GF keeps putting me off with stories of stolen/dangerous bikes, although, I think she doesn't like second-hand things anyway! If I could get a decent second-hand bike with a significantly better spec which would still be reliable + safe I would be tempted.

Also, what about insurance (that one I still need to research on Thaivisa)

Does anyone have any words of wisdom for me (and no, I can't afford a car )

Thanks all, and a belated Happy Christmas and a premature Happy New Year

Actually it is better to buy a new one, the prices for used ones are very high and you never knew, what you will get. But If you want to buy it in your own name, you must have a non Immigrant Visum ( three month ) and go ask for " bai rap rong " at the immigration office Chiangmai. Insurance is about 500 Baht a year. tax about 200 Baht.

But sometimes you can get a good used one, I just saw an advertisment, Honda dream 100 cc at the wall of the old gasstation in Ratchadamnoern road in the small soi behind the Montri Hotel at Taphae place. A farang, who is going back home tries to sell it, maybe that one is a bargain.

Hope I could help a little potaek

I forgot, he asked 10 000 only!

Edited December 28, 2006 by potaek

[Rasseru]

I would encourage you to spent some time exploring this site, which contains a lot of information that I think you will find useful:

http://gt-rider.com/

[calibanjr.]

My experience, bought a 2nd hand Honda WaveR 125 at Niyom Panich for 27k, had 18k miles on it. Been 11 months now, not a single problem yet. Actually had a pretty hefty accident (run off a mountainish road by a big blue truck) a month ago, bike came out surprisingly well; me..... not so much.

Edited December 28, 2006 by calibanjr.

[BlackArtemis]

There is a huge second hand market for bikes our in Mae Jo area. you can see 40-50k bikes for 12-15k for a dream 17-25k for a wave etc etc.

Right after I got mine I saw a guy sell a 3k 125 dream for 15k Baht

[altman]

make sure you need to buy. rentals are cheap enough for occassional use. but if you do need one of your own, then probably new is better. a good used one would save 10 k or so, but the operative word there is 'good'. and that visa/resident thing must be overcome in order to own, legally.

[Ta22]

You can get a Bike for as low as 5-6k . and so on ..

a Old Honda Dream - ( i own one myself )

is the best and most lastingbike i ever since .. and is also super cheap to repair and the part is is at every shop ..

got for the model .. which every one in Thailand call " DUCK ASS " or " DUCK BUTT "

the Tail of the Bike look like the DUCK behind .

Price can go as high as 10k-11k for this model ..

many years ago i got rip off buting that same model . at 20k .

BUT after 7 years of using . this is the best bike out there .

i had friends who buy new bike . Wave , click , smash , you name it .. all had problem .. and the repair is not cheap ..

anyway. good luck .

[Bates]

Sorry to say.. but I read alot of crap in this topic.

Prices are NOT high for a second hand but you just have to know where to get them

I bought myself a nice Naked Bike Honda CB1 400cc for as low as 46000 baht ! My thai spouse has a friend who imports bikes from Japan, checks them all and then sells them for a reasonal price. The bikes are in very good condition when they arrive at Bangkok port and are then checked in Chiangmai, next he sents them to the painter to make sure there are no scratches. About 1,5 month after your order, your bike is ready!

Here are pictures of mine (Delivered on 01/12/2006)

Let me know if you need the adress

Cheers

[Rasseru]

I bought myself a nice Naked Bike Honda CB1 400cc for as low as 46000 baht ! My thai spouse has a friend who imports bikes from Japan, checks them all and then sells them for a reasonal price. The bikes are in very good condition when they arrive at Bangkok port and are then checked in Chiangmai, next he sents them to the painter to make sure there are no scratches. About 1,5 month after your order, your bike is ready!

Your story, combined with the absence of a license plate on your bike, reminded me of this recent report in an English language newspaper in Japan:

http://search.japantimes.co.jp/cgi-bin/nn20061129f3.html

No doubt there is no connection between your story and the newspaper's, but the report is certainly relevant to the broader issue of purchasing a bike here.

[Bates]

You saw it correct, no license plate... YET.. i'm heading off to CM tomorrow to have it registered WITH the registration book

By the way, your article doesn't work, pass protected

[Sojourner]

This should be interesting. With reg. book means if it came straight from Japan to BKK and then to CNX as was stated, the green book is from another bike.

[Rasseru]

By the way, your article doesn't work, pass protected

Sorry about that. It was not pass protected before. I'll see if I can clip and post it here later.

[rahyumdee]

... Hopefully a 100cc will be ok for me, ...

125cc is a minimum, unless you like downshifting and grinding up slight inclines with your gf in tow...

Prices for the Honda 125i (fuel injection) are coming down, too. If you plan to be here a while, go for one of those. Smoother power, slightly better on gas (not that that's really an issue)...

[rahyumdee]

..., and that visa/resident thing must be overcome in order to own, legally.

Not true.

Just show up at the Transportation Authority (the equivalent of the 'DMV' in the States) with your passport and your 'green book' showing your name as the current valid owner of the vehicle. This is true for either motorbikes or cars.

[Rasseru]

Here is the article for which the link I posted earlier did not work:

Wednesday, Nov. 29, 2006

Cyber-hunters go after stolen cycles

By SHIGEKI WADA

Kyodo News

Owners of expensive motorcycles who had their prized machines stolen -- and in many cases shipped overseas -- now have an Internet site to exchange information in an effort to find their bikes.

Supataro Kondo shows off his 250cc dirt bike, which was stolen but later found in Thailand, at his home in Setagaya Ward, Tokyo, in September. "Your stolen bike is on sale at a shop here," was the message entertainer Supataro Kondo, 39, received in a telephone call at the end of 2001 from a friend who was in the northern Thai city of Chiang Mai. The friend was there to arrange a motorbike tour.

Kondo had three 250cc off-road bikes -- each valued at about 500,000 yen -- stolen from his home in Setagaya Ward, Tokyo, over a two-month period. The bikes, each weighing more than 120 kg, were taken even though they had steering locks in place and heavy iron U-locks, making Kondo suspect underworld involvement.

When he visited Thailand, he found various Japanese-made motorcycles on sale. "New bikes recently sold in Japan were everywhere to be seen, and they cost less than those on the secondhand bike market in Japan," he said.

Strewn about in one bike shop, Kondo found Japanese license plates and security gadgets, including wire locks that had been cut off.

Through the shop owner, he tracked down the buyer of one of his stolen bikes and successfully reclaimed it.

"Japanese police and customs should cooperate better to prevent stolen bikes from being exported," Kondo said.

According to the National Police Agency, motorcycle thefts peaked at about 250,000 in 2000 but had decreased to some 104,000 in 2005. The arrest rate in such cases is only about 10 percent.

A Tokyo resident whose 400cc motorcycle was stolen several years ago set up the Web site Internet Dragnet -- www7a.biglobe.ne.jp/~cbx/ -- to list stolen bikes and exchange information. Some 4,000 stolen bikes are now listed there.

In May 2004, a police officer in Taiwan alerted the Web site manager that he found a motorcycle whose serial number matched that of one of those listed as stolen.

Tapping Kondo's experience in Thailand, the site manager has, with the help of Taiwanese police, recovered 11 stolen bikes from the island. Since then, 14 stolen bikes have been found in Thailand and Greece with the help of the Web page.

All the stolen bikes have been identified through the serial numbers stamped on their frames. To avoid detection and to keep customs duties down, the bikes had been disassembled in Japan and reassembled overseas.

"If you love bikes," the Web site manager said, "you should pursue the culprits and your beloved bikes to the end."

[princealbert]

Hi Fellow Chiang Mai Residents,

I plan to get a motorcycle within the next week. I just want a small semi-automatic, like my girlfriends Honda Dream 125 I have been using. I plan on using it mainly around CM, but I will take the occasional trip to Lamphun and other local provinces. I have been looking at a Honda Wave 100cc which I have seen for around the 32,000B mark at a few places. Hopefully a 100cc will be ok for me, as long as I don't ride it like I would a rental bike?!

Although, I am tempted by a second hand bike. But, I have read on the forum that motorbikes keep there value well, so, is there any point in buying secondhand? Plus, my GF keeps putting me off with stories of stolen/dangerous bikes, although, I think she doesn't like second-hand things anyway! If I could get a decent second-hand bike with a significantly better spec which would still be reliable + safe I would be tempted.

Also, what about insurance (that one I still need to research on Thaivisa)

Does anyone have any words of wisdom for me (and no, I can't afford a car )

Thanks all, and a belated Happy Christmas and a premature Happy New Year

Try the sunday market behind Rimping supermarket 100+ nearly new and used motorcycles from dealers and private sellers. 100cc upwards and prices to suit every budget from 5k to 75k. I picked up a 1 year old fully automatic JRD 125 storm with 7k on clock very clean 6 month tax and newly serviced for 15k. Well worth a visit

Good luck with your quest

[Ta22]

My Suggestion is ADVICE all those FANCY IMPORT Bike .

Many Have problem and you have to pay EXTRA MONEY just to register it ..

AND the AFTER SALE SERVCIE IS ALMOST ZERO >-

Well that all depend on what your NEED>

If you notice Nobody ride one of thoe BIG bike in Town . only TOURIST Rent them .cos back in their Country is rare to spot small bike ..

TRUST me when i say .

The smaller 100cc-150cc Honda yamaha Bike .. is the Best . IN term of PARKING ., easy to Ride .. and Going in small narrow road ..

Well i personally Own a Aprilia back In my country ..

But gaven the choic i would not bring it here ..

PLUS >The Semi auto and now AUTO gearing .. make it such a Joy to get around town ..

Few thing you got to notice

Dose the Bike come with BOOKLET and Proof of ownership ..

Carful stealen bike is commonly sold . so get Seller ID . and copy . it .

The RIMPING market Toward Mae JO had a Weekend Bike Marketin the morning every sunday .

YES is worth checking it out .

MOST of the Big Bike SOLD here is lack of after sale service . when you have Problem . your only choice is BANGKOK >.

chiangmai is a small town but unles sis a common bike . most shop do not carry parts .. and if there DO HAVEPARTS .

Get ready to be CUt apart or RIp off badly .

PLus . a 400cc bike on small narrow road like chiangmai . is just a pure waste of Fuel .

unles syou going for some professionaly beautiful bike . which will costyou as high as 80-90 k ..

and look at it this way .. FOR 70k you can BUY A CAR !!!!...

be Smart .

good luck

[Bates]

Wow, that article about stolen bikes in Japan was truly amazing... I didn't know there was such a business going around in that ! Still.. i'm very satisfied with my bike and I even have a invoice. So I assume everything is fine there..:/ Anyway, I paid for it.. I did my duty.. so that makes me the owner of it now..

I agree small bikes are easier for the city but don't say too fast that a 400cc is too much.. There are a lot of roads where i can give the gas a spin and especially since once a while i'm driving my bike to central Thailand from CM, which makes it perfect for what it's build.

Again,... sorry to hear about all those stolen bikes

[Ta22]

Buying Stolen Goods . IS Illegal ..

and A Bike with AN INVOICE > get you in Trouble The same as. a NON REGISTER BIKE >

The police can Arrest you Put your Bike in The Pow .

The last time i was at the police station - i saw some Farang guy - got Arrested cos he is RIDING ON A RENTAL BIKE WITHOUT REGISTEY and INSURANCE and So on .

He was trying to explain he RENT the Bike . i try to translate for him ..

The police let him Go but NOT THE BIKE >

. So think TWICE before you Get any Bike without PAPER WORK >>

a INVOICE is as good as ESCAPING TAXES .. and at this stage of Thailand Policy . TRUST ME

you want to get your PAPER WORK RIGHT . !!!!We had enough VISA problem already .

we don't NEED the police start Checking every BIKE on the ROAD .. cos some GUy think that Riding a BIKE with INVOICE is OK >>

IS NOT OK >

size of Bike will depend on your Needs .. i just got used to the easy riding on the Semi auto - paddle clutch system on Honda dream and other small bike .. easy to handle and easy to park . and also easy to repair ..and almost every wher eyou can GEt your Tire change ..

for 400 cc . bike is cool ..

BUT .. let say you got a FLAT . tire . Where you think you can FIX IT . especially when you Riding along LAMPHUN >

unless you want to carry your spear . i suggest . you go for a common bike .

But of cos this is just how i felt .. buy what ever you like . what ever make yo happy .

but you been warn : )

[ajahnlau]

Wow, that article about stolen bikes in Japan was truly amazing... I didn't know there was such a business going around in that ! Still.. i'm very satisfied with my bike and I even have a invoice. So I assume everything is fine there..:/ Anyway, I paid for it.. I did my duty.. so that makes me the owner of it now..

I agree small bikes are easier for the city but don't say too fast that a 400cc is too much.. There are a lot of roads where i can give the gas a spin and especially since once a while i'm driving my bike to central Thailand from CM, which makes it perfect for what it's build.

Again,... sorry to hear about all those stolen bikes

Do you know that it will cost you about 40,000bht to get the green book with a proper invoice?

[Ta22]

Just to add on the Greenbook for register bike ..

Bike shop and SELLER .. reallY care less if you get Arrested or get in trouble ..

All there wantis to Make money ..

INVOICE . is PAPER LESS Bike - DOn't get yourself in trouble especially when you are NOT THAI .

... and YEs depending on the CC and the COst as well as How branded the Bike is ..

to Pay the TAxes and register the Bike May COST you as Low as 20-30k to

One example of a 400cc yamaha Dranstar Chooper i saw .. Sold from bangkok to a Farang in chiangmai .

without Register paper only Invoice .

Cost him 52k to register it . .

Bike cost 85k .

[Rice_King]

By the way, your article doesn't work, pass protected

Bug Me Not: Login with free web passwords to bypass compulsory registration.

[Rasseru]

By the way, your article doesn't work, pass protected

Bug Me Not: Login with free web passwords to bypass compulsory registration.

Not quite sure what your post means, but on the chance that it may be relevant, I note that I later separately cut and pasted the article into this thread.

[Rice_King]

By the way, your article doesn't work, pass protected

Bug Me Not: Login with free web passwords to bypass compulsory registration.

Not quite sure what your post means, but on the chance that it may be relevant, I note that I later separately cut and pasted the article into this thread.

Only "relevant" if someone here wanted to bypass registering an account just to access the link (to the article) you posted on this thread. People reading this thread could use Bug Me Not to read the article had you not (later) generously posted it here.

Besides, I was quoting 'Bates' and not you. Hence, your reply was to my post was irrelevant.

[Oliver2524]

Thanks All

Your help is much appreciated. I have been visiting the local Bike Garages and I think I'll get a Honda Wave.

I also heard many horror stories about second-hand bikes from students at CMU, that put me off that idea. Iwill do a bit of shopping around now and hopefully buy a bike today, as, apparently it is a lucky day to buy a bike!

Hopefully in a year or 2 I will be able to afford a baby hog.

Thanks again, I will tell you all of my purchase in another 8 hours hopefully

[Little Black Duck]

Thanks All

Your help is much appreciated. I have been visiting the local Bike Garages and I think I'll get a Honda Wave.

I also heard many horror stories about second-hand bikes from students at CMU, that put me off that idea. Iwill do a bit of shopping around now and hopefully buy a bike today, as, apparently it is a lucky day to buy a bike!

Hopefully in a year or 2 I will be able to afford a baby hog.

Thanks again, I will tell you all of my purchase in another 8 hours hopefully

Me thinks if you are not an experienced rider then buy a cheap 2nd hand Bike so when you wreck it you don't lose too much..

Then if and when you are competent you can buy a shining new one..

[mobiryder]

Buying Stolen Goods . IS Illegal ..

and A Bike with AN INVOICE > get you in Trouble The same as. a NON REGISTER BIKE >

The police can Arrest you Put your Bike in The Pow .

The last time i was at the police station - i saw some Farang guy - got Arrested cos he is RIDING ON A RENTAL BIKE WITHOUT REGISTEY and INSURANCE and So on .

He was trying to explain he RENT the Bike . i try to translate for him ..

The police let him Go but NOT THE BIKE >

. So think TWICE before you Get any Bike without PAPER WORK >>

a INVOICE is as good as ESCAPING TAXES .. and at this stage of Thailand Policy . TRUST ME

you want to get your PAPER WORK RIGHT . !!!!We had enough VISA problem already .

we don't NEED the police start Checking every BIKE on the ROAD .. cos some GUy think that Riding a BIKE with INVOICE is OK >>

IS NOT OK >

size of Bike will depend on your Needs .. i just got used to the easy riding on the Semi auto - paddle clutch system on Honda dream and other small bike .. easy to handle and easy to park . and also easy to repair ..and almost every wher eyou can GEt your Tire change ..

for 400 cc . bike is cool ..

BUT .. let say you got a FLAT . tire . Where you think you can FIX IT . especially when you Riding along LAMPHUN >

unless you want to carry your spear . i suggest . you go for a common bike .

But of cos this is just how i felt .. buy what ever you like . what ever make yo happy .

but you been warn : )

you'd think it would have been easier to just pay them 200bht

[fwwong]

Guys,

Very interesting discussion here. I just saw Bates put up an ads to sell his 400CC bike few days back. But, after reading the above articles, he has been talking about legalise his bike for quite some time ago... But, yet i just saw his post that he has yet to register his bike since then...

So, my question is: how could you tell a bike with proper registration or not? Unregistered bike, does it mean that there will be no number plate on it and no insurance coverage? What happen if the bike got stolen and accident? No coverage and total lost, right?

Bates bought his bike at THB46K, now he is asking for THB45K... Hmm...

Wow, i didn't know that to register a bike can easily cost a BIG bomb! So, that means, we should go for the Registered Bike and it is cheaper and safer as well, right?

Edited February 14, 2007 by fwwong

[mongoose]

So, my question is: how could you tell a bike with proper registration or not?

Go with the owner and the bike to the registration office and both of you ask them to transfer the ownership registration to your name. If they do it, you have a registered bike and you pay the old owner on the spot. If they do not do it, do not buy the bike. That is the old fashioned safe way.

[j_mack]

Here is the article for which the link I posted earlier did not work:

Wednesday, Nov. 29, 2006

Cyber-hunters go after stolen cycles

By SHIGEKI WADA

Kyodo News

Owners of expensive motorcycles who had their prized machines stolen -- and in many cases shipped overseas -- now have an Internet site to exchange information in an effort to find their bikes.

Supataro Kondo shows off his 250cc dirt bike, which was stolen but later found in Thailand, at his home in Setagaya Ward, Tokyo, in September. "Your stolen bike is on sale at a shop here," was the message entertainer Supataro Kondo, 39, received in a telephone call at the end of 2001 from a friend who was in the northern Thai city of Chiang Mai. The friend was there to arrange a motorbike tour.

Kondo had three 250cc off-road bikes -- each valued at about 500,000 yen -- stolen from his home in Setagaya Ward, Tokyo, over a two-month period. The bikes, each weighing more than 120 kg, were taken even though they had steering locks in place and heavy iron U-locks, making Kondo suspect underworld involvement.

When he visited Thailand, he found various Japanese-made motorcycles on sale. "New bikes recently sold in Japan were everywhere to be seen, and they cost less than those on the secondhand bike market in Japan," he said.

Strewn about in one bike shop, Kondo found Japanese license plates and security gadgets, including wire locks that had been cut off.

Through the shop owner, he tracked down the buyer of one of his stolen bikes and successfully reclaimed it.

"Japanese police and customs should cooperate better to prevent stolen bikes from being exported," Kondo said.

According to the National Police Agency, motorcycle thefts peaked at about 250,000 in 2000 but had decreased to some 104,000 in 2005. The arrest rate in such cases is only about 10 percent.

A

In Australia Bikes are cable tied too Skate Boards [ by Patched Gang Members ] and wheeled away!!! , this was happening 30 years ago in Adelaide from my own experince! J_Mack