Chiang Mai Big Bike Police Crackdown
- Thread starter DavidFL
- Start date
More Thai madness......Not quite as goofy as the visa change to 15 days, but close.......What they actually need to do is simply have an amnesty period of a month, and then charge a reasonable and fair import duty ( not the 80 % they use now). Then everyone could come in and pay the fees. They would make umpteen million baht, and bike owners would be happy with legal plated bikes. Guess my Chinese bike is now a shop ornament.....
Or end up in a fist fight with a BIB as he is trying to grab it away from me..
After all the bad press the police have recently had ( really liked the head policeman stealing the money from the tsunami victims), you would thing they would hide their heads in shame instead of wiping out small Thai run bike shops...
Amazing Thailand.
Or end up in a fist fight with a BIB as he is trying to grab it away from me..
After all the bad press the police have recently had ( really liked the head policeman stealing the money from the tsunami victims), you would thing they would hide their heads in shame instead of wiping out small Thai run bike shops...
Amazing Thailand.
The bikes previously held at the Highway Police HQs on the super by the Poy Luang have now been sent to the respective police stations covering the area where they were "seized / belong". If I understand correctly.
Thai Rath newspaper in Chiang Mai had a small news report & photo yesterday 10th March 2009. 102 bikes seized?
I've been in CM since 2 March. I've rented step-throughs from 3 different places with no hassle. There have been police roadchecks on Moon Muang and Loi Kroh for the past 3 days. They haven't stopped me once. I wear a helmet and ride a step-through. Maybe it is just big bikes.
Wed 11th March
Saw 22 bikes chained up at the Chang Puak police station
Saw at the Kong Muang police station on Ratchadamnoen Rd 17 bikes locked up inside the "cage," a couple of which were AX1s with plates??
Thats a scam..the cops cannot get or issue green books its done by Land Transport dept and Excise Dept.
Thanks monsterman and NDS for the replies and advice, which is well taken -- all except the getting rid of the bikes part, which just ain't gonna happen Captain :lol:
As clarified on another thread, I guess I used the wrong word in my post, because in fact all 4 bikes are already registered and with legit green books, it's just that 3 of them are not registered in my name (I have purchase receipts, though yes, these really don't mean too much I now understand) and my stickers are out of date. Unfortunately I have no idea where the guys I bought the bikes from are now (2 were farang who've left Thailand, the other is a Thai friend who died in the tsunami 2 months after he sold me the bike).
Yes, this could be a problem if I wanted to sell them but that's a non-issue because I really don't intend to ever sell them -- too much fun, especially the NSR. Further, as the books and plates are good, from what I've learned it should be no problem to get new stickers, which I'll be doing on Tuesday after I visit my insurance agent.
Admittedly it's easy to be too 'sabai-sabai' here sometimes. especially when the police largely used to be that way, but as the atmosphere is definitely changing there's no doubt we have to as well.
As clarified on another thread, I guess I used the wrong word in my post, because in fact all 4 bikes are already registered and with legit green books, it's just that 3 of them are not registered in my name (I have purchase receipts, though yes, these really don't mean too much I now understand) and my stickers are out of date. Unfortunately I have no idea where the guys I bought the bikes from are now (2 were farang who've left Thailand, the other is a Thai friend who died in the tsunami 2 months after he sold me the bike).
Yes, this could be a problem if I wanted to sell them but that's a non-issue because I really don't intend to ever sell them -- too much fun, especially the NSR. Further, as the books and plates are good, from what I've learned it should be no problem to get new stickers, which I'll be doing on Tuesday after I visit my insurance agent.
Admittedly it's easy to be too 'sabai-sabai' here sometimes. especially when the police largely used to be that way, but as the atmosphere is definitely changing there's no doubt we have to as well.
I hope it works out for you; Barrett. I had correctly understood your situation, now clarified, when I made the "sell 'em" comment. Here's why, though I hope none of this applies to you:
1. Just because a bike has a book and plate does not mean that they are "good". The majority of big bikes I've looked at with the intent to buy have had problems with their books, including ones that the owners genuinely believed to be "good". I'd say a fair number of big bikes on the market in Thailand have gotten in unofficially, and back-door deals have gotten books for them. If you read what is in them, and/or compare what is in them with what is on the bike (serial numbers), there can be discrepancies. The most common one I've encountered is to see a green book whose date of first issue is "x" years earlier than the bike in question was actually constructed. People that know anything about motorcycles, which the police do, can easily detect this even if the numbers "match". Only you can know how "good" the books/plates are.
2. Our hypotheses on the registration renewal are the same: it's probably not going to be problematic, as long as your insurance company is willing to insure bikes for you that are registered under someone else's name. I would not if I were an insurance agent, but I'm not in that business. The issue is that they are getting renewed under someone else's name. This is problematic NOT ONLY if you were to try to sell the bikes, but your original question was about moving the bikes to Chiang Mai. If you move the bikes with valid registrations (in someone else's name) from Phuket to Chiang Mai, you have to wonder how the authorities in Chiang Mai are going to buy into (so to speak) a "transfer" of registration that is not only from location to location, but from one person to another - without legitimate sales documents. I personally would not relish trying that ONCE, much less four times.
3. If you decide just to keep the bikes with renewed Phuket registrations in Chiang Mai, I'd think sooner or later (sooner would be my guess) some authority figure is going to ask you what those Phuket bikes are doing in Chiang Mai. It's possible that you can explain (in Thai) why there is a difference between the name on the green book and the one on your license, but I would feel that I had a vulnerability there that could result in inconvenience, i.e., the seizing of the bike and expense, i.e., getting it unseized.
Everybody has a different comfort level with these issues, and no one can decide for anyone else. In Thailand, as a farang, I generally feel that the first serve in any game begins at 40-Love, and I'm the one at Love. Being disadvantaged from the get-go, I like to remove any vulnerability that it's within my power to remove - and that starts with the paperwork. Obviously for a $/E1K bike you could consider it an acceptable risk, and just walk away from the bike if you had to. Once you get up in value, however, it's more of an issue.
I don't like hassles, and I don't like walking home from a ride, so I take a pretty conservative position. Good luck, let us know how it evolves, it is a potentially educational experience...
S.
Thats a scam..the cops cannot get or issue green books its done by Land Transport dept and Excise Dept.
In the newspaper mentioned previously, they were saying the only legit way was to turn up with your bike at their office in Bkk (preferably on the back of a pickup?) with all your paperwork and would cost you 45k to get a green book.
Leaving open, of course, the question of what "all your paperwork" means...
I found that even doing a legitimate transfer (successfully) required quite a bit of attention to detail. Maybe the zeal for revenue generation is opening a window of opportunity to get dicey paperwork "legitimized". Let us see. Diao gaw ru...
S.
Have you posted wah you did to get the bike registered?
If so where is the thread. There bikes in California these days that would be worth the import. Most people don't have time to ride there. So low milage recent model very inexpenisive. People got to dump toys right now.
The import process scares the heck out of me. Does any company do this through the registration process?
Meaning I buy the bike I want they ship it here and get it legal.
If so where is the thread. There bikes in California these days that would be worth the import. Most people don't have time to ride there. So low milage recent model very inexpenisive. People got to dump toys right now.
The import process scares the heck out of me. Does any company do this through the registration process?
Meaning I buy the bike I want they ship it here and get it legal.
Maybe I am naive in this, but doesn't this present a business opportunity for someone to set up such a company? A specialist with the knowledge of where to go, how to apply to and how to do it would surely avoid many of the questions and delays and risks associated with the processing.
Sounds like a business opportunity to me
T
Sounds like a business opportunity to me
T
Probably is if yuo know what you doing, but I'm retired plan on staying that way. The fees are not the major problem getting through the process from what I have seen is not for the faint of heart.
A guy on Thai Visa was shooting off his mouth about how easy it was since his wife worked for a company that did it all the time. David and I both asked for the company name haven't heard on word in a week.
There are guys on here that have done it From what I recall with my feeble old Git brain it can take up to a year of messing with the gods in Bangkok. I don't want to do that. I just happen to be from L.A yuo can pull up the L.A. times classifieds look for bikes yuo will be amazed. These have spent most of there time in garage. I never go more then 4K miles on bike there. To busy working .
A guy on Thai Visa was shooting off his mouth about how easy it was since his wife worked for a company that did it all the time. David and I both asked for the company name haven't heard on word in a week.
There are guys on here that have done it From what I recall with my feeble old Git brain it can take up to a year of messing with the gods in Bangkok. I don't want to do that. I just happen to be from L.A yuo can pull up the L.A. times classifieds look for bikes yuo will be amazed. These have spent most of there time in garage. I never go more then 4K miles on bike there. To busy working .
If the process of getting a big bike legal would be straight forward, wouldn't take more than two months, wouldn't take more than five trips to the respective offices and departments and wouldn't be too costly - then we wouldn't have this mess with hundreds of illegal bikes being impounded but hundreds of happy chappies riding their bikes. Plus less work and more moeny for the authorities.
For everything there is a reason - look at all the locked-up bikes at the police stations and one has to ask: where lies the reason for this?
For everything there is a reason - look at all the locked-up bikes at the police stations and one has to ask: where lies the reason for this?
Isn’t it true, as a Thai guy who suppose to know it all, told me that; if you have the invoice papers (which means, tax is paid for frame and motor), that you apply for the green/blue book and just didn’t follow up, the bib can’t confiscate your bike because you didn’t drive with an unregistered bike. (for registration is applied) You only didn’t follow up with the registration process which you have to pay a fine of around 400 Baht for.
Registration in BKK, when invoice papers are correct, needs around 3 ½ month.
Prices, if not a Harley are around 65-75k >1000ccm. Harleys are around 1 million.A lot of people can do this here.
Registration in BKK, when invoice papers are correct, needs around 3 ½ month.
Prices, if not a Harley are around 65-75k >1000ccm. Harleys are around 1 million.A lot of people can do this here.
All your paper work means
1... The import and excise document showing import duties paid....Without this you cannot EVER proceed with a registration!!!!
2...OK you have the import papers and they are in order (meaning duty paid and import done properly) now fill out registration request with photos of you and the bike and copy of your passport and visa and letter from immigration. Pay fees for above and also money for inspection.
3... Bike inspected OK...all paperwork in order OK..pay registration duties depending on size of bike and buy government insurance .
4... they should now issue you with book and soon plates .If done in bangkok the bike will be 100% legal. Cannot be sure of other provinces some a very sloppy and do not register the bike in Bangkoks Computer database which means it is not fully legal some provinces are not actually allowed to register big bikes so any registration and subsequent books are totally bullshit and some provinces Chantaburi the most imfamous issued hundreds of stolen books which were worthless..
The above process can take anything from a day to 6 months .And its all done in Thai /forms , papers the lot so you need help.
the best practice is to have a bike registered legally 1st in BKK then when it has book and plates transfer it to the province you live in.
1... The import and excise document showing import duties paid....Without this you cannot EVER proceed with a registration!!!!
2...OK you have the import papers and they are in order (meaning duty paid and import done properly) now fill out registration request with photos of you and the bike and copy of your passport and visa and letter from immigration. Pay fees for above and also money for inspection.
3... Bike inspected OK...all paperwork in order OK..pay registration duties depending on size of bike and buy government insurance .
4... they should now issue you with book and soon plates .If done in bangkok the bike will be 100% legal. Cannot be sure of other provinces some a very sloppy and do not register the bike in Bangkoks Computer database which means it is not fully legal some provinces are not actually allowed to register big bikes so any registration and subsequent books are totally bullshit and some provinces Chantaburi the most imfamous issued hundreds of stolen books which were worthless..
The above process can take anything from a day to 6 months .And its all done in Thai /forms , papers the lot so you need help.
the best practice is to have a bike registered legally 1st in BKK then when it has book and plates transfer it to the province you live in.
[i“2...OK you have the import papers and they are in order (meaning duty paid and import done properly) now fill out registration request with photos of you and the bike and copy of your passport and visa and letter from immigration. Pay fees for above and …”
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Then you didn’t follow up. That’s exactly what these guys are doing.
Showing the bib the papers they got and they can’t take the bike. Just fine them. TIT
[/i]
Then you didn’t follow up. That’s exactly what these guys are doing.
Showing the bib the papers they got and they can’t take the bike. Just fine them. TIT
Just putting in for registration and not following it up is not going to work anymore , you may well have a grace period on 2 or 3 months whilst the papers go thru but too many people have been taking the piss for years especially the renters the government is serious about making it all legal.
short cutters will have a lot of hassle .If you have put in the papers and are riding around 6 months or a year later they can take the bike as registration tax will not have been paid , why are people so stupid?A roadside cop will not bother but when they have a crackdown with ,revenue,transport dept and Excise then you are FUCKED!
Korn The big beach front renter in Pattaya had to pay 2.5m baht to get her bikes back and legal over the last 3 weeks ....That is painful..she got away with it for 15 years but was nearly wiped out as the cops Impounded 75% 0f her business.Some of the bikes will never come back and other will have to be broken for spares as they cannot be made legal.
short cutters will have a lot of hassle .If you have put in the papers and are riding around 6 months or a year later they can take the bike as registration tax will not have been paid , why are people so stupid?A roadside cop will not bother but when they have a crackdown with ,revenue,transport dept and Excise then you are FUCKED!
Korn The big beach front renter in Pattaya had to pay 2.5m baht to get her bikes back and legal over the last 3 weeks ....That is painful..she got away with it for 15 years but was nearly wiped out as the cops Impounded 75% 0f her business.Some of the bikes will never come back and other will have to be broken for spares as they cannot be made legal.