Grey book?

[wildpikey]

I've done a lot of research and cannot find an answer I'm happy with.

What is a Grey book? what does it mean? and what are the implications? restrictions? on having a grey book on bike.

Anyone got the true and actual answer for me?

No opinions please (that's why I posted here rather than Thai Visa) only if you actually know for sure.

 

[johngooding]

wildpikey wrote: I've done a lot of research and cannot find an answer I'm happy with.

No opinions please (that's why I posted here rather than Thai Visa) only if you actually know for sure.

Well you are making it rather difficult for people to reply because there will be a number of opinions and nobody really "knows for sure".
That is because the term has been used on various forums by different people many of whom will have had different experiences and ideas about their grey books.
However I will have a go, to start things off and then no doubt other people will add their comments or corrections.

When you buy a new bike from an official outlet in Thailand, you will recieve, usually about a month after the purchase a Green covered book for the bike. This lists the bike details, and your details as purchaser. Somebody else later buys the bikefrom you and the local transport office will with the correct back up paperwork, insert the buyers name as second owner of the bike and so on. This is the official book and certainly not a Grey one.
Bikes which have arrived in Thailand by other means than the official distributor, and many of these have come as bike parts and the reduced duty for parts paid and noted on an invoice are assembled by local shops and sold as complete bikes. These bikes have no books, and are sometimes called bikes with invoice only. Some dealers, for a lot of money (50,000 up) will offer what is probably a Grey Book, this is still a green covered book, probably belonging to a different , old bike from the same manufacturer, which had the same cc. engine. As the frame and engine numbers in this book will not agree with those on the bike, the ones on the bike are ground off and the bike restamped with the numbers in the book. These books can take 3 months or more to arrive. Depending on which province you try to later sell or register this bike and the attitude of the local staff, you may have problems when trying to change ownership. With this type of book as long as you do not try to sell the bike, you will probably have no problem getting annual tax and insurance coverage.
Books from Prachinburi and Rayong provinces are more likely to be grey than some other provinces.

 

[rich1968]

A Grey- book as you call it is a re-cycled log book from a scrapped motorbike which is re-issued on a newer bike. In general the frame number is the only number that is changed on the newer bike to match the old frame number... the engine number of the newer bike remains the same, as in theory what is being done is an engine replacement on an old bike. Import papers commonly known as the Invoice are offically used to certify the engine as imported. This change of engine is recorded and stated in the so called Grey book on page 18. This is a very common and long used way in which Thai people put a green book on a bike in Thailand, as the cost 30-40,000 baht which is dependant on the c.c of the bike far better reflects the actual price of the bike. If you have a knowledge of what to look for in the green book and on the actual bike, you will have no problems relating to a re-cycled book as everything is documented in the book. Beware of grey books from Rayong and Chantantaburi as a large number of grey books where stolen from Government offices in these locations a few years ago. :lol-sign:

 

[thaicbr]

Both very good answers. Also adding a bit to Ritch's post. Because grey books are very common here it isn't usually a problem with transfers BUT if you are not sure then make sure when you buy a bike only hand over the money when the transfer has been done.
Some books are better than others it depends on the supplier to if they did the homework and put the correct displacments etc into the book.
Allan

 

[rich1968]

I myself, have never encountered any problem with a grey book and as stated by Alan they are quite common, although many farang seem to have a phobia about them...but maybe thats because they don't actually know what they are doing :lol-sign: Really the guidelines apply anywhere you are in the world, as every country has people who clone, chop and sell stolen bikes/cars with seemingly correct paperwork .... it's up to the buyer to check the paperwork. A word of note I have seen Fino's sold in Pattaya by a large company with original Green books, but actually the bikes were not Fino's but Mio's re-shelled as Finos.... you could tell by the frame/engine code. Therefore nothing is guaranteed to be 100% even with original Green books ....