Job Discussion Forums

[james_baldrey]

During my hard earned break from teaching in Korea, i am planning to buy a motorbike to do some road/off road exploringa round northern thailand, laos and vietnam. I lived in Thaioland for two years before, so i knwo my way around, but I was wondering if anyone knew the following:

1) Where could i buy one as opposed to renting for an extortionate price?
2) How much?
3) What are the rules for taking it across borders?

Many thanks for your help! PS Great forum!

[Kent F. Kruhoeffer]

Anyonghashimnika James:

Sounds like a GREAT idea. I'm jealous!

Here's the good news: motorbike dealers have popped up all over these days. Honda, Suzuki & Yamaha seem to be the most popular. Prices for new bikes range from 26,000 Baht ($US 656) to 55,000 Baht ($US 1,400) depending on brand & model.

A new 125cc Honda Sonic is roughly 35,000 - the Honda Wave is closer to 42,000 - and a fancy new Yamaha with full fairing and automatic trans will set you back 55,000 Baht, but who the hell wants an automatic?

As for taking one over the border -

I have no idea what you'd need, but an international driver's license & the proper vehicle registration papers would seem logical.

[james_baldrey]

I was thinking more about off road/enduro bikes for rough terrain Kent. Any ideas on the prices fro those?

[Kent F. Kruhoeffer]

Hello again james:

I'm not up-to-date on prices for off-road bikes, but I'd guess they'd cost about the same here as elsewhere - maybe a tad cheaper depending on the exchange rate when you arrive. Most of the casual Soi bike dealers are not online. To pick up a bargain, your best bet is to be here and shop around a little on foot.

There are almost as many bike dealers in Thailand these days as 7-11s.

Just for fun - here are 3 links you can browse on a rainy day:

http://endurotours.com/

http://www.gt-rider.com/index.html

http://www.yingyongmotorcycle.com/index1.htm#