Thailand - bike / advice needed ?

[Phil Flanagan]

Hi

Later in year I am heading to Thailand, probably September with intention of staying 5 or 6 months.
Will be based on the islands, specifically Koh Phangan.

Wish to tour around but am considering best option for bike?

Should I be shipping from here in USA or should I be looking to perhaps buy something once I arrive in Bangkok ?

Any advice gratefully received.

Anybody know of reasonable bike available in Thailand towards end of August ?

Thanks.

Phil.

[petefromberkeley]

I think it will be a heck of a lot cheaper and easier to get one there and then sell it. Even if you sell it at a considerable loss for a quick sale, you will lose less than getting a Carnet and shipping a bike from here.

[pecha72]

Probably be all in all much cheaper and less hassle to buy and sell when you leave. There isnt as wide selections as you´d get in the US or Europe, but you can find lots of bikes in Bangkok, so unless you need to find some specific model, I dont think it will be a problem.

Dont get a carnet for Thailand, because they are not in that system at all. They have their own temporary import paper for tourists who bring in their own bikes. You can keep it legally there for 30 days, but I hear a lot of expats work their way around this, so they can actually keep them there for longer without having to pay taxes&duties. Or some just visit Cambodia, Laos or Malaysia for a few days, then come back for another 30 days.

[KEVTHEKIWI]

Got back from Thailand a few months ago...Travelled around on buses and trains..becuase was carrying a bit of gear..
Rented bikes on a day to day basis.also changed style of bikes for different rides.heaps to chose from..and cheap as.

[SwedishRider]

I can recomend Siam Superbike where I in 2005 bought a Honda 250 XR for 180 000 baht, rode it through Thailand, Laos and Cambodia and sold it back for 150 000 baht two months and 7200 kilometers later. Roughly as much as it costs to rent a sportsbike for a weekend in London

Peter who owns the shop is doing repurchase agreements which are very good since it means that you own the bike and easily take it across borders.

Unfortunately they seem to have some internal problems with an employee (happend to be the same guy that very well sorted me out both with the bike, spare parts and paperwork) so might be good to check out the current status.

[GypsyRider]

All the info you need for deciding whether to temporarily import your own bike or buy one locally can be found on the Golden Triangle Rider website:
Motorcycle Touring : Thailand : Laos : Golden Triangle

There are specific pages on this topic and also in the forum you'll find posts on this issue. Bringing your own bike over from the US is possible but you'll have to ship it out again, as you won't be able to sell it locally so it will add to the cost. Customs will register the bike in their database linked to your passport, so it will pop up on the immigration officer's screen if you try to leave the country without the bike. If the cost of shipping the bike both ways is not a major issue for you, than bringing your own bike is probably the best option, albeit not the cheapest.

A cheaper option is to buy a second-hand bike locally and resell it at the end of your stay. The disadvantage of the latter option is that you might have to settle for a bike that's not your first choice and of which you don't know the history. Also keep in mind that bikes in Thailand are a lot more expensive than in the US, both new and second-hand ones. You can check out prices for used bikes in the 'buy and sell' section:

The Golden Triangle Rider :: Buy and Sell

[GypsyRider]

Originally Posted by petefromberkeley

I think it will be a heck of a lot cheaper and easier to get one there and then sell it. Even if you sell it at a considerable loss for a quick sale, you will lose less than getting a Carnet and shipping a bike from here.

Thai Customs does not recognize a carnet since they are not a signatory to the international customs agreement that covers temporary import of vehicles.
See the following page:
Motorcycles - Importing Your Own Bike Into Thailand

[GypsyRider]

Originally Posted by SwedishRider

I can recomend Siam Superbike where I in 2005 bought a Honda 250 XR ....

....Unfortunately they seem to have some internal problems with an employee .... so might be good to check out the current status.

Forget about Siam Superbike, it doesn't exist anymore as Peter ended up having to leave Thailand after being ripped off by his Thai staff and corrupt 'men in brown'...

[SwedishRider]

Sad to hear that Peter gave up since it was a very good operation coming from abroad. Thai people are in general nice but doing business and dealing with the police seems to be a pain. Got stopped and fined (~bribe) 6 times there but never in either Laos or Cambodia