Was at the transportation department today and did the paperwork for a used Nouvo 135 I bought. The seller & I came to talk about big bikes and green books in Thailand, and how many big bikes have "grey" green books, recycled ones where the frame # gets changed to match the one in the book.
I told him about one of my previous experiences but the guy interrupted me, corrected me and finally saiod that he didn't believe me. Actually I can understand him, I have to admit it does sound hard to believe, but I'm sure I remember things correctly. This is what happened:
In 1993 I arrived in BKK and started looking for a bike at big bike shops. Most were like repair shops which had several mid-sized bikes in different states of assembly, 400 - 750cc. Nothing like Red Baron or so. I came across one shop which had what I was looking for: a blue late-model Yamaha XT400. It was assembled, had side cover and battery missing, low km on the clock. It looked like it had been sitting outside for at least a year - grime, dust, flat tires. I figured it had been abandoned or confiscated in Japan, bought in an auction and shipped to TH in one piece.
I told the mechanics I want to buy it; they cleaned it up, charged the battery, put air into the tires and made it run right. They gave me some paperwork. The bike had no license plate but my Thai GF said I have to go to the department of transportation with the paperwork.
This is where it gets interesting. We went early in the morning, showed the paperwork (which I now believe was the invoice) and started the process to put the bike in my GFs name. We had to wait; then the bike was checked, and I remember clearly that some guy then came with tools and hammered an engine number into a small area on the engine block which was obviously for the engine number. But this field did at that point not have a number, it looked like no number was stencilled at the factory. It did not look like the number was erased and the area prepped for a "new" one. Also the frame # was original, so why mess with the engine #? And as far as I know the Thais, they don't start the "grey number" process until they have a buyer.
They told us to come back some time later to pick up the license plate but we took off and rode the bike all over south TH and I left when I ran out of money without picking up the book and plate. In those days we were not once stopped by police or asked for papers.
If anybody has any explanation what went on in those days please let me know your interpretation. Maybe someone has a similar story to tell.
Interestingly there are old big bikes from the late 80s to early 90s with original green books, I have seen a 400 Bros with matching original numbers and an original book, first owner.
What I think is that it was possible to register a big bike into a Thai name but the law changed sometime in the 90s.
I told him about one of my previous experiences but the guy interrupted me, corrected me and finally saiod that he didn't believe me. Actually I can understand him, I have to admit it does sound hard to believe, but I'm sure I remember things correctly. This is what happened:
In 1993 I arrived in BKK and started looking for a bike at big bike shops. Most were like repair shops which had several mid-sized bikes in different states of assembly, 400 - 750cc. Nothing like Red Baron or so. I came across one shop which had what I was looking for: a blue late-model Yamaha XT400. It was assembled, had side cover and battery missing, low km on the clock. It looked like it had been sitting outside for at least a year - grime, dust, flat tires. I figured it had been abandoned or confiscated in Japan, bought in an auction and shipped to TH in one piece.
I told the mechanics I want to buy it; they cleaned it up, charged the battery, put air into the tires and made it run right. They gave me some paperwork. The bike had no license plate but my Thai GF said I have to go to the department of transportation with the paperwork.
This is where it gets interesting. We went early in the morning, showed the paperwork (which I now believe was the invoice) and started the process to put the bike in my GFs name. We had to wait; then the bike was checked, and I remember clearly that some guy then came with tools and hammered an engine number into a small area on the engine block which was obviously for the engine number. But this field did at that point not have a number, it looked like no number was stencilled at the factory. It did not look like the number was erased and the area prepped for a "new" one. Also the frame # was original, so why mess with the engine #? And as far as I know the Thais, they don't start the "grey number" process until they have a buyer.
They told us to come back some time later to pick up the license plate but we took off and rode the bike all over south TH and I left when I ran out of money without picking up the book and plate. In those days we were not once stopped by police or asked for papers.
If anybody has any explanation what went on in those days please let me know your interpretation. Maybe someone has a similar story to tell.
Interestingly there are old big bikes from the late 80s to early 90s with original green books, I have seen a 400 Bros with matching original numbers and an original book, first owner.
What I think is that it was possible to register a big bike into a Thai name but the law changed sometime in the 90s.