Getting Legal
Lets start with the Licence.
I went to Lucky Lucky on Moniving and showed them my International Drivers Permit and gave them a passport photo. They also photocopied my passport (maybe my one year business visa as well … but I am not sure). For $25 they could get me a fake licence in a week, or for $35 I could get a real one in three weeks. I opted for the later, which lasts a year. I can now use it as ID when using a credit card instead of my passport ( I had used my Rego card in the past – I think it was fake- for another bike).
As for the genuine registration. Well I bought a Cambo new Suzuki DR650 from Flying Bikes on 110st in April or May of this year. The registration was included in the price and the tax had therefore been paid. They took down all the details and rubbed the chassis number plate on the frame with a pencil as well. I went in their car to the registry which was near Charles de Gaulle and Nehru St’s. I went in and had my photo taken on the computer and maybe my thumbprint (can’t remember exactly). The bike shop gave me the temporary papers until the plates came, which was a couple of weeks later. They took the bike to get them put on (only took half an hour). The rego card did not arrive on time and they stamped an extension on it. About two months later the genuine card arrived. Rego cards are good for life, all you have to do is buy an annual tax disc.
A couple of weeks later I went into Flying bikes and bought a tax sticker for $5, so now I am fully legal and do not get stopped. – Mind you at the nasty intersections for the police (Mao Se Tung and 110 in particular and 11o and Monivong and 110) I stop well back if I hit the lights red.
I too have heard figures like $3-400 to get a bike registered. This has to be a barang price as no Khmer could afford it. You may want to go to Lucky Lucky and see how much they charge.
In the interim, the fake ones work fine for crossing at borders, a friend and I did a return trip Cambo/Thailand/Laos, with no problems. My first bike a Djbeil 250 bought from Vays on 110st almost 2 years ago was supposed to have real plates and a rego card, but I think it was a fake, I still ride it on those.
So that’s it folks.. The new Dakar is sitting in my carport here in Melbourne and is a great bike, the new love of my life (yeah I know… get a life… but it will have to do…heaps cheaper than the divorce… ) and will make it’s way over to SEA some time next year I expect. I am not used to riding in normal traffic… with lanes and all as I do most of my riding in Cambo and SEA.
A note on the 650 over the 250… well late Nov a friend (on the same bike) and I did PP to Kho Kong in 5 ½ hours including a 20-25 min fuel and beer stop and on the way back we did Palin to PP in just under 5 hours with a fuel stop (not counting the one hour breakfast break in Batambang). You would have had to add an hour to each journey with a 250.
Cheers,
LaudJohn