Green Books in N. Thailand: Necessary???

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Pauly101

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Jan 30, 2010
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Hi up there in the North:

Live in Isaan, been riding around here for 4 years with no green book on a Honda CB400 then a Honda CB750. Never a problem, from Loei to Ubol, NKP to Buriram. Have heard cops look for unlicensed bikes more up there in CMX, MHS, and CRai... true? What if you just have paid the excise tax and have insurance, just no green book/plate?

Want to do a trip, any answers to this question?
 
Well,,i ride from Ubon and never have a problem either,but it's only need to be a problem that 1time, then it's too late to think about it,,,
I also have riding around thailand and never asked but i'm one of those who dont wanna take a change,, but as you can read from here several hundereds of bikes has been confiscated in various places in Thailand,, so if you up for a trip,,,it's i guess matter of your luck...

Thats only my opinion about it

https://www.gt-rider.com/thailand-motorcycle-forum/chiang-mai-big-bike-police-crackdown-t5411.html
 
Can't count the number of times I have said the same thing. I have been riding a couple of unlicensed bikes in (or rather around) Chiang Mai for quite some time now. I have had a run in with the police twice now. 2000 baht fine each time and I'm good to go. (once I am pretty sure I talked myself out of a 200 baht no helmet fine, I just kept arguing that I was wearing a helmet oops) I don't think there are as many problems as people would like to make out. Will the bike get taken away if you get stopped. Yes. But if you are not driving IN the city then the chances of getting pulled over are very slim. The only time I have been stopped is at checkpoints for helmets and both of these have been in the city.

If you are going to be driving mostly outside of the city then I would not worry too much about it. If you need to be driving in the city then maybe an unlicensed big bike is not the best way to go. I say big bike because the unlicensed small bikes don't seem to draw the same level of attention.

Thats my two cents, from someone who actually rides unlicensed bikes. hope it helps.

As a side note and I know it is not what you are talking about but just to be clear. If someone was asking to buy a new bike, I would probably steer them away from an unlicensed bike. I bought both of mine at a time when there were none too many options in the way of legal bikes. These days they are plenty of options and by plenty I mean two or three. But options none the less. 8)
 
Oh and the big bike crackdown has been over for a long time. I suspect it had something to do with a shakedown for money which has now been paid and there is no more lock up of bikes. I can't seem to get anyone to honestly talk about it. It was just over one day, everyone had their bikes back and it was back to business as usual.

If you get busted you still get a fine but you will be back on the road the same day. Assuming you have an invoice. I have never been asked but from what I hear, you may not get the bike back if you don't have the invoice.
 
have owned quite a number of bikes up here, only ever had one with a green book.
IMHO it is not that big of an issue anymore, having said that I dont ride around town before noon just because I dont want the hassle of being caught, not out of fear of my bike being lifted. thats what a honda click is for right!
I guess it depends on what type of bike you want, say you really want a certain bike and bike and cant find a plated one, I woudltn let that stop me purchasing a that particular bike with no plate. However if you arent too fussed and want something like the KAWA klx250's or er6's and your budget can stretch to it, then I guess the extra piece of mind you get from the plated bike is worth it.

P.S outside of Chiang mai I have never been stopped once by the police on a bike and that was for a slight speeding offence in lamphun. apart from that absolutley no hassle whatsoever.

The choice is yours!
 
I rode an unplated 250cc Honda around Chiang Mai for about 1 year. I paid a real fine for my wife not wearing a helmet and another for having no tax but nothing was ever said about no green book. As already said, out of the city I was never stopped at all. Took the bike to Mae Sai on a visa run and drove around areas north of C Mai with never a police interest. But all it needs is one hard-up cop who sees holding your 120,000 thb bike over for a ransome and you have a giant headache. Hence I went legal with a D Tracker.
 
backdoorphil wrote:

In the last 4 months, i have ridden 5,000 km in Thailand, including Bangkok, Chaing mai & Pattaya. I have been stopped at 4 police checkpoints in 5,000km, not 1 time was I asked for registration papers.

Many will argue this issue.
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i Agreed to Phil on this,, as i have riden similar ammout of Km's and stopped about 3 times, 1 time cops asked Driving licence,2nt time they ask me to show how Beemers radio sound and play some cv for them and 3rd time stopped but let go as soon they saw my Tourist police Padge :wink:

but have to say that it's just need that 1 Police who wanna show his Power and who is the lucky one,,we will find out sooner & Later
 
I have a bike with a green book, plates, and a current sticker. During the crackdown, I was pulled over a few times a week, INCLUDING once inside the Chiang Mai moat by a random cop on a Dream. He phoned in my plate number and sent me on my way. At the moment, I'm stopped (while wearing a helmet) about once a week. They want to see my drivers license, plate, sticker, and sometimes a photocopy of the green book.

You guys sound lucky to me.
 
If you ride a lot in Bangkok you really need plates. I get stopped on average once every two weeks. Some weeks are really bad though and three times in a week has happened before. They never ask for the greenbook and are happy with looking at the plate and tax disk only. You very rarely see big bikes without plates in Bangkok, (although some Thai riders use copy plates from an identical legit bike).
 
Kat wrote: I have a bike with a green book, plates, and a current sticker. During the crackdown, I was pulled over a few times a week, INCLUDING once inside the Chiang Mai moat by a random cop on a Dream. He phoned in my plate number and sent me on my way. At the moment, I'm stopped (while wearing a helmet) about once a week. They want to see my drivers license, plate, sticker, and sometimes a photocopy of the green book.

You guys sound lucky to me.
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Not lucky we just know where the check stops are and know better than to go into the city in the morning. If you are riding a big bike IN Chiang Mai you better have something with plates but anywhere around or outside of Chiang Mai you are good to go. Also riding on rainy days or in the afternoons you are generally not going to run into trouble.

During the police crackdown there was a problem all over and I luckily found out about it in time to put my bike into storage for a couple of weeks. Those times though are long gone though and the only time you will be pulled over now is going through the checkpoints.

Like I said before and if I have understood the op correctly. If you have an unlicenced big bike, just keep driving it. If you were on the other hand going to be getting a new bike. I would probably steer towards something that has a licence, there are plenty of them around these days.
 
Not lucky we just know where the check stops are and know better than to go into the city in the morning. If you are riding a big bike IN Chiang Mai you better have something with plates but anywhere around or outside of Chiang Mai you are good to go. Also riding on rainy days or in the afternoons you are generally not going to run into trouble.
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I actually don't think its about the time of the day or cities where cops only stops,, i have been riven in Chiang Mai and many other big & Small cities in the morning, During the rain, afternoon and evening and even night time,, no problem with BIB at all.

also good point is to know where and what time check point are "IF you riding illegal bike" so you can avoid them to stopping you.

Times in here (Ubon) are generally 6-8am 12-2pm and 4-5pm as those are times when schools and kids are going to school and cops getting good income :wink:
but like said, i never been stopped on those check points,, Highway Police is different issue,, those guys are now days allmost all the highways and again in the same time as mentioned earlier.

Also addition i noticed last week when coming ack from Nan, W coppies where in HW 12 and completely blocking both lanes and what makes it intresting was that they HAD 2nd blocakage just donw the road 3kms away, for those who thing's that they can continue speeding after first,,how ever did not stop me even i was doin 140km's that time,they move away nicely 8)

Almost forgot,, read recently from one of the scaninavian News paper that of of the Neigbouring country to Finland has Donate AGAIN about 40 new handheld laser radart to Highway police,, thanx for them,, not mention what country it is,but it lies between Finland and Norway :roll:
This is now second time they have done so.
 
In Bangkok the police generally only run checkpoints outside of rush hour, usually 10am-2pm and often at night on the big roads. They always run them in the same places and they never do it in the rain.
 
NorThai wrote: [quote quote=Marco]
not mention what country it is,but it lies between Finland and Norway :roll:
This is now second time they have done so.
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SWEDEN :twisted:
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same same,,, i cant understand they "Swedish" logic, if there is any,, why in earth they are donating those in here now 2nd time already...

but seriously speaking i have seen them been used only 1time last few yrs,, has any one else spotted them to be in use?
 
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