Seeking Suggestions...

Rusty

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Sep 2, 2005
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Hi, I am coming to Thailand November 7 to December 1 2005 and was looking for suggestions on where the best (easiest)scenic blacktop riding would be. I can go anywhere. It's me and my wife, she will be a passenger :(.

Things like bike safe hotels, MC rental, routes, roadside contact numbers, etc. would be great. Day loop suggestions, I can ride for a week no problem. I'm a little concerned about a rental bike from being stolen, so any tips on preventing that would be great too! Any one I could team up with/meet over there for advice? Gladly like to meet someone who has been there and done that. Thanks in advance! -Russ
 

BobS

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Jan 20, 2003
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Rusty - have you bothered to go to the GT-Rider website? Every question that you ask is already answered there.

BobS

"The true secret of giving advice is, after you have honestly given it, to be perfectly indifferent whether it is taken or not and never persist in trying to set people right."
 

DavidFL

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Rusty
If your post is not a troll I reckon that it will be real easy for you, provided you’re not a bit too rusty.
There are heaps of loops & great places to go - the choices are probably a bit confusing, but it's so good that there's something wrong with you if you don't enjoy yourself almost every ride!
To help you work out what to do & where to do, you need to first check out the main GT Rider site, which is what this board aims to complement.
To get there start with the Welcome FAQ
Link removed
on this board and just go from there.
If this does not give you enough ideas & answers, then come back to us on the this board.

Davidfl
Keep The Power On
 

Rusty

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Sep 2, 2005
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Thanks I'll read the site in more detail. I just scanned it over. Hey what's a "troll" ?
 
Aug 3, 2004
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He's the ugly guy who demands a "toll" when you cross over his bridge ? or is it his female accomplice ? or is it the line you toss out of the boat ?

Peter

"The Journey is the Destination"
 

DavidFL

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A google search for troll turns up this little baby

http://www.teamtechnology.co.uk/troll.htm

A Practical Guide

To "troll" means to allure, to fish, to entice or to bait.

Internet trolls are people who fish for other people's confidence and, once found, exploit it.

Trolls are various in nature and the type of damage they do ranges greatly, such as:

* Cause irritation to others
* Disrupt an email list or online group
* Steal money
* Obtain credit card details
* Build false hopes
* Abuse children

There are some illustrations of these on our troll examples page.
What is a troll?

The term "troll" can mean a number of different things, but in essence, a troll is a person who aims to have 'pleasure' at your expense. There are two main types of trolls:

1. people who have the psychological need to feel good by making others feel bad.

This is a sort of "psycho troll", whose deception involves deceiving themselves as well as others. Such people may use their real names on the internet, and they may not even realise that they are "trolling" because it is all subconscious.

2.

people who pretend to be someone that they are not - they create personae that you think are real, but they know is fictitious.

There are four types of these trolls:

Playtime Trolls: an individual plays a simple, short game. Such trolls are relatively easy to spot because their attack or provocation is fairly blatant, and the persona is fairly two-dimensional.

Tactical Trolls: This is where the troller takes the game more seriously, creates a credible persona to gain confidence of others, and provokes strife in a subtle and invidious way.

Strategic Trolls: A very serious form of game, involving the production of an overall strategy that can take months or years to develop. It can also involve a number of people acting together in order to invade a list.

Domination Trolls: This is where the trollers' strategy extends to the creation and running of apparently bona-fide mailing lists.

Dealing with Trolls

Here are some ideas to help avoid being deceived by trolls:

* Before you invest your trust in someone - either emotional or financial trust - you should verify their bona fide nature from multiple known, reliable and independent sources.

* ignore postings that you think are suspicious.

* beware of off-list emails that praise and flatter, or seem to evoke sympathy. If you feel yourself beginning to like someone, ask first: how much do I know about them from real life sources?

* if you do get involved with anyone via the internet, seek out verifiable data. Real people will provide information about themselves that is open-ended and leads to a myriad of sources which enable you to verify their genuine status.

* if you are concerned by email list/group postings, write to the listmaster about it.

* listmasters can also make their lists restricted, and conduct a security analysis of each list application before allowing them to subscribe. This is probably easier to do in areas that have professional associations or qualifications.

Last but not least, Rusty I dont think it was a troll....but you do need to read the site in more detail first.

Davidfl
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Rusty

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Sep 2, 2005
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Well, the trolls obviously have more time on their hands than I do. Those little bastards! Sorry, my question may have sounded ignorant since most of the things I asked are covered in general on the site. I tried to find and buy the guide at the Whitehorse site, but the book kit is no longer listed there??. The link to the Mr. Mechanic site is bad. A lot of the things I have read mentioned rental scams, faking damage, bikes being stolen (even with locks), etc. One person told me there were hotels and guesthouses with better security for the bikes than others. Normally if it were a group of me and my friends I would not be so concerned. But this time my wife will be with me and I just wanted to plan ahead and thought since you guys live there you could tell me. I have never been to Northern Thailand. I was also wondering if I should bother to buy a cell phone while I was there or if it would not be needed. I live and ride in Alaska (I got 2 Harleys)and often am out of cell range or a hundred miles from help so I tend to think about these things ahead. But we dont have the crime or scams. I have been in Thailand, Laos and the Philippines before and believe me, I respect the traffic and the road conditions. That I can handle. I just don't want to wake up to a cut security cable bike gone or have to deal with some jackass that wants to scam me. So any tips you got along those lines that would help (what/where to avoid) would be great. If the bike rental shops on the GT site are safe bets, great. Do most rental shops have a limit on how far away you can take the bike? Then it's just a matter of finding safe places to stay and avoiding the roads that appear to be asphalt on the map but turn into motocross when you get there. I dont plan on staying at the same place every night. I know people in Vientiane and will probably want to go there too, so you got any suggestions of what to do with the bike while I am in Laos? It's my understanding I can't bring it there from Thailand. Thanks for your time and the great help so far. Trolls beware!
 

DavidFL

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Rusty
Sorry that the book is no longer available from Whitehorse Press. (That's my publishers biz / my excuse.)
But a quick Google search turns up this one at
http://www.epinions.com/A_Motorcycle_Gu ... est_prices
Give it a go & see if you can get a copy from one of the stores. (I hope so.)

Re a cell phone, bring your own from home & just pick up a local sim card here.
Hotel / ghouse security is not a problem. You are way safer here than in the Americas.
Rental scams, fake damage, stolen bikes are all negatives, possibly posted by people who never ride on a regular basis. The same negatives would apply for first timers going to America. But 99% of people who ride & tour here don't have a problem, believe me.
Rental shops in the North don’t worry how far you ride. They are used to bikes coming back with a few thousand kms on the clock.
Getting into another country can be a problem though & you need to clear this with the rental shop beforehand. There's a link Crossing Borders for this.
Hope this is a help.

Davidfl
Keep The Power On
 

BobS

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Jan 20, 2003
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Regarding cell phones - North America uses a different broadcast band for cell service. Unless you have a multi-band phone, it will not work in Thailand.

You could buy a cheap phone for $50 USD, or there are places that will rent them to you.

BobS

"The true secret of giving advice is, after you have honestly given it, to be perfectly indifferent whether it is taken or not and never persist in trying to set people right."
 

Rusty

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Sep 2, 2005
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Hey that's great info thanks! That epinions was the way to go! There were several choices of online book sellers to buy from. I just ordered it for $10.57 US new. Maybe I can get some current maps when I get there? The booksites don't mention the maps. Your'e right about the phone thing BobS. Especially here in Alaska, we just went over to GSM. I am not sure if the GSM phone I have is multi or not, or even if the Asian SIM cards have the same form factor. I'll look into it. I'm sure my trip will be great. Most of my time has been spent in the main cities working, BKK, Manila, Vientiane. I have been looking forward to getting out into the country there. And I think you are correct Dave about the claims about security being overstated, I just try to prepare for the off chance it may happen in order to reduce my chances of getting ripped. Actually, when I first went to Laos I was concerned about the goverment, etc. from what people told me, but staying there for me was one of the most comfortable trips I have ever had. I thought it was much nicer than BKK and the surroundings areas I went to in Thailand. Thanks again, and if anyone gets the urge to come to Alaska and ride I'd be glad to assist.
 

brat

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Aug 15, 2005
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Hi Rusty, I couldn't believe how safe things were left on a bike in Thailand, I can assume that there'd be the odd theft or whatever but I saw none of it, from Krabi to Chiang Mai the people where absolutely amazing! Having said that I notice that a lot of touring panniers are made of aluminium, is that for longevity or security?

I've gone off on a tangent and am buying this for our trip, panniers and all! :eek:)

http:/www.brat.info/images/buell_sml.jpg

"growing old is inevitable, growing up is optional!"
 

Rusty

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Sep 2, 2005
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Thanks Brat! Hey my buddy was looking for one of those Buell XB12X at our dealership the other day. Looks like a nice bike. We have a Buell/Harley dealer here that sells a lot of Buells. Nice to see they have one off road version coming out. Actually, we have such a short riding season in Alska so many people buy new bikes here then sell them at a loss thinking it's not for them, a mistake or not worth the payments to sit in the garage 5 months a year. I met a guy from New Zealand here a few weeks ago riding up from the Continental US who paid almost as much for his 2002 Harley wide glide that I did for my 2006 Road Glide. I'm guessing one of those new with the bags (panniers you say?) ain't gonna be cheap! -R
 

DavidFL

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quote:

Originally posted by brat

I've gone off on a tangent and am buying this for our trip, panniers and all! :eek:)

http:/www.brat.info/images/buell_sml.jpg







Chris
Off on a tangent alright. The Buell's got a bigger capacity than 175cc. So what happened to the Vietnam master plan & the Yam DT175?

Davidfl
Keep The Power On
 

brat

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Aug 15, 2005
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Hi David, you're to blame :eek:) Shouldn't have shown me the guy riding from NZ to Japan. It seems it's pot luck what you get in with so we're getting a bike that we like, if need be we'll hire one in Vietnam. The Buell's a BEAST! :eek:)

PS, I think I would have killed the Yam!

PPS I can't wait until the old buggers at Ulysses M.C. get angry over Buell pinching their name!:eek:)

"growing old is inevitable, growing up is optional!"
 

DavidFL

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Chris
Blame me alright? But to be honest I would not want to be blamed for leading you up the garden path & thinking you'd automatically get in. It really is hit & miss I reckon. I actually don’t know anyone who's got in with a 175 – no one bothers when they can't take in a bigger bike. You would have been the 'first."
Are sure about bringing a new untested Buell up here for a run though? What about service / break down & parts availability? Id be inclined to go with something more common / reliable / good parts & back up service.
Or is it just the horn brownie points you'd get with the girls on the Buell that influenced your final decision?

Davidfl
Keep The Power On
 

brat

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Aug 15, 2005
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Horn points, don't want them, pretty taken with my GF! :eek:)

I'm a big lad, no blame aportioned!

As for the Buell, it's HD heritage, the newness of it, the public nature of our ride (it will be well documented down here) and Buell's quick response previously (recalls at the drop of a hat) lead me to think that the local agent (who's also Aus Dist) will do everything he/they can to help keep us on the road. It's had a lot of testing in the states, it's a bit of a update on the previous road bike rather than a whole new bike. That and I'm not going full on bush bashing on a 200kg bike (plus our 180kg on it), I'm won't be taking it outside it's comfort zone, plus I'm too old for that stuff! :eek:)

Ooops, sorry Rusty, yep, a bit on the dear side, about au$19,000 here on the road, I'm told about US$12,000 stateside plus on road costs! Still au$10,000 cheaper than the cheapest Harley here!

"growing old is inevitable, growing up is optional!"
 

Rusty

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Sep 2, 2005
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I guess I would have try one out first before I laid down that much cash. I hear it has not much compression when down shifting because of the gear ratio, so if you depend on the drive train to slow you down a lot it might matter. Hell, the last dirt bike (enduro) I had was a Suzuki PE 175 and my friend had a Yamaha 400. But this seems more like a "hardened" street bike. I would have never thought you would need a 1200 cc dual purpose bike, I mean the power out of a 2 stroke 250 is plenty enough as it is. I guess if you cover a lot of miles on blacktop and go to flat dirt roads or roads under construction the dual purpose would be the way to go. I guess I would have two bikes if I did a lot of off road riding, a dirt bike for dirt and a road bike for the road.
 

brat

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Aug 15, 2005
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Compression will be relative in that case, it's geared reasonably tall as it's a bitza road bike and has a heap of torque, just keep going down a gear until you hit one that stops you! NOBODY needs a 1200cc dual purpose bike, I just really WANT one:eek:)

It's a bit like your SUVs, a soft roader, Buell talk about dirt roads more than full on "Dirt Bike". I like it because of it's seat/s (your pillion get's looked after), riding position, carrying capacity, clearance and suspension travel, also a smaller bike with 180kg on it will wallow a hell of a lot. The worst we'll do is some serious bush tracks/fire trails, but a lot of open road riding on some shitty roads.

"growing old is inevitable, growing up is optional!"
 

Rusty

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Sep 2, 2005
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I found this out about the phones:
International Roaming Mobile Phone : A Subscriber Identity Module Card (SIM Card) is now available for Thai and foreigh customers who are travelling around for work. The SIM Card must be used in conjunction with a Digital GSM mobile phone within the 900-MHz range or a Digital PCN mobile phone within the 1800-MHz range.

So I guess if you have a GSM phone like this already (fairly common now) you can buy the SIM card and use your phone there, as Dave said. I'm going to try that first.
 

brat

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Aug 15, 2005
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My own phone works on 4 different networks (quad-band, available in the USA), I get my local provider to enable global roaming and it works where-ever there's a network, any country, excepting those that block foreigners for political reasons, the downside is I get charged for each call, incoming or outgoing, reasonably expensive. You could go the Satellite phone which has coverage anywhere where you can see clearish sky, dearer again!

"growing old is inevitable, growing up is optional!"
 

Colin

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Feb 14, 2005
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I had a test ride on the Ulysses today and its good, the reason I wont be buying one is because im only 5' 5'' and its too big for me but a very nice machine all the same
 

brat

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Aug 15, 2005
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Thanks guys, the sales guy I'm dealing with rides a Buell roadie and is 5 foot nothing, he's spewing about it's height but is hanging to try the low seat option, so am I at 6' but if he can anyone can, just bail when you have to stop! :eek:)

With the phone, it's seamless between countries, I forgot I was carrying one then it would ring, I'd wonder what in the hell it was! Seemed surreal to be standing in some remote area of a lesser developed country and have your phone go off, damn business, interferes with my leisure time! :eek:)

"growing old is inevitable, growing up is optional!"
 

brat

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Aug 15, 2005
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I've tried the bike, fantastic, my girlfriend has a heap of room on the back! As for the compression, it seems as though it's slow to drop revs, needs adjustment, a service issue, so it's slow to respond to backing off, therefore engine braking! I've put in an order for a black one, set of panniers, low ride seat, 3/4 windscreen and an ashtray (kidding), can't wait!

"growing old is inevitable, growing up is optional!"
 

brat

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Aug 15, 2005
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Well, I just did it, ordered a Black Ulysses with panniers, race kit, normal seat (to be customised, as i got sick of waiting for their low seat option and it's 2/5 the price) and driving lights....wwwoooohhhoooo.....can't wait! Hope you're up for a run when we get to CM! :eek:)

"growing old is inevitable, growing up is optional!"