re motorbike purchase

[t1ggyw1ggy10]

Hi all

Im thinking of buying a motor bike when i arrive in hua hin , probably just a scooter.

Do you need a bike license or does your uk driving license suffice .And what about insurance . any recomendations.

Thanks

[buksida]

To buy a bike and register it in your own name in Hua Hin you'll need an address in Thailand, the letter to prove it you can get from immigration - for 500 baht. You also need a non-imm visa, dont thing the tourist entry stamp is good enough.

Yes, you will need a Thai bike license, else you'll be paying the cops every time you get stopped (which will be often in Hua Hin).

Basic compulsory insurance (Por Ror Bor) is included with the bike (costs about 600 baht), it covers the bike legally but not much else.

Here is a guide to riding in Thailand if you've never done so: http://ontheroadasia.com/riding-in-thailand.php

[Hilux]

If you choose to get the bike licence in the UK, be sure to get an international drivers licence with you when you get here - otherwise you would still have to pay when stopped by the police.

You could argue that the price of a licence in the UK would pay tea money for a lot of trips, but then you should also check whether you insurance (both health/medical and accident) will cover if you had an accident and where driving motorcycle without a licence.

Hilux

[Gregjam]

Not trying to nit pick but it is an international driving permit not a license and you can get it from the AA or at the bigger post offices. Check online for info. The cops here know what one is and look for it. You must also have your passport with you when riding.

[blue05]

Not trying to nit pick but it is an international driving permit not a license and you can get it from the AA or at the bigger post offices. Check online for info. The cops here know what one is and look for it. You must also have your passport with you when riding.

???? you must have your passport when riding a bike never in 7 years been asked for that on a bike

[dtaai-maai]

Technically, I think you're supposed to carry your passport at all times regardless of what you're doing, not that anyone does, of course.

[Pleng]

I carry a photocopy of mine around and has deemed to be acceptable in the few situations I've been asked to present it.

[Dannie Boy]

If you have a UK licence for riding a small bike, say 125cc, then getting a Thai licence once you are here is relatively easy and will definitely keep the BIB happy (well maybe not happy, as no excuse for tea money) and almost certainly avoids any hassle about whether or not you need to carry your passport with you. Having said that, I carry a reduced size laminated copy of the photo page of my passport in my wallet just in case, although I have never been asked to show my passport.

[Gregjam]

Would not have said it if I had not been asked for my passport once when stopped here in Hua Hin. I accept that they will probably accept a copy as other posters have said. Admittedly it was only the once in over twenty years of riding here.

[t1ggyw1ggy10]

Again ,thanks for all the advice .especially about the international driving permit .already apllied for !!. i dunno what i would do without this forum.
Is it ok then to ride a bike with this permit if i dont actually have a bike license in the uk

[Big Boy]

Your International Driving Permit (if from the UK) will allow you to drive whatever you're allowed to drive in the UK. If you don't have a motorcycle licence in the UK, the motorcycle section will be scrubbed out.

[johnnyk]

I don't have a bike license in Canada but I get the International permit when I come to Thailand. They nod their heads as soon as they see it and so far have never been asked for passport or my Canadian license. I think they figure you can operate a bike and that's good enough.
I tell my Canadian insurer I will be driving a bike of 125cc or less and that's ok for them and I ask them to stamp the circle where it indicates bike. No problemo.

[Big Boy]

thanks for all the advice .especially about the international driving permit .already apllied for !!

You say that you've applied for it, and that confuses me. In Apr 12, you had to walk to your local Post Office, and it was a counter service. Sorted in 5 minutes.

I used a Post Office in Bristol, and they were certainly not as generous as the Canadian authorities. If you were not licenced to drive something, they wouldn't tell lies by saying you were.

johnnyk, you say they give you a permit, and you tell your insurance company. However, if the unthinkable happened, and you were hospitalised through a motorcycle accident, do you really think the insurance company would pay out without checking everything, including your eligability to ride a motorcycle first?

The International permit should reflect your own country's licence.

[t1ggyw1ggy10]

to bigboy,
Didnt realise it could be done like that.
what i meant was ive done it by post . To the AA .COST £8.Just got to send a copy of your license and a photo .Takes about 10 working days .