After a long search I finally found a good 2 stroke bike mechanic in Chiang Mai
For those that have been following our journeys around Thailand. You’ll know that finding good English speaking mechanics has been a common topic for us. Driving a 41 year old Ford Escort around Thailand has taught us a few things.
Our old car broken down by the roadside again
So when we decided to buy another not so common vehicle, the Kawasaki Victor 150, we knew it wouldn’t be long before we’d need to find a good 2 Stroke Mechanic in Chiang Mai.
The Mighty Kawasaki Victor 150cc 2 Stroke
Victor performed well for the first 3 months and I was very impressed at the way he had been maintained. However due to having only been ridden solo at a snails pace by its previous owner, Victor soon began to unravel under the lightning fast dual rider conditions he was now subjected to daily. The 2 Stroke auto lube pump wasn’t delivering enough oil at high rpms causing the piston to grind against its bore. Before long Victor began to sound like an autobot from the movie transformers, every time we rode a new mechanical symphony was clanking & grinding from his engine. It was time to call the mechanic.
Me fiddling with the Kawasaki before sending it to the pros
I searched online for bike mechanics and came across several. Thailand seems to have more bikes on the road than cars so I figured it would be easy to get the right man/woman for the job. But there was a catch. This is a 2 Stroke Engine’d Vehicle and it became clear that many of the mechanics I was contacting had never had any experience outside of the regular 4 Stroke variety.
The Noisy Power Plant itself
After many hours I stumbled upon a thread in the ThaiVisa Forums. One man had recommended the name Khun Neung as an experienced 2 Stroke Mechanic. I contacted the member in question and received some vague instructions. ‘Head south toward Doi Inthanon, Past the supermarket and behind the spirit house display ‘, he said. As with most things in Thailand the only really way to find a place is to go out looking for it.
I got Khun Neungs phone number from the forum member and gave him a call to ask for better directions. It turns out I didn’t need them because after a few minutes on the phone, he was on his way to collect Victor from our house. After 20 minutes or so Khun Neung and his friend arrived with a trailer attached to Mitsubishi 4×4.
Khun Neung Loading Victor onto the Trailer
We spoke in English about the noises coming from the bike and the possible causes. Then he securely strapped Victor onto his trailer and took him back to his shop after leaving me a hand drawn map of where it was headed. Naturally I had to put a lot of trust into this man to take my bike away considering I had just met him and never seen his shop before. But I had confidence that he was the right guy for the job.
Khun Neung (right) & his friend (left) outside my house
A few days later I followed the map to his place. It was in fact behind a spirit house display as the forum member had described. When I arrived Khun Neung wasn’t expecting me but his face lit up when he saw me get out of the car. His shop was full of 2 stroke off road dirt bikes that he maintains for the Northern Trials Club and he was working on Victor at the time.
One of the pro off roaders getting repaired for the NTC
He got out his camera and showed me all the things he had done so far, I was very impressed that he had documented every stage of the repair process for me in such detail. He explained all the parts that needed replacing and showed me the old damaged bits too. Khun Neung was very passionate about his work and that was what gave me extra confidence in him.
Victors Scarred Piston & Damaged Con Rod + bearings
Victors Engine Split in 2. Full Recon in progress
Huge Bugs living in Victors Fuel Tank!!!
Here is a list of the repairs that were needed and how much they cost individually:
New Piston – 790 b
New Aluminium Cylinder Collar – 870 b
Top Piston Bearing + Boot – 240 b
Lower Bearing Balancer Left & Right – 480 b
Balancer Left & Right Seals – 170 b
Front Sprocket & Kick Start Seals – 210 b
Big Gasket Set – 280 b
Carb Clean + Gasket – 150 b
Auto Lube Pump Gear + Service – 400 b
1 NGK Spark Plug -70 b
Air Filter -85 b
Gear Box Oil -140 b
Front Lamp Bulb & Flasher Relay -120 b
Fuel Filter & Pipe – 90 b
Fuel Tank Clean & Valve Service – 350 b
Exhaust Repair and Bracket Lift – 100 b
Cylinder Bore Service – 200 b
Con Rod Change – 200 b
Clean & Degrease Engine & Power Valve Internals -200 b
Silcone Seal -180 b
Labour Cost -2000 b
Pick Up & Delivery – 400 b
Total – 7865 b
Pleased to have Victor back in our lives
The bike was ready to collect after about a week. But because I was heading back to London for 10 days I asked him if he would be kind enough to keep it at his shop until I returned. He was more than happy to do this for me and when I got back to Thailand he delivered the bike back to my house.
All in all my experience of finding an English Speaking 2 Stroke Bike Mechanic in Chiang Mai was much simpler than I expected it to be. I highly recommend Khun Neung and his services and will be returning to his shop for all my future bike repair needs.
Victor at home next to the old Escort
Find Khun Neungs Workshop here
View 2 Stroke Bike Mechanic Chiang Mai in a larger map
Notes about Khun Neung:
- Khun Neung also repairs 4 Stroke bikes as well but specializes in 2 Strokes, Dirt Bikes and Off- Roaders.
- Khun Neungs English is quite good and if you speak slowly he will understand almost everything you say.
- He runs the Facebook Page ‘One/NTC’ which is the official facebook site for the Northern Trials Club.
- His Full Thai name is ‘Tawatchai Pattarachaiyakup’, you can find his personal page on Facebook by looking for that name.
Call Khun Neung at: 081- 7247 172
Email him at: hs5ovo@gmail.com
_________________________________________________________
