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After renting for four months I am taking the plunge and buying a motorbike. I am planning on spending three months on the road starting in November, so I am after something with a bit more grunt than the usual bike.
Here's my current experience.
I started with a Honda SYM Attila 125cc scooter down in Saigon. It was okay, but the small tyres and clearance pissed me off when I was on the highways and dirt roads.
My next bike was a Honda Wave X 100cc. Brand new, jet black, I fell in love. It didn't have as much oomph as the Attila, but it was a lighter bike and easier to handle (read: pull out of muddy bogs). The clearance was still a problem.
Next up was a Wave RSX 110cc. Nearly identical to the Wave X, but it had a bit more power. There was too much plastic on both these Waves, I smashed half the front guard off on this one.
Now these were all fine bikes for short term rental contracts, but now I am buying I am doing a lot more research.
My wants:
- Minimum 125cc
- Decent clearance
- Realistic weight/power ratio
- Full registration and papers
- Easy to find parts
So far I've checked out the Future Neo GT 125cc and a Minsc. The Minsc was dirty (2 stroke black smoke) and heavy. The Future lacked clearance and is only a step above the Wave in terms of plastic.
Here are the other bikes I am eager to inspect:
- Honda GL Pro Neo-Tech 160cc
- Honda Dirt Bike XL 125S/SE
- Honda XR Baja/Degree 250cc
- Honda TLR Reflex 200cc
Going by Internet research, the Dirt Bike XL sounds like the best bike for my needs, but I am keen to test them all.
So - who knows where I can lay my hands on any of these bikes? Are they available at any stores? If so, do I need to bring a Vietnamese person to purchase it for me, and then transfer ownership? How does registration for foreigners work in Vietnam?
Has anyone gone for an extended road trip throughout SE Asia and have a testimonial? What are the problems crossing the borders; Vietnam/Lao, Lao/Cambodia, Cambodia/Thailand on your own wheels?
Any general advice on choice of bike or on shopping destinations is very welcome. Thanks for reading all this if you got this far!
motorbike minsc honda (add tags) Why? Details of tags
answered about 6 months ago by Ricster
I can vouch for a Yamaha Nouvo's performance :) Also at 125cc and tested it on different conditions and the latest one is driving through the almost knee-deep floods of Hanoi during the thunderstorms. The bike didn't die and got me through it. The Nouvo is quite stable even upto speeds of 80km/h and reacts well to the roads and conditions of Hanoi traffic. I'm currently renting but if I decide to buy, this is the one I'll get. Since you're a Honda fan, the Honda Click comes close to this model although not sure if it's a 125cc. Not much advice for the other stuff but I hope this helps.
answered about 6 months ago by Oishi
I rode a Nouvo around Hoi An and Danang, but I didn't dig it as it's too heavy, plus it's an automatic and I prefer manuals by now. I have better reaction times when I brake with my foot. Mind you the Nouvo is very sturdy, I was witness to a decent accident between a Nouvo and a Honda Dream, and let me tell you the Dream was MUCH worse for wear after impact. So was the rider. So the Nouvo is a fine bike for Hanoi, but so are the Waves etc. I am looking for something I can take everywhere and keep on the road for three months with no big troubles. Thanks for the input!
answered about 6 months ago by arctictis
In VN you need a special licence to ride a motorbike over 175cc. I'll guess like most expats you don't have a Vietnamese licence which is neither here nor there, but if you want to purchase a new bike, you'll need a licence - or at least a Veitnamese mate with a licence. The point here is that if you want to buy one of the bigger bikes - like the Baja or the Reflex, you'll need a mate with a lecence endorsed to ride a larger bike. Secondly (although I'm not 100% on this) I think larger bikes are subject to the high levels of taxation also in place on cars, so buying a bigger bike will get much more expensive if this is the case, but as I said, not 100%. The XL should be a good option, Japanese bikes are highly reliable and pretty simple to fix. The only problem with riding one in some of the more remote areas is that if something does go wrong, it may be difficult to get hold of the parts as those bikes are pretty rare. Minsks are both powerful and can be fixed easily by pretty much any mechanic around the north, but farther south and over borders they are rare and therefore will be a problem if parts are needed. And as you've alluded to - they are a dirty environmental abomination (having said that I ride one myself, so Minsk folks don't take offence!). If you've got a bit of a mechanical mind you can get around most problems by carrying some parts and having a crack at fixing things yourself. The Hanoi Minsk club might also be able to help you with this kind of information as well as good mechanics in the countryside and touring info. Good luck - sounds like you've got great things planned!
answered about 6 months ago by adida
As far as I know, you can't find that sort of bikes brand new over here. I have no idea how people import them, but when I was looking for one, I looked at trading websites such as www.raovat123.vn for secondhands. The only problem is you'll need someone who speak Vietnamese ... As for the licence, you won't need it to buy - ask them to write a ownership transfer paper, hand writing is ok. When you're on the road, my sense is that you won't be troubled much by the police if you look like a foreigner.
