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Tips for Buying a

Motorbike in Vietnam

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Cruising along the open

road, wind in your hair and

rice paddies to your left and

right-the perfect day!

If riding throughout Vietnam

has always been one of your

life long dreams, read our tips

on how to get that quality bike

and some hints to enjoy your

adventure of a lifetime!

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Contents

Registration papers

Test Ride/ Check up

Bag Racks

Make and model

Budget

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Budget

The most obvious and important step.

You need to give yourself a budget, so you

know what type of bike and price range

you should be looking for.

There are a variety of models all at different

prices and like cars they will vary in quality.

However you may be surprised at what is

available for a relatively inexpensive price.

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Make and Model

There are a number of choices to consider when selecting a motorcycle. Some of these considerations are the height of the bike, reliability, where the bike was manufactured and are the parts easy to come by in countryside Vietnam. Below we will investigate the make and models we considered upon purchasing our motorbike.

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Make and Model

Minsk:

If you are an extremely budget conscious traveller you can’t go past

the Minsk. They are very old motorbikes and have been

discontinued, but still an option considered by most travellers . Not

really an environmentally friendly bike! Also there is the hassle of

mixing the oil and petrol and getting the ratios absolutely correct or

you are destined for engine failure.

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Make and Model

Yamaha:

Many dirt bikes we saw were Yamaha’s and are easy to come by on

the Vietnamese websites listed below. It really depends whether you

would like a touring bike or a dirt bike. We found that a dirt bike was

unable to carry the two of our backpacks and also us as well. If you

are looking for a dirt bike, Yamaha will be your best bet in Vietnam.

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Make and Model

Honda:

This is the most popular brand in Vietnam. They are the most reliable

motorbike on the road. There were two that we looked into when in

Hanoi. Selecting a Honda would be the safest bet as there are a

number of mechanics with parts and knowledge on these bikes and it

is highly unlikely to break down.

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Make and Model

Suzuki:

We ended up buying a Suzuki GS 125cc. There were a number of

reasons why we selected this bike over the others. Most

importantly, Suzuki’s are reliable and just one step under a

Honda, which makes them slightly less expensive.

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Bag RacksIf you are travelling solo most bikes will come with a standard bag

rack located at the rear of the bike. However, when you are travelling

as a couple you have little more baggage and on a motorbike you are

limited to how much you can carry. There a number of welders and

scrap metal makers that can design and make anything you want all

over Hanoi. We just took our drawings to a welder and got them

made up.

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Test Ride/Check up Always take the bike for a test ride, and when I say test ride I

mean on the highway not just around the block. You want to get

the bike in the highest gear and give it all it’s got. Make sure all

functions are working adequately including lights, meters and

brakes etc.

Once you are happy with the way the bike is running, get it

checked by a professional mechanic. They will be able to tell you

quite quickly if you are getting sold a dud and also what may need

to be repaired. Andrew an expat from Australia at VIP Motor

Cycles in Hanoi did a great job for us and we would recommend

going there.

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Registration Papers Firstly, it is illegal for a foreigner to own a motorbike in Vietnam.

However, it can be registered in a Vietnamese persons name. You

will still need the papers to prove to the police (if you get pulled

over) that the bike is not stolen. The Police can still take the bike

off if they want (because you are not the owner of the bike).

If you are looking at a bike that is over 175cc, it is common to be

sold without any papers; mostly because these bikes are illegal in

the country unless you are part of a motorbike club.

If you do get pulled over by Police and don’t have any

papers, they may turn a blind eye in the way of a bribe.

Having said that, we didn’t get pulled over once while we were in

Vietnam.

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