One of the most difficult tasks is buying the motorbike(s) you are going to use around Vietnam.
The most common is the "Honda" Win a 100/110cc bike which really isn't a Honda but a Chinese copy. These bikes sell for between US $250 - $350 every day of the week. Before you buy a bike, the issue you will have to deal with go something like this:
1. Are they reliable?
2. Will they break down?
3. If they break down how do I get them repaired?
4. Is it legal to drive them in Vietnam?
5. What happens if I have an accident?
etc etc
If you are on a budget, the win is the way to go, but be prepared to spend more money fixing things after you have bought it. The situation is like this...
These bikes go up and down the country, bought, driven and repaired on the way to their destination.
FROM DEALERS: The bikes are cheap, there isn't enough money in them for a re-seller to fix EVERYTHING on them, so really the basic is done and this is dependent on how much money there is to put into the bikes and still get a profit.
FROM PRIVATE SELLER: You will often find honest guys out there selling their bikes after their trip, who will tell you in truth all the things that went wrong and how much they spent on the darn things ... but beware. Many are not conversant with bike mechanics and the bike may still be in need of repairs.
The choice comes down to your idea of how to start the trip.
We, (son and I) decided to buy of a dealer, to buy the two strongest bikes we could find (Good engine gearbox) and fix the rest. Even then we had repairs on the road, but really minor and fixed quickly and cheaply
In my next posting I will cover the costs we incurredon the journey and the specific repairs/sevicing we did to ensure a trouble free trip.
Alex
