Best road bike to rent in Vietnam?

[Pyro]

Hi all, this is my first post here and I have been enjoying your site very much. My wife and I toured India last year for two months and had a ball. You might like to see our blog at http://www.pyrosplace.wordpress.com We are planing a trip to Vietnam in December with three friends and wish to motorbike around the country, possibly into cambodia also but the plan is hazy at the moment as we will only have 4 to 5 weeks. My real question at the moment is what bikes to rent/buy. Preferably we want road bikes with a bit of style. We are not interested in scooters or sports bikes. We like the look of the Minsk and are positavely drooling over the Ural although we realise that it probably cant happen. I see that the Minsk gets a bad rap for reliability, and although we are a little bit motor savy, we dont want to be broken down constantly. The 125 honda hero that is sold in India would be a suitable machine. I havent found a Vietnam equivelant yet but am sure that there is one. I should also mention that we are thinking of starting from Saigon.
Any thoughts or tips would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks for reading and happy riding.
Pyro

 

[dirthonk]

Pyro,

In september 2008 I rented a Yamaha YBR125 manual clutch with my sister on a 3 week trip round the north.
Bike was suprisingly comfy, enough for 160kgs of combined human flesh and bone, + 20kgs of luggage. It handled the hills no problem at all, was very reliable, and suprisingly spacious for a 125. I rented it from Mr. hung in Hanoi, I think he has a branch in HCM aswell.

Best of luck with your trip, me and my sister both rate it as one of our favourite holidays ever, vietnam is fascinating country with beautiful geography.

Here is a pic of us on the road to Sapa onboard the YBR125.

Cheers.

 

[Dougal]

Hi Pyro,

Have a look at the topic below yours: Vietnam Bike Rentals.

A lot of info and contact details and some good photos. I put the contact details of 2 Westerners in that topic, one in Hanoi and one in HCMC who are Minsk specialists and have an arrangement with each other.

Have a good one.
.

 

[Pyro]

Thank you very much for the replies. I hope you enjoy having a look at my India blog and I look forward to being able to do one on Vietnam. I will look into the Yam and do some more study on the Minsk, I do like the look of it but for a short trip a jap bike might be the best option. I will check out mr Hung and the Minsk specialists now.
Cheers.

 

[Glenn]

If you want to buy or rent a Minsk, I would recommend starting in Hanoi as there are no Minsk mechanics or parts available in Saigon. There are also much better riding options in the north of Vietnam.

For Minsks and other motorbike rentals in Hanoi, check out Cuong's shop at http://www.cuongs-motorbike-adventure.com/ He has Minsks for sale or rent, scooters and a range of dirt bikes.

You cannot rent Urals in Vietnam, the only way to ride one would be to sign up for a tour with Explore Indochina at http://www.exploreindochina.com/

 

[Pyro]

Hello again, Thanks for your reply Glenn, I have been in conatact with one Anthony Kobowsky (sic?) in Hanoi who has promised five Minsks ready for the long haul with helmets tool kits spares and a buy back option in saigon for $400 each. I found him in the rental thread below mine as sugested above. I was very happy with his prompt response and as a result it looks like we will be starting in hanoi. My mate should be getting his road map soon, so we will be able to have a good look at where we are going etc. At the moment im keen on trying to run the length of the country but must make sure it is not too grueling for at least one of the other riders sake.