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Hi everyone,
I'm in the market for a motorbike and would like some advice.
I'm going to be in northern Vietnam for about 5 months, and then southern Vietnam for another 5 months. I plan to take frequent trips to the countryside, including mountainous regions. After that I'd like to take a motorbike trip to Cambodia for a month, then come back up to Hanoi, sell my bike, and then leave the country.
The question is, what type of bike would be best for this type of situation? I have been renting a Wave for regular in-city use, and renting Minsks for out-of-town trips. However, when I went to Hoa Binh last weekend, I noticed that almost all the locals used Win 100s. Does anyone have an opinion on the Win 100? I found a dealer in Hanoi who's offering a new Taiwanese-made Win 100 for about $420 (7 million dong). I tried an old used Win 100 before: the brakes seemed awful (but this was an old bike), and the handlebars seemed too low (I'm 5'8", 173 cm). I like the raised handebars on Minsks. The Win 100 also seems more frail than Minsks.
On the other hand, the Win 100 looks to be far less obnoxious in city traffic than Minsks, since it doesn't produce copious fumes; so I could just buy one bike for both in-town and out-of-town trips, instead of renting two.
Thanks for any tips~
Win minsk (add tags) Why? Details of tags
answered about 4 months ago by virezo
One reason (also the first and most important) is: Minsk costs you a lot to fuel. Then, they stopped product Minsk a long time ago. In Vietnam, you can find a Win 100 still in good condition easier than finding a good Minsk. Most highland tribes use Minsk to deliver pigs, vegetable... that's why people think Minsk doesn't have as much "spirit value" as Win 100. You aren't welcome when riding a Minsk now (except foreigners). We - Vietnamese don't use Minsk for these reasons above. Now some people still ride Minsks but just for fun (go off-road, ect...).
answered about 4 months ago by teacherman
And therein, as the previous poster stated, lies one of the beauties of the Minsk ... you could leave it running here in Hanoi with the keys in the ignition ... and nobody would touchsteal it, as it's far too "uncool" to seen near.
To anwer your question ... Myself, I'm 6'1", and long and langy as they say .. the Honda Wave feels like a toy ... more than 30 mins on it, and i start getting cramps in weird places. The best price.reliability.vietnamroadworthiness. that i have come across is the Honda NeoFuture. If you're looking for a combination of city and far-field ... thats the bike for you.
answered about 4 months ago by arctictis
I live in the country and ride a Minsk, though I'm afraid my WIN experience is pretty limited to a few rides. As I see it: Minsk + 2 stroke – great torque, powerful Wide tyres Comfortable and upright sitting position Easy to maintain De facto theft-proof (as Teacherman pointed out - nice Ele by the way mate) Got character Handles really well off on dodgy roads - 2-stroke – can be a pain finding servos with 2 stroke oil, more expensive, servos are inconsistent in how much they put in so you have to be good at measuring by eye and doing the calculations in your head. Really smoky Fuel inefficient (shocking in the city but not too bad on the open road) Generally they need a bit of maintenance and you'd want a bit of basic know how, though easy to pick up Reliability problems in some bikes (mine's been great) The Vietnamese will generally scorn such a disreputable machine, though they're pretty happy to help fix it WIN + More efficient More respectable Faster top speed More reliable More environmentally sound Much much quieter - Narrower tyres Not quite so handy off road Less torque More bent over seating, not so much fun for your back on a long trip Not quite the same character or personality Personally, if I had my time again I'd buy a WIN and replace the handle bars with a good set of riser bars like a Minsk's got – and easy job to do yourself. Then again, this might be a mistake...
answered about 4 months ago by grubby
I believe Minsks are still in production: http://www.minsk-moto.com/ and I hear you can buy new ones in Hai Phong. Another plus for the Minsk is that "you can fix it with a spoon" - I've fixed mine with the foil from a cigarette packet. Locals in the mountains are increasingly turning to the Win 100, though, and I reckon it's a decent bike.
answered about 4 months ago by tangoLA
Hey, thanks everyone for the input! Based on advice given here and elsewhere, I'm going to buy a Win 100 and see how it works out in Hanoi. I'll post here later to let everyone know how it goes. I have also heard about and seen the Honda NeoFuture, but it seems beyond my financial reach ($500 - $1000). I'll see if Anh Hung or another mechanic can put a set of risers on the Win 100, as suggested by Artictis.
answered about 3 months ago by stirge
I bought a Honda Neo Future (used, but in great shape) for 6 million VND at the huge motorbike market near Ho Tay (Tay Ho). I just took a 3 hour trip into the countryside and mountains and backroads last weekend and it was great. I have only had minor problems that are normal (flat tire, etc.). It's a good bike, but I also know that the Wave is an excellent bike. I used to own one for 3 years in Taiwan, but it was a 125cc. Great for mountain trips. Good luck!
answered about 3 months ago by tangoLA
Hi all, As promised, here's an update on how the Win 110 (not Win 100, as I mistakenly wrote before) is working out. I got one through Anh Hung from Flamingo Travel. He advised me to avoid some of the cheaper Wins available in Hanoi, and said that SUFAT and DETECH are two good Win manufacturers to go with. I eventually got a brand new DETECH Win (aka Espero) for about $500, with a large Honda carrying box on the back rack. Another box that I purchased earlier was terrible and kept detaching itself. The carrying box is necessary with a Win in the city because there's no convenient space to stash belongings as with city motorbikes. I haven't taken the Win out to the countryside yet, but so far it runs fine. It's very light, esp. compared to a Minsk, and seems prone to rattling. My footpegs came undone after a few days and had to be reattached - the bike really rattles between 40 and 60 km/h (esp. on the left footpeg), but is fine below and above that speed. The Win is very quiet compared to a Minsk, and doesn't produce copious fumes. It seems to have much poorer mileage than my Wave, but I'll have to take a more precise measurement. The handlebars on this model seem higher than the older model I tried previously, so I don't have a problem with being hunched over. The bike didn't come with a manual, and I had a lot of trouble starting in the morning, until Linh from Flamingo Travel found a lever on the left hand side that acts like the pump on the Minsk. The lever needs to be pulled up in the morning for it to start initially. I plan to get side racks and some saddle bags soon (any advice on that, anyone?), find a way to dampen the vibrations on the left foot peg (any ideas?) a bunch of spare parts, and take it out to the hills in a few weeks. Hopefully this bike will be able to handle a trip to Saigon and to Cambodia. I'd also like to form a Win club, but I think that would consist of myself and my artist neighbor, for the time being... Cheers p.s. thanks for the tips about the Neo Future, folks, I'll keep that in mind for the next time
