Buying a motorbike? - Think twice before buying expensive one.

i just read this news few days ago.
be careful to drive too late at night, not only expensive bike

cang_nduc wrote:

i just read this news few days ago.

can you provide a link ?

I was told it occurred around 8:30pm, which in my opinion is not late at night. If that's correct, it's further indication that the kind of bike creates the danger - not the time of day.

cang_nduc, thank you for confirming my story, and please confirm the time of day, if it's indicated.

Motorcycle robbery is not really that uncommon; cutting the hand off is.

A Foreigner was beaten up, severely, near Lotte Mart in Quan 7, and his motorcycle was stolen. The Cong An were sufficiently alarmed that they checked him in at a VNese hospital and the tab was covered by the government.

I have four modifications on my wheels to enhance the security.

(1) The ignition key cannot be withdrawn unless the handlebars are turned to one side. Stops CGST and car park attendants from pinching your keys;
(2) I have a plug, which is attached to my wrist, that pops out easily and disables the engine. It's the sort of thing they use on outboard motors to stop the driver get run over by the propeller should he fall overboard;
(3) I have a Blue tooth proximity transmitter/receiver pair - the receiver, when the signal fades, also disables the engine;
(4) The motorcycle alarm has an engine disabling feature - I always keep the control fob on a second key ring in my pocket;

Often security guards ARE the problem. They 'collaborate' with theft gangs (who pay bribe money) and motorcycles disappear overnight, never to be seen again. The owner of the stolen bike is compensated by the security guard company insurance money, so really there are no 'people' suffering losses.

There is quite an active motorcycle engine / chassis renumbering industry here in TP HCM which associated with the in-smuggling of high-end / high-power machines and the production of falsified documents.

I also use very heavy duty stranded security cables through both my wheels, and at least once around the body, to deter theft. When I disappear for a couple of days I try to secure the machine to a stout pipe.

Always use several locks - not only at the ends but also at the points where the cable crosses which means thieves have to cut more than one lock.

The use of corrosive liquids is also known to occur thrown in a victims face. I always use helmets with face visors. They also help eliminate cigarette ash from smoking drivers hitting you ion the face / eyes, along with cigarette butts and phlegm from drivers who don't have consideration for those following them.

laidbackfreak wrote:

cang_nduc wrote:

i just read this news few days ago.

can you provide a link ?

here it's.....but it's in vietnamese..
the accident was in 24/11
http://vnexpress.net/gl/phap-luat/2012/ … n-lia-tay/

You can also be killed for an iPhone. Drug addicts have no limits when suffering withdrawal...

Saigonmonkey wrote:

My wife has never really wanted me to spend the money for a more expensive motorbike

She is a smart woman.  There is NO bike in Vietnam that looks good.

Jaitch, what are you...  Bond?  Nonetheless, you are absolutely correct about the Vietnamese security guards and its bike cloning industry.

Flo-vn wrote:

Drug addicts have no limits when suffering withdrawal...

Yup, that is the heart of all these social ills.

Wild_1 wrote:

Nonetheless, you are absolutely correct about the Vietnamese security guards and its bike cloning industry.

Firstly, I object to anyone improving their standard of living at my cost; Secondly, the electronic accessories on the machine are worth several times the base cost of the machine.

Besides, electronics is my business, so what might cost you a lot is much cheaper for me.

Can Tho is a peaceful backwater compared to SaiGon/TP HCM. That's why Internal Security has over 300 mobiles operating around here!

Jaitch wrote:

Can Tho is a peaceful backwater compared to SaiGon/TP HCM.

Correcto mundo, senior!  But, like Saigonmonkey had mentioned above, I still don't want to sport a fancy motorbike here...  That is going way overboard, in term of calling attention to yourself.

Anyway, I don't understand what makes the Honda SH so attractive to many people. I tried one a few weeks ago, and I was surprised how heavy and sluggish for 150cm...

Flo-vn wrote:

Anyway, I don't understand what makes the Honda SH so attractive to many people. I tried one a few weeks ago, and I was surprised how heavy and sluggish for 150cm...

The name. Supposedly iconic.

The Hinda Cub was the best Honda. View < https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SLjnqkXNWJs > Check MINUTE 6.20!

If you want performance check out the KYMCO Electronic Fuel Injected machines, take off like a rocket yet have high fuel efficiency.

I agree for the CUB. The Dream was pressy good too.

The worst sh*t I ever drove : the Minsk. Totally overestimated bike, pure legend.

It is quite sad.
You can not ride a nice bike because of ...
You can not use a nice phone on the street because ... you will loose your hand ...
etc.

Jaitch, I like your modifications, and if I had a nice bike, I would consider any or all of them. The problem is - those don't prevent one from getting attacked while riding. (You mentioned throwing acid in the face.) Also, depending on the timeline of events which occurred with the lady losing her hand, your modifications may not have prevented that either. (The bandits may or may not have cut the hand to get her to stop, or cut it after she stopped, but refused to get off the bike. Either way, something like that could happen before the robbers had a chance to find out that the bike was disabled by the modifications.) For that reason, I just don't think it's worth the gamble to own a highly desirable motorbike. I do realize these incidents tend to happen after dark and later in the evening, but that's really the only time I ride, given I work during the daylight hours every day. So, I'll be sticking to my less desirable ride for now.

You mentioned throwing acid in the face.

I personally find a small squirt bottle of chilli oil (not sauce) to be very effective in refocussing people's attention. The strongest is in Cho Lon - nice and dark in colour.

Being cowards, these thieves tend to go after the least strong PLUS they can't read Foreigners body language.

ddn_ro wrote:

It is quite sad.
You can not ride a nice bike because of ...
You can not use a nice phone on the street because ... you will loose your hand ...
etc.

In Vietnam I believe you have 100 times more chances to be killed in an accident than to be killed by a bad guy.

For phones robbery, yes, the probability is very high. But you won't lose your hand for that, those guys are so good at taking it before you even saw them coming.

However there are simple rules to reduce the probability to almost zero :
1. Better use a hand-free set to call in the street, with you phone safe in your pocket (anyway when driving, a phone in one hand is a good way to crash yourself)
2. Avoid showing off your phone anywhere a bike can go through, even on sidewalk.
3. when receiving a call, always keep in mind that it can happen, and remain carefull.

cang_nduc wrote:

laidbackfreak wrote:

cang_nduc wrote:

i just read this news few days ago.

can you provide a link ?

here it's.....but it's in vietnamese..
the accident was in 24/11
http://vnexpress.net/gl/phap-luat/2012/ … n-lia-tay/

thanks

Ok so they did not cut her hand off, but it was badly severed in the process. Still pretty bad though.

Sadly this kind of thing happens all over the world and as this article shows, its NOT just expats who are targeted...

Did you know New York just had its first day in with NO record violent crime (that's no one shot, stabbed or killed)!

Keep your guard up by all means, but please carry on living your life the reason these incidents make it into the news, is because they are so rare! If it was an everyday occurrence they wouldn't appear.
Just look at other bike thefts, how many of those make the news?

Mr. Flo-vn,

I know how to protect myself ... what I said was just a statement that doesn't required an answer. However, what you have said makes perfect sense and is a good tip for those who are new here in Saigon (or Vietnam).