Buying a new motorbike

We have 2 Honda Airblades which have been good reliable machines. They have the dual combo braking system which applies force to both front and rear brakes. Good in emergency braking. I have also borrowed a friend Yamaha Nuovo for a week. It is also a great bike, goes just as well or if not better than the Airblades.. but does not feel as balanced. Good luck on your search!

My VN wife has a Honda Air Blade 125, last years model. For her it's a great, perfect sized, totally reliable bike. 
I make her take it to the Honda Dealers shop for regular servicing - a lot of VN don't do this, just fill with petrol and ride until something breaks. 
Tried riding the Honda Air Blade and the Yamaha Nuovo, must depend on what you're used to riding in the past. 
Both this bikes made me feel like I was on a pedal powered bicycle, they both felt so physically small to me.(178cms/87kgs)  Great bikes for slightly smaller Vietnamese, not so great for larger sized 'westerner' 
(NO INSULT AGAINST ANY VIETNAMESE INTENDED !!!)

Both bikes handled well - BUT, after only riding much larger bikes for more than 30 years in the past, smallest a Honda CBR600R, simply could not get used to the nervous feeling both these bikes gave me - that there was nothing out there in front of the handle bars. 
Admittedly I didn't ride either bikes for very many hours to get really used to them so probably not a really fair test.

Brought a larger V-Twin cruiser instead, Wife HATES it ! Too big, too noisy and I must admit, a total pig, too large to maneuver easily in the inner city traffic.
Worse of all, a lot of markets such as Cho Ben Thanh won't let me park it on the street/footpath outside. Takes up too much space. 

Think in the end it all comes down to a personal choice of what you feel happiest riding. 

Flip465.

The problem with most of the Vietnamese motorbikes/euro-scooters is they are designed and sized for Vietnamese, which is too small for most Western men. I bought a Honda SH because it is designed in Europe for larger-sized people. But a VN-made SH costs 89 million out the door.  You're going to have difficulty finding a larger scooter (assuming you need a larger one) for 50 million. The SYM Shark is the same size as the SH, and costs much less (maybe not much more than 50 million), but I'm not sure about the quality.  In my opinion, the best motorbike for the money, regardless of size, is the Yamaha Nuovo. They're only about 39 million out the door, and have good features, power, and quality.

I thinks the PCX 2014 still good for you

Im 179cm/100kg I have an Airblade and its fine and had no problems with it. You can try the Sym Shark but bad resale when you want to sell. Spend the extra and buy an SH, great bike but beware they are the bike of choice for theft.

Speaking of bikes, Im looking for a shop that sells an on-road/off-road bike, not a dirt bike but something that can be used comfortably on both surfaces.Something like the BMW Dakar but a smaller size.Anywhere in Saigon that sells such a thing

colinoscapee wrote:

Im 179cm/100kg I have an Airblade and its fine and had no problems with it. You can try the Sym Shark but bad resale when you want to sell. Spend the extra and buy an SH, great bike but beware they are the bike of choice for theft.

Speaking of bikes, Im looking for a shop that sells an on-road/off-road bike, not a dirt bike but something that can be used comfortably on both surfaces.Something like the BMW Dakar but a smaller size.Anywhere in Saigon that sells such a thing

In 1976 I had a Yamaha xt 400 which I drove around remote parts of Africa. What a bike, it would be perfect for Vietnam with its on the road off the road capabliities. If Honda could put out a PCX Enduro that would be great.

colinoscapee wrote:

Im 179cm/100kg I have an Airblade and its fine and had no problems with it. You can try the Sym Shark but bad resale when you want to sell. Spend the extra and buy an SH, great bike but beware they are the bike of choice for theft.

colinoscapee,
Several years ago, my wife, Vietnamese, 1.6m tall and complaining if she weighs 49 - 50kgs wringing wet, had a Sym 'Elizabeth' - different bike/scooter to the 'Shark' I know - she HATED it ! 
Always breaking down, electrics failing, refusing to start, etc.

MIGHT just have something to do with the fact that typically of Vietnamese lady riders, a little thing called 'MAINTENANCE' is unheard off ! 

Got her a very nice new Honda Air Blade 125.  Now, with regular check ups and proper maintenance, she has used it daily for the past 3 years and it's perfect for her.
She's VERY happy with it and feels a lot safer riding it.     
(even if sometimes she brings home enough shopping on it to fill a taxis back seats completely.    )

Flip465.

Yes I hear what your saying, but Sym are ok. My ex-gf had one for nearly 9 years without any problems, she maintained it by getting regular services done.

I recently bought a Suzuki EN150a.  I'm a tall guy 6ft2in and it fits me well.  It's a 6speed manual with very good shocks and handling.  It's priced under 50,000,000vnd.  I also have an Airblade for my GF and after riding the Suzuki when I sit on the Airblade it feels like a toy. Martin

Westerners are tooooo worried about size, as I once was. Im american, 90kg, 180cm, and have had Honda 110, Sym 110 (Galaxy), Kawasaki 110 and Yamaha FZ150i and all were just fine. I too was afraid of tiny bikes compared to my US bikes but very soon you get used to it. I have the Sym and Yamaha still, and dont have a car anymore. Im in Malaysia but its just next door and the bikes are the same. Nuovo is OK but scooters have increased service cost. Engine is good, though. On the Yamaha 150 i have overloaded it and taken trips throughout Malaysia, Singapore, Thailand and it easily makes highway speeds and very reliable. The Sym is not high quality but still adequate for anything you want to do. Sym factory told me its a Honda 110 engine under there, with Sym markings and case covers. I know what westerners think about these bike but they havent owned one. They are rugged and have enough power for westerners for most duty in Asia. I know some people will never be satisfied, just GOT to have that 1000 or 1300cc, whatever, but in the end that big a bike is overkill because there are few places to ride at 250kph in Asia except on a track! Just my take on it.

Im coming to Saigon in a few weeks and hope to get a licence! Renting is one thing but if/when i buy I will probably go straight to Sym 110 again. Cheap and simple.

@cvco  You are right on! The motorcycles here are good for everyone; anything bigger than a 150 is not only a waste, it isn't suitable for the roads or the traffic environment. I could understand a Westerner having a big bike because he likes it but that is the only sane reason.

hey i do believe how you doing there? been a while

You know its part of the overall adjustment we westerners have to make if we are going to live here. That distinct pain that comes when you get off the plane and go shopping for "a real bike" only to find out its a nonsense idea, that pain that comes right back HERE, shows the degree of the brain shifting you have to make. That gap between toy bike and real bike is really the best bellweather of things to come and by the time you are actually happy on a 100cc bike, youve made the shift and everything else has become easy. Youre half asian already!

Sure id like to at LEAST have a 500cc bike or a Triumph Bonneville to ride in asia but it just doesnt work.  At watering holes I see groups on superbikes or Harleys or Goldwings pull in and, i used to be jealous, now i just laugh. I cant believe I said that but its true.

by the way, I do believe, i cant quite make out your photo, did you serve?

For people who really enjoy a throbbing machine between their legs, there is a Harley Davidson dealership at NGUYEN VAN LINH @ NGUYEN LUONG BANG (near the Crescent Mall).

Need directions? Use: DiaDiem.com

I was three months away from serving in 1965 or so and got lucky and found a good position back home. Because I was Canadian they had no problem letting me go back to Toronto. Sometimes the juvenile part of me wishes I had gone but then so many didn't come back. I did get mixed up peripherally in some conflicts in Africa but nothing like what happened here. When I was growing up the war was on the front pages every day for 10 years; the war here was/is part of my psyche in a way that current generations can't quite comprehend even though I was not actively involved. On the other hand I resent people who were here in the old days and were able to see a Vietnam I can only guess at. Roads not travelled.

I do believe wrote:

I was three months away from serving in 1965 or so and got lucky and found a good position back home. Because I was Canadian they had no problem letting me go back to Toronto. Sometimes the juvenile part of me wishes I had gone but then so many didn't come back. I did get mixed up peripherally in some conflicts in Africa but nothing like what happened here. When I was growing up the war was on the front pages every day for 10 years; the war here was/is part of my psyche in a way that current generations can't quite comprehend even though I was not actively involved. On the other hand I resent people who were here in the old days and were able to see a Vietnam I can only guess at. Roads not travelled.

Resent? Hope you meant envy, but maybe not.

Jaitch wrote:

For people who really enjoy a throbbing machine between their legs, there is a Harley Davidson dealership at NGUYEN VAN LINH @ NGUYEN LUONG BANG (near the Crescent Mall).

Need directions? Use: DiaDiem.com

See? Now how did i just KNOW Jaitch was going to say that?!    R O F L

Budman1 wrote:

I do believe wrote:

I was three months away from serving in 1965 or so and got lucky and found a good position back home. Because I was Canadian they had no problem letting me go back to Toronto. Sometimes the juvenile part of me wishes I had gone but then so many didn't come back. I did get mixed up peripherally in some conflicts in Africa but nothing like what happened here. When I was growing up the war was on the front pages every day for 10 years; the war here was/is part of my psyche in a way that current generations can't quite comprehend even though I was not actively involved. On the other hand I resent people who were here in the old days and were able to see a Vietnam I can only guess at. Roads not travelled.

Resent? Hope you meant envy, but maybe not.

I was still too young to go but my older brother got drafted and he was considering fleeing to Canada. A week before he was to keep his appointment, Nixon ended the war. It was quite a scary time. I had friends who didnt come back, one on our street, and others who came back all messed up. About 15 years ago I was in a dentists office waiting for the drill. I was reading a National Geographic article about the war, with far too many pics and descriptions and at some point i put the magazine down and just started crying. However I feel about the war these days its tempered by the respect i have for active-serving and vets whom i came to understand better as an adult and with a lot of time since then  to think about everything. I know that Viets prefer not to talk about the war so i wont, just to say Vietnam is special to me just the same.

By the way I think much of the region is still intact in the 1969 sense. I was in tiny town in north Malaysia and thought I had woken up in current newsreel about the war, it looks just like that.

I do believe-- i veered off the thread. Did you get a new bike after all?

I was reading this thread about scooters. Here in Malaysia the PCX, which i like, isnt popular because the Sym is cheaper and larger. The Sym 200 scooter is not a good bike but the 250cc is. Its large and has plenty of power. It dwarfs the PCX when you see them side by side. The Sym 400 is also around but im told it has (or had) lots of problems. I would take a chance on the Sym 250 if I were in the market, its solid and popular. If I had tons more money id take the Suzuki or Yamaha large scooters.

cvco wrote:

I do believe-- i veered off the thread. Did you get a new bike after all?

I was reading this thread about scooters. Here in Malaysia the PCX, which i like, isnt popular because the Sym is cheaper and larger. The Sym 200 scooter is not a good bike but the 250cc is. Its large and has plenty of power. It dwarfs the PCX when you see them side by side. The Sym 400 is also around but im told it has (or had) lots of problems. I would take a chance on the Sym 250 if I were in the market, its solid and popular. If I had tons more money id take the Suzuki or Yamaha large scooters.

In my post about the war in Vietnam, I stand corrected; envy is the correct word.  In regards to the mortorbike, I still have the four year old PCX because I like the wide handlebars. The SH has a good reputation but the looks of it don't do anything for me. Honda has come out with a 150 PCX and that's where I'll probably end up going. I worry about parts for some of the less mainstream bikes.

Idobelieve, i for one did understood what you meant by "resent" which when compared to "envy" works better. I read "resent" as, "i could just kick that guy (out of jealousy or envy) for having an experience I didnt get to have." Perfectly understood. The word "envy" doesnt give that quality of meaning. To me anyway, you had it right the first time.

On bikes, I wouldnt recommend Sym as a good brand. Its not, but its adequate for our purposes. Honda....the trouble with Honda is that since 2002 the bikes are not Japanese made. I had a 2000 Honda, made in Japan, and those engines were handmade to tight specs. It ran just like a clock. When they let Thailand make the bikes, the quality went down by half, i figure. So today, Honda is resting on its name, not the higher quality people were used to at one time. Yes the bikes run but I can easily feel and hear the difference. Of ALL the mfrs, Honda is the best at hanging onto parts the longest. Except for body parts (and even a lot of those) its possible to get parts for very old bikes. If they dont have them in Saigon they will in Japan.

But who cares? We're not talking about fine machines here, just "disposable transport appliances (DTA)." Personally, since these are all pretty crappy when you get right down to it, I say buy new and dump them in 2-3 years. In that sense, any of the bikes are OK, even the worst ones like Sym. Buy cheap, ride right, change the oil, dump in a couple years, thats it. Parts availability is fine during that time for any brand, too.

And I am being generous here. In Malaysia, they buy new, never change the oil or any maintenance at all, only (duct tape) fix whats seriously broken, run them right into the ground, and leave them bruised and battered right on the side of the road and go buy another one. I think they have the right idea, frankly.

For that reason I dont want to spend a lot for a DTA. Half of Honda's price is its name. All the MFRs are sourcing parts all over the world, whichever is the cheapest. My Yamaha.... very few, if any, parts are Japanese. The bike is a stew of Indian, Indonesian, Thai and Chinese parts. Yet there is the Japanese badge, itself most likely not made in Japan, either. And why cant I get parts for this 2009 bike? Because if the Indians stop making the supply, then Yamaha cant stock the parts. This is what Im facing right now. This caused Indonesian street guys to start making their own parts for this bike. There are more Indonesian cottage-industry parts available for the FZ150i than Yamaha has. Imagine that. This is why I cal them all DTA and i want to pay little, ride hard, dump soon. I wont give any more respect to these DTAs than I would a toaster because thats all they deserve.

Jaitch wrote:

For people who really enjoy a throbbing machine between their legs, there is a Harley Davidson dealership at NGUYEN VAN LINH @ NGUYEN LUONG BANG (near the Crescent Mall).

Need directions? Use: DiaDiem.com

Not sure why anyone would want a HD in Viet Nam,apart from the status and look at me. I owned two HD before coming to VN and for the life of me can't see anywhere in VN they could be used to their full potential,plus the fact that so many people pull out in front of youas we know Harley's don't pull up too quickly.But too each his own and if people feel like spending 1 billion on a bike,it's their choice.

colinoscapee wrote:

Jaitch wrote:

For people who really enjoy a throbbing machine between their legs, there is a Harley Davidson dealership at NGUYEN VAN LINH @ NGUYEN LUONG BANG (near the Crescent Mall).

Need directions? Use: DiaDiem.com

Not sure why anyone would want a HD in Viet Nam,apart from the status and look at me. I owned two HD before coming to VN and for the life of me can't see anywhere in VN they could be used to their full potential,plus the fact that so many people pull out in front of youas we know Harley's don't pull up too quickly.But too each his own and if people feel like spending 1 billion on a bike,it's their choice.

Thats why i was laughing, we just got through saying dont buy a big bike and here come Jaitch with heres a big bike...

Idobelieve, i forgot something. Not to digress from the thread but lots of the old Vietnam is still there and also in odd places.

On odd place is in Betong, Thailand. After Saigon fell in 1975, the communists didnt stop there. They planned to convert Malaysia next and used Betong as their launching point. Thousands congregated in the jungles at Betong where they built a vast cave network to work and hide while they recruited Malaysians into the cause. In 1978, while on the verge of overthrowing Malaysia, they were found and crushed at Betong (and then the city was born). The caves and all seized equipment and jungle, its all  still there and intact. The Viets had everything in the caves, including dentists, hospital, kitchens, dorms. They invented a system of cooking which prevented cooking smoke from going out the top of the caves because opposing forces would find them. Even today, 40 years later Malaysia still lives in fear that communism could rise again and authorities remain vigilant.

Sorry to digress. Thats all.

Thú vị! I must find a break in the teaching cycle, perhaps in the New Year. Never heard of Betong but sounds like one of those places that should be on one's bucket list, it's now on mine, thanks.