Believe it or not, that's not hyperbole! Check out this clip from the Discovery Channel on the program "The Greatest Ever".
So my friend Quý has a brother-in-law who works for a Honda dealership down in the city of Thái Bình. He came across a Honda Super Cub 50, which is a 49cc motorbike that meets my requirements of not needing a license to drive. Now Thái Bình is a good 2.5 hour drive away from Hanoi, so it had better be a sure thing before making the trip, but he said the bike was ngon, "delicious", so we went for it.
It turned out to be in exceptionally good condition for a bike manufactured back in the 80's. It was previously owned and used by someone in the military, so it was actually well taken care of. Most motorbikes of this type that are still running in Vietnam have been repaired with all manner of spare parts from China, but this one is 100% original Honda parts. We got the price down to about $290 and signed on the dotted line.
After clearing it with the local police, I was able to spend the night at Quy's home. The neighbors were fascinated by a Westerner staying at someone's house, so they all came over to see what was going on. I had a lot of fun helping some of the kids practice their English. Quy's parents are really nice, very hospitable, so it was a nice trip. Since Thái Bình isn't industrialized, there is very little pollution. It's the first time I've seen blue sky and the stars at night after coming to Hanoi.
There was a little trouble getting my new bike started the next day, but it was just a very minor adjustment that had gotten out of tune. While getting it checked out I went ahead and had the oil changed just in case. I then drove the bike all the way from Thái Bình back to Hanoi. Since we ended up leaving a little later than expected, most of the trip was at night, but everything went well and I found that I really enjoyed driving a motorbike. The only problem I had (other than all the crazy people driving on the roads over here! ) was that the seat is a little low, making it a bit difficult to down-shift. That shouldn't be too hard to adjust, so it looks like I found my new bike!
It actually might not have to even be all that temporary, since it really does quite well on the streets here in Hanoi. The only reason I can think of to upgrade to a more powerful bike would be if I had to carry a passenger, and I wouldn't mind not having to bear that responsibility for a while. So for now, it's me and my cub prowling the streets of Hanoi.
Here are a few photos from the trip to Thái Bình.
Easy Rider Jeff, wow I give you credit for riding all that way in the dark. Nice hog!
ReplyDeleteMom said: I'm just glad I found out after the fact. Thanks son. Way to go. Yes, I do want you to have more experience before I am the passenger, hehe.
ReplyDeleteLOl, jeff. You don't like driving with passengers out in america, and you STILL MANAGE to cop out of driving with passengers in Vietnam :p
ReplyDeleteHardy-har-har. :-P
ReplyDeleteActually, one of my friends insisted on hopping on the back even without the seat since he wanted to ride my new bike. He grabbed on and said, "what am I doing? I'm scared!" But after a minute he said, "hey, how long have you been riding a motorbike, you drive normal!" So that was a big compliment, and a credit to the quality of the motorcycle training from Team Oregon.
49cc should be just right to carry me around the city with you. Awsome! JK. Sound like you got your bike, Jeff 2.0 in well on his way ;-)
ReplyDelete