SaigonNezumi.com » Motorbike Fun

Honda to cut motorcyle prices

SaigonNezumi (Kevin) — Mon, 05 Jul 2010 03:26:25 +0000

Very interesting article from the Daily Yomiuri. In an effort to increase youth interest in motorcycles, Honda plans to slash prices of 45 models to 2000 levels. The popular Honda Super Cub (50cc) will be slashed about $400 US and the Forza (250cc) about $1200 US.

I am curious to see how the price reductions will affect the price of Honda motorbikes in Vietnam. Maybe you will see people giving up older, less efficient motorbikes for the newer very inefficient, automatic motorbikes…

See article here -> Honda to cut motorcycle prices

Gas prices going up in Vietnam? Rumor going around Saigon today is that the price of...
Fuel prices drop again According to Thanh Nien News, the price of fuel for...
Honda Custom 125cc Motorcycle Yesterday my friend, Phu, and I went around looking at...

Related posts brought to you by Yet Another Related Posts Plugin.

3-2 and Su Van Hanh intersections

SaigonNezumi (Kevin) — Wed, 21 Apr 2010 08:21:02 +0000

Last night I was at the busy intersection of 3-2 and Su Van Hanh streets. It was a busy evening.

Intersection of 3-2 and Su Van Hanh streets - District 10

Best Saigon Restaurants Bo Ne – Phu Nhuan District If you love beefsteak,...
Friday Night Fun My friends and I had a great night. We all...
Saigon Traffic Jam from Hell Two weeks ago from today, I was heading to Indochina...

Related posts brought to you by Yet Another Related Posts Plugin.

My Bruises from the motorbike accident

SaigonNezumi (Kevin) — Sun, 07 Feb 2010 14:35:15 +0000

Last Tuesday as some you are aware, I was involved in a motorbike accident on Nguyen Dinh Chieu street in District 1. I was riding along parallel with my ‘work permit’ service agent’s motorbike. As we stopped at the intersection, another motorbike passed right between us. Unfortunately for him, he lost control of his overweight motorbike and ran into my handle bar. The next thing I know I was using my right leg to keep both of our motorbikes from hitting the ground.

That was my mistake. I should have let my motorbike fall and I would have had little injury. Instead, my right calf took the brunt of his motorbike impacting my motorbike. He luckily was able to pass with no injury. Since he REALLY looked guilty, I let him go. I was fine but I knew I would get some really bad bruises which appeared today after 5 days.

My right calf is still sore but recovering. I did not do any lower body this week but was able to attend kendo last Thursday. The bruise will be there for a couple of weeks (unless I can find some leaches). What is really funny about this accident is that many of my Vietnamese friends do not believe I was in one. For some odd reason, people here think bruises appear suddenly and do not realize that it can take days to appear. Well, here are the proof now

Motorbike Accident Well, it was bound to happen. Yours truly got into...
Motorbike Accident Yes, another motorbike accident. If you travel to Saigon, you...
Motorbike Accident – Cong Hoa Street On the way to SaigonTech this morning, I ran into...

Related posts brought to you by Yet Another Related Posts Plugin.

Saigon’s worst motorbike rider

SaigonNezumi (Kevin) — Sun, 06 Dec 2009 01:31:05 +0000

Over a week ago, this woman on her motorbike nearly collided with me as she cut me off. In fact, she cut off several motorbikes in front of me. A lot of brake lights were flashing as this woman was crisscrossing through traffic. I consider her one of the worst motorbike rider’s in Saigon.

(Yes, she cut off the pink electric bike as well)

Motorbike Accident Yes, another motorbike accident. If you travel to Saigon, you...
Lesson #1: Pay to keep your motorbike Here is an interesting story from Thanh Nien News involving...
Motorbike Safety – Saigon-style Well, seems that the Traffic Police will start enforcing the...

Related posts brought to you by Yet Another Related Posts Plugin.

Beating the Rain

SaigonNezumi (Kevin) — Thu, 15 Oct 2009 10:32:41 +0000

It is just 5 PM but I could tell from the dark clouds that it would rain within 20 minutes. My appointment was at 5:30 PM but I decided to see if I could race to my destination and remain dry.

I raced down Le Van Sy only to face gridlock after gridlock of slow moving motorobikes. Can’t they understand that it was able to rain cats and dogs? “Please get out of my way!” I silently pleaded. “I do not want to get wet!”

Unfortunately nobody seemed to notice, or care, that the lonely crazy foreigner on his red Yamaha Nouvo was trying to pass them. OMG, did I just get cut off by another Nouvo.

Then it started, one big raindrop followed by another big drop. I was panicking. Just one more street to cross. Traffic light is yellow with 3 seconds to go. Floor it!!!

Finally I make my destination. An Expat and a young Vietnamese girl are trying to flag a taxi.

Screw them!!! I do not want to get wet…

Finally I make it with time to spare. A couple more drops followed by more drops. Then it decided not to rain…

Damn it! All for nothing…

Just another day on the chaotic roads of Saigon.

Oh wait, there it comes finally.

Storm of the Century in Saigon It all started at around 3:45 PM today. I was...
Saigon Traffic Jam from Hell Two weeks ago from today, I was heading to Indochina...
Washing my motorbike Yep, finally got around to washing my motorbike today. It...

Related posts brought to you by Yet Another Related Posts Plugin.

Picture of me with my Yamaha Nouvo LX

SaigonNezumi (Kevin) — Mon, 10 Aug 2009 15:40:04 +0000

Got some pictures of yours truly on my Yamaha Nouvo LX via Crystal Dinh, a Viet Kieu friend currently visiting Saigon. It is not very often you will see a picture of me on my motorbike.

(On my Yamaha Nouvo LX in Saigon)

(Getting wet in the Phu Nhuan district)

Oh, and more taiko

Click here to view the embedded video.

Pimping my Yamaha Nouvo LX Saturday I spent part of the day with ‘pimping’ my...
Yamaha Nouvo RC Available in Vietnam I dropped by the Yamaha Service Center and noticed some...
Yamaha Nouvo LX Sorry guys, I guess I need to pay more attention....

Related posts brought to you by Yet Another Related Posts Plugin.

More Saigon Traffic Jam Photos

SaigonNezumi (Kevin) — Sun, 19 Jul 2009 02:21:44 +0000

I took these pictures earlier in the week. Normally I never have time to take pictures from my motorbike. The traffic was running slow enough that I could take photos all along Nam Ky Khoi Nghia street from Phu Nhuan to District 1.

(District 3)

(Heading towards Vo Thi Sau street)

(They are paving the street again)

(near Anpha Capital)

(At the corner of NKKN and Nguyen Thi Minh Khai streets)

Saigon Traffic Jam from Hell Two weeks ago from today, I was heading to Indochina...
Traffic Jam on Saigon’s Nam Ky Khoi Nghia street The traffic jams along Nam Ky Khoi Nghia street in...
Traffic Jam near E-Town Yesterday afternoon, while my friend was test driving a BMW,...

Related posts brought to you by Yet Another Related Posts Plugin.

Traffic Jam on Saigon’s Nam Ky Khoi Nghia street

SaigonNezumi (Kevin) — Sun, 19 Jul 2009 02:08:52 +0000

The traffic jams along Nam Ky Khoi Nghia street in District 3 has been terrible for the last year and a half. A couple days ago, it took me nearly 45 minutes to get from my house to District 1. The same trip took me 10-15 minutes nearly 3 years ago. Below are some pictures and a video that I took while waiting for the traffic to move:

(Beginning of traffic jam)

(Traffic jam going all the way to Vo Thi Sau and beyong)

Video

Click here to view the embedded video.

Motorbike Traffic in Saigon, Vietnam More video shots from my HTC Touch Cruise that I...
Saigon Traffic Jam from Hell Two weeks ago from today, I was heading to Indochina...
Traffic Jam on Nguyen Van Troi street This is becoming all too common these days. Well, for...

Related posts brought to you by Yet Another Related Posts Plugin.

Yamaha Nouvo LX Mod in Hanoi

SaigonNezumi (Kevin) — Thu, 09 Jul 2009 02:30:26 +0000

About a month ago, Stephen an Expat from Hanoi, asked me about the modifications on my Yamaha Nouvo LX. He wanted to make the same modifications on his motorbike but it was difficult for him to find a good shop up in Hanoi. Later I got an email for him, VIP Bikes, run by the nonprofit Blue Dragon Children’s Foundation, was able to add the bigger tires that he wanted. Stephen emailed me some pictures of VIP Bikes and his Yamaha Nouvo LX. I also included more information about VIP Bikes so please support if you are up in Hanoi.

(Alleyway in front of VIP Bikes)

(VIP Bikes)

(Nice workshop)

(Andrew and his mechanics)

(New rear tire 80X100)

(Close hot, really nice rear tire)

(New front tire – 80X90)

(Bigger tires make the Nouvo LX look stronger)

Fact Sheet: VIP Bikes

Most children and youth working on Hanoi’s streets are economic migrants who have travelled from rural areas of Vietnam in search of a better future. However, street work inevitably means dropping out of school, thereby compounding poverty, and street children are highly vulnerable to many dangers in addition to arrest, such as prostitution and drugs.

Vocational training opportunities are largely inaccessible to street children. By their very nature, street children are usually poor, and cannot afford to pay the fees. Even more importantly, when street children can afford the fees, they may not be able to afford to take time off from their work. Pressing needs such as food and accommodation must take priority over the desire for training and a good career!

Street children enrolled in regular vocational training courses also struggle to ‘fit in’ and may even be ostracised by their teachers and other students.

With these problems in mind, Blue Dragon Children’s Foundation established VIP Bikes as a social enterprise in April 2008. Our goal is simple: to create high-quality training and employment opportunities for disadvantaged youth in Hanoi.

How VIP Bikes helps…

VIP Bikes trains disadvantaged youth in a range of practical skills associated with operating a motorbike rental business. This includes motorbike mechanics, marketing, accounting, sales and administration. Related skills, such as welding and spray painting, are taught on demand.

Training opportunities are in the context of a real business: they are hands-on and authentic, with full support from qualified staff.

VIP Bikes staff are not only expert in their industry; they also understand disadvantaged youth and the difficulties they face.

How VIP Bikes works…

VIP Bikes operates as a ‘high-end’ motorbike rental and repair company. As a business, our goal is to lead the market in quality of service and customer satisfaction. While the scooters we rent out on monthly contracts are the same that other businesses rent out, we differentiate ourselves by providing free monthly services overseen by an expatriate mechanic, and a consistently high standard of care.

Our business model operates in tandem with training for disadvantaged youth. Trainees learn by watching, assisting and finally doing for themselves, while also learning the basic theory and workshop practices.

Once the trainees have mastered key competencies, Blue Dragon staff then support them to apply for jobs and start down the road to independence.

My first flat tire on my Yamaha Nouvo LX I got my first flat tire on my Yamaha Nouvo...
Pimping my Yamaha Nouvo LX Saturday I spent part of the day with ‘pimping’ my...
Yamaha Nouvo RC Available in Vietnam I dropped by the Yamaha Service Center and noticed some...

Related posts brought to you by Yet Another Related Posts Plugin.

Top Gear Vietnam Special

SaigonNezumi (Kevin) — Sat, 04 Jul 2009 12:20:33 +0000

A newly arrived American told me about this Vietnam special by a popular show called Top Gear. Watch this good piece where three of the hosts take 3 beaten motorbikes from Saigon to Halong Bay.

Click here to view the embedded video.

Halong Bay, Vietnam We took a short excursion away from the mines of...
Motorbike Traffic in Saigon, Vietnam More video shots from my HTC Touch Cruise that I...
Cockfighting in my alleyway – Saigon, Vietnam I was riding my motorbike through my alleyway last week...

Related posts brought to you by Yet Another Related Posts Plugin.