Riding Skills and Breakdowns
Getting Back Into Motorcycling After a Long Break: A Refresher Before Your Trip
You used to ride a motorbike but have not been on one for years, and now you are about to rent one in Hanoi for a…
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Riding Skills and Breakdowns
Riding safely in rain, fog and on mountain passes, plus what to do when the bike stops working on the road.
Riding Skills and Breakdowns
Motorcycle Warning Lights Explained: FI, ABS, Smart Key, Temperature and Battery
Modern fuel-injected scooters and small motorbikes have quite a few lights on the dash: the FI malfunction lamp, ABS, smart key, coolant temperature and idling stop.…
Riding Skills and Breakdowns
Motorcycle Group Riding: Formation, Spacing, Lead and Sweep Riders and Hand Signals
Riding to Hà Giang or the northwest as a group is more fun than riding alone, but it brings its own risks: a fast rider pulls…
Riding Skills and Breakdowns
How to Put a Motorcycle on the Center Stand (and Park Safely on the Side Stand)
Putting a scooter or motorbike on its center stand looks simple, but hauling it up with your arms is how riders strain their backs or let…
Riding Skills and Breakdowns
Motorcycle Riding Posture: How to Sit, Grip and Rest on Long Scooter and Bike Rides
After a few hours on a mountain pass, many riders notice a tired back, stiff shoulders or an aching throttle wrist. Sitting correctly, choosing a bike…
Riding Skills and Breakdowns
How to Pick Up a Motorcycle After a Fall: Safe Leg-Lift Steps for Any Bike
Dropping a bike while parking, during a slow U-turn or on loose gravel can happen to any rider on a Vietnam road trip. Picking it up…
Riding Skills and Breakdowns
Motorcycle U-Turn Guide: Low-Speed Control for Narrow Alleys and Mountain Passes
A motorcycle U-turn in a narrow alley or on a mountain pass is a low-speed skill. At walking pace a bike is less self-stabilising than at…
Riding Skills and Breakdowns
How to Ride Over Potholes on a Motorcycle (Plus Rails, Plates and Broken Roads)
After heavy rain or on stretches under construction, mountain roads can be full of potholes, broken tarmac, gravel and temporary steel plates. This guide explains how…
Riding Skills and Breakdowns
How to Overtake on a Motorcycle Safely on Two-Lane Roads
On Vietnam’s two-lane highways and mountain roads you will often end up behind a truck, a bus or a slow scooter. This guide covers how to…
Riding Skills and Breakdowns
Motorcycle Truck Blind Spots: How to Ride Safely Around Trucks and Buses
On Vietnam’s highways and mountain passes, motorbikes share the road with trucks, container lorries and coaches. This guide explains motorcycle truck blind spots: where they are,…