Vietnam Motorcycling Tips
With motorcycling, how you get to your destination is just as important as where you’re going.On a bike, you experience the landscape in a much more exhilarating way than you do in a car, but you can still be safe and comfortable
For those want to explore Vietnam by motorcycling, VAT offer the following tips for getting started the smart way:
Take a Training Course.
Take a Training Course. The Motorcycle Safety Foundation’s Basic Rider Course provides the motorcycle, helmet and 15 hours of classroom and on-bike instruction. Courses for beginning and experienced riders are offered at 1,000 different sites in all 50 states.
Always keep your eyes forward and slow down at every
intersection. If you and another are both converging on the same spot
then who ever make the first evasive move (to the left or right) is the
action that both of you should then follow. You are not bonded by
notions of right or wrong driving rules from back home - if the guy
turn to avoid you and it means he is heading into traffic and even if
it is on the wrong side of the road, then it is good practice. By
following the first move everyone know each other’s intention. If you
are heading straight at someone then communicate to the other person by
giving your handle bars a bit of a turn in the direction you are
committing yourself to indicate to them what you are about to do.
Whatever you indicate will then lock you into a non-collision situation.
If
someone is walking across a busy street without looking then turn so as
to go behind them. This will enable them to keep moving forward instead
of getting stuck waiting for some space in front of them. This rule
perhaps more than any other is the one behind the fluidity of the
traffic. People always go behind, not in the front of the blocking
entity. This then allow the object to keep moving and thereby keep the
roads open. Be particularly wary of kids playing soccer or badminton on
the pavement, old deaf dogs, cows and buffaloes. Give them a blast on
your horn, slow down and pass them on the other side of the road.
Remember that larger, moving vehicles can often hide other bikes behind
them which can cause havoc if you make some false assumptions at
intersections when blindly cutting in front of larger vehicles either
traveling parallel or at right angles with you. When you are turning
then indicate with your arms as well as your indicators and make long,
curved turn - never slow down to an all most stop and then turn sharply
- you will be taken out. If crossing a busy intersection then move into
the “down traffic” side of another vehicle. The guy’s “traffic shadow”
will buffer you against other traffic and you can then cross no
problems. Otherwise do what the local do, which is to cross right in
the middle of it. Do not make any sudden jerks or speed changes. Just
cross consistently and slowly. People will see what you are doing and
they will make room for you to cross. When driving through water the
best thing to do is to make sure you are in the first gear and you are
giving the engine heaps before plunging in. Never try to start the bike
if water has already got into the exhaust pipe as the compression will
suck some into the engine, thereby wetting the sparkplug and making it
hard to start. It is possible to drive through water which is high
enough to cover both the exhaust pipe and carburetor. So long as you
are revving the engine heaps then all the exhaust fumes will keep the
water from getting into the engine. Do not change gear when crossing.
Assume
a large vehicle will come around every bend and drive in anticipation
of it. When entering a zone of unpredictability - an intersection, an
adjacent pig and buffalo etc. - then click down a gear with the clutch
still engaged. If you then need to slow down quickly you can then
release the clutch causing the bike to slow down in conjunction with an
application of the brakes. If however you need to accelerate to get out
of trouble then rev the engine a bit and then release the clutch. You
will be in a lower gear and be in a position to speed away. Thus
arrange yourself so that you can either accelerate using a lower gear -
recognize a potentially dangerous situation and put yourself in the
best position to do something about it. Keep the time when the clutch
is open to a minimum. Disconnecting the momentum of the bike to the
engine is dangerous - you have no control over power or deceleration.
In normal potentially dangerous circumstances use the engine to slow
down first by changing down a gear or two, then think about braking.
If
you do have to slow down quickly then start with your front brake
first. The momentum the push the bike down onto the front tire. Causing
it to the flatten out on the road thereby increasing its traction and
friction. Then apply the back brake on the bike has been pushed into
the ground by the effect of the front braking. You might need to pump -
that is squeeze then release the brake levers - the two brakes to get
stronger effect. Along with a changing down of the gears will then
ensure of the greatest braking potential. If you are going to hit
something head on then remember this. It is a million times better to
hit something while you are still in control but nevertheless moving
forward than to careen into it having slammed on the brake too much -
skidding gets you no where. Better to hit something at 10km/h than
40km/h. Therefore practice high speed braking when you get the chance.
Get a feel of what it’s like to have the back wheel skidding to the
left or to the right. Controlled braking really can slow you down
quickly and effectively. You just need to practice front brake then
back brake so that if you have an emergency you won’t distinctively go
straight for the back ‘skidding’ brake. Move the bike by leaning, by
shifting your legs out and pushing down on the foot pedals. Try not to
steer too much just by turning the handle bars and try to keep your
spine perpendicular to the bike’s axis.
Dress for the Occasion. Find
gear that will protect and feel comfortable. Riders have traditionally
worn leather for protection and rain gear for inclement weather. But
new textile garments offer more versatility, with their light weight,
abrasion resistance and breathability. Helmets are required by law in
every road, Vietnam Adventure Travel strongly recommends them for all
riders. Don’t forget the gloves and boots.
