Motorbiking in Asia forum

Posted from within Vietnam.

So you’ve come to Vietnam from faraway and you’d like to travel through the country on Soviet Motorbike? Sounds good.

We’re selling our rugged blue Minsk machine, born in 1993. Our trusty steed was purchased in Hoi An, and has come through Uncle Ho’s Wild Ride during the last 3 weeks strong and faithful. In fact, it’s never even seen the inside of a mechanic shop, aside from putting on a new fuse box it’s first day on the road, and replacing a popped rear tube on the last leg of our run.

On a sad and cautionary note: our Russian Rambo once had a sister... let’s just call her “The Yellow Lemon.” Not all Minsks are created equal. Yellow broke down on a daily basis; at first we joked: “A mechanic a day keeps our Minsk in play!” But soon, when we were missing days from our itinerary sitting in shops, and couldn’t enjoy the beautiful mountain passes to and from Dalat for fear of breakdowns. Yellow just about ruined our good time. Use caution when selecting your Minsk companion — you want it to add to your vacation and not take away from it.

But back to the good stuff!

Our Frisky Minsk’s Details
Price: $275
Blue, 1993, 125cc Standard model (not the taller Sport model), all in reliable working order. Solid, solid engine. Paper Title. Small rack on the back (we fit two 16 kilo packs on it! plus two riders!!) If you’d like, you’re welcome to our tie down straps, one orange helmet (Western Male-sized), a bare bones toolkit, two locks and a basic map of Vietnam.

We bought this baby for $325, and you won’t get us down below $275. But, we promise not to siphon the gas out of the tank.

So if you’re interested, we’re at our final destination, Saigon. We don’t have a Vietnamese Sim Card, so you’ll have to reach us via email.