Guide to buy a motorbike in Da Nang

Most people don’t want to commit to buying a motorbike for a short visit, so renting is a great option. Most hotels and guesthouses provide motorbike rental services to their guests or anyone who walks in the door. But This is a short guide on how to go about buying a motorbike in Da Nang. Keep in mind that things change with time, places or prices listed here were true at the time of writing.

Which Motorbike Should I Buy Da Nang?

Here Motorbike Nguyen Tu will give you the common motorbike options. In short, the best motorbike in Vietnam for me was the Honda Win, but that might not be to everyone’s liking.

Honda Dream, full-automatic, 100cc scooter. Price Range USD 200-300
Honda Wave, semi-automatic 100cc motorbike. Price Range: USD 200-300
Russian Minsk, clutch 125cc motorbike. Price Range USD 400+
Honda Win, clutch 110-125cc motorbike. Price Range USD 300-400

Although automatics are made by real companies such as Yamaha or SYM, in the $300.

Honda Wave & Honda Dream

If you want to go out looking incompetent and not looking a real biker then you can go for the Honda Wave or Dream. You get a nice comfy seat and a bike that changes gears easy. Really though, where is the fun in that? Would you really have motorbiked Vietnam or just scooter’d it?

Honda Win

The best motorbike in Vietnam is no doubt the Honda Win. It has the best value for money and provides the best riding quality. With the Honda Win, you will be accepted by fellow riders as having a real motorbike. Importantly, the Honda Win will also offer that clutch control needed to ride the high mountain passes in northern Vietnam.

The Honda Win will break down as all motorbikes in Vietnam do. However, in the long run, the Honda Win in Vietnam is truly indestructible. Replacing a chain will cost up to $5 and even blowing up an engine will only cost $50 each time.

Where to buy a motorbike?

For rental companies, there are a select few reputable establishments that operate between Ho Chi Minh and Da nang with long distance rentals. These companies can be found sitting at the top of google searches, Trip Advisor, Facebook and instagram. It is a good idea to check reviews across multiple platforms and see if the company is providing good feedback across the board.

It is not wise to use the small backstreet rental companies, this is where the scams start to happen such as overcharging for scratches. Just remember the good rental companies take their reputation incredibly seriously and the chances of a bad motorbike or a failed holiday are slim.

For Chinese motorbikes the options are Craigslist, Travelswop, Hostels and Facebook groups when looking to buy a motorbike.

Craigslist

Craigslist is mostly the smaller dealers with nearly no reputation promoting the same motorbikes over and over again. They are a quick and easy way to find a cheap motorbike, but it should be expected that the quality is not particularly high. They are mostly flipping motorbikes for a quick buck. The price will be higher than a backpacker to backpacker sale, but even the shady dealers avoid the completely useless motorbikes. Combining the time they save by stocking motorbikes all in one place, and removing the completely broken down rubbish means that there is some value to their service. Keep an eye out for people “delivering motorbikes for free”, this is never going to end well.

Travel Swop

A mostly broken and outdated website that still ranks highly in google. The Hanoi companies have manipulated the system so they always appear at the top. This website is now providing nearly no value to help buy a motorbike.

What to Check Before You Buy

If you have never ridden a motorbike in Da nang, welcome. let me start by telling you that all budget second-hand motorbikes will have been crashed at some point. If you’re being told otherwise, it’s a lie.

Since these motorbikes have been crashed, they’ve been damaged, and not all have been repaired properly. Here are a few basic checks to make before you buy a motorbike in Vietnam:

• Check the rear swing arm is straight, those 2 forks holding the rear wheel in place. If the rear swingarm is bent then your ride will veer to the side every time you pass over a rumble strip or pothole.
• Check the headlight works and is powerful. Riding at dusk or night in Vietnam is going to be one of the most dangerous things you do in Asia. You are not always going to reach your destination in daylight hours, so be prepared.
• Make sure your battery properly charges and holds a charge. This is the steady power supply for your headlight if the battery is no good you’re going to have a weak headlight.
• Double check the horn works. This is your new voice on the road, and you won’t survive far without it.
• Test the front brake before riding to quick. I didn’t, mine didn’t work properly, and I ended up running into a roadside stall before the deposit had even been paid while on the test run.
• Check that the motorbike has it’s Blue Card (registration papers)

Top Motorbike Rental And Sale in Da Nang

There are several great rental companies within Da Nang. They offer rentals within the city, one-way rentals to and from other cities, and guided tours. Listed below are the top motorbike rental and Sale in Danang. But I recommend these fews stores as the quality of motorbikes are quite good and easy to find:

Safe trip good shop motorbike rental in da nang.

Bao Long motorcycle rental

Bao Long shop is famous for its good services in Da Nang motorbike rental as well as traveling. Like other bike rental shops, you have various choices here to have a ride in Da Nang.  Especially, the motorcycle is very new and in good condition. Otherwise, the shop also has a hotel and tour booking service at a cheaper price.

Location: 14 Nguyen Thien Ke Street, Son Tra District, Da Nang.

Tel: 093791111

Da Nang motorbike rental shops near the airport

Song Han Da Nang motorbike rental shop is linked with an alley to the airport within 100 meters. Besides, it always has the staff to serve you 24/24 so it is very convenient. You can pick up your motorbike at the airport, gas station, hotel and in the urban area. Moreover, the staff is very friendly when recommending to you attractions, cheap-price cafes and food stalls.

Location: 86/26 Thi Sach Street, Hai Chau District, Da Nang

Contact: 0905304050

The Motorbike Station

It takes you 9 minutes walking to reach this Da Nang motorbike rental shop from the station. Many customers have highly appreciated it on TripAdvisor due to its good service and cheap price.Furthermore, in case it has any broken, the shop will fix it for free. He is very friendly, enthusiastic and can speak English.

Tel: ‭+84 92 2771171‬

Location: 196/41 Tran Cao Van Street, Thanh Khe District, Da Nang.

Manual motorbike:

A fake Honda Win is the most usual bike that travelers choose. This one is Sufat that is made in North Vietnam and it was kinda reliable.

Backpackers usually go for ‘Honda’ Win. Please note that the original Honda Win is hard to find since Honda stopped to produce these bikes almost ten years ago. They sold that series to Chinese and Vietnamese companies, so now, you have many different versions of Win motorbike. None of these bikes is Honda since real Honda Win will cost you around $1000.

Funny fact: Antonio got his bike as a gift in Hanoi!

A ‘Honda’ Win’s price usually goes from $150 – $500. We advise you to not go for the cheapest one since these bikes have so many kilometers under the belt and you can expect many breakdowns on the road with the cheapest ones. Instead, aim for the bikes that are in $300 price range. You can get a decent manual bike in that range!

There are many different brands of Wins now, but from experience, we think Sufat and new Detech (2016+) are the most reliable. Antonio was driving Sufat from Hanoi to Saigon without any significant problems on the machine. 

The only problem he had was the electric, so he had issues with starting a bike sometimes. Also, the indicators usually don’t work on these bikes, so be careful when it comes to checking the fuel. His Sufat left him without the gas in the most remote areas few times!

Don’t be like Antonio and always fill your tank!

Semi-automatic motorbike:

We found out that semi-automatic bikes are very reliable but slightly more expensive than manuals. Lovel was driving Honda Wave, and he didn’t have any major breakdowns except broken chain and few problems with a gearbox that he changed on the road.

The bike is cruising like a charm, and you can easily reach 90 km/h which is ideal for many roads around the country. The indicators work, so you don’t need to worry about fuel consumption. Also, the bike has a lot of strength so climbing on the steep mountains won’t cause obstacles to a well-maintained Wave. The Waves are delightful and comfortable to drive, but be careful that you’re buying a real Honda since there are many versions of Chinese waves as Lifan.

Yamaha Sirius and Taurus are another good to go semi-automatic bikes, but they will cost a bit more, and their fuel consumption isn’t as good as Wave. So if you’re thinking about buying a semi-automatic, definitely go for a Wave.

Automatic motorbike:

An automatic type of motorbike is the most suitable for total beginners who never had any experience with the bikes or people who don’t want to think about changing the gears while focusing on chaotic traffic around.

Automatic bikes aren’t the most comfortable bikes and there is not much space, so prepare for a bent back and be ready to put some money for a massage here and there.

Also, when hitting the hills with an automatic, you will obviously have a much harder time as you have no control over the transmission. Driving on the challenging Ho Chi Minh Trail was really slow on this bike.

David was driving SYM Atilla along the way and he passed 3,500 km with the bike without a single breakdown! Without a single breakdown, you heard it right!

He even didn’t have a flat tire or broken chain. Literally nothing except changing the oil every 1,000 kilometers.

Here and there, you may end up with some slight issues with the electric starter, but that’s not a permanent issue. Also, this bike has a kickstart for situations like this.

If you’re thinking about getting an automatic bike, then we advise you to go with SYM Atilla or Honda Lead (a bit more expensive) as these bikes are very reliable, but once they break down, you will have a hard time to find a mechanic who can help you!

Read More: Top shop bicycle rentals in Da Nang.

Typical Cost of Motorbike Repairs da nang

There’s no point denying the fact that your motorbike is going to break down. It’s inevitable. Here are some of the common breakdowns and how much you should expect to pay.

Here are the usual prices of the repairs, so you can notice when someone wants to rip you off:

• Oil change with chain lubricating, tightening and brake adjusting – up to 120k
• Spark plug – 70k
• Flat tire (inner tire) – 100k
• Changing the inner and outer tire – 300k
• Battery – 250k – 350k
• Suspension – 300k
• Brake pads – 100k
• Exhaust – 250k
• Front light – 200k
• Backlight – 100k
• Chain – 150k
• Carburetor – 250k
• Cylinder – 400k
• Brake or clutch handle – 70k
• Set of mirrors – 90k
• Changing the clutch – 500k
• Front rim – 300k
• Back rim – 500k
• Complete new gearbox – around 1 mil
• Alternator – 200k

Always ask for the price up front as a mechanic won’t be able to manipulate you on your ignorance. Once the price is set, Vietnamese respect it and they won’t change it. Just take a look at the prices above so you know what’s the usual price for the parts. With that knowledge, you’ll have a good starting point for bargaining.