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cb400
Joined: 27 Sep 2010
Posts: 274
Location: Vientiane, Laos
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 Posted: Fri Nov 01, 2013 12:41 pm Post subject: |
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One Vn mechanic I used that I would recommend was a nice guy in alley 18A Nguyen Chi Thanh (?) Its been a while...
He is towards the end of the alley and he does do good work and is honest... I've asked him before to replace something only to come back later and find out that is needed a 10,000 part instead and I wouldn't have know...
He doesn't speak E at all but worth a look if your in D1. |
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mark_in_saigon
Joined: 20 Sep 2009
Posts: 837
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| Posted: Fri Nov 01, 2013 2:46 pm Post subject: |
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| Quote: |
| It sounds like you're just getting a bike to get from A to B around town, in which case you don't need to worry so much. |
Right, for most of us, the motorbike is not that big a deal. Like the deal on lights, god, they go out all the time. The VN do not even care. Just a few of us make a big deal about having this perfect machine, the VN do not understand that mentality, and most of the expats should just get whatever works out at the time they are looking.
I will be posting on that other thread about a guy named Mac, he is an expat who seems to specialize in older Hondas, am likely going to have him do a front disk brake retrofit on a 67 and see how it works out. I liked Pat of SCC on the rebuild, had him do two of those. You do pay up, but you get it done right. He is not a Honda specialist, he may not be the guy for every odd Honda issue. He is the Vespa god of HCMC and does a first class engine rebuild on the older Honda engine as well. Will let you know how Mac works out, so far he looks like he may be pretty good. |
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cb400
Joined: 27 Sep 2010
Posts: 274
Location: Vientiane, Laos
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| Posted: Fri Nov 01, 2013 3:08 pm Post subject: |
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Hey Mark,
Sorry but I have to (politely) disagree with you on this one.
We should NOT do what the Vietnamese do, especially in regards to motorbike maintenance or any other type of repair/maintenance work. Getting stuff fixed on a scooter is cheap and easily done, so I would strongly suggest getting it done. Have lights that work might prevent the next drunken government official from ploughing into you at night or dusk/dawn.
Every time I sold one of my bikes, big or small I had a line up of Vietnamese who wanted to buy them because 'foreigners take care of their stuff' and when I ask why don't VN do the same, they would reply because they don't want to spend the money. Then I would tell them to feck off when they would offer 60-70% off what I was asking ...but that another tread 
I've always believed in properly maintaining my cars and bikes, it normally pays for itself in the long run and if it is worth having it is worth paying for. Look around you... building maintenance, bike repair, road works anything else the VN try to do is done in a very half-assed - twice as stupid approach.
I am not having a go at you Mark, just saying we should no be following their example on anything to do with repairs or maintenance. |
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LettersAthruZ
Joined: 25 Apr 2010
Posts: 466
Location: North Viet Nam
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| Posted: Fri Nov 01, 2013 4:24 pm Post subject: |
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| I dunno.....Honda or Yamaha (which are maybe 80% of bikes in Viet Nam).....I just go to an Official Dealer and have it serviced there. NEVER had any issues. And, by Western Standards - the cost is very reasonable. |
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mark_in_saigon
Joined: 20 Sep 2009
Posts: 837
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| Posted: Fri Nov 01, 2013 4:59 pm Post subject: |
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Not saying to NOT FIX the headlites. The OP was acting like it was a major issue on where to get it done. If your lites go out, if you do not have your regular mechanic nearby, just get it done by anyone, it is pot luck on these guys. If you are in love with your bike, then you would be proactive on upgrading the lites so they would be strong and bright, and maybe your electrical system would be rewired as well. Most of us just wait til it breaks and then get the minimal repair, in which case the question of what mechanic to use is not really relevant. I had a minor breakdown today, just found the first guy who was available and he worked out okay. Pot luck. I will pay up and get a westerner to look it over when I get a chance.
I am stating the obvious too, pointing out that most of the natives do not give a flip one way or the other about most of the motorbike world, as long as they can drive on the sidewalk or whatever it is they feel is their divine right, they are happy. I see these guys going the wrong way down a one way street all the time with NO lites, like, if you are going to be stupid, why not go all the way?
By the way, I have read that in Cambodia it is legal to drive at night without lights but illegal to drive in the day WITH your lights on. We are almost that stupid over here, notice no one says squat if you drive at night without lights, but if you run with yours on during the day they all want to point out to you that you are being foolish. The VN in the north tell me that they believe it costs extra gas to run with your lites on. After hearing that, I did not even want to ask these guys down here what they thought it does. Like the girl who told me not to look at a kid's eyes who had pink eye, that I could get infected by looking at her. A true case of "the evil eye".
Anyway, survived another day in it, though I am sure others did not. |
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ExpatLuke
Joined: 11 Feb 2012
Posts: 744
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| Posted: Sat Nov 02, 2013 6:41 am Post subject: |
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Today I saw a guy driving his bike with the headlights missing... not just not working, they were completely gone and there was a big hole in the front of his bike.
It made me wonder if people are stealing these now. |
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TRH
Joined: 27 Oct 2011
Posts: 340
Location: Hawaii
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| Posted: Sat Nov 02, 2013 10:12 am Post subject: |
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| ExpatLuke wrote: |
| Today I saw a guy driving his bike with the headlights missing... not just not working, they were completely gone and there was a big hole in the front of his bike. |
You must be living somewhere "downtown" (1/3/5/4/7.) In the "suburbs", no light at all describes maybe 0.5% of the bikes out at night and maybe 1% with lights not working and another 3.5% not bothering to turn on the perfectly good lights they have. The truck bikes with the bed in the front have no lights by design and they do drive at night.
I think the problem is how Vietnamese perceive the need for lights. They seem to think they are only for the driver to see, when what is more important is that they allow you to be seen. This is particularly true when coming around blind corners (although Vietnamese use horns for that.) They would be surprised to see the Interstate in the US with every truck and many cars with lights on, day or night. Apparently officialdom does not see no lights at night as a safety factor. Say what you want about the government system, it does have the ability to impact public behavior.
I would bet even money that the bike you saw with no lights had a working horn. |
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LarueLarry
Joined: 05 Jul 2013
Posts: 32
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| Posted: Sat Nov 02, 2013 11:55 am Post subject: |
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| TRH wrote: |
Say what you want about the government system, it does have the ability to impact public behavior.
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Interesting comment.
I was here in 2005 before there was a helmet law and came back after it went into effect. But I heard that the day it did, most people had a helmet on their head. |
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Prof.Gringo
Joined: 07 Nov 2006
Posts: 2236
Location: Dang Cong San Viet Nam Quang Vinh Muon Nam!
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| Posted: Sat Nov 02, 2013 4:17 pm Post subject: |
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| ExpatLuke wrote: |
Today I saw a guy driving his bike with the headlights missing... not just not working, they were completely gone and there was a big hole in the front of his bike.
It made me wonder if people are stealing these now. |
Reminds me of the huge hole in the ground at the uni I used to work... It was never filled in and could have easily swallowed a student or teacher, but hey, it was pretty much pitch black at night... So I guess you were expected to know the way and not fall in...  |
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ExpatLuke
Joined: 11 Feb 2012
Posts: 744
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| Posted: Sun Nov 03, 2013 4:16 am Post subject: |
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| TRH wrote: |
I think the problem is how Vietnamese perceive the need for lights. They seem to think they are only for the driver to see, when what is more important is that they allow you to be seen. This is particularly true when coming around blind corners (although Vietnamese use horns for that.) |
That's it exactly. I was talking with my girlfriend the other day, and she was telling me about the time her friend got a ticket when they were out at night together. She said the policeman was so stupid because he gave them a ticket for driving with no lights even when the street lights were bright enough to see by. I told her the reason you need to turn your lights on isn't so much so that you can see, but so that others can see you. She didn't think too much of that idea because she thought it was bright enough to see just fine. People just don't understand that it's very easy to miss a driver with no lights when you're conditioned to look for other lights at night. |
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cb400
Joined: 27 Sep 2010
Posts: 274
Location: Vientiane, Laos
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| Posted: Sun Nov 03, 2013 1:02 pm Post subject: |
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I've had the same argument with a friend about the 'lights using gas'. After laughing my ass off I started my bike, turned on the lights and said 'I am using gas right?' friend agreed. I hit the engine kill switch (on the CB, not sure you can do this on scooters) lights still on... and asked the friend 'how is the light still on? You think it is using gas now?' they were completely dumbfounded and didn't know what magic was happening. I explained the lights run off the electrical system so they have no effect on gas mileage and that was the stupidest thing I have heard in years. In the end he still didn't believe me and said that is what Vietnamese people think.
I got so sick of hearing the same stupid excuses for the lack of common sense and stupidity I couldn't argue it any more.
*** I do realize that technically recharging the battery in a motor vehicle off an alternator or generator will consume SOME gas, though it is going to be un-noticeable without computerized diagnostic equipment.
In the end driving at night without lights is the very definition of stupidity... the land of no logic...Vietnam |
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mark_in_saigon
Joined: 20 Sep 2009
Posts: 837
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| Posted: Sun Nov 03, 2013 2:43 pm Post subject: |
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| *** I do realize that technically recharging the battery in a motor vehicle off an alternator or generator will consume SOME gas, though it is going to be un-noticeable without computerized diagnostic equipment. |
Correct, it would never be noticeable, but someone must have stated it once and somehow they all believe it is significant. I think some of the guys driving without lights on at night do it for the "gas savings", as a matter of fact.
Whoever said .5% or whatever, wow, that seems way off everywhere I go. Later at night it is worse for some reason. But I see about 30% of older bikes missing their rear lights, a fairly decent number of newer bikes missing that also, but not as many. I see between 5 and 10% without a headlight when I am out at night, this is various districts combined. The guys most frequently without a headlight seem to be the ones who need it most, driving too fast, the wrong direction, or with some other issue, such as drunkenness.
| Quote: |
| People just don't understand that it's very easy to miss a driver with no lights when you're conditioned to look for other lights at night. |
I would say these folks are conditioned to look for anything and everything. They are never shocked by no lights or wrong way driving, they really do not consider a one way to be a true law, they just feel it is the suggested direction of travel, but you can go the other way if you honk your horn or turn off your lights so the police do not see, or whatever your favorite process is. I think you are supposed to put a grim look on your face, the xe om guys do it best. The newcomers always notice that and say "oh, they have such a remarkable sense of purpose!" |
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ajc19810
Joined: 22 May 2008
Posts: 214
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| Posted: Mon Nov 04, 2013 2:29 am Post subject: |
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Lately there has been a lack of traffic police in PT. Even though they have been ripping up the main road for quite some time.
Driving yesterday, when I asked where all the police were the reply i got was "I don't know, so you can do what you like on the roads now". hmmm.
Mind you, the highways are being better enforced between Saigon and PT which has been a nice change. The police are now taking your license for 2 months if over taking on the right hand side, but that means you can still overtake on the left side, which means driving directly into traffic. However, that also means the trip is now closer to 6 hours for a 200km trip.
Headlights on the highways are only for asking other motorists if there are any police ahead. |
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TRH
Joined: 27 Oct 2011
Posts: 340
Location: Hawaii
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| Posted: Mon Nov 04, 2013 4:11 am Post subject: |
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| mark_in_saigon wrote: |
| Whoever said .5% or whatever, wow, that seems way off everywhere I go. ... I see between 5 and 10% without a headlight when I am out at night, this is various districts combined. |
My .5% was for no physical headlights. My numbers for all with lights off added up to an unscientific 5%. I think you are right and the number is higher.
| mark_in_saigon wrote: |
| I would say these folks are conditioned to look for anything and everything. |
Have you ever noticed that Vietnamese seldom can give directions or use maps. Many do not know the names of the streets but have simply learned how to get from point A to point B. I recently found that none of the college age students in my center class could name the street that the center is on. I think this may be in part because the traffic demands that you have to be looking straight ahead most all the time.
| mark_in_saigon wrote: |
| ..they really do not consider a one way to be a true law, they just feel it is the suggested direction of travel, but you can go the other way if you honk your horn or turn off your lights so the police do not see, or whatever your favorite process is. I think you are supposed to put a grim look on your face, the xe om guys do it best. |
I must confess that I have learned to travel the wrong way. There are a lot of times it is the only way to get where you are going. Of course we all learn to cross the opposing traffic a little ahead of our left turns. I also find that when crossing traffic you must keep your eyes open but still pretend you do not see. Don't make eye contact or you will loose the game of chicken. I think this must be the grim look to which you refer. (Note for grammarians: No prepositions at the end of the sentence.  )
I think the worst driving sin here is stopping in traffic. I recently had someone with no brake lights stop dead in front of me. I stopped in time but a girl hit me from behind with the plastic bucket of tofu that she was delivering. I looked at her briefly and figured "no harm-no foul" and proceeded. She chased after me and, in English, demanded an apology apparently for my making her hit me.  I said "You hit me." but that did not seem to matter to her.
As the above, other notions about fault in accidents are different here than in the west. Another similar incident that I recently witnessed was two young men who dumped their bike to avoid two children on a bicycle. They got up and severely shouted at the kids. I thought for a moment that they would attack them. Anywhere in the western world a bicycle has undisputed right of way and if you hit one you pay. Here, I think the equation is HP x Mass x Velocity=Right of Way . |
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JSutt
Joined: 22 Jan 2013
Posts: 24
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| Posted: Mon Nov 04, 2013 5:32 am Post subject: |
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| mark_in_saigon wrote: |
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| *** I do realize that technically recharging the battery in a motor vehicle off an alternator or generator will consume SOME gas, though it is going to be un-noticeable without computerized diagnostic equipment. |
Correct, it would never be noticeable, but someone must have stated it once and somehow they all believe it is significant. I think some of the guys driving without lights on at night do it for the "gas savings", as a matter of fact. |
Well, since the profit/savings margins for doing things here are so much lower than back home maybe a 1-2% saving on fuel from not running the lights (can't find any hard data on motorbikes, that's a best guess from car data) isn't so stupid. That would be what, 100-200 dong a litre?
Of course someone could also mention the fuel savings to be had from accelerating smoothly and driving slowly... |
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