I just did 17 days with my wife as pillion on a Tigit XR150 in the northwest, no issues whatsoever. Mostly on roads, but lots of dirt/gravel, plus some bumpy/muddy single-tracks shortcuts. Smooth suspension, was fine for two-up but we were light (70+55+15 kg). Easily maintained 70 km/h all day on good roads, which was all we needed. Felt underpowered only in steep climbs at speed. Average fuel burn over 2600 km for us was 2.2L/100km (100+ mpg). I'd hit reserve at approx 450 km and could go 500 km on a full tank. Poor rain protection, compared to scooters; staying on good roads with a Honda Blade might have been a better choice. Had a blast overall on the XR150, this is Bucket-List worthy!! Thanks to Hanoi Tigit Staff!
I hired a XR150 from tigit, did hanoi to saigon and northern loop of vietnam across to mong cai , agree with everything said, the only situation where i struggled a bit was driving around in hanoi, saigon city where a scooter is probably the better option but open road stuff is much better on the XR, I've doubled with a light girl and was also fine on the open road and mountains. About the only time i struggled a bit was on very steep long highway roads, where a bit more power would have been nice. Super reliable , comfy, good luggage carrying ability etc is pretty much the perfect bike for the roads in vietnam. Big fuel tank never means you run low because the petrol station network is set up for 100km range scooters ....the only issue i had was once it backfired when coming to a stop and i could not get it restarted, leaving it for 10mins fixed whatever issue it had....yep, the only time i got into trouble was when i rode hard up a winding road and think gave it a bit too much and the rear end lost traction on gravel on the seal .... Not badly hurt but if you want to push it , you will need to suit up accordingly.....
I have toured Vietnam on both the Blade and XR150. My take on it would be that if you are inexperienced riding bikes then the Blade is perfect as it is so easy yet still fun as a semi-auto. However if you have a little experience then the XR150 is much more satisfying as once you get used to a proper manual bike the scooters feel a bit underwhelming. I wouldn't recommend the XR150 if you have never toured on a bike before as in my opinion it would be a bit dangerous. That is why personally I built up my touring experience on semi auto scooters first, then got my licence in my home country and then progressed on to bikes like the XR on my tours.
I rented this bike from Tigit in Hanoi last year and in 8 days rode 1,000 miles in the mountainous northern region. I had no issues. It started every time, ran great, and was an excellent bike for me. Couldn’t have been more pleased with it. (I’m 5’8, 175 pounds, and own a 250cc dual sport).
Just completed riding the same bike in Vietnam. 150 cc is ok. Only you can feel the lack of power while going uphill. Suspension is jelly. But soft. My butt doesn't like that shape of the seat. I had to add a pillow on top. Rear brake is too weak, because of drum type. Another point to be kept in mind is that 19 inch enduro wheel is not designed for curvy roads like the Ho chi min road. It's not so nimble. However if not to put lots of expectations, this is a decent option for it's money.
Another good video John and the fact that you produce these makes viewers connect with your company (which is maybe the intention?). When I get to Vietnam I will be hiring from Tigit. Thank you 👍🏼
Thank you for your honest review and opinion. It's really a great bike! I was riding xr150 in the Philippines and it was all I needed for those roads and I'm gonna rent it this November from tigit when I go to Vietnam 🤗
Great little bike. When I lived in Tokyo in the early '90s, I had a Suzuki DR250SH. Exceptionally light - no battery - 29 bhp at the crank, same peak torque as a CRF250L at the same revs. I actually did some touring two-up. Very small rear-end on the Japanese girlfriend, otherwise she'd have been overlapping the rear section of the seat. Luggage: a bag on a small rear rack. The DR is the only bike from my past that I wish I still had. Fast and totally reliable. Never burned any oil. The CRF250L is unreliable? Two notable women have been around the world on them. I can imagine my old DR was more reliable, though. Good video, as ever. Nick
A personal bike and a bike for business are two different things, and in some ways the definition of "reliability" changes with it. CRF 250L is water cooled' not air cooled (clients never check coolant) CRF 250L has no kick start (clients wear down the battery leaving the lights on etc) CRF 250L overheats quickly and results in burning the clutch (caused by inexperienced riders) CRF 250L Fuel pump and thermostat often breaks (easy to solve if you know what you are doing) CRF 250L has an exposed fan, that easily gets jammed when client drops the bike, causing the bike to overheat Basically all these problems go away when you have a simple, air cooled motorbike with a kick! On a personal note, I would never buy a dual sport / enduro bike that does not have a kick start. I have no idea what the factories are doing making bikes like this with no kick. It is unbelievably stupid. Even KTM is doing it now.
@@Tigitmotorbikes Thanks for the detailed reply. Very logical thought process. The DR250SH I had would have satisfied all your criteria. I so wish I still had it. Nick
Great bike! Comfortable, reliable, capable. The only thing letting it down for me is the stock carburetor. When the bike is cold, it can be hard to start, and does not want to idle at all! But once it's warmed up, starts first pop, and just gets the job done! You also need to be easy on the front brake, as it is easy to lock the front wheel with no ABS and the dual sport tyres.
@Tigitmotorbikes have you looked into this yet? It's an extremely easy fix. Requires slightly longer crankcase breather hose. It will solve the oil burning issues.
Great all round bike, I have very few complaints from my experience with it. Biggest downsides in my opinion are: 1. Passengers. the XR is a great bike if it's just you, but if you are carrying an adult with you the extra weight just saps so much power out of the bike and is a big frustration over longer distance. I have seen a number of owners in the US (where the XR was recently launched) have opted for big bore kits bringing it up to 180-220cc. That might be a good option, but no idea about expense. 2. Not great for busy streets in the inner city of Hanoi and HCMC. Changing gears constantly in heavy traffic is an absolute pain and gets frustrating quickly. 3. Manuverability at very low speeds. The front feels too 'light' at low speeds and impacts balance a little bit.
As said in the video, the limitation is the frame and suspension not the power. Big boring a motorbike like this is pointless (at least in Vietnam). Very good riders (like Tigit guides), reach the suspension limitations of this bike, not the power limitations. Perhaps big bore kits will make sense in countries with open highways where you need a bit more straight line speed. But for Vietnam, there is no need.
As great as the XR is, you forgot to mention that it is kind of a pig to start on a cold morning (thinking Northern mountain in winter cold). I remember you did a video on that way back? Would be good to link to it.
I think the XR is easy to start, but does need a bit of technique understanding. If you had one that was really a pig, it probably had something wrong with it :)
All bikes are too small, so in the end it doesn't matter much. For road journeys I will use the Honda CB 500x though. I spend most of my time offroading on a KTM EXC 350. XR 150 is fine as well.
CB 150x is available in Vietnam. I haven't driven it, but all Honda motorbikes drive basically in an identical way (at least in the low capacity range). I don't need to drive it to know exactly how it will feel like. If you like the design and looks of it, it will be a great and reliable bike, however it will also have the usual boring Honda characteristics.
