VIETNAM. BIKE RENTAL. - Why you shouldn't rent the XR150 and what you should. 

We recently did 2500 km two-up in the mountainous parts of northern Vietnam, including some single-tracks. Our rented XR150 had great gas mileage, 400+ km between fuel-ups! It only felt underpowered when climbing at higher speeds. Scooters provide better rain protection, however. Adventure of a lifetime, go for it!

I rode an XR150 for a couple days around Nha Trang back in 2018, and had zero complaints. I guess the acid test would have been to take it up to Dalat and back. Maybe 3-4 hours a day in total on the bike. That said, a Yamaha V-Max rented in Thailand for a couple days last year was much more plush. 4-5 hours a day, covering 100-200km. Both were ridden two up. Next time I’m biking in Asia, I’ll have to try something else, but the V-Max wasn’t bad whatsoever. My current ride is an XR650L, and it too isn’t a touring bike. With a 1-2 hours a stint limit.

Great advice Ray. Well done, as usual!

Good short description answering a question.

I rode the xr150 2 up from HoChi to Hanoi. Worked well and got us there safely but my back was ruined after 3 weeks. I love Vietnam hope you're having a blast and enjoying all the nice food

Hi Ray. I'm also a Kiwi. I've ridden all over Vietnam and asia in the last 6 years. Almost 20000kms and most of those KMs have been on the Honda XR150. I agree with you that the seat is uncomfortable and to be fair on the little Honda, it's sold as a farm bike here in NZ. An air mesh seat cover greatly improves the seat and it's comfort. With the general riding style in Vietnam, and the slow speed limits having a bigger bike is pointless, infact if you had one you'd find yourself riding faster and that would greatly increase your chances of having an accident and finding yourself in serious trouble with the police. I seriously don't recommend it. Personally I put my luggage across the bike allowing me to sit on half of the back seat to relieve some of the pain in my backside. I'm back in Vietnam again in 4 weeks and I've got a Honda Blade 110 (think CT110 postie bike) I've used these before and it's actually all you need to safely travel from top to bottom of Vietnam. And yes....the seats on those are just as bad as the XR seat. As a mate once said...those seats are made for a 50kg person to travel 5 minutes up the road. Not a 85kg person to travel 300kms. Like many who watch your videos. I have big bikes at home and have ridden all my life. Keep up the good work with your videos. Look forward to the next one.

I traveled 11 country's in south America with a of this I ❤️

I did mention they were small and difficult 😥 😆

I thought I read that you couldn't temporarily import a larger bike with more than 150cc? But you can rent one? What really is the restriction? I would love to ride a DR650 in Vietnam.

Good video, and this one is taking off.

Good video but seems like clickbait and a misleading title. You could have just said why you shouldn't ride a dual sport motorcycle from one end of VN to the other. Has nothing to do with the fact that it's this XR150. These are way more comfortable than the average dual sport (I owned one) and way smaller so more suited in terms of dual sports for VN and slower speeds with rough roads. If you're riding around town, these are way more fun than scooters and would probably take way more of a beating without a problem.

Good old Hondas!

in australia they are a farm bike only.

Great feedback thanks! When looking for accomodation what platform did you mainly use in Vietnam?

Terrible advice. I rode a XR150 around Vietnam and I couldn't think of a better bike for doing this. I'm 5.11" and ride a BMWg650gs at home. My only advice is to do some research on where to rent it from, as the quality of the motorcycle is vast. My bike was in excellent condition and I had no problems. $20/day. You'd only want a bigger bike if you're riding the highways, and who would do that

I heard there is a cc limit in Vietnam. If there is, can you make a video about it?

Can't you just buy a seat cushion to alleviate the pain in the bum?

I think I'd struggle with that bike somehow🤣