When a Win doesn't win.

Well, it's been more than two months for Oscar and I so I thought I'd update with a little tally of Oscars short comings.  Partly for my own amusement and also for those thinking of such a trip and wanting to know what they might be getting themselves in for. 

Guilty as charged.  Oscar today in Nha Trang.

We'll start with one '96 Honda Win.  The engine has had a fresh rebuild in Hanoi, it has a new clutch, new rear sprocket and chain, new front tyre and given the odometer doesn't work I'm just going to say it has three million kilometres on the dial.

In a somewhat chronological order here is what's broken/died/disintegrated/dissapeared/jammed or failed at it's intended purpose.

The key barrel jammed.  This was replaced more or less on the spot which was handy because the bike wouldn't have started without it.  Thank God for it failing only a short walk from a mechanic!

The exhaust manifold worked itself loose.... twice!  This caused Oscar to pop, rattle and crackle like a demented rotary powered funny car.

The chain guard/cover came off it's bracket and got eaten by the chain.  I quickly pulled over, yanked it out with a pair of pliers and continued.  It's now been replaced.

The rear brake/hub assembly has been replaced which fixed my throbbing rear brake issue.

The front axle has been replaced... which now keeps the front wheel from wobbling.  Winner!  I did find that somewhat concerning at 80km/h along the Ho Chi Minh Highway!

Oscar now has a new rear tyre to replace the bald one he came with.

The headlight bulb blew.... in the dark and in the rain.

The indicators only work intermittedly... and not in the way indicators should work intermittedly.  This is a work in progress and still not 100% fixed.

My rear indicators have a habit of working themselves loose.  I've had the right side indicator fall of completely twice now.  Each time I realised and was able to turn back and retrieve it.  My left hand side indicator is now being held on by stickytape.

The 'main' engine gasket was replaced (removal of sump. etc etc etc) after it was found that Oscar leaked oil faster than it was pumped out of the middle east.

The brake light fell off.... I've fixed it with sticky tape and yes, it works!  Roadside mechanics 101.

The little black box that has something to do with ignition died and needed to be replaced after it failed at creating a strong spark.

The electronic starter has been replaced.... twice.  I should also mention this is used only very rarely as I always kick start it from a standstill using the electric start only for emergencies... like stalling in the middle of a Hanoi intersection.

The carby has been opened up and blasted out after the bike kept on 'choking' at anything past 1/4 throttle.

The throttle grip slips which makes it incredibly difficult to accelerate as you had to squeeze the throttle incredibly tightly before twisting the throttle open.  Fixed by my good friend Mr. Stickytape.

The fuel tank sprang two holes which have now been welded over... and it's still leaking somewhere.

The cable that controls my speedo has sheared itself off the back of the instrument cluster.  Seems like it didn't like the bumps of Highway 1A.

Oil seals have been replaced after Oscar was putting out more blue smoke than the average Mazda 121.  I told people his 4 stroke engine had been replaced with a 2 stroke.

Oscar at the mechanics.  A familiar sight.

What's still wrong with Oscar?

Well, the oil seals apparantly take a while to 'bed in' so right now I've taken it to calling Oscar 'Puff the magic dragon'.  He blasts out so much blue smoke that I had one man get quite upset after I smoked out his roadside food stall at start up.  Another few hundred kays and it's 'supposed' to get better.  I'm yet to fix my speedo cable and the front brakes need to be adjusted as they are 'barely' working.  That's my job for tomorrow.

So, what would I do differently if I was to do it again?  Well, it depends on what you want from your trip.  Guys and girls, if you want to stick to Highway 1A (the main 'beach' road) and/or the Ho Chi Minh Highway you could do this on a Honda Wave/Dream, a little Nuovo or an Airblade or something.  Coincendentally I rode a Yamaha Airblade a few days back and it's the nicest step through motorbike/scooter I'm yet to ride in Asia. 
If you are intending to go off the beaten track somewhat you'll ideally need something with a bit more ground clearance and suspension travel.  Despite my troubles I'd still recommend a Honda Win.  Why not a Minsk you may ask?  They seem to be the obvious choice for many?  Well, long and short of it they are rusty piles of oil burning crap.  Yes, even more than Oscar.  Everyone I've met on this trip who has one seems to have rebuilt the engine atleast twice already.... and that's only having travelled half of the country!
If I was to do my same trip again?  Honda 'Baja' XR250.  Sure, it might cost close to three times as much but being able to sustain speeds of 100km/h+, tackle the elements of the North East/West loops and handle the general abuse of such a trip it should be viewed as the ultimate contender.  It would probably save days too given that being Japanese built it's going to be far more reliable.  ...also, popping mono's up 'Death Highway' (Highway 1A) should really be on everyones 'to do' list and sadly Oscar just doesn't have the juice for that.

How much to pay?  Don't pay $400 for your Honda Win like I did.  I was an ignorant goose and I wouldn't want to hear others paying the price I did.  I wouldn't pay ANYMORE than $300 and that should be for a really good one.  A brand new one can be had for not much more (around $400 'local price') and for an average condition one around the $250 mark.  Keep in mind that that's the tourist price.  Locals get theirs from anywhere between $150-$250 but don't expect to get that sort of price unless you look Vietnamese and can speak fluent Viet.  Your other option to get a local price is to buy a Lonely Planet phrase book and head to the 'love, flirting and relationship' section.  Off you go there Casanova.

Oh, and you shouldn't pay anymore than 90k Dong for a simple oil change. 

Hope this may be of some help to someone out there.

Now, back to enjoying paradise....