If you like to ride, have knowledge about motorcycles, or you have visited Vietnam, perhaps you have heard of the Vietnamese Honda Win motorcycle. This motorcycle is cheap, made in Vietnam (those with a DETECH motor) and for years has been a point of conversation, discussions, and even disagreements on all levels among riders and motorcycle fans. The disagreements have been particularly strong among foreigners who have visited or live in Vietnam. After owning a Honda Win ourselves, here are the 5 things you must know right away about this two-wheeled motorized machine:
Exploring the island of Phu Quoc, Vietnam
Vietnamese Detech (Honda) Win motorcycles:
- Are NOT original HONDA motorcycles
- They are inexpensive to buy (particularly used)
- Are NOT a reliable ride
- Can be inexpensive to fix
- Are very fun (in their own way) to ride
We became familiarized with the Vietnamese Honda Win in early 2019 while planning our first trip to ride a motorcycle in Vietnam for 10 days from north to south. On our research, we had planned the places we would visit, the highways we would take, but yet our most difficult decision was to choose the right motorcycle for our adventure.
If you have never been to Vietnam, we should inform you that it is one of the countries with the most motorcycles on its roads in the world. According to statistics, there are approximately 45 million registered motorcycles, scooters, and small cylinder 2 wheel vehicles in Vietnam. In our opinion, motorcycles are the kings of the Vietnamese roads when it comes to everyday transportation.
1. Are NOT original Honda motorcycles
Since these motorcycles are NOT a real Honda product, from here on, we will just call it the Win. While researching for our ride, we stumbled on many articles talking about the Vietnamese Win motorcycle, a 115 cc motorcycle (which many don’t even call it a motorcycle). This nationally made motorcycle carries the name Honda, but let’s be very clear; it is not a HONDA by any means.
The Win does not have a Honda motor or any honda parts. It is simply a Vietnamese replica of an older original Japanese motorcycle. We don’t even know how this motorcycle was allowed by the Japanese company to be called a Honda. We assume that Honda has sold so many (millions) of their original motorcycles in Vietnam, that they don’t care that this cheap ride uses their name. Perhaps it amuses them to see such thing, as they know it just doesn’t have a chance in hell to be compared to their products.
After researching in January 2019 on our best option to ride about 2000 kilometers in 10 days, our final choice had not been a Win for several reasons. First, we learned that the Win, even though it was cheap to buy (as low as $ 100 dollars for a used one and brand new around $ 600). Also had read that according to Tigit, a motorcycle rental company, it was branded as one of the unsafest, unreliable, money pit motorcycles to ride in Vietnam. https://www.tigitmotorbikes.com/the-detech-honda-win-manual/
After reading many articles and reviews online about the Win, we had been intimidated and opted to rent from Tigit a Honda Blade, one of the most common motorcycles on the roads throughout Vietnam. https://www.tigitmotorbikes.com We had completed our trip in February 2019 without any issues, with the exception of a couple of flat tires.
2. They are inexpensive to buy
Almost exactly one year later, we found ourselves back again in Vietnam due to the pandemic. We chose this beautiful country as the place where we would stay due to the COVID-19 for one particular reason; this country knew how to deal with pandemics.
Vietnam had been very successful at keeping its citizens safe during the SARS in 2003 by literally isolating themselves from the rest of the world. On this occasion, we had made the right choice. Vietnam once more had closed its borders, stop international flights and on-time taken the proper precautions to avoid a national crisis.
Once we had arrived in Vietnam, we knew that our stay would be much longer than expected, therefore instead of renting a motorcycle for about $ 5.00 to $ 10.00 dollars per day, we decided to buy one used. Again, we were faced with the dilemma of what motorcycle to choose. This time around, we decided that we would give the Vietnamese Win a try. http://detechmotor.com.vn/en-us/home.html
At buying a used Vietnamese Win, we knew what we were up to, therefore anything we were to be blamed. We noticed that almost none of the Vietnamese rode on Wins, and that itself was a huge hint and confirmation of the many articles and comments bashing them. On the other hand, we had seen many foreigners traveling throughout Vietnam riding them. We had asked ourselves, why would so many foreigners choose to ride on such low quality motorcycles. After testing one, the answer to our question was almost instant: it was about the enjoyment of riding.
After searching in the city of Hoi An for a Win in mechanically decent conditions, we had found the one at Mr. Hai’s motorcycle shop https://www.facebook.com/Mr.Hai.Buy.Sell.ForRentMotorbike a trusted place to buy a good two-wheeled ride in Hoi An. If you are looking to buy a cheap and good ride in Hoi An, stop by Mr. Hai’s shop. His daughter speaks English well and will be able to answer any questions you may have.
We had paid a total of 5.5 million Vietnamese Dong for a 2015 model (about USD $ 240.00). The Kilometers on the motorcycle were unknown, but that was the least of our concerns. We wanted a motorbike that could take us around town, on an occasional weekend ride to Da Nang, and to other local towns.
3. Are NOT a reliable ride
Everything with our Win had been great for about a week and then the issues with it began. One day, suddenly it had refused to start up. We had called Mr. Hai and he had taken care of the issue for free. The week after, the clutch was damaged, and once again it had been taken care of at no cost. We had purchased it less than 30 days earlier and it only seemed fair for us to contact him. Mr. Hai was great. He had lent us another motorcycle, while he took ours to the shop to have it checked and fixed.
Months later, our plan was to ride down south of the country, we had spent 2,000,000 Vietnamese Dongs (about USD $ 86.00) at Trung Moto Cmc https://www.facebook.com/trung.moto.9 In our opinion, Trung is the best motorcycle mechanic in Hoi An. On that occasion, Trung had replaced the brakes, clutch, adjusted the engine, a new rear tire, and changed the oil. We felt our ride was ready for the challenge prepared ahead.
The problems became bigger in late May, when we left Hoi An heading south of the country to the city of Nha Trang, about 500 kilometers away. Within the first 60 kilometers, it broke down in the middle of nowhere with several broken spokes on the rear. This had cost us about 400k Vietnamese Dongs (about USD $ 17.00) and about 3 hours of our time. Feeling very frustrated, we had considered returning to Hoi An and resell it, or set it on fire by the highway. Taking the bus sounded like a good idea at the moment. After some thought, we opted to continue our way south with fingers crossed that it wouldn’t break down again. Riding the Win was not reliable at all.
4. Can be inexpensive to fix
After riding almost the entire day, we had finally made it to the coastal town of Qui Nhon, about 300 kilometers south. We were surprised that the Win had made it. We were exhausted and we noticed it was leaking oil, so a stop was a must. The next day, an oil change and wash was a must before heading the road again. The oil leak was due to overfilling it; our bad. At finishing the wash (at a local washing station) we had noticed that the horn was not working due to some electrical issue.
This issue had delayed our departure for another hour and had cost us 30,000 Vietnamese Dong (USD $ 1.10). By then we learned that fixing the Win was quite cheap, but on the other hand, most of the fixes were temporary rewiring, patching, by sloppy, inexperienced, and less than professional self-called mechanics applying their limited knowledge and most of the time guessing the problems. Some were successful temporary fixes, but mostly not dependable at all. Having some mechanical knowledge and having some tools with yout when riding a Win is a definite plus.
Sunset in Hoi An, Vietnam
Two hundred kilometers later, while in Nha Trang, the electrical issues continued, and a local mechanic had changed the alternator for a whopping 700,000 Dongs (USD $ 30.00). We decided to stay in the city for a week and days later we also noticed our rear wheel wobbling and paid another 200,000 Dong (USD $ 8.50) to replace the bearings. At riding it after the fix, we had noticed the problem was still the same. We had argued through hand signals and gestures with the mechanic and he had suggested it was something else. We had left the shop upset and somewhat frustrated.
5. Are very fun (on their own way) to ride
In Nha Trang, we did the math of how much fixing the Win had cost us, and until then it had been about 3,000,000 Dongs (USD $ 130.00). It seemed like a huge amount of money, but in reality it was not. The fact was that nowhere in the western world would you fix all those issues for that amount. At this point, we had fallen in love with our Detech Win motorcycle. We had then promised that the Win would be a keeper if it managed to take us without an issue all the way to the city of Da Lat, about 140 kilometers away, a great majority of the ride uphill through mountainous steep roads.
To our amazement, the Win had managed to take us both of us and our almost 100 kilograms of cargo all the way without any major issues besides a very slow ride uphill at about 15 km/ph. We had to keep our promise; the Win had earned our trust. Although we had many issues with it, we sort of enjoyed riding it everywhere. Riding a Win can be fun if you take care of it well, are patient and mostly if you have an adventurous spirit, and find an opportunity in every failure. Riding a Win motorcycle is more than the joy of riding, it is a test of your personal attitude. It is also a unique experience that in our opinion will make or break anyone who likes to ride.
As promised, In Dalat, we took the Win to change the entire electrical system from front to back for another 700,000 Dongs. After that, no other major issue arose for the next almost 3,000 kilometers. Our ride was uneventful all the way to the island of Phu Quoc, back to Ho Chi Minh city, and through, and around every town in between. In total, we have had the pleasure of riding it for over 6,000 kilometers and still riding strong.
If your plans are to ride a motorcycle in Vietnam, you have many choices, and each will provide you a different experience. We have spent more money fixing the Win than what we paid for it, but it has been a journey we wouldn’t change. We love our Detech Win.
At Da Lat, Cau Dat
The many breakdowns we have had throughout Vietnam, have given us the opportunity to meet many wonderful local Vietnamese people. In the many towns and cities, some of them, have also become our social media friends and followers. Having a Win motorcycle has opened many doors to mingle with the Vietnamese people and their culture. It has given us priceless experiences that we will treasure forever.
Keep traveling, keep learning!
Cover photo: Exploring south of Da Lat, Vietnam on our Detech Win
