Head-to-Toe about S-shaped Vietnam Dirt Bike Tours

Mountainous areas occupy three-fourths of Vietnam’s territory, of which 85 percent are the foothills of taller peaks. That means Vietnam dirt bike tours are not only potential for those who love trail road monsters but also attractive to high-gear motorbikers.

Stretching trail roads – stretching dirt bike tours

Vietnam’s S-shaped strip stretches across 03 regions with 03 groups of roads as follows:

Northern Vietnam: Shaping the original culture of Vietnam, Northern Vietnam is the center of norms, moral rules, and folklore. Therefore, Vietnam dirt bike tours on the north’s trail roads are always associated with ancient landmarks and myths. Most tours in this area focus on the Northwest, with famous off-road routes, namely Mai Chau-Moc Chau, Ha Giang Loop, Sa Pa-Y Ty, Mu Cang Chai, Hoang Su Phi, etc. This is also where months can be spent exploring the mountains Vietnam offers. The riding potential is endless and can scale from easy beautiful mountain roads to impossible dirt tracks that Northern local minority groups traverse. There are winding roads with countless tight, narrow curves, steep slopes, and desolate landscapes. The departure for these tours, especially dirt bike rentals, is Hanoi, the capital because you will easily find trusted route services here. 

Central Vietnam: Connecting the North and South of Vietnam, Central Vietnam is like a silky yet challenging trail road for adventurous bikers. The notorious route in this area is the Ho Chi Minh trail. Historic, symbolic, and heroic legends that happened during the Vietnam War are the best material and motivation for Vietnam dirt bike tours to exploit. This arterial trail will test bikers’ strength and their machine’s endurance. Nowadays, bike lovers have two popular options: the first one is the unstopping 1000-mile-highway (you do not have to leave the tarmac, and it fits fresh learners), and the second one is a more authentic & tougher experience because you have to follow one of the old trail routes over the Annamite mountains into Laos (which is preferred, thanks to the preservation of classic Vietnam dirt bike tours).

Southern Vietnam: The land of sunshine, wind, sand, and undulating curves, as well as choking road curves. Compared to the north, trail roads here are also familiar with the most crowded departure – Saigon. Vietnam dirt bike tours started from this city to Da Lat, Nha Trang, and Pleiku, the best well-known routes. The most distinct experience of these tours is the gradual weather change due to terrain height. Bikers will have a once-in-a-lifetime chance to admire the endless coastal roads and the majestic mountains & forests on the tours.

Besides the 03 famous trail roads above, Vietnam is also well-known for trail roads along the seaside. You are the lonesome traveler and your motorbike the best friend exploring abrupt slopes, spontaneous turns, and sometimes even the never-ending, unnamed rugged hills of Vietnam: a very promising tale that inspires ready-to-go bikers out there. We must look closely at each Vietnam dirt bike tour’s perfect off-road dirt bike choices.

Here’s the bike – for the ride

Picking the right motorcycle for the trip is as important as searching for the love of your life! Here are some recommendations and highlights for your qualified companies on the road:

Let’s start the list with dirt bikes for Northern Vietnam trips. You might encounter awful perils during your journeys in Northern Vietnam: landslides, rock/ soil erosion due to flash floods, and mountain floods. Ranking next are other frequent struggles, such as thick layers of fog, dead ends, and muddy roads. Sometimes, GPRS and maps cannot be used in this area. Therefore, your awesome companies will be 250cc and above dirt bikes because their engine is strong enough to conquer all kinds of terrains of Vietnam from on roads to off roads, highways to slippery routes, down to the coast and up the ranges, etc. 

We highly recommend the 2017 Honda CRF250L/ Honda CRF250 Rally. The Rally was the new-for-2017 derivative of the popular CRF250L trail bike. According to Nathan Millward, “it features the same single-cylinder liquid-cooled 250cc engine, steel twin-tube frame and spoked 21-inch front and 18-inch rear wheels. It gets a slightly taller suspension, rally-inspired fairing, LED headlights, daytime running light indicators on the Africa Twin, and a slightly larger fuel tank (up from 7.8-liters to 10.1-litres). The total weight change from 146kg to 157kg is not quite a challenge for long rides on dirt bike tours in Vietnam.

The standard yet legendary CRF250L has a larger throttle body (38mm, up 2mm) and reshaped air boot (100mm longer connecting tube). These features help it go from a three-stage to a two-stage muffler lighter. Besides that, Honda CRF250L also owns a larger header diameter (10mm to 38mm) and a smaller roller rocker arm design. We can also compliment its balance because the bike is level front-to-rear, and the suspension works in unison to handle small and bigger obstacles when taken in the first gear. Even the cons can become the pros: freeway riding is truly a challenge for Honda CRF, but we are going uphill, so it does not matter. Confirmed: These kinds of Honda dirt bikes are ready to rock your tracks!

Contrary to Northern’s trail style, if you are preparing for the historical tours from Hanoi to Saigon, here is the number one rule: stay away from the period between October and April, or you will nail your feet and your partner down in the mud. If you can avoid this period and pack your stuff in the more temperate months, the next step is to go through our categories to find your dirt bike: the average-sized 2018 Yamaha YZ250F. Yamaha dirt bikes are always welcome on board!

“Torquey, plush and stable,” said the Dirt Rider

Nobody is perfect, and neither are Yamaha dirt bikes. Airbox, exhaust pipe, boombox, and gas cap are always listed as the biggest disadvantages of Yamaha YZ250F. The old airbox design even makes it ultra-wide, and the noise of the boombox makes you think you are going very fast (actually, you are not). Experts do not positively evaluate the 2018 Yamaha Y250’s front brake. The bigger front rotor increases stopping power but is not well-modulated. It starts weak and then gets strong very fast. They think Yamaha needs to work on its master cylinders and brake calipers if it wants to come close to the stopping power of KTM’s Brembo brakes.

Summertime and festival times are the most reasonable periods to start Vietnam dirt bike tours to these destinations for tours from Saigon to Da Lat, Nha Trang, or farther to Da Nang – Hoi An. There are not too many obstacles except for the huge number of curves and passes on the routes. Therefore, we highly recommend the Kawasaki KLX 250S.

The green, clean, high-gear Kawasaki was born to roam standard roads. You will fall in love at first sight with this boy because of his honest and capable engine.Kawasaki dirt bikes are acclaimed for their sweet gear and comfort (thanks to a good seat and suspension!). Ride Expeditions states, “The bike runs a four-valve, fuel-injected, six geared 249cc DOHC motor in a steel perimeter frame. The front forks are only adjustable for compression damping, but the rear can be tweaked for preload, compression and rebound damping.” The combination of 21-inch front and 18-inch rear can afford a full choice of good off-road rubber, which you’ll need if things get slippery. Besides that, the brakes use a 255mm front and 230mm rear disc, the tank has a fairly small 7.7-liter capacity, and the ground clearance is 285mm – you can consider it a giant on roads. The only minus point of the Kawasaki KLX 250S is that it has a very small gas tank.

What else for all this ‘Vietnam dirt bike tours’ guideline above?

If you have not given up and still want to scroll more, here’s an idea to experience high-end Vietnam dirt bike tours. To be realistic, it takes lots of effort to take care of a dirt bike, hence hiring one for your trip sounds more reasonable and realistic (the key to a healthy and balanced ride!). So, why not?

We, BM Travel Adventure, offer various dirt bike tours in Vietnam. Twenty-six motorbike tours are designed to satisfy all customers: hours of riding per day, tour quality, pricing, and support packages. Especially after each tour, all motorbikes will be technically cared for by our professional team. The well-maintained service includes every step to make them stronger, such as a warranty for chains/ tires/ brake pads, cleaning the air filter, all gasoline/ fuel, etc. Furthermore, more mechanical care will be offered if you book more than 10-day Vietnam dirt bike tours.

Besides that, the dedicated preparation may include up to 10 seasoned mechanics in case of emergencies, with the support of FORD RANGER Wildtrak 4×4 semi-trucks, which follow your group on the off roads. And don’t worry, BMTravel Adventure does provide all experienced guides for new riders. This is the key point of our Vietnam dirt bike tours, representing the comprehension of customers. They are not only normal tour guides but can also help you to fix bikes, understand the local culture, and best of the best: they know the BEST routes for you.

If you have not owned a bike, we offer bike rental forVietnam dirt bike tours! Nothing can stop you from hitting the roads and exploring the wild! We have all dirt bikes, from Honda’s, Kawasaki’s, Yamaha’s, KTM’s, etc. They are ready to be your road-trip companies now!

Vietnam Dirt Bike Tours you may be interested:

• Off-road Vietnam Dirt Bike Tours from Hanoi to Ta Xua – 2 days
• Off-road Vietnam Dirt Bike Tours from Hanoi to Ha Giang – 4 days
• Off-road Vietnam Dirt Bike Tours from Hanoi to Thac Ba Lake – 4 days
• Off-road Vietnam Dirt Bike Tours from Hanoi to Vu Linh – 6 days
• Vietnam Dirt Bike Tours from Hanoi to Vu Linh – 7 Days
• Off-road Vietnam Dirt Bike Tours from Hanoi to Vu Linh – 7 days
• Off-road Vietnam Dirt Bike Tours from Hanoi to Vu Linh via Son La – 7 Days
• Off-road Vietnam Dirt Bike Tours from Hanoi to Vu Linh via Mu Cang Chai – 7 Days
• Off-road Vietnam Dirt Bike Tours from Hanoi to Ba Be – 7 days
• Off-road Vietnam Dirt Bike Tours from Hanoi to Ba Be via Sapa – 7 Days
• Off-road Vietnam Dirt Bike Tours from Hanoi to Vu Linh – 8 days
• Off-road Vietnam Dirt Bike Tours from Hanoi to Lang Son – 16 Days

Check Out More Topics In Vietnam Travel Tips:

• Sapa Motorbike Tours – Useful Tips For First-time Travelers
• 9 Stunning North Vietnam Motorbike Loops for any Thrill-seeker​
• Crossing The Border with a motorbike from Vietnam to Laos – Cambodia – Thailand​
• Motorbike Rental in Vietnam – Top 5 Rules for Foreign Travelers!​
• Head-to-Toe about S-shaped Vietnam Dirt Bike Tours​
• A creepy ghost story that I experienced in my Vietnam motorcycle trip​