MOTORBIKE RIDING LESSON FOR BEGINNERS OR NOVICE RIDERS IN HANOI

Beginners may take a deep breath and think twice before they ride a two-wheeler in Vietnam. Riding in Vietnam requires some experience and it’s best recommended for intermediate and experienced riders. However, if you think you feel good and want to flow with the traffic river then do a motorbike riding lesson with us (manual clutch touring motorbikes).

Motorbike Riding Lesson In Hanoi For Beginners

This motorbike riding lesson is only provided to customers who want to rent scooters for riding in Hanoi as a commuter or riders who join our guided trips. It’s not provided as a stand-alone service. Therefore, if you want to explore Vietnam on your own on self-guided trips and want this motorbike riding lesson then sadly we don’t offer it. Riding in Vietnam is dangerous and it requires much more than just riding ability. It’s, in fact, more like a game of coming back in one piece!

Recently, some of our clients who never ride two wheels before came and tried a motorbike riding lesson. It didn’t work. Make sure at least you ride a two-wheel vehicle before like a bicycle, an electric scooter, an automatic scooter, or a pushbike. If you never ride any of these, rent a bicycle in Hanoi before taking this lesson. It helps save time!

The photo below shows you a typical mountain road where water buffaloes rule.

Learn to ride a motorcycle in a safe and controlled manner. Always practice safety first and be sure you have appropriate safety gear for the type of riding you will do.

Come and see us, we know how to ride safely and come back in one piece. We will be able to coach you on what to do as beginners.

Just watch the video below and see how two girls who were beginners managed Honda XR125 dirt bikes. With our guide leading your way, you will get through this. Flow as a fish in the river!

 

Motorbike Riding Lesson In Details

First, you put on all of your safety gear. Helmet, gloves, eye protection, knee, and elbow pads and shoes. Remember: “ALL THE GEAR, ALL THE TIME”.

Secondly, we will take you to a wide-open space to practice in. Public parks, closed roads, or parking lots work great where you don’t have many people around.

We start by familiarizing yourself with your motorcycle. Make sure you know where all the controls are and that you can reach them without looking at them. In reality, this is very important. You can’t take your eyes off the road every time you shift gears.

Next, get on the bike and start it up. While most motorbikes have electric start, you still learn how to kick start (if available on bikes).

Clutch Control – The Most Important Thing Of A Motorbike Riding Lesson

Practice getting a feel for the clutch “friction zone”. Pull the clutch lever and put the bike into first or better second gear. Put your feet out in front of you so that your heels are on the ground and your toes are pointed up. Slowly let out the clutch lever until the bike starts to roll forward. When your feet are flat on the ground, pull the clutch lever back in. Then roll back on to your heels and repeat until you have a good feel for the clutch.

Next try “power walking” the bike. Start with your feet in front of you again and this time slowly let the clutch out until the bike starts to pull itself forward. Using only the clutch, walk the bike from one end of the lot to the other keeping it steady with your feet. Repeat this until you can keep the bike upright when you pull your feet off the ground.

Riding

After you have mastered power-walking, try straight-line riding. Slowly let the clutch out and slowly roll the throttle back to pick up a little speed. As the bike starts moving, put your feet on the footpegs, and ride in a straight line. When you are ready to stop, pull the clutch lever, and slowly apply the front and rear brakes simultaneously (more on the back please). Use your left foot to steady the bike at a stop. When you stop, put your right foot on the ground.

Turning & Cornering

Next, try a left turn. Remember to SLOW down, LOOK through the turn, PRESS the handlebar in the direction you want to go, slowly ROLL on the throttle as you glide through the turn. SLOW, LOOK, PRESS, ROLL. As you slow down, turn your head to look at the end of the turn. Thus your bike will follow your eyes. In case you look straight ahead, you will go straight ahead. Press on the side you want to turn. If you are making a left turn, press down on the left handlebar. This will cause the bike to lean to the left. Lean with it and slowly roll on more throttle to slightly increase your speed. As you come out of the turn, let off the throttle and the handlebar and the bike will return to an upright position.

Test Your Skills

There is much more than this to riding a motorcycle, but this will get you started. When you feel confident with riding your motorbike, you will try the “quiet” public roads. After one to two hours, you should be able to ride your own bike. At least 80% of the customers who took our motorbike riding lesson could ride. If you don’t like the manual clutch bike or don’t feel comfortable with it, we suggest a semi-automatic scooter below.

Other Essential Things

Safety riding gear 
Driving license
Insurance
Things to bring
Mechanic basics
Terminology
Travel documents