How to drive a manual motorbike in Vietnam.

How to drive a manual motorbike by TigitMotorbikes.com
Learn to ride a manual motorbike, Tigit Jon explains some basic mistakes travelers are making riding in Vietnam.
Topics he discusses:
Being gentle with your bike,
Correct riding technique
Clutch control!
Just remember it is not always the fault of the motorbike, most of the time it is the driver who is useless and not the bike!
Please consider the semi-automatic as a gentle learning curve towards a manual.
The Honda Blade is an excellent alternative to manual motorbikes:
www.tigitmotor...

[@mattmathew6706]

Nice...this helped me a lot especially the part about finding neutral at a sudden stop...I thought motorcycle gearbox was just like a car whereby you can simply get it into neutral from a high gear whilst stationary as long as you have the clutch in...the motorcycle gears seem similar to bicycle gears when you try to change into a lower gear from a higher when you suddenly come to a stop but you simply can't because the cable gets too tight...thanks for the basics tutorial, enjoyed it very much...I always enjoy watching some smooth clutch control.

[@user-es2nn2di4w]

I’m getting an exciter soon this was really useful thanks

[@curiousboy2204]

Also, if U need to down gears, the most is to shift two gears maximum before u release the clutch to engage the engine to obtain braking by using the engine, so called "engine brake"

[@Tigitmotorbikes]

Sounds about right

[@steven68]

If you can ride a manual bike and going long distances in Vietnam, get this Honda XR because it has a bigger fuel tank and the fuel cap is on the tank.

[@Tigitmotorbikes]

pros and cons to the different models. New drivers are best off with the Winner and Exciter due to the small frame size. Quality is also higher on the local made bikes than the XR.

[@radostinaaleksandrova4331]

That clutch seems, awfully high and inconvenient to use in a long term :D

[@izmirs.]

ur explanation is great and very helpful i just started riding a manual bike

[@Tigitmotorbikes]

Thanks

[@ibrahimsaneeh6339]

hey thanks a lot for doing this video!... I have recently started driving the yamaha exciter 150... one hell of a bike man... and Driving manual is definitely better than an auto... wwayyyy better...

[@Tigitmotorbikes]

Exciter is a great motorbike for sure. Thanks for the comment!

[@MuttsWithGuts]

I let a Vietnamese mate ride my new Honda Winner, I reckon I asked half a dozen times if he knew how to ride a manual bike, "Yes, yes, yes, yes. He basically got it into 4th and laboured it around the streets, rode the crap out of the clutch. I let him have it when he answered his phone and tried to basically take off in 3rd and kept stalling. Quite hilarious, but not a joke i'm likely to repeat.

[@RedKingBadger]

I, too, got the 2019 Winner but fared much better with the My Tho drivers wanting to go for a spin.

[@bounmiibeagle2159]

I find the Lao drivers/riders are the same. Get it into 4th ASAP and keep it there. Not that funny when you need power to avoid accidents or to pass at lower speed.

[@curiousboy2204]

@@bounmiibeagle2159 The gears should start from 1 and shifted up one by one. Shifting to gear 4 ASAP is the wrong way. When slowing down, the gears should also be shifted one by one, or at most 2.

[@bounmiibeagle7550]

@@curiousboy2204 Um, yeah. Did you read the original and my response? I was referring to the way Lao drivers go thru the gears not the way I go thru them.

[@curiousboy2204]

@@bounmiibeagle7550 Ok

[@curiousboy2204]

You should not use the clutch when u are in travelling in Gear 2 and above because pressing in the clutch, U disengage the engine and the bike will free-wheel .. the clutch should only be half pressed in when u are in first gear (so -called half-clutch control) When changing gears, the proper procedure is to press in the clutch AND off the gas at the same time, then switch the gear before going on the gas again AND slowly releasing the clutch.

[@Tigitmotorbikes]

I think this comes naturally with experience and when clutch control speed goes up. New drivers don't know where the biting point is, or where the half press is. Keep simple to get going in my eyes.

[@curiousboy2204]

@@Tigitmotorbikes They have to learn to get the biting point first. For bikes with gear changing, it has to be step by step with the gears.

[@fforever1989]

Exactly what I was looking for! Thank you so much John!

[@dom24363]

XR150 is the best bike for doing the Ha Giang loop

[@AtomicParadoxPS]

Nice review. How easy is it for garages to get parts for the XR if it breaks down. Are parts generally available or hard to source accross Vietnam?

[@Tigitmotorbikes]

Not available in country side. Companies like Tigit have so many XR's that we have parts and can ship to countryside mechanics if there is a real disaster.

[@ronaldvicente6969]

Thank you!

[@katumbapeter53]

Thank you sooooo much

[@Nick-gi6ym]

Thank You

[@DominateYourGoal]

Do you guys recommend the Yamaha yb? I’m thinking of renting it when I go to Ha Giang

[@Tigitmotorbikes]

Sure. I think hard to maintain though.

[@DominateYourGoal]

@@Tigitmotorbikes I got an XR in the end. Great decision. Gave me the confidence to drive a manual around Hanoi and I now have a Winner

[@pinospin9588]

The real issue about the manual bike is that if you ride on busy traffic, your left hand would beg for mercy

[@Tigitmotorbikes]

Depends on the bike. Most modern bikes have very light clutches.

[@pinospin9588]

I got used to heavy clutch so every time I borrow Exciter or Winner I just constantly stall them

[@steve00alt70]

Is it a general rule to use 2nd gear before going into any turn? if you use engine braking would that be dangerous if someone is behind you they dont know that your braking.

[@laurenzt3811]

2nd gear works great for slow speed turns, ie. inside the city, but is not an absolute must, as long as the bike isn't stuttering because you are in a too high of a gear you are fine, but you might want to have the lower gear for the acceleration at the end of the turn. Engine braking shouldn't be dangerous, as long as people behind you are at least a little observant. When the bike in front of you is getting closer to you, it obviously is slowing down. To be sure, you can always slightly tap the rear brake in addition to your engine braking. It won't add much braking force, but will make sure your braking lights are flashing.

[@TristanFerlesch]

Great motorcycle instructional period. Forget vietnam.

[@1uP-v2]

If you in 3rd gear and come to a full stop, does the bike auto go back to 1st gear? Or you have to do it manually?

[@bonezed]

manual

[@arasseo_wakarimashita3904]

Yes you need to or just put in neutral so your left fingers would not tired compressing clutch lever if you ride traffic that full stop always occurs. If you do not down gear it to 1st gear, it will stall

[@rashidallera759]

hello, i'm a new rider and i ride same bike (a dirt bike ), YAMAHA XTZ 125...So when downshifting, Can I also put bit throttle on the bike while downshift or just clutch in-downshift-slowly off the clutch? I appreciate your reply..thanks

[@Tigitmotorbikes]

As you gain experience the process of pulling clutch and downshifting becomes quick. I do not know why you want the throttle when downshifting? Downshifting is for slowing down, where throttle is the idea of speeding up? When you downshift, you should be breaking to the correct speed for your new gear. Then you can release the clutch. In the video I show slowly releasing the clutch as new drivers often get the wrong speed for the downshift to the new gear. If done very badly this can break the gear box (engine breaking done to the extreme). Which is the reason for slowly releasing the clutch so the driver can correct the mistake when they realise the speed is wrong for the new gear. Once you are comfortable with knowing the speed of the gear that you are changing to, then you do not need to be slow on releasing the clutch for the downshifting. Hope this makes sense!

[@rashidallera759]

i have trouble in downshifting... my bike jerk when I downshifted...btw, thanks for the tips

[@seppukun208]

@@Tigitmotorbikes I guess he means rev marching by blipping the throttle so that you can downshift faster without jolting. There’s also double clutching as well but I don’t think it can be don’t on this kinda transmission

[@Frankmartin1948]

Looks like you need to adjust your clutch lever.

[@Tigitmotorbikes]

It isn't the greatest setup :D I shot a good video unexpectedly and decided that it will play.

[@glenbill3936]

What gear to use in uphill.

[@jaomap]

1st gear

[@steve00alt70]

@@jaomap mybe 2nd gear

[@confuseddragon8693]

How can I become your partner or employee?

[@Tigitmotorbikes]

With difficulty.

[@marcinkrzeszowiec1538]

A bit of bad advice in the video ;) A bikes gearbox is different than a cars one. It is a sequential one, often found in rally cars...as such, it is not synchronized. You should not lift of gas when changing gear, but match the revs of the next gear. Completely lifting of gas, can quickly damage the gearbox, especially a not well made one :)

[@Tigitmotorbikes]

Thanks for the comment. I have delayed responding, as I have passed your theory onto other experienced drivers. The conclusion is some puzzlement. Taken from a reddit thread on this topic : "You don't have to, but the "power off" time would make the engine rev up high, thus bringing the RPM farther away from the next gear" I wonder if this is a communication gap. I understand as an experienced driver you do not need to come all the way off the gas with quick gear changes. As a tutorial, where beginner drivers make mistakes and gear changes are slower, I believe this over emphases "off the gas" is the correct way of teaching. The concept you are suggesting, I have no doubt would ruin our rental motorbikes :)

[@marcinkrzeszowiec1538]

Sort of :) The idea is to mach the RPM's as closely as possible when changing up or down and make the shift as fast as possible. So when changing up, you should prep for the change (slight pressure on the gear lever), lift of the gas and apply a little bit of clutch, when the revs go down (around 500-700 depending on the gearing on the motocycle), finish the shift, engage clutch and get on the gas as soon as possible. When done well, the change should be almost silent, with no sound coming from the gearbox. When changing down, after slipping the cluch a bit, add a bit of gas, so the revs go up a bit, and then shift. With a bit of practice, changing up, can be done safely even without using the clutch. Just lift of the gas for an instant, when the revs go down a little bit, the next gear should fall in with out problem. Great videos btw. A lot of useful and no bullshit information :)

[@curiousboy2204]

@@Tigitmotorbikes I was taught in driving school that whenever u need to change gears, whether cars of motorbikes, the gas should be off completely first before making the gear change.

[@simonle9500]

😅 LLM

[@vitalybelyakov1251]

are there automatic versions?

[@Tigitmotorbikes]

No there is not.