Slow bike to China

Adventure Rider Issue #28

• Fit Out
• Checkout
• The dream with Karen Ramsay
• How To Ride with Miles Davis
• Adventure Rider Magazine off- road training
• Andy Strapz
• Oils: Synth versus mineral
• It’ll never happen to me
• SWM RS500R Adventure
• Greatness enjoyed
• One thing at a time
• The Riding Reporters
• Ural Ranger Sahara
• Masterclass
• Yerranderie
• A roommate, a rally and a ride to remember
• 2018 Triumph Tiger 1200XRT
• Slow bike to China
• It’s What We Do

Less than 10hp doesn’t seem like enough to get a fully loaded bike around the steep inclines of the Chinese-border area of northern Vietnam, but Sean Goldhawk found the strange-looking, custom-built Minsk-Honda hybrids were the right tool for a spectacular Asian adventure.

Some research confirmed the mountainous region to Hanoi’s north in Vietnam was an adventure-riding nirvana with stunning views and countless singletrack trails.

Our mate and trip instigator, Ian Heath, lived in Hanoi so had the inside line on how, when and where. He contacted fellow Vietnam resident Digby Greenhalgh from Explore Indochina, the mob behind a number of high-profile TV shows including Top Gear does Ha Long Bay. Digby recommended we hire his sweep rider, Long, a mechanic by trade rather than a tour leader, and with basic English skills. Long knew the terrain and that’s what we wanted to tap into.