MOTORBIKE RENTAL SUPPORT POLICY IN HANOI, VIETNAM

To avoid any confusion or possible disagreement, we hereby explain our motorbike rental support policy. We will try to cover as much as possible and add more if a situation arises. Our support can be free (in most cases, if that’s our problems or motorbike technical failure) or with a small fee (if that’s the customers’ issues).

Office Hours For Motorbike Rental Support

Official business hours

Our official business hours are from 8am to 5pm from Monday to Saturday. On Sunday, we take a day off. In addition, we are also close on public holidays.

Outside working hours

At certain hours on either side of the official working hours, we can be flexible if you have an agreement with us in advance. Usually, people may need to collect or return their rental motorbikes on either side of our business hour or on Sunday. We will confirm with you in advance if this is possible.

Motorbike rental support by phone and online chat

Good news, we offer support on the phone while you are on the trip to help explain to the local mechanics, hotels, restaurants, and local people. It’s in fluent English and Vietnamese and won’t waste any second of your time. We are with you the whole way. This is very important when you are in Vietnam and you truly have freedom of mind when you use our motorbikes.

The hours are from around 7am to midnight. For online chat, just leave your messages and we will reply as soon as we can (usually instant).

Emergency Support Policy

In fact, we don’t advertise or promise 24/7 support. It’s a lie if anyone says they offer this for the motorbike rental business in Vietnam. No business has staff ready anytime and around the clock to offer it. However, at times, we go out of our way to provide maximum support to our customers.

Bike Quality

As a promise, we will try to provide the most updated bike fleet in the best condition possible. Motorbikes may not be the newest but will be among the best you can find in Hanoi. Everything works and replacement is carried out whenever needed.

All of our motorbikes are carefully serviced by ourselves, we don’t use any employees so we know the bikes as well as the back of our hands. Not all rental shops know extensively about bike repair and that leads to poor assistance when you need help on the way.

Breakdown Support Policy

For our rental motorbikes, you have our full guarantee of engine quality. We use only Honda and this brand has at least 80% market share and most repair shops can help you if you need any repair or small service. In case you have issues, the first thing to do is contact us and we will confirm if we can come. In case it’s a small issue, we can advise you where to get it fixed and we pay for technical issues. If you break the bike and that’s your fault, you will need to pay for replacement(s).

Scooter rental support (commuting in Hanoi)

Our customers usually hire small scooters for commuting to work in Hanoi and we can offer any support you need during our business hours. Within 5km of our office, we can arrange to come as soon as we can. In case you live far away (over 5km from our office), you might first need to seek help from the nearest mechanic shops (plentiful in Vietnam) and we only come if your scooters have very serious engine issues.

Touring bike rental support (long distance)

There are nearly 1,000 Honda official dealer shops and countless private shops that can help you on the road in case you have any trouble. You will have basic parts with you like inner tubes, cables, and clutch plates …

It’s best to know some mechanic basics because manual clutch bikes are not popular in Vietnam. We could quickly show you things to handle when you are on your own. When you just hire a bike, we don’t normally have any group that you can join because of different expectations and timing.

Ignition switch key

This is, in fact, one of the most popular issues that our customers broke the key, lost the key, locked it in the storage box, or just couldn’t find it. Unless the key is broken due to its quality or it’s too old, you will need to pay a small fee (about 50,000 VN Dongs plus shipping) for this support.

We have a spare key for all of our bikes and we can bring it to your place or send it with a Grab driver. However, allow some time for making a copy of the spare key. Please note that we are usually not able to provide this support on Sunday or after business hours because the main key is saved in the safe at the office only. In addition, key makers don’t work in the dark or very early in the morning.

In case you really need it and during our working hours, you can come to our office and pick it up. We will make a copy later.

Battery failure

In fact, the most popular issue is caused by a broken fuse. Sometimes, it’s a mouse or moisture. Luckily, the fuse box is normally easy to access and you just need a screwdriver.

All of our motorbikes use a dry (or maintenance-free) battery. It usually lasts between 3 and 6 years old and there is no indication when it goes low. Once this happens, we have to replace the battery. Luckily, most of our bikes have a manual kick-starter that you can use to start the bike.

There are two solutions for this: You can either ride to our office and have it replaced or go to a repair shop or Honda dealer shop and replace it. The cost is around 300,000 VN Dongs but put us on the phone to make sure you get the right price. For scooters that have no kick-starter and in Hanoi, we can come to your place and replace it. Remember we check the battery before you have the bike or when you bring it in for a service so the chance to have it flat is very very tiny.

Engine problem

This rarely happens with our bikes, especially scooters. If you can’t start your bike, please check if the key was turned on all night and drained the battery, the battery conditions, and the fuel lock. On the other hand, if you can start the bike but can’t ride it, call us for support and we let you know what to do. It’s likely the transmission or electrical system issue.

Another issue with the touring motorbike is the clutch. Some new riders may burn the clutch plates by improper usage and engagement. We found out that many riders adjusted too tight and left no free play for the clutch lever. This is actually dangerous because if you press lightly, the transmission is cut off and you have no power. Worse, you also burn the clutch shortly. On long-distance trips, we do provide spare clutch plates.

We will pay for all engine issues, except if you crash and break it.

Flat tire

We always check the tires and pressure before you pick up your rental bike. The standard is about 33psi (2kg per square inch) as advised by most manufacturers. There are tube tyres (off-road motorbikes, touring motorcycles, and semi-automatic scooters) and tubeless tyres (automatic scooters). If you have a nail or sharp thing that punctures the tire, you can bring it to a mechanic and have it fixed or replaced and you pay for it. We normally don’t come to fix it because this is easy to do everywhere in Vietnam.

We pay for the replacement of a new tire when it’s old.

Drive chain and sprockets

It’s the same policy as with the tire above. We check them carefully before you have the bike and replace it needed. The service is free at our office for scooters you hire on monthly basis.

When you ride on long-distance trips, we provide chain lube and you will take care of them. If you don’t lubricate and the chain and sprockets break, then you need to pay for the replacement. It’s very quick and easy, just a few minutes but saves you lots of money.

Some Common Fixes

Carburettor – Idling speed adjustment

Find the nut like this for motorbikes that use a carburettor, fuel-injected bikes also have this nut but in a more hidden place. Turn clockwise for more and counter clock for less.

Carburettor – Choke setting

All of our Honda motorbikes that use carburettor have a choke that you can check and adjust in case it’s hard to start the engine.

For scooters, you can find it under the left-hand side of the handlebar, under the indicator and horn control. Newer 110cc models have it right on the carburettor, similar to dirt bikes.

Below is the demonstration for scooters and manual bikes.

110CC OLDER SCOOTERS

110CC NEWER SCOOTERS

MANUAL MOTORBIKES

Fuel tank lock

Sometimes, children play with your bike and turn this off. Therefore, make sure to check if it’s on. For manual touring motorbikes, you have a reserve tank that allows up to 60km before the tank is really empty. Scooters and fuel-injected motorbikes don’t have this option. The below photo sets the lock to OFF.

Fuel tank cap ventilation

This issue is usually on Honda XR150L and CRF150L because of the rainwater or dirt that blocks the ventilation in the cap and it blocks the flow from the fuel tank to the carburettor. It’s a simple fix, just open the cap, blow off the keyhole, or put a soft string under the cap to allow more ventilation. The key for your bike usually has a string for this purpose and for keeping it in place on bumpy roads.

Handlebar protection frame adjustment

On our dirt bike, we installed a handlebar frame for all of them, and in case you drop the bike or crash, your hands will be safe. However, the brake or clutch lever may get stuck and you need to clear the space to allow the movement. Below is how you can adjust it for the brake lever.

(to be updated)