This is going to be a two day update. It was Friday, Lilly needed a new clutch and I needed to be out of Vietnam in a matter of 9 days. My plan was to head South towards Danang then across to the Cambodia border. In the meantime getting a clutch at any one of the many Honda Head main dealers. I would use main roads as its about 700km and if I don’t get a clutch within two days I most likely won’t get one on a Sunday.
So, I set off at 7am, there’s nothing much to add, it was a long day and it was only broken up by endless calls at Honda shops. Always friendly and helpful the staff seemed not to have the clutch I needed.
I stopped about 11am for a cold drink. I was initially approached by an older gentleman who shook hands repeatedly. I can now manage, hello (see chow) and English (Ang). He called over his Grandaughter and before long the whole family was there, talking English or translating for those who didn’t. It was lovely as they were so interested and I was equally curious about their family group. I was invited for lunch but sadly I needed to move on.
Later in the day, and fed up of endless knock backs from Honda shops, I stopped at a new Coffee shop. It stuck out as a new build in an otherwise typical Vietnamese town. The owner said I was her first tourist customer, so we had a selfie.
Whilst drinking my coffee I emailed Tigit, the company I got the bike from. They have an office in Danang, maybe they have a clutch.
Tigit had replied. Firstly, the clutch is the same as that fitted to the Honda Wave, a very common bike. Maybe the dealers had not realised so I could try that. Secondly they have a clutch in Danang. It’s 320km and they need the bike by early afternoon. I’m going to have to get going early.
7am I take a quick photo of Lilly outside the hotel and hit the road.
Its a long ride on boring and quite busy roads. I stopped at two Honda dealers but still nothing. I simply can’t afford more time with rejections, so that’s it, head down, get the miles done. It all sounds easy but now I’m having to be so gentle on the throttle. Any hard acceleration causes the clutch to slip. When going up hill the clutch often can’t hold and the engine speeds up with no drive to the rear. I’m literally nursing it to Danang.
With 30km to go I can see its fairly straight, but there is a large set of hills. The Hi Van Pass infact, but the main road bypasses that. As I turn onto the main road I am flagged down by an officer of sorts. “No motorcycles on here, you must take the pass, it’s very pretty”. He was right it is pretty and now in the sunshine it is even more lovely but will Lilly cope with the hills and tight turns? I back tracked far enough to ease her up to speed and off we went. No time to look around at the scenery, just full concentration on making it to the top. Listening, feeling for feedback, slowly, cautiously we made it up the pass, by now the clutch was toast. I coasted down as much as possible. By the time I got to Tigit the clutch sounded like it had exploded inside the engine. The oil, which was four days old, poured out like grey water.
I had to leave Lilly with the mechanic. However I was given a much newer XR150 to play with.
So that was it, back in Danang. But fate has played into my hands, its Saturday and that means Dragon Bridge is breathing fire
Earth, Wind and Tyres 