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The two stroke,
single cylinder Byelorussian Minsk is a 125cc
dirt bike capable of getting you anywhere in
Vietnam. In its manual it says: "These
motorcycles are especially suitable for service
in the country-side with bad or no roads."
If you tinker with
it, keep it clean and make regular inspections
then the Minsk will become a true friend. You
will not see many of these bikes in the Hanoi as
the locals consider themselves above such an
ungainly, oil billowing reminder of past Russian
dominance. In the mountains and hills, however,
the Minsk rules supreme. Every mechanic knows
how to fix a Minsk, and there are places
everywhere selling spare parts.
It’s got a top
speed of around 85 kilometers an hour, its
tank’s about 11 liters which will get you around
200 – 250 kilometers – the reserve will get you
around 15 kilometers. The bike has a simple
design and has no battery. The tyre’s traction
is excellent and capable of covering clay, rock
or wet and its suspension is great. The bike is
ideal for any trip into the mountains of the
north of Vietnam. Its drawbacks are its lack of
speed on the strait and its Russian heritage
which doesn’t like the heat. In hot weather you
really need to keep the engine from overheating.
Like other former Soviet classics like the
Voxhod, Isch, Ural or Jawa, all you need to do
is get a spark, a puff of air and a splash of
petrol all together in the same place and you
have an engine up and running.
What you should
bear in mind when driving a minsk?
- Using mixed
fuels (5% oil with petrol)
- In the
morning or after stopping for along time you
have to pump the choke till fuel is leaking
out
- While
driving up-hill try to use a low gear and
use the clutch as little as possible (save
extra wear on clutch)
>> Motorcycling
tips and the Minsk
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About the Minsk
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Types of Minsk: 1996-model
minsk, Sport
minsk,
Wildcat
minsk, Older
minsk models
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Motorcycling in Vietnam |
