Biker

Where the Expedition truly distinguishes itself from the Norden 901 is in componentry. It shares the more stout Xplor suspension with KTM’s 890 R, gets a burly skid plate, as well as touring amenities like a more protective windscreen, centerstand, and luggage as standard.

Road speeds are slow in Vietnam. Crashes are frequent, but at paces where you are likely to get back up again. Overall, driving in Vietnam is not as dangerous as people might think. There is some method to the madness here, despite it being hard to recognise when riding amongst the chaos.

Some visit the plance to climb and pass the Watzmann, a mountain whose striking summit towers a whopping 2713 metres into the Bavarian sky . Others pose at and around the Königsee to polish their online fame, much to the chagrin of locals and national park rangers plagued by overtourism.

The second is security men on the side of the road. It isn’t uncommon to see a collection of motorbikes seemingly abandoned on the side of the road. These conglomerates of motorbikes will have a security guard somewhere nearby.

This guideline clearly delineates passing zones because when we pass riders who are parallel to our path of travel or going away from our path of travel, passing is easy and safe. This approach to passing has no caveats or exceptions. Faster riders must plan where and how the pass will happen.

On top of that we did some modest off road riding that took us through some amazing green fields, we even crossed a shallow river and did some drifting on a deserted beach. Great bike, great tires, great weather and great roads.

Driving the Himalayas is a challenge when it comes to weather and gear. We chose August which is rainy season. Hot enough to avoid most of the snow, but with the compromise of expected rain. Motorbikes move quickly up and down mountains. With huge fluctuations in altitude come huge fluctuations in temperature.

True off-roading is actually quite hard to find in the Himalayas, if the road exists on the map then it seems to have some regular ongoing maintenance. Gravel, large rocks and ‘rivers’ on the road are common, but there is no deep mud or challenging driving.

The result was successful, as the tapered pistons had enough clearance near the top to avoid seizure there, but with smaller clearance and reduced taper along the skirt.

I have yet to find a place without wi-fi in this country. Get yourself a sim card on arrival from either Mobifone or Viettel. If you know how to use a modern smartphone, you can navigate Vietnam easily. There is nothing your phone can’t do in Vietnam!