Currently, the most popular vintage motorcycles are the Vespa Acma, Vespa Standard, Vespa Super, Vespa Sprint, Vespa 50… from the Piaggio brand (Italy); Lambretta motorcycles from Innocenti brand (Italy); Mobylette motorcycles from Motobecane brand (France) and recently the Honda 67, Honda CD Benly motorcycles from Honda brand (Japan)…
Treasures on wheels
According to many people who are well-versed in the motorcycle scene, the vintage motorcycle restoration and collecting movement has been growing for over 10 years. Motorcycle enthusiasts search far and wide to find and buy what many call “junk”. “Whenever someone tells me there is a rare vintage motorcycle somewhere, I immediately rush there because if not, someone else will buy it,” said a vintage motorcycle enthusiast in Ho Chi Minh City. Motorcycle collectors believe that the motorcycle chooses its owner, not the other way around. Playing with motorcycles requires not only skill and persistence, but also fate. Van Tinh, a well-known figure in the vintage motorcycle community in Ho Chi Minh City, shared that he recently bought an Acma brand motorcycle for 50 million VND. Although the motorcycle is not 100% original, the crucial parts such as the engine, wheels, and battery are still intact. According to Tinh, vintage motorcycles that are still all original and especially if the paint job is still original can fetch prices up to hundreds of million VND. Mr. D.H, a resident of Binh Thanh district, Ho Chi Minh City, said: “I bought a Suzuki GL 125cc motorcycle for less than 5 million VND; after bringing it home, transforming it into a Race cafe motorcycle cost me nearly 20 million VND.”
Vintage motorcycles are becoming increasingly popular. Photo: THANH DONG
Vintage motorcycle enthusiasts in the central region know N.H.N from Binh Dinh province, who owns a 3-digit Standard motorcycle. This motorcycle used to belong to a motorcycle repairman in Phu My district. Because he wanted to buy a Dream motorcycle for his wife to use, he decided to sell this old and unregistered motorcycle for 10 million VND. Many people asked and haggled, but the owner refused to budge! Thanks to a friend’s recommendation, a person named H. came to see the motorcycle and handed over 10 million VND to take it home. Later, thanks to advice from fellow motorcycle enthusiasts, H. learned that the motorcycle he bought was a very rare 3-digit Standard model. This is the last generation of the Acma line and the first generation of the Standard line. When he brought the motorcycle home, a motorcycle expert in Ho Chi Minh City offered to buy it for over 40 million VND, but H. refused to sell.
Not an easy feat
There are different paths for motorcycle enthusiasts. Some play for the passion, others follow the trends, and some even combine playing and business. An example is Mr. T.A. His trading business allows him to travel a lot, and with his knowledge of vintage motorcycles, he always searches for vintage motorcycles wherever he goes. After buying a motorcycle, he restores it, refurbishes it, and then sells it. T.A shared: “Because they are vintage motorcycles, there is no standard price for them. When buying, you can get them for just a few million VND; after painting, repairing, and meeting someone who likes them, you can sell them for 30-40 million VND, sometimes even hundreds of million VND, which is normal.”
However, there are also many people who have had bitter experiences due to their lack of knowledge about vintage motorcycles. “When I saw beautiful vintage motorcycles, I spent money to buy a few to decorate my cafe and occasionally ride around. After spending almost 200 million VND, I had 5 motorcycles. Unexpectedly, when I looked into it more closely, I realized that these motorcycles were all refurbished with domestically made parts. I was disappointed because of the mistaken purchase, so I tried to sell them, but only received less than 15 million VND per motorcycle,” said T.T with a sigh.
For enthusiasts who prefer original motorcycles, finding every bolt and every spare part to match the motorcycle’s era requires time and knowledge about motorcycles. If not, they will spend more money than expected. Mr. M, a resident of Go Vap district, Ho Chi Minh City, happened to see a beautiful Honda CD Benly motorcycle while on the road, so he asked to buy it for 60 million VND. Afterward, M took the motorcycle to a mechanic to inspect and repair a few details, which cost him nearly 10 million VND more. Mr. N.H.N shared: “When I bought the 3-digit Standard motorcycle, everything was still original except for two small hinges on the trunk. For a long time, I asked fellow motorcycle enthusiasts to help me find them, but no luck. By chance, I found someone in Quang Ngai who had a Super model but had the “original” hinges from a 3-digit Standard model. I asked to buy the hinges for 2 million VND, even though the market price at that time was just over 100,000 VND. However, the owner of the Super model refused to sell just the hinges and insisted on selling the whole motorcycle. After many unsuccessful negotiations, Mr. N. decided to buy the motorcycle for nearly 12 million VND just to obtain the hinges for his trunk…
Exporting vintage motorcycles to… Italy
It is interesting to note that many types of restored vintage motorcycles in Vietnam are not only catering to the local motorcycle enthusiasts but are also being exported abroad, even to Italy – the country famous for Vespa motorcycles. Mr. T., a Vespa repairman in Ho Chi Minh City, shared: “Just me alone, I have exported nearly 100 motorcycles of various types to countries, mainly the USA, Canada, and Italy. For other countries, as long as the motorcycle is restored to its original model, durable, and beautiful, it is fine. However, for Italy, everything must be restored to its original form, and all parts must be “original” in order to sell them.”
According to Thanh Dong – An Nguyen – Nguoi Lao Dong
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