Learning to ride a Manual Motorbike in Southeast Asia with Uncle Toms Trails:

Scootering around Southeast Asia is an essential part of the travel experience. Exploring each new place on a scooter is often the cheapest and most efficient way to see all the sights, get off the beaten path, and see the most of what each place has to offer. Being from the US, scooters and motorbikes are pretty foreign to me. However, I have pushed passed my comfort zone a few times in my travels so far and the rewards have been immense. Uncle Toms motorbike school in Laos helped me gain the confidence I needed to ride a manual bike and explore Asia on two wheels.

A big goal of mine is to motorbike across Vietnam from Hanoi in the north to Ho Chi Minh in the south. It is a trail frequented with backpackers and I believe it will allow me to get the most out of Vietnam.

After a month of travelling around Southeast Asia, I feel confident hoping on a scooter and exploring my surroundings. I can handle mountains, traffic and the bumpiest of roads. The catch here is that these scooters are automatic, and the motorbike I would need to get across Vietnam needs to be manual.

So how did I learn how to ride a manual bike and feel confident enough to embark on this journey?

Uncle Toms Motorbike School in Laos was my answer and one of my best adventures so far!

Not only does Uncle Toms Trails have 5 star ratings online, but my friend Kevin also ensured me that this two day tour was a must do. I figured it would allow me to see if riding a manual bike would be possible and if I would feel comfortable enough to commit to 2000 Km of Vietnam. I was also excited to experience a different, less touristy part of Laos.

Who is Uncle Tom?

Tom is an awesome guy, and a great teacher. He is a Welshman who now is living in Kasi District, an area about 1.5 hours north of Vang Vieng. He has been living in Laos for over 6 years and makes a living teaching, for the most part, total beginners how to ride a motorbike. He is incredibly charismatic, friendly, and helpful.

Uncle Toms Motorcycle School

Beyond just the riding that you experience on his tour, Tom is also well acquainted with the people in Kasi and even speaks the local language. This allows him to give you a great cultural experience as well. I learned heaps about Lao culture and the town of Kasi while riding around the mountains and having dinner with Uncle Toms friends in the town.

Day 1: Uncle Toms Motorbike School

The first thing that Tom asked me when motorbike school began was to describe what I know about the motorbike that was propped up in front of me. Not going to lie, I didn’t really know much. This bike looked a lot different than the scooters I was accustomed to. For example, I tried to call the clutch the back break… Not to worry though, Tom thoroughly went through each aspect of the bike.

Next, he put the back tire on a set of rollers so I could get the feel of shifting gears; Allowing me to feel how the bike reacted to changes in the clutch and gas. Thankfully I know how to drive a manual car because this really made the transition to riding a manual bike a lot easier. It felt very familiar to me and most of the techniques were the same.

Once Uncle Tom felt I was ready we took the bike out to the main road, drove up to a dirt patch and practiced shifting gears for real. One of the coolest parts of his teaching is that he has a microphone headset in each helmet so that we can communicate as we ride. This way he is able to warn me of upcoming obstacles and fill what would have been internal thoughts with lively conversation and funny jokes.

The first day we rode up the mountain to what Tom refers to as the Cats Ears, and what the locals call the “Milk Mountains”. There were great views all the way up. The weather was a bit iffy in the afternoon so Tom decided it would not be best to drive to the small town that he sometimes brings his students to for the overnight portion. Instead, we drove to a closer town and caught the end of the boat races. Boat races are a big deal for the local villages and the streets were filled with food, families and carnival games. It was refreshing to be in a place where I was the only westerner, and I enjoyed seeing this part of Lao culture.

When we returned to Kasi, Tom took me over to the guesthouse that I would be staying in for the night. I was delighted to see that I had my own room and queen sized bed. Although simple, I was so happy to have my own space for the first time in a month!

Before we turned in for the night, Tom had a nice dinner planned. He picked up an assortment of local dishes to eat for the night. We were supposed to eat at one of his neighbor’s restaurants but there was a wedding going on so all of the shops were closed. Instead, we were invited to have dinner at his mechanics house. Sai is his mechanic and closest friend in the town. Him and his wife joined us for dinner.

At dinner I learned a lot about the Lao culture. Unlike Americans where we order an individual plate to eat, in Laos each dish is shared amongst the table. The base of every meal is sticky rice and the other dishes are the flavor. With your left hand you take a big scoop of sticky rice and with your other hand break off smaller pieces to roll into a ball. You use this small ball of rice to scoop and dip into the savory dishes. In addition to food, we also had a healthy amount of Beer Lao. I learned how to say cheers in Lao and I also learned that you are supposed to offer both of your hands forward when you cheers. I enjoyed asking Tom a bunch of questions and learning more about his friends even though they couldn’t speak any English.

I went to bed full and happy. I was so pleased with how quickly I got the hang of riding. The whole day I didn’t stall once. I was stoked for what the next day had in store.

Day 2: Graduating to the Big Girl Bike

Tom woke me up bright and early the next morning. We ate a delicious breakfast and waited for all the school kids to ride their bicycles to school before we hit the road. Today we were heading out into the hills again. Unfortunately the weather was not in our favor, and it began pouring about 15 minutes into our ride. We found a place to wait out the storm. Tom has an infinite amount of stories to help pass the time. Seriously, he could entertain a crowd for hours. We waited for a while, but the rain still didn’t stop so we opted to get wet instead. I think rain always adds to the adventure so I didn’t mind. Once we got moving, the rain did not last too much longer. It also provided for some pretty awesome mud puddles. I had moved up to a bigger bike the second day so I felt like I could ride through anything.

We did about four hours of riding on the second day and got to pass through a lot of little villages. I was really sad when the tour finally came to an end. Tom was able to see me off to the bus station and make sure I caught the right one to Vientiane.

I would definitely recommend Uncle Toms Trails if you are looking to improve your motorbike skills and have a great adventure outside of the normal tourist scene. In addition to helping me master a manual bike, Tom also gave me a lot of insight into picking out the right bike once I get to Vietnam. I left Kasi feeling confident and excited to ride across Vietnam.

If you want a great motor biking experience I would highly suggest Uncle Tom! Check out his Facebook page for more information.

You can also see a lot of videos and photos on his instagram @uncletomslaos