A group of bikers from Chicago spent three weeks this spring touring Vietnam by motorcycle.
Dubbing their trip the Hilo Project, the five American bikers were provided with vehicles by Ducati Vietnam. They started their trip in Saigon in early April, and made their way north to Hanoi.
The group made friends with bikers and other locals over the course of their trip even though only one of the bikers, Catherine Pham, was able to speak Vietnamese.
We spoke with Chris Force, who spearheaded the trip, about the group's experience and how the biker scenes in Chicago and Vietnam differ.
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BUSINESS INSIDER: How do the five of you know each other?
CHRIS FORCE: "Laura Heidenreich and I own a small business together. I do some magazine photography and had used Cat (Catherine Pham) as a wardrobe stylist. We met Dave Mucci and Juan Francisco through the Chicago motorcycle community. We all had kinda followed each other on Instagram and all love motorcycles, so it we came together pretty easily."
BI: What's your relationship with motorcycle culture?
CF: "We’re all pretty big bike nerds with multiple bikes. Dave runs a custom bike shop in town and runs a moto blog. Cat’s background is in moto-related fashion and retail and is really active in the Chicago bike club community. Juan is currently a full time motorcycle tourist and connoisseur of high end moto gear and accessories. I work full time in media and write about moto travel and design. I also do a lot of “organizing.” Laura’s a really avid rider, and her identical twin also just got a bike — so they stop a lot of traffic in town, haha."
BI: What's the biking scene like in your hometown, Chicago?
CF: "The bike scene here is great. It’s a hard-working, fun, and supportive group. Like any other scene it has all its little factions and stuff, but everyone is united by a very-Midwestern no-nonsense vibe. It’s a lotta dudes, but that’s changing and really exciting. The community is very friendly and encouraging of new riders and female riders. When the weather permits we try to stay on our bikes as much as possible since winter lasts for six months here!"
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