Philippine Trikes

Village in Philippines 2010

As most of you know I am on assignment overseas. I spent many months ending 2010 in the Philippines. I was there for business and did not get a chance to ride. I found a cool biker bar called Handle Bar in Manila. Lucky for me the night I went they were celebrating Jack Daniels birthday-really! There were live bands, prizes and good food. The only regret was ordering a rare steak. Oh, it was a tasty steak but I had a lapse in judgment and failed to consider there are no FDA standards in the kitchens there.  I was in the hotel bathroom for two days to recover from that tasty rare steak :(  That reminds me--the best steak on a motorcycle trip so far was at Sooner Legends in Norman, Oklahoma!

 Picture of a Philippine trike which is used like a taxi.

I saw very few Harleys and sports motorcycles. There were hundreds of mopeds, scooters and trikes. The trikes were pretty popular. They were just as common as a taxi. Actually the trikes were for hire just as a taxi. Here are a few pictures of the trikes. As you see they are mopeds or small motorcycles with side cars. The locals allow one more person on the trike as long as they can grab ahold. 

Here is a family on a highway.

Take a look at this snapshot below showing four people on a moped! This was a common sight. Well except the helmets-It was rare to see people wear helmets. This photo was taken on a Philippine Army base where helmets were required.

Bikes In Winter Storage

 Greetings. Many of us have our bikes in storage for the winter. Winter storage is always good topic for discussion. Every rider seems to have their own preference on how they store their motorcycles for the cold season. I’ve received much advice on preparing the motorcycle for winter storage. The basic ritual I have is to top off the fuel tank to prevent condensation in the tank. I use fuel stabilizer to preserve the fuel for extended storage. Plus it gives me an excuse to take the bike for a long ride in the spring to burn out all the old fuel. I connect the battery to the trickle charger sold at most motorcycle shops. This helps preserve the battery for winter storage. I do not start my motorcycle during the winter. I figure the oil drips to the bottom of the engine and I do not want to keep starting the engine with dry pistons. I use a wooden platform to keep the tires off the concrete. They tend to hold the air pressure better on the wood. Even so, we all should be checking the tire air pressure in the spring before riding again.

Last winter I encountered a rodent problem. Well not really a problem but I didn’t appreciate a mouse sleeping in my exhaust pipes for the winter. My bike was covered and in my garage. I saw a mouse in the garage near the outside door. I placed a carton of rat poison and a sticky trap in the garage. I caught the mouse and didn’t see any signs of it getting on the bike. I was surprised in the spring because before the varmint was caught it stuffed a bunch of that rat poison in one of the exhaust pipes. Well my son Nick was really the person surprised. Nick was standing beside and toward the rear of the bike when I fired it up for the first time after the winter break. Nick and his friend wanted to hear how loud the Vance and Hines True Duels were. What he saw was a bunch of rat poison spray against the wall of the garage when the pistons thundered to life. I did not like the thought of a little mouse crawling anywhere on the bike even if it was just inside the exhaust.