Learning how to ride a motorbike at the Honda Safety Driving Center

Living in crowded, trafficcongested cities such as Metro Manila often provokes car drivers to consider other available transportation alternatives. And it is not hard to figure what most people these days have leaned toward — the attractive proposition of

Motorbikes are taking the city’s roads by storm, and yet many-a-motorist still see them as nuisances, if not daredevils who put their lives at daily risk. But frankly speaking, getting to the bottom of this Filipino road culture is no rocket science — it simply boils down to a lack of proper driving education, from the moment a new motorist’s name is spawned in the LTO’s vast database of “licensed drivers.”

Ours is a culture of drivers who learned from their parents, family drivers, or friends; and while that may not always be such a bad thing, it certainly hasn’t worked to our advantage, as so many driver courtesies and overall road-related discipline has not been instilled in our generation of motorists.

How then does one break the chain of ignorant road-users that will someday lead us to our own demise!? Well, for starters... there are places like the Honda Safety Driving Center.

Just like how a school — despite many of us refusing to admit it — greatly influences the quality of student that graduates from it, how the next generation of motorists will drive will also largely depend on what they are taught as new drivers. Places like the Honda Safety Driving Center are like those pockets of hope, that tell us it is never too late — although certainly not easy — to unlearn such bad habits while driving. Or better yet, it is best to learn it right, the first time!

For a humble fee of P1,500, one can enroll in Honda’s motorcycle riding program, and learn how to properly operate a user-appropriate motorbike, within a day. This however, comes with the requirement that one already knows how to bike. (read: balance)

Ours was a fun-filled day, going through the actual beginner’s course for Philstar TV’s

Wheels. We started off with an orientation, followed by some practical exercises on how to squeeze the motorcycle throttle (yes, they are quite sensitive, and there is a skill required to squeeze out just the right amount of power), followed by more classroom lectures, alternating with actual riding exercises.

And reminiscent of how you first learned to drive a car, you also start off doing simple runs in a small area; learn how to properly brake; then start doing turns and figure eights; learn how to brake harder (without flying off); practice doing slaloms; start riding among other motorists; and then combine that with applying proper signal lights and respecting the traffic light and other road signs.

The nice thing is that Honda’s learning premises actually include a rotunda, twists and turns, a stoplight intersection simulating real roads, tricky, narrow side streets, and even that steep hill where you practice that most dreaded (car or bike) exercise of it all: mastering the ‘hanging’ situation.

All of Honda’s instructors have many years of experience in the field, and are in my opinion, quite daredevils themselves – willing to ride as dummy ‘pillions’ (a.k.a. back-riders) of amateur motorbike riders, as part of the final test. Perhaps that is also testament of their confidence that they could get any willing student, to learn how to properly operate and ride a motorbike, in no time!

The Honda Safety Driving Center is located at: KM 17 East Service Road, South Superhighway, Parañaque City.