Riding motorcycles in the Philippines
Here are some observations that might help make your motorcycle trip in the Philippines safer. I am not a pro, by any standards, but have done a bit of motorcycling in the Philippines and came up with these notes.
Buying a motorcycle in the Philippines
If you plan to spend a bit of time in the country, buying a motorbike will give you a lot more freedom to get around. You will not be dependent on public transport (which is often limited late in the day) and you can explore the countryside at will.
Be prepared to wait 6 to 12 months for the registration to come through if buying a new bike.
You will have to go to the LTO – Land Transport Office every year to update your sticker.
If you plan to be in the Philippines for a short time you might be better off renting a motorcycle because the paperwork is a bit of a hassle if you buy.
I tend to stick with Honda because parts are so easy to get everywhere.
The Kawasaki Barako is a relatively new bike that is becoming popular with the tricycle drivers. They have a 175cc engine and a big gas tank and electric start. It’s a good bike but I stick with Honda because the parts will be available everywhere in the Philippines.
This shop is in Zamboanga Mindanao.
Carry a copy of your registration with you in case you get checked at a police road block. They usually check for drivers license, registration and look to see if your sticker is up to date.
Wearing a helmet is also mandatory in some areas.
Philippine drivers licenses are easy to get if you already have one in English from a different country. You will get a temporary and will have to wait 6 months or so for the plastic one.
This picture was taken at midnight in Southern Samar – looking for a place to camp.
Sometimes you can buy used bikes very cheap if you ask around.
Rental motorbikes are readily available in touristed places like Dumaguete , Negros.
Using a motorcycle in the out back might be the only way to get around. Public transport might not be available and the other option might be walking.
Driving a motorbike in the cities is simply a matter of convenience, but a motorbike can really give you the opportunity to explore places few people go!
This is a cave in southern Samar were we set up camp for the night.
Cebu – The traffic is heavy, especially around 4:30 to 6 pm. This city is not a good place to get the hang of riding a motorbike.
I am never fully at ease when driving between Cebu City and CarCar.
Jeepneys and multi cabs are very erratic and whip to the shoulder from any lane at any time. U-turns are begun from the far lane and done in a way to cut off as much traffic as possible.
It is also difficult to find parking in Cebu City.
South of CarCar all the way around to Bato and up to Maolboal on the west side of the island is a beautiful drive and can be done in less than 4 hours.
Setting off for Donsol from Catbalogan Samar. The national highway in Samar has been dramatically improved the past year.
Changing my tire in Talisay. You have to keep up on the maintenance if you want to minimize your breakdowns.
Talisay Cebu
The heavy rush hour traffic is the biggest drawback to driving in Manila.
If you are on a motorcycle consider each lane to be three motorbike lanes – left, center and right. Changing your position within the lane should be done taking the same precautions you would changing lanes.
This is a traffic cops bike on M.H.Del Pilar
Note the reflector tape I added to increase visibility when night driving.
Night driving is always more risky that riding when there is daylight but it gets dark early in the Philippines – around 6-7 pm. I think it has to do with the proximity to the equator and the angle of the sun.
It is hard to make long trips without riding at night. One of the main things to watch for is the dogs sleeping on the still warm pavement.
Above pic taken in Dapitan Mindanao
Catbalogan Samar – This small town has hundreds of pedal powered tricycles weaving in and out of traffic within inches of each other.
The traffic is some of the heaviest that I’ve seen because of the compact lay out of this, the capital of Samar.
Tricycle drivers will give a warning toot on their horns and motorcyclists almost always give a quick beep if they are passing you. Eye contact is used extensively to determine right of way. Rarely does anyone come to a full stop – vehicles just seem merge smoothly. The tricycles especially are very skilled and you will see 3 or 4 tucked in together just inches apart.
The bike is getting a new front tire in Cagayan de Oro in Mindanao.
Always try to keep up on the maintenance – tires, chain and sprocket, lights, spark plug, oil, lights etc must be in good condition. There are enough other things to concentrate on withoiut having to deal with break downs.
Samar – This might be the national capital for habal habal motorcycles. It is not unusual to see up to seven people smushed together on one bike – hence the name habal habal. (pigs screwing)
In Leyte and Samar it is common for motorcycles to have roofs to keep of the rain.
On the way to Manila in Bicol province in southern Luzon.
Mount Mayon – the worlds most perfectly shaped volcano
It is convenient to be able to stop when you like to take pictures. Trying to snap pictures from a bus window is difficult.
Flat tire getting repaired in Quezon province Luzon. The tube is being replaced here because the valve stem has been ripped out when the tire went flat.
I always carry spare tubes on long trips.
Matnog to Allen ferry connecting Luzon to Samar. Island hopping is a fairly straightforward process – just be sure to take along a few photo copies of your registration for the shipping company.
Sipalay Beach Negros – The west coast of this island is ideal for travel by motorbike.
Back road on Camigiun Island north coast of Mindanao.
Biliran Island in northern Leyte.
I caught up with this bike in Mindanao. This guy was an incredible driver. The passengers also have an excellent sense of balance.
There are two people on the far side and another bag of rice as well. That makes for 10 people and two bags of rice. (note the guy with white sunglasses peering around from the far side, over the shoulder of the fellow riding side saddle on the gas tank.
We are doing 50 k. This was a very difficult photo to get because we were very heavily laden as well, but I had to turn around and chase after them for the photo.
Hauling logs by motorbike in Mindanao. The loads these guys haul are impressive.
Riding these bikes on muddy trails with 6 logs takes a huge amount of skill.
Southern Palawan in 2004 – most of the roads in Palawan have improved dramatically.
Dalupiri Island in northern Samar.
Viet Ville Palawan
Tacloban – the notable thing about Tacloban is all the traffic police that direct traffic during rush hour.
There is nothing special about driving here but there are a lot of guys wearing orange vests walking around in the street that you have to be careful of. Also watch out for their hand signals.
Going over the San Juanico Bridge is a beautiful sight but there are often sight seers parked in the middle of the road at the crest of the bridge. There are all kinds of signs saying “No Parking” or “No Stopping” but they are ignored as people congregate and take photos at the center of the bridge.
Dumaguete has a lot of tricycles and a slew of motorbikes.
They are parked two rows deep alongside the main business streets by attendants that have a skill for packing them really close together. They retrieve them as well and usually get a small tip for their services.
A very interesting hazard common in Negros, is that drivers drive at night with their lights off so that they can extend the life of the bulb. Just before they meet you they will switch on the lights.
Pic taken in Dumaguete Negros
Zamboanga – The traffic here is the standard for a Philippine city – heavy, during rush hour.
Rice drying on the edge of the road.
Pagadian Mindanao
The side car is tilted way back to compensate for the steep hills when going downhill – at least that’s what they tell me.
Ormoc – The drivers here tend to follow very close and linger with their front tire at your left leg so they can try to get around you when there is a break in oncoming traffic.
Use a widely extended arm to signal that you are turning left.
Every town has it’s own style – observe the local custom and follow suite.
This is the road in eastern Samar during the rainy season.
Northeastern Samar!
River crossing northern Samar.
Unloading motorbike at the dock in Puerto Princessa, Palawan.
Arriving from Iloilo, Panay.
Transporting the motorcycle by ferry. Don’t use the front brake on the ramp or on the ferry deck because they are often coated with oil.
Your bike can slip out from under you very easily which could be very embarrassing when everyone is watching you.
This is the Roble ferry from Samar to Cebu. I just drive up the ramp and secure the bike to the stairwell. The tide can be a big factor in the ramp angle.
I use these small pump boats for island hopping.
Tree branches lying in the road are signals that there is a vehicle parked in the roadway ahead – probably just around the corner or over the crest of a hill.
Apple sized rocks are placed on the roadway when the concrete is still fresh.
Small pots of burning oil are used at night to indicate road work ahead. Slow down because the road is likely narrowing down to one lane.
Samar Island
Use your horn to warn dogs that look like they are preparing to walk across the road in front of you.
All adult dogs will know what that horn is warning and will stay on the side. The ones that haven’t learned that have already been thinned out, supporting Darwin’s theory.
Siquijor Island
Sometimes you will see caribao on the road. Usually they are tied to a tree but sometimes they are returning from the pasture
They are big and dark and don’t show up well at dusk when they are moved back home from he fields.
Camiguin Island
The motorcycle driver is expected to get on to the shoulder if a large vehicle is overtaking another while approaching from the opposite direction. Buses tend to really zip along on paved surfaces and might not have time to stop and not have room to swerve so always keep your options open, even if you have to drive off the side of the road. Observe if there is soft mud or large rocks.
Beware of a slippery green slime that grows on the rocks and road surface in shaded areas that get a lot of misty rain.
Wear protective clothing in case you do take a tumble. Gloves, helmet, long pants, whatever… ! Be prepared.
Cagsawa ruins near Legaspi.
Feel free to add any ideas in the comment section below.
Readers Submissions 1
Trip to Canlaon Mountain by Bruce
Hi DP enclose some pics that may be of interest to your many readers about my recent trip to Canlaon city where I climbed the volcano.
First Pic is from the pier during a stop over for lunch at the lovely little town of Tayasan about half way between Dumaguete and Canlaon. Its really neat and tidy with many flowers.
The pic of Canlaon Volcano is from the junction of the north Negros hi way and road leading to Canlaon. On a clear day it’s a spectacular site. I was expecting good weather for the climb……
The very helpful tourist office assisted me in checking in to the F & C pension house which costs just P700 a night, hot shower and air con, the latter not being used. Canlaon is extremely cheap for tourists, san mig cost just P19 a bottle and food (very limited for foreigners) costs next to nothing. How ever as no banks one must ensure enough cash. Nearest bank is San Carlos about 45 minutes away.
As I arrived about 4pm I decided to rest the following day and make the climb on Saturday. The tourist office provided me with a pretty girl keen to guide me around the surroundings on the Friday. Excellent service. The Balate treein the picture is said to be in excess of 3000 years old, its huge.
As you can see by the time we were well into the climb down came the rains, boy did it rain, also the winds were extremely strong and freezing. Unless one experienced this its impossible to explain just how cold it was. Although my gear was in plastic bags it still became wet, the guide and porter had thick coats, gloves and full woolen socks. The tent flapped madly during the night, sleep was only possible with the aid of a bottle of Tanduay which we finished off. What a night, I froze all night.
Motorcycle Philippines
Climbing Mount Apo
General Santos
Growing Orchids
Judy's Resto Bar
Logging with Motorcycles
Mount Mayon
Balabac Island
Biri Island
Calbiga Cave
Capul Island
Mangrove Swamp Palawan
Mikes's Resort
Wood Boat to Manila Philippines
Hi DP
Excellent observations! Yes got a good laugh out of that circus act. Just amazing how many locals can fit on one bike! I have never seen that many before. Great picture and I admire your determination to get it.
I can add some comment of my own.
1. Ferry ramps. The frictional coefficient of wet (or oily) steel on rubber is only slightly higher than ice on rubber. For this reason in the rain some steel plate covered Philippine bridges can be absolute deathtraps.
2. I agree with the Darwinian dog theory. Many foreigners have come to grief off their rented motorcycles because of dogs. My only comment here is when attacked by the dog, get up on the pegs and open the throttle.
3. There is another Darwinian element here. Ordinary safety conscious foreigners that would never dream of not wearing a crash helmet at home, wildly take leave of their senses and rip about the Philippine countryside on rented bikes (of sometimes dubious integrity) without one! We have seen a number on non-hat wearing foreigners run afoul of dogs and sustain head injuries. Philippine roads are just as hard as the roads back home.
4. Horns. Some areas locals sound off the horn as a polite warning to pedestrians. Particularly I notice that in Siquijor and a lot of Negros. I think it is a good policy and I do it everywhere. Motorcycle horns usually make a high-pitched “beeep” I replaced the horn on my bike with an automotive horn that has a good loud “parp” Sounds like a car. This has the effect of making dogs and pedestrians STOP and look for a car that they can’t see…. Would have liked to fit a jeepney horn but too big.
5. I agree. If a bus, truck or V-hire is coming up behind, stop and let it through. The drivers are near-homicidal and in the Philippines there is only one road rule: Size matters.
6. Overtaking a truck. In my experience this can be one of the most dangerous things to do. The driver and his two “assistants” are much more likely to be sipping on a refreshing Tanduay than bus or V-hire drivers. A couple of times I have almost been wiped out deliberately when overtaking a slow truck. If you really need to overtake, my advice is to sneak up behind in the blind spot (often they have no or only one external mirror) When the coast is clear, select the gear appropriate for max acceleration and go for it with as wide a berth as possible. Watch the truck’s left front wheel, if you see it move get on the brakes and drop back. Don’t try again.
7. I have had several near-misses with older people just walking out without looking. I think because they don’t hear anything coming (deaf no doubt due to years of over-amplified karaoke) they just think there is no need to look.
8. Early morning/late afternoon when the sun is low and at your back, pedestrians will not easily see you. Ride with the headlight on high beam and sound the horn. I avoid riding at night unless absolutely essential.
9. Lastly, Caribou turds. Rounding a nice bend at a good clip and hitting a freshly laid Caribou turd is likely to put you on the deck. Watch out, where you see Caribous there are likely to be the associated turds.
Cheers
Lindsay
Hey Rick,
Remember Mote( Marty from the Montlake Terrace house) hadn’t seen him since ‘95. He came thru Seattle today and got to talking about shit and we thought we would see if we could contact you. He wanted to see your website please send…
Lindsay,
Great list update! (I especially enjoyed the tip about the caribao poop – never thought about that)
Cheers mate! Your enthusiasm is firing me up to get on the road again!
dp
Aberias and the Mote’,
This is a big surprise and kind of makes my day!
What’s it been – 13 years? Time flies. Mate , you 2 will have to make a trip out here – crash at my place and I will show you around. I get endless requests from beautiful women looking for studs like you guys!
point of interest for readers – Aberias and I used to fish out of Kodiak, Alaska quite some time ago.
dp
ps… didn’t publish the email addresses because robots search the internet for them and then spam you to death…
another one…
Brakes tend to be “grabby” after a night of rain. I will try to shine them up a bit by driving a bit with the brakes applied.
dp
Hi Dp
Yes noticed that grabby brake thing a few times, seems to be associated with brake pad type. Always pays to do a couple of test applications first thing before hitting the road.
I’m in Dumaguete recovering from a dose of LBM. Gotta be right for tonight, Juvee’s folks are doing the big lechon baboy thing and I have a few SMBs lurking in the ref.
Interesting flight into Cebu. The autoland system tried to land the plane 500ft in the air…. pilot took over and did a go-around with manual landing. Amazing thing technology….
Cheers
Lindsay
Lindsay,
Wow!
At least the system tried to land the plane 500 feet above ground level rather than calculating a landing 500 feet below ground level!
Good luck tonight.
ps We have been getting a lot of rain in Leyte lately…
dp
Hey dp,
…gotta tell u about this one. I was living in Tabango north of Villiba some years ago. Its a very small village on the coast with a very small community. I ended up there when i split form my gf. I was virtually pennyless and this place was the best option. Anyways i had to go in to Ormoc when ever i could to withdraw my pension as there was no atm within an hours drive.Anyways i borrowed my friends bike the day before so i could make an early start. It was Holy friday the day of my trip so there would be little traffic as the Philippino dont like to travel that day as its supposed to be bad luck..I left around 7 am on the Friday and was making great headway until i hit a dog laying in the road. I was going at a fair rate and the dog didn’t move fast enough. I hit it chocker in the ribs and it yelped and ran off somehere. I parted with the bike after riding it horizontally for a while and then proceeded to slide across the road. I had no helmet as that was in my backpack ( eheheheh) and no jacket. The straps on my sandles wore through and so did my shoulder, elbow, forarm and knuckels also made a mess of my right knee. I cut my head a little but nothing that was anything. Well i picked myself up and stood there wondering where that dog had buggered off to as i wanted to give it a kicking but knew if i had tried i would have fell over in the process. A crowd gathered and asked me what had happened as people here are very very helpfull in situations like this. I cannot say enough about Philippinos and there concern. I told them a dog had been in the road and at this one of the guys kicked the nearest dog and shouted at it. I told him that it was not that dog but he still kicked it anyways. We picked up the bike and i got it started. I thanked all 30 of those wonderfull people and rode off into the sunrise with my left leg sticking out at right angles as it was the most comfortable position. I was dripping blood all the way to Ormoc which was still another 40 minutes to go. Arriving at Ormoc i went to my friends house ( Dr Syed or Sid as we call him ) and explained what had happened. The District hospital is on the opposite side of the road to Sids house but he drove me there. Bless him. They wiped the old brown antiseptic over all the places that had no skin on and my good friend Bebe organised a lift back to Tabango and for someone to take the bike back also. I was laid up for around 2 weeks with a badly swollen knees and knuckles . THEY SAY ITS BAD LUCK TO TRAVEL ON HOLY FRIDAY, hahahah rubbish.u gotta love the Philippines ahahah
Cy
your neighbor Dave
Dave,
Those dogs are everywhere! So far, knock on wood, I have lucked out but there have been a lot of near misses.
Good to see that you healed up ok!
I really like those new graphics that you did – thank you.
cheers
dp
I have traveled fairly extensively thru-out the Philippine Islands by motorcycle. More than 18,000 KM. i am coming for a month starting about Dec 1. I would really like to explore the eastern side of Samar. I have been on Western side before. Where are you located?
Let me know, maybe I would like to stop by and say Hi.
Regards,
David Popelka
Hello david p,
I have relocated to Ormoc, Leyte.
Feel free to ad any info that readers could use. Samar has a lot of pristine country to explore.
my cell no 09205553686 smart
I am not addicted to texting and often leave my cp at home, especially if it’s raining – but if you leave a message I will get back to you.
happy trails!
dp
wayne sargent
oct 28 2009
hi dp
what a small world,came accross your website and have been reading and enjoying the pics and stories
[they are great]when i came accross section on alaska.
i live in kodiak and have for 50 plus years,so i was real suprised to read you had fished there as that is
what i still do, what a suprise.
i have enjoyed your stories about samar as my
wife is from there,i have been down there about 8 times
last being nov 09 rented a car from subic and drove
down.we had a great time spent most of it based in cabayog,be back nov 10 would be great to drive to ormac
at see you.
would be great to hear from you to see if we know the same people.thanks for great site.
take care wayne
Hello Wayne,
Thanks for your comment. That is pretty cool that you are from Kodiak! I am in Palawan right now getting ready to head up to Port Barton.
I used to live in Catbalogan Samar but have since relocated to Ormoc, Leyte
Abelen, a few posts up, was more of a hard core fisherman than I was. I don’t remember specifics but think we got there in the early 80’s when the king crab was in decline and the draggers were doing joint ventures with the Russians.
He landed up fishing the donut hole and I hung around close to town doing halibit, salmon, and dungies. We also did some clam digging near Karluk.
I had a good time but never made very much money or became a tv star! Eventually I came down on a tender from Valdez and stayed in Seattle for a few years.
The rest is just a haze and I landed up in the Philippines and am contented to be here.
It would be great to hook up for a beer and talk but it will probably have to wait for your next trip. I hope to head up to El Nido as soon as this typhoon passes!
take care
dp
David,
I drive a daelim roadwin in Korea. It just doesn’t quite have the power I need. I am going to the PI. Will be there a while. What honda brand would you recommend that can do it well there both on and off road?
By the way, I have been to the PI a few times and I noticed that a big danger is the pedestrians on the shoulder. If someone passes coming your way, ditching in and around the walkers could make for an ugly scenario.
Tommy
Hello David,
For sure – use extra caution when driving a motorcycle – especially in the Philippines.
A popular on-of road bike in the Philippines is the 200XR.
There isn’t that much choice really.
In town the 125cc is a favorite, tricycles and hable-hable drivers use a TMX, the 200 XR is a good all around bike.
Big bikes are quite rare.
dp
What ferries can I bring my cycle with, and what are names of the ports and were are they located. Thanks a lot.
Hi David,
I like your blog post. I’m from the motorcycle capital of the Philippines(Dumaguete City). I like driving a motorcycle going to office or any place in here dumaguete than a four wheeled vehicle.
Your observations here in Dumaguete are all correct. There are also Drug races at night somewhere in Bacong. It is very dangerous since most of the racing bikes have no lights.
I have been in Canlaon City twice. I had a great adventure in that place. I also love their food since it’s all fresh.
Julxz