Motorcycles

Yes, I  ride a motorcycle. Unfortunately, it's not a Harley or Ducati. It's a 125cc off brand. Yes, I know it's very small by U.S. standards.  It's more like a toy. In the States I used to ride a 750cc, so I went way down in size and power.  Why? Because that is what everyone here rides. That is about all they sell. There are many reasons; buying gas, income, and space, are a few. This country is full of small motorcycles, aas are many countries now. We have three right now, but one is on the sidecar (see pics). They have all the brand names and the rip-offs here.  You can get a Honda, Yamaha, Suzuki, or Kawasaki anywhere. What you can't get is the big bikes, unless you pay a huge price to have it imported.  And it is NOT cheap to do that. They charge the hell out of you because they try their best to keep the big bikes down to a minimum. It's all about space and gas really since both are limited in this country. I use the trike (motorcycle/sidecar) daily to take my son to school, pick up groceries, and whatever else. It is also pretty good for hauling things around. The main purpose of a trike, tho, is hauling people. Trikes for hire are all over the place, and are a big part of the nations transportation. The usual fare can be 20 pesos (less than 50 cents), one way. Of course, the farther they have to go, the more the price. And the cost is for EACH person, not as a group. Most of the school students get there on a trike that they hire out for the whole month at a set price. The driver will take them to school (sometimes as many as 5 to 8 students), and be there to pick them up after school. The kids sit all over the trike, including standing on the back bumper, riding on top, or wherever else they can fit.  It's most definitely not safe. But it's done every day all over the P.I. Mostly because they have no real choice if they want to get somewhere. The police enforce no real laws about it. They do things that would never, ever be allowed in the States. There are motorcycles everywhere that have no licence plate, or it's way expired, or even the driver has no license. Many of the older motorcycles smoke up a storm (mesquito killers), and that's about the onnly time the police will say something to them, becaue it's TOO obvious.  Some of the fancier bikes are tricked out, ie. custom handlebars, seats, rims, etc. They put a lot of money into their small bikes. It's usually their only transportation. Daily, in front of my store, I see three, four, and sometimes even five people on a 125cc. This includes small children and babies.  The baby part is the one thing that really makes me nervous.  I have seen the driver holding the baby while driving with one hand. Would I put my own baby at risk like that? Hell no! Would you? But they do not look at it in the same way we do. For them, it's just another part of their life that they grew up with, so, therefore, it's just normal. That's why I take my son to school every day myself. I don't have to; it's easy for me to hire someone. Of course there are cars and trucks everywhere, but they don't come close to the number of bikes there are.
If you are driving in traffic and come to a red light, don't ever open your car door.  Why? Because when cars are stopped, motorcycles have the right to go between them, and head to the front of the line. Yep, it's true! They swerve in and out of traffic to get to the front.  What is the reason? It's for traffic flow. If the smaller, faster bikes get to the front, they can go quickly when the light changes, which makes the traffic smoother (if you believe all this). Also, their turn signals and brake light should be the standard colors we are used to, but many are not. A whole lot of them put white bulbs on their brake lights.  Very dangerous.  They think it will slow down the car coming behind them, if they think the bike is approaching them instead of going away from them. As I said, none of this would fly in the U.S., but we're NOT IN the U.S.
I always have, and still do, get a kick out of being able to ride a motorcycle every day I want to. It's much more free and easy than driving a car. If you visit here, your stateside license will allow you to drive a car or motorcycle for 30 days. That's right!  Even if you have NEVER ridden a motorcycle, you can get on one right away and take off. Because here a license means you are able to drive either one legally. There is no separate license or test. The rules of the road here are copied from the U.S. Same lanes, same signs (in general), and same laws.  The problem is that most of the laws are ignored by habit.  Mainly because no one enforces them. Remember what I said about living in the "here and now". You better be if you're gonna drive here!