Ace Dragoni

As of this posting, premium gasoline costs Php62.00 or about US$1.37 per liter. There's a rumor that it shall reach Php70.00 per liter. There's even a rumor that public jeepney fare would reach Php10.00 for the first 5 kilometers.

For the sake of practicality, some people are turning to riding motorcycles especially when going to work or even when going to school. The advantages in riding a motorcycle on your way to work or school are:

• You can go to anywhere, anytime.
• You can zip in and out of traffic.
• You can park when there's a tiny bit of space available.
• As a light vehicle, you spend an average 45 kilometers per liter or about a day to two days worth of travelling back and forth to home-office-school.

...

The disadvantages are:

• Your number one foe is rain.
• You have at least two children to take to/fetch from the school.

Selecting a which motorcycle suited for you is sometimes difficult. You're lucky if you have rider friends who can attest what motorbikes to choose and very good friends tend to advise you a brand and type of motorcycle best suited for your personality.

But if you're a first time motorcycle owner and you want to have an idea on what to choose, then allow me to give you a rider's point of view.

First, there are at least 4 categories of motorcycle for daily transport.

1. The Scooter.

A usually small dual- or three-wheel vehicle of a motorcycle category with small wheels and a low-powered gasoline engine geared to the rear wheel.

It has a step-through frame in which the rider sits with feet flat on the "floor", without straddling any part of the engine. The engine is usually found under the seat near the rear wheel or axle.

The displacements usually ranges from 50cc to 150cc.

Some scooter-look-alike motorcycles have displacements of 175cc to even 600cc. They are still considered as scooters, especially by the American and European big guys.

2. The Underbone.

Underbones (or mopeds as called by the Western countries) are generally defined as a halfway between true scooters and standard motorcycles. Underbones are usually built around a singular tube frame, thus the "underbone", that supports the whole vehicle.

The engine is found between the front wheel and the seat, thus the rider tends to straddle on the engine. The displacements usually ranges from 100cc to 150cc.

The gas tank is usually found under the rider or back-rider's seat, but some are found between the handle bar and the rider, as in the case of Kawasaki Fury.

Some people argue that Kawasaki Fury 125 are considered as a sport bike. But due to the fact that it is built around a single tubular frame, it is an underbone. Also some says Suzuki Raider 125cc is not underbone because the build is similar to that of a sport bike, but nevertheless, the look itself can still be considered as underbone bike.

3. The Off-Road bike.

Also more often used on paved roads, the Off-Road bikes or sometimes called Dirt-bikes are typically for off-road sports: dusty, non-paved, rugged terrain. They are usually have long suspension travel and high ground clearances, simple, rugged construction with little bodywork and no fairing, large wheels with knobby tires, often clamped to the rim with rim-locks.

Engine displacements ranged from 125cc to as much as 600cc.

Although Honda XRM are tagged as "dual-sports", as in on-road and off-road use, Honda XRM are not for off-road sports where there are steep hills and jump-hills. The underbone structure will break or collapse during high jumps.

Dual-sports motorcycles are only for rough, graveled, rugged terrain roads, but not for hill jumps. Remember that.

4. The Standard Motorcycles.

Standard motorcycles comes in many types: The Standard type, the Cruisers, and the Sport Bikes. Cruisers and Sport Bikes are often called "big bikes" due to their bulky design.



The Standard types are usually for commercial use, in which a sidecar is attached to carry passengers and/or cargo.

The displacements are usually 150CC to 250CC.

These type of motorcycles are heavy duty and can used for business as well as for personal riding. It has more power and torque and likely to breakdown in years to come when only used for personal riding.

The Cruisers are those what is commonly called "Street Bikes" and "Easy Riders". Those are the travelling sofa, since the rider comfortably sits, slightly leaning back, knees usually leveled on the hips and arms resting forward.

Hardcore Cruiser riders also called Easy Riders, usually ride these bikes with matching half helmets or bandana, leather jackets or cut-sleeve maong (blue jeans) jackets, heavy shoes and big buckled belts.

Engine displacements comes as low as 125cc to 250cc; called the mini-cruisers, to 1,600cc.

Mind you, although these bikes are big, the riders can easily balance the big bike on a full stop since the designs are usually lowered.

The Sports Bikes, also called "Racing Bikes" are also huge bikes and are the fastest bikes in the highways.

They range from 125cc mini-sports bikes, to 1,600cc racing bikes.

These bikes are usually favorites of speed devils, but are also owned by moderate speed riders. Riding these bikes are a head turner, with their revving engines and bulk sizes.