With 16 years experience riding a 175 in the Philippines, I tell people it is safe just expect the unexpected at literally every second. Best advice is do not make a left turn in the middle of the lane, pull to the side and when both sides have no traffic make the turn.

I have driven Motorcycles in Taiwan and the US, but driving anything here in the Philippines is crazy. So when we moved here, I bought a pickup truck. After some close calls, I gave up driving here. My wife drives me where ever I need to go. I am 80 now and should just let locals drive.

Excellent video Phil, your demeanor is 101% better than that first video you ever did entertaining well done my man keep up the good work...

I agree jeepney drivers are the most carefree drivers ive shared the road with. I swear i rarely see them use their indicators.

My first time driving in US was in Washington state, it was a rather nice experience, open roads, lots of highways/freeways, and even in Seattle, during the busiest hours or weekends when there's a lot of tourists the roads still wasn't packed tightly. Yes there was traffic at times, but I wouldn't need to worry about something suddenly coming in from out of nowhere most of the times and it was rather easy to change lanes even during traffic, my only complaint was probably really paying attention to the stop lights and slowing down when coming near them and only speeding up when you're already in the intersection if it was still green when you entered because I was so used to stop lights having a counter on them. Overall though, it was really a refreshing experience, and actually quite relaxing at times. Now that was me driving a car, makes me really want to drive a motorbike when I come back to the US as well. In the PH though, it definitely is a different experience. There's a lot of things happening at once whenever you drive in a city, even during traffic you'll see bikes entering left/right and even in front of you. You really got to be alert at all times and be constantly checking your mirrors and sides within your peripheral vision all while paying attention on what's in front of you. You know when they say you got to be looking and planning ahead when you drive, you got to do that more times because you really need to anticipate what will happen on a distance especially on busier areas and traffic. This is true for anything on the road, not just cars and motorcycles. Personally having driven both cars and motorcycles and as well in other countries as well like US and Australia, I actually think driving in roads like PH, India, Vietnam, or other SEA/busy countries, you actually build better experience on awareness/alertness on the road as well as learning how to maneauver better on tight areas. If you combine that with standard safety driving practices, and not get too caught up with the usual road rage, you are probably capable of riding/driving almost anywhere without any accidents/issues. Also it's fine to use an automatic, AT gets a lot of flack by purists but honestly it's a godsend in incredibly busy cities like the ones in PH. It's can sometimes be incredibly tiring clutching either on bike/cars when you do it literally so many times in a span of a few mins. My dad has always been a manual driver all his life, and has even driven trucks, but even he has gotten tired of driving stick overtime as he entered his 50s he even converted our motorcycle into a semi-automatic. It's nice to use a manual on open roads and less traffic, but in very busy cities, that's probably just asking for an early arthritis. Maybe in 1st world countries where traffic isn't as heavy as traffic in SEA, but in SEA traffic can definitely last for hours.

'When in Rome ....." Scooter are so practical for most transportation needs. The actual driving laws are very close to the US. I like the left or right turns started from three lanes over. Nothing like the smell of diesel jeepney accelerating in front of me.

9:31 Thanks big guy! You’re really good at making videos. Very concise and to the point info. I bought a Kawasaki Rouser 125 about a month ago. If I had it to do over I’d buy one more like yours. More storage, no changing gears (lane splitting) is easier. You can focus more on your path and what’s behind you rather that what gear you are in. Your tips are great, I’m learning the same things you are pointing out. I’m happy to ride in the Philippines. Your point about slowing down, exactly! It’s more fun and much more relaxing. Safer by far! Former BMW LT1200 and my BMW GS650. Sold them both back home last time. Cheers!

😎👍🇺🇸 I'm here in the PNW Seattle Washington area. I'm an enthusiast. I commute most days on a DRZ sm. I hope that nimble narrow city ripper will prepare me for my time in the Philippines. I have a complete line up of mostly old school Super Bikes. The closest to a cruiser is a kaw ZRX1200. I plan to rent a motorcycle, not a scooter. I'll need 400+cc for express way riding. I'll have about 600 miles to travel in my time there and 2up plus gear most of the time. I know a clutch sucks in traffic but I'll have to suffer. I wish it was easier to import a bike. I have a few very unusual examples that would be fun to show off there. Cheers from 🇺🇸.

I like it when they drive at night with no lights on.

Good topic. I’ve been riding since 1970 when my dad bought me a Honda Trail CT70 when he came home from a tour in Vietnam. I was 10 years old. Now nearing 63, I currently ride a Harley-Davidson Electra Glide and a Honda GoldWing GL-1800. My KZfaq channel is nothing but motorcycle content. I couldn’t imagine riding either one of my bikes in the Philippines.

To quote my Filipino nephew from a few years ago, after explaining to him the purpose of lane markers, “ oh is that what they are for, I thought they were for decoration!”

We got our scooters back in May and I'm used to driving here on Samal Island Garden City Davao but wouldn't think of driving in Davao much to busy, and traffic is to congested for me. I was able to sell our 2015 Suzuki Swift before Christmas thankfully, we really didn't use it enough to justify keeping it. The scooters work fine for going down town to the market, and to some of the beach resorts here so much easier to fine parking with them. We have an expat friend who has one of the newer tricycle for sale I told him when he's ready to go back to the states in March to let me know and I'd buy it from him. I like them better then the car easier to maneuver and park down town and carry's all the boxes of groceries we have to take home once a week. We do need something to get around in when it rains too. Good video Rich, your a better man then I am driving in the big city's is to stressful for me.

Useful video, thank you. My tip, be prepared to use your horn constantly, when overtaking, passing stationary vehicles, approaching junctions, approaching pedestrians, when you see dogs, basically all the time! Don’t drive quickly on a road you don’t know, the surfaces can change rapidly, potholes, or big gaps in the road surface are very common. And lastly, try to avoid if you can driving at night, many vehicles don’t switch their lights on!

Hi Rich, Thanks for the great advice. Take care, stay safe and healthy, plus always try to have fun.

Great job on this. The first person drive is an eye opener for sure. Your tips and advice is well received. Look forward to more for sure.

Great topic. Thanks for making a video on something I've been wondering about for a long time. I hope there are more on this topic in the future.

Rich you mention freeway. Most think of freeway as the large toll roads which requires 400cc and up.

I to with over 5 decades of bike riding, it’s crazy here. How there aren’t more accidents is unbelievable. From what i have seen Filipinos just look forward, not worrying about what’s left, right or behind them. Total defense driving here, keep your head on a swivel. Driving on the wrong side, going the wrong way on a 1 way are just a few things you see everyday here. When I say driving on the wrong side I don’t mean driving on the opposite side, on coming traffic lane, (that happens all the time) I mean bikes coming at you on your right side(ditch) They don’t want to cross traffic so the ride the wrong side. It’s a lot of fun excitement driving here, but stay alert. It can be like a game of dodgeball at times. More fun in the PI😀

Madness driving there 😅. Thanks for sharing

Love this episode!😊

I gave my son my 2001 Roadking and kept a 2006 Springer Classic. I'm in Cavite now and I'm looking for a scooter. I'm seriously considering the Honda ADV 160. I rode my wife's neice's boyfriend's ADV last weekend. My 6'3" butt fit fine. Most of the others are too small. I notice they filter through narrow streets, no stop signs or lights. In America it's rude to not use a signal, here, it's just not practical. Nobody gets mad about driving here, but it's road rage everywhere in the US. I know, I drove OTR for 10+ years.

My agile (185 kgs wet) MT09 SP and I would certainly manage well with exploring the provinces and the odd larger city 😎🏁 If you can make it in Paris, you can make it anywhere…

No thanks, my Anxiety is allready too high

I understand now. Guest speaker. Thank you for sharing guys!

Great episode, great advice. Check helmet has Snell Dot Minimum standards. Most accidents come from 11 o'clock. I find the 400 and 650 Burgmans,🛵 Scooters are ideal Very fast safe comfortable great protection great storage. Comfortable seat, And riding position. Slow steady Hypervigilant And slow Same lane Steady and straight, Ready to brake Ride safe, thanks.🛵 👍🙏🇺🇲🏝️🇵🇭

Thanks for sharing this information advice and your personal experience Rich.👍

To me riding a motor cycle in the city's here is a nightmare

Very well done

It's fightening!

Dated info, I was 19 when I got to the Philippines and got a Yamaha RT-360 how I lived thru it I have no idea (not a novice at the time but not real experienced) 1973...

I have been riding so called "Big Bikes" here in the Philippines for a decade and I was interested in seeing your video. I was a little disappointed in seeing that you did not have gloves on. I believe gloves are one of the most important safety items because even a slow speed crash can give you severe "Gravel Rash". I would suggest avoiding the 1k-3k helmets that are common here. They would fail any real testing standards. DOT is the minimum requirement. Most drivers in the Philippines are not bad at all, particularly compared to Mainland China (where I drove for 5 years) however there is 5% who will ignore you if you ride a motorcycle and even worse will deliberately put you in a situation of danger. The worst example of this is an oncoming vehicle overtaking and forcing you to take evasive action. Road surface is another issue, one moment you are riding along a nice bit of tarmac and the next it has change to concrete with gravel or the local government workers have covered a hole with a large piece of metal that becomes an Ice rink in the wet. Paying attention to the changes of road surface is vital as even different types of tarmac can have different wet weather adhesion. Riding in groups is also a contributory factor in accidents. In the Philippines they do not put the slowest rider in the lead but the fastest. This can lead to those further back having to ride beyond their skill level to keep up. This will invariably lead to accidents. Riders need to ride at their level. That level will increase with time and practice but riding beyond it will lead to a trip in a Philippine ambulance which, believe me, is not a pleasant experience. There are many other lessons I have learned riding here. Perhaps I will do a video on them.

When I borrowed my brother in law's bike and give him a ride apparently I scared the crap out of him because my tendencies are to get quickly to my destination and stay away from cars.

If you foolishly come to the Philippines without a license like I did, you can legally buy and ride a category L1B electric vehicle without a license or registration - but requires a helmet. L1B is an e-scooter with a top speed of 50kmh which is fine for getting around locally. Some people will modify the motherboard to unlock the max speed and you can upgrade to a battery with a 150km range. It suits me fine until I finally sort out a license.

It is easy to figure out who has the right away in the Philippines. Just ask yourself if I run into that guy will I die. If the answer is yes he has the right away.

Nice video, but given the name of the title, I would have hoped you might be riding and commenting on the situation riding a motorcycle like that Yamaha 1700 rather than a little scooter

a bike if fine out in the province provided you don't ride at night (think all the other riders are drunk after 9pm and animals may be sleeping in the roadway) however in the city you are really asking for trouble. every year many foreigners end up seriously hurt or even dead from bike accidents.

I have ridden in our small city a few years back before the helmet laws and will be going back this year. Are helmets acquired in the US okay to bring with me or is the required stamp different for the PI? Are they affordable in the PI in your opinion?

Wondering what your thoughts are on a helmet bought in the Philippines. I'd feel better bringing one from the states.

Very good video. Very informative. I was hoping I would see more comments from other riders on here as to which brand of bike or scooter, they bought and why. I recently retired here and would like to get something to get around on but not sure what to get. I've rode bikes for several years but never anything automatic. Also I'm 6'5" so I need something with enough seat and leg room and still be able to carry a passenger. Any ideas what I should look for?

I live in Northern California, and a commercial driver who's been to the Philippines. In my opinion the vast majority of drivers in the Bay Area would screw up BAD attempting to ride in the Philippines, even if they observed the style of driving for awhile as a passenger! I hate to say it, but people especially in the bay area are so hell bent on the right of way and selfish overall behind the wheel or bars! Getting cut off is the norm in the Philippines, and I admit I had some close calls, but nothing big. Anyone who insists on trying it, leave your temper back home.

I could do all that on a KTM 890 or at least a Honda CB500X. No problem.😁

If you think motorcycle riding is challenging in the Phillipines check out rural Mexico where multiple riders including children, without helmets, on one motorcycle, while speeding is the norm!

Thanks a lot rich I needed that, I was hope ing to be able to ride almost anything above 500cc, you know something for those long highway runs, any ideals besides an automatic, I have a 900 Vulcan now, I like to know what you suggest. Thanks

That traffic is nothing ! Come to Cebu, specifically Mandaue city. It is everything you have there in Trece Martires times 10. Driving in Cebu is like a race where the only rule is don't hit anything. I bought a minivan instead, though I drove a scooter in the USA.

hahaha i thought the thumbnail says something like a rich person in the philippines

Nice. A foreigner.

I'm thinking about shipping a bike to the PI Anyone have any real world experience? Numbers?? From USA to Cebu or Manila I've ridden in the PI, what a trip!!! Thanks Cool video

I have been a motorcycle rider for 50 years and enjoy it once in a while but would not want to ride one every day and especially in the rain. Also I want to be able to carry others and things like luggage. My plan is to come there and buy a used van. I am a mechanical person, have a big shop in the USA that I repair vehicles, so I am not worried about buying junk that I can't fix. I'm thinking an older but low use van for around $3000 or less. Use it for 6 months out of the year when I am in ph and either leave it with a friend or allow an expat community likes yours to keep it and use it a little when needed the other 6 months. not good to let them sit for long periods of time. It's easier to keep them running them get them running. What's your opinion on this plan? Thanks.

Haha.. yes controlled chaos.

What are you doing to prepare for this crazy typhoon coming?!?

Dont learn to ride in the ph🤣🤣 jk..but i did..can b sketchy...honda xrm..

Unless you're a motorcycle enthusiast, a bike can be a type of adventure in Ph. Personally, riding a bike 🏍 in Ph is like a death wish. Be careful out there on the road, it might not be you but the other guy whose carefree way of riding put other bikers in danger.

hope you know yu need 400 cc to ride the freeway

I drove motorcycles in my youth in US, but no longer. Traffic is too congested in the Philippines and I've seen some bad accidents. Take care.

What happened to Steve? 🤭😔

Ain’t no way…… It’s bad anuff riding in the US , let alone a 3rd World country. The liability alone should set off red flags!