Parts of a Motorcycle Helmet

The helmet is the most important riding gear to be used by a rider; you can see an intelligent and responsible rider wearing one. It is a piece of equipment that a rider can use in order to protect his head in an event of a crash.

How does a Helmet protect the rider?

Helmets offer two types of protection, the shell and liner acts by spreading the forces of impact throughout the helmet material opposed to the energy being directed to your head. That's why, in most cases, if a helmet has been dropped or damaged in an accident, it may be lesser protective value after that incident.

A helmet has four basic components:

1)     The Outer Shell

The outer shell protects against puncture and abrasion - without it your skin and bone of your head would be scrapping across the road. Outer Shell is the hardest part of the helmet, some outer shell where made of Polycarbonate, Fiber glass, Carbon fiber or Kevlar. This keeps the head protected from scratches or pointed objects penetrating to your head.

2)      The Impact Absorbing liner

The inner liner absorbs shock energy by slowly collapsing under impact - if not for this absorption all of the energy from a crash would be transferred to your head instead. It is made of expanded polystyrene or EPS; it is design to collapse as it absorbs the impact which is meant for your head. Once it is deformed, do not use your helmet again. You have to replace your helmet every 5 years, the life span from the date you purchase the helmet.

3)      The comfort padding

The comfort padding is the one on top of your head and keeps you comfortable; it also has check pads to prevent your helmet from moving from side to side. You can choose the size of your helmet thru the comfort padding, make sure it is snugly fits your head.

4)      The retention System/Chin Strap

The retention system or chin strap is the only part that keeps your helmet on your head, make sure before riding to strap and lock it in your chin to prevent it from leaving your head in case of an accident.  

Watch out for my next blog, how to properly choose a helmet, what are the standards you need to know in purchasing one. Ride safe riders!

*Thank you Sir Ryan Chow, Rockler and Jeff of Motoworld and Motomarket

7 Things to Check to Improve Riding Posture; Right form, Better control

There is a saying that old dogs can’t learn new tricks, this might apply to old riders and their riding style. I am open for changes and so must all of you that read our blog In order to operate the motorcycle, you must put in mind that the proper riding posture will help you to be comfortable and above all, in control.

Let us discuss this one by one:

1.) Eyes – Have you seen a horse with kalesa? The horse has its eyes covered on the side; the reason for this is the horse should not be distracted with the vehicles or people passing on his side so the horse will focus on the straight direction while being guided by the driver. Using the metal horse and as you as the rider, you should be able to see ahead widely and uniformly in all directions in order to obtain correct information quickly, like stop light, traffic signs and pedestrian crossing, do not focus on one object or a pedestrian with short shorts. Stop before you appreciate.

2.)Shoulders – keeping them relax will help you to control your motorcycle; it should be in a natural position which does not exert effort.     

3.) Elbows – it should be free and relax and arms slightly bend no need to raise your elbows like a Moto crosser, you don’t need it since you are just riding on the road.

4.) Hands – your wrist should be lightly gripping and slightly pulled downward, do not over grip the throttle.

5.) Waist / Hips – you must sit on the center of the bike so that your handling and maneuverability will not be hampered, this will not help your arms and shoulder to relax if you’re too close or far away from the handle bar.

6.) Knees – Both of your knees should be lightly touching the fuel tank, and when necessary it should be clipped firmly. This helps you stabilize your motorcycle while cornering and especially during braking. If you don’t have a fuel tank, make sure your knees are not widely spread outside your handle bar area.  

7.)  Feet – ride your motorcycle with the foot on the step and not touching the ground with the tip of their shoes as other riders are doing, make sure your feet should be pointing forward for easy access on the brakes and gear shifter.

For more information, keep on visiting this blog site. Read before you ride!

The 3 types of leaning a motorcycle. "Can you steer your motorcycle without leaning it?"

Why do you need to lean your bikes? Because a motorcycle turns by leaning, it is important that you know how to do it. Newbie riders are having a hard time leaning their motorcycle, I observe some riders lowering their motorcycles, they want to have an expression that the lower the bike, the more “Astig porma” it gets. They do not realized that the lower the motorcycle, the harder for them to turn during tight corners. The foot pegs limits the leaning angle of the motorcycle which limits you to turn.

Let me give you an example, Try to walk with your motorcycle while it was straight up then make a circle. You might get a 20’ to complete the circle. Then lean your motorcycle as far as it can go, you might get 15’ on that same motorcycle. That’s a big difference during a corner, the further you lean your bike, the tighter the turn it will make.

Now here are the three types of leaning;

“The Three types of Leaning”

Lean with – This is the common cornering posture which is widely used by most of the riders;

 the body of the rider is leaned at the same angle of the motorcycle which the rider is completely in control of the rear brakes, gear shifter, front brake lever and throttle.

Lean out – Commonly used in slow and tight turns, This posture holds the upper part of the body upright as if pushing the motorcycle down inside. Motocross rider commonly used this type of leaning techniques during competitions.

Lean in – This is used for high speed and slippery turns; this posture is to bend your upper part of the body further inside at a larger leaning angle than the motorcycle. The upright position of the motorcycle gives a large contact patch on the road that helps the motorcycle not to slide. This leaning technique is used by riders joining circuit racing.

Now for some tips, practice this in an open parking lot.

Place 5 traffic cones (plastic water bottles if you don’t have one) in a straight line, space at 8 meters apart. Run on the speed up to about 15 kph and began maneuvering in to the cones pushing back and forth on the handle bars. When doing these exercise, you should not use the front brake, you simply counter steer the motorcycle and do not use the rear brake if possible. Keep your eyes and head up and focus on the very last cone, allow your bike to go side to side, your goal is to let your pegs or floor board touches the ground. As you get comfortable, try to increase your speed.

In conducting low speed leaning, place the cones or bottles in 5 meters apart. When doing the low speed cornering, use your rear brake to modulate your speed. Again, let your motorcycle lean from side to side, this will make you familiar with leaning the motorcycle at slow speed.

The Circle Exercise, this is where you can practice the 3 types of leaning; the challenge is to touch the ground with your pegs or floor board.  Place a marker in the middle of the parking lot and start by making a big circle, try it on a left hander with a speed at about 20 kph  apply the lean in posture, after completing the first cycle, shift to lean with posture, while tightening up the circle you must shift to the lean out posture. Don’t forget to practice this in both directions so it won’t make you dizzy.

We'll post more cornering techniques and tips, so keep on visiting the rider to blogger. If you have any questions, don’t hesitate to ask us. Good luck guys, and don’t forget to comment on Rider to Blogger!

Braking Techniques "To go fast, you need to go slow"

It sounds confusing isn’t it? The proper way of using your brakes can make you faster and if you master it, you can be a safer rider or a racer perhaps. Proper braking is a very important part of my safety riding module, since we all know the saying that “the speed that thrills is the speed that kills”. Truly, there is a fact that if you do not know how to stop or slow down your motorcycle, it can create serious problems in your life and to the people around you.

Moto GP riders have mastered the braking techniques, they will speed up in the stretch but once they approach the corners, they shave their excess speed in order to achieve the perfect corner speed.

Let me give you a background on the truth about stopping power.

Front brake – Almost 70% of stopping power of all land vehicles is on the front brakes To operate the motorcycle’s front brake, you must squeeze the lever located at the right side of the handle bar.; you should be very careful on how you apply the front lever for the front brakes. Done wrong, it can cost you  a scratch on your brand new helmet, jacket, gloves, riding pants and riding shoes. (That is, if you’re wearing one). You need to squeeze the front lever, never grab it.

Rear Brake – The rear brake has 30% stopping power. Many riders here in the Philippines still believe that using the rear brakes can make you stop effectively. This is originally the mindset of a bicycle rider when he uses the rear brake in order to stop. I don’t see a problem about that, but when it comes to stopping a motorcycle which is heavier than a bicycle, that’s a different story.

Engine brake - Engine brake is a method of assisting your front and rear brakes in slowing down effectively; this will help not to overwork your brakes. It will make you slow down but it will never cause your motorcycle to stop. Engine brake is effective if you use this first before stepping on your rear brake pedal, especially if you want to slow down on a slippery road like gravel or sand. How does it work? From fourth gear, you shift your gear to third and so on. Do not shift from the highest to the lowest gear abruptly for this will damage your engine.  

To actually explain how braking works, try to ask your friend to hold on your shoulder facing you, and then try to walk forward while he tries to hold you. Can you move freely while he tries to limit you in moving forward? That is how the front brakes work.

Then ask him to position himself at your back, hold you in both shoulders and try to limit you in moving the same direction. Is there a difference? There is! You will just drag him on the direction where you want to go. That is how the rear brake works, using your rear brake alone will not give you a full stop experience and it will only make you slow down. But still, you’re not going to stop effectively. So how do you use your brakes? Use them simultaneously; this can give you a 100% stopping power.

Improving your braking skills will also improve your riding. Try to practice braking in an open parking lot. Once you’re already familiar with your braking, try to do an exercise which I called target braking. Start by speeding up your motorcycle on a 30kph and try to apply the brakes on your target marker. Once you hit your target, up the pace to 40kph and so on. This will give you an idea on how precise on how you can make your motorcycle stop.

Mastering on how you apply your brakes can make you a better rider. If you have any questions regarding braking, please don’t hesitate to ask us through Rider to Blogger!

Aaron Colton Street Tour: Philippines

The multiple-time U.S. Freestyle Champion Aaron Colton will be taking over the streets of Metro Manila with his daring motorcycle stunts!

Manila, Philippines, May 7, 2014 – There is a new reason for motorcycle enthusiast to celebrate as motorcycle stunt prodigy Aaron Colton will be visiting the Philippines from May 13 – 16 for several nighttime runs at several spots in the Metro, The event is to give the Philippines its first taste of Sportbike Freestyle.

When asked what excites him most in doing his stunts in the Philippines during interview, the 22-year old said, “The Philippines will be a great country to share my riding! I would really like to get in touch with the motorcycle community over there and expand my sport. That is exciting not just for me but my sport as a whole!”

Coming from Shakopee, Minnesota, USA, Colton started young with a 50cc motorcycle when he was two years old. His fame and success began when he became the youngest XDL National Stunt Riding Champion at the age of 15. Since then, his career continued to boom, having joined over five competitions and 30 events in the US yearly.

Colton has joined different prestigious competitions such as XDL National Stunt Riding Championship,, AMA Pro Road racing, AMA Flat Track, Street Freestyle, and Moto GP throughout his professional career.

When asked about joining any competitions in the near future, Colton said: “Currently I am not. My last competitions went really, really well! My competition series is undergoing a restructure. I am taking this opportunity to travel and ride everywhere and anywhere I can!” Colton toured several countries such as Bolivia, Panama, Colombia, Dominican Republic, and Costa Rica for the last two years.

Colton expressed that he hopes to improve the state of motorsports in the Philippines through excitement. “I do not only encourage freestyle riding, I love all types of motorcycle riding! Buzz and excitement of my riding will hopefully encourage all others!” he added.

Colton will entertain the crowd with his 2 KTM 690 Duke, the first in the USA and the latest generation of its type. His street bike freestyle consists of mainly wheelies, Endos, Burn outs, Drifting, and Acrobatics. “It’s the open expression of being able to do anything that you had ever dreamed of controlling the bike,” he said.

Colton will be performing a four-day tour around Metro Manila to display his stunning stunts on the following dates and locations:

·        May 13^th at Eastwood, Quezon City

·         May 14^th at Capitol Commo9ns, Pasig City

·         May 15^th at A Venue, Makati City

·         May 16^th at Fort Strip/High Street, Taguig City

“Knowing that by the end of the tour, I will have met so many amazing people! My favorite thing about touring is the great people I get to meet and places that I get to stay. I am so incredibly thankful to be able to do what I do for a living but without amazing people it would be very difficult!” Colton remarked when asked what he looks forward to the most in touring.

Eastwood Libis, May 13^th- I was invited to be a part of a press conference organized by Red Bull for the Aaron Colton Street Tour held at Publiko Bar, It was a motorcycle freestyle event which showcased Colton’s talent in doing motorcycle stunts using a KTM Duke 690cc street bike. We were treated with a sumptuous meal while we waited for the program to start; Aaron was wearing his red bull cap, t shirt, short and rubber shoes when I saw him. He was a very approachable guy, but only the body guards where a little bit annoying. The program started with a power point presentation highlighting Aaron Colton’s achievement and followed by a video of him doing the stunts in the street of Chicago, after the presentation, they opened up the question and answer for the media. As a former stunt rider, I decided to ask a question on how he can be an inspiration for the young Filipino riders. I gave him an overview that I started stunt riding in 2003 and that stunt riding here in the Philippines are not 100% supported by the sponsors. Most of the time stunt shows here in the country is part of the manufacturer’s marketing activities to draw crowds. I also asked Aaron if he already eaten Balut that put a smile in everyone’s faces. Inside the room, it’s like that I am the only one connecting with Aaron because I myself is sharing his passion in motorcycle stunt riding. After the Q and A, he prepared for 20 minutes and gave us an actual demonstration on what he can do. He started with the basics of Wheelie like doing the sit down wheelie, standing wheelie, one hander up to the technical ones like the High chair wheelie, One hander 360 up to the famous no hander 360 standing up wheelie. After the demo, I asked for his autograph on my Nolan helmet and we took a picture together.

I would like to thank E. Jay Miranda, the Field Marketing Manager of Red Bull Philippines for inviting us to be part of this event, we hope that they will continue to support our passions for extreme motorcycle riding and hopefully support our local talents in fulfilling their dreams! Thank you also to Sir Fabian Go and Venson So for allowing me to use the KTM Duke 390.     

by: Mel Aquino

Partakan Festival: Where all Brands Unite

April 19, 2014. It’s the day when all riders from all over the Philippines with different motorcycle brands united at the Pozo Robo Beach, Sta. Ana, Cagayan for the 2014 Partakan Festival.

Partakan is a word that came from the word “partak” an Ilocano word for speed. Partakan Festival is the first and only rock and ride festival in the country. This event aims to provide a venue for riders to enjoy and unite and also to promote moto-tourism. The event is headed by Ropali Motorcycles, one of the biggest motorcycle dealership in the country with 120 branches nationwide and distributes brands like Honda, Kawasaki, Suzuki, Yamaha, KTM, CPI-Taiwan, and Royal Enfield.

Partakan Festival was held in the majestic and untouched Pozo Robo beach in Sta. Ana, Cagayan. This beach is the venue of the international show Survivor. The world-famous reality show already used the venue twice, one in the Blood vs Water edition and the second one is the latest installment, the Survivor Cagayan. 

It’s a 12-14 hour drive to reach Sta. Ana Cagayan, but upon reaching the Pozo Robo beach the tiredness and stiffness experienced from the super long ride will vanish after hearing the sound of waves and feeling the softness of the white sand. The white sand is really cold on the feet and the wind feels so fresh and relaxing.

The event challenged riders all over the Philippines to be a

survivor. The venue offered campsite for riders to build their tents and enjoy the majestic view in their own tents. Riders who attended also competed in a survivor themed games like the Honda Balance Beam, KTM Crawl Challenge, Kawasaki Buko Challenge, FDR Tire Challenge, Royal Enfield Snake Challenge, Yamaha Pylon Challenge, and Phoenix Lubricants Fill the Bucket Challenge. Motorcycle clubs with the fastest time for each challenges received Php5,000 pesos while the overall winner Cambio Boys Riding club from Taguig  received Php25,000.  

After the tiring survivor themed games, the more than 1,500 registered attendees where entertained by bands who made the night rocked. There are two local bands from Sta. Ana who started the night followed by the punk-metal Social Cancer band from Cauayan. Also made the night rocked are the Epic band and the reggae band Chongkeys. The highlights of the show are the four famous bands from Manila. Started with the witty performance of Banda ni Kleggy, the audio-filled effects performance for Pedicab, the non-stop jumping performance of 6cyclemind, and to cap the night the ever-entertaining performance of Sir Raymond Marasigan with his band the Sandwich. 

Partakan Festival also raffled 4 motorcycles and not just ordinary motorcycles but high-end motorcycles like Yamaha SZ16, CPI-Taiwan GRX-R250, Royal Enfield Bullet 350, and KTM Duke 200. For the whole day attendees, including the media attendees are so eager to know who will win the units. In between band performances the raffle was drawn, but not only motorcycles were drawn but also other items like Globe cellphone, KYT Helmet and Shirt, KTM Cap and shirt, and other small items where raffled. 

Overall, Partakan festival is a great and memorable event for all the attendees. Ropali and its partner Phoenix Lubricant and other sponsors like Honda, Kawasaki, Yamaha, Royal Enfield, KTM, CPI-Taiwan, FDR Tires, KYT Helmet, Globe, Maico Buncio Foundation, and Ural Motorcyles did great in making the Partakan Festival a must see event for other riders. See you again in Partakan 2015.

*Photo credit to StoplightTV, Mr. Aniceto Apales, Mr. Benedict Arreola.

7 Things to Check Before Riding a Motorcycle

1.) Official Receipt and Certificate of registration 

 - Make sure you have your motorcycle complete papers before you ride, the photo copy of your official receipt and Certificate of registration should be always available before you ride, especially in long trips to avoid any problems in check points.

2.) Driver’s License 

 - Make sure your license is updated and with restriction 1, if your motorcycle needs papers you will need one too. 

3.) Riding Gear 

- Always dress for the occasion, whether it’s a short trip to the store or long ride to your province, you should be properly dress for riding. A certified helmet is a good start to invest, followed by a full finger gloves and a long sleeve jersey. Make sure you wear sturdy pants like denim and a high cut shoes. You’ll never know when you will test the soil accidentally. 

 4.) Check your oil 

 - The blood of your motorcycle is your engine oil; you need to check the level of your oil before you turn that ignition switch. It is better to check the level after you rest your motorcycle overnight. You can use the dip stick or simply look at the oil window if your motorcycle has one. If the oil is too much, it will make the engine work harder and if it is not sufficient, it may cause overheating. 

 5.) Check your Gasoline

- Gasoline powers your motorcycle. Make sure that it contains sufficient gasoline until your next gas stop. 

 6.) Check your front and rear brakes 

- Starting your motorcycle is easy but stopping it needs a different mechanism, and that is your brakes. Make sure that there is sufficient brake fluid and brake pads should be regularly check if it still in pristine condition. Always remember that before starting make sure you can stop. 

 7.) Check your health 

- Riding a motorcycle is a combination of man and a machine, 50% machine and 50% rider. Now that you have checked your motorcycle it is also important to check yourself. Are you in good condition to ride, are you fit to ride, or for long ride have you prepared your body? Riding requires a lot of physical effort and in order to be physically fit, preparation is the key. Never ride your motorcycle when sick or suffering illness that may affect your driving skills. 

These are just simple tips for riders. As we write more blogs we will add more tips for motorcycle riders that can be very helpful in improving their skills and ability in driving a motorcycle. 

 Broom Broom!

Broom Broom! Rider to Blogger!

From Rider to Blogger is a blogging site dedicated to current and aspiring motorcycle riders. In this site you can read about anything that is related to motorcycle in the Philippines and around the world. This blog is not limited to reviews of motorcycle, you can also read about safety riding tips, location for ride and other helpful information for current and aspiring motorcycle riders. The Rider to Blogger is handled my John Louie Ruben and Mel Aquino, both are motorcycle riders and both are rookie writers.

John Louie Ruben, Louie, is a marketing person. He started working in the motorcycle industry in 2010 and since then his love for riding and motorcycle has increased. He was a big part in formalizing the rules and regulations of motorcycle drag racing in the Philippines. Like many Filipinos, Louie consider himself as a rookie rider and most of the time he explain things about motorcycle in a rookie manner.

The other Rider to Blogger is Mel Aquino, or Mel, Mel is a seasoned rider and a certified safety riding instructor. He got his certification in safety riding at the Rainbow Riding School in Hamamatsu Japan. Mel also won several motocross and circuit racing competition in the Philippines. In 2011-2014, he was the team manager of the Team Suzuki Pilipinas that competed in the most prestigious Grand Prix in Asia, the Asian Road Racing Championship. Today Mel has his own safety riding school that offers training and short course to beginner and advance riders. Expect that Mel's opinion and views will be technical and will be based from his years of riding experience. These two rider to blogger will let you experience the world of motorcycle. Readers will be presented with two opinions, one from a rookie rider (Louie) and one from a seasoned rider (Mel). Now, start your engine and enjoy the Rider to Blogger! Broom Broom!