It is clear that Filipinos are very fond of motorcycles. In addition to being accessible, riding a motorcycle is a practical means of getting from point A to B. But let’s face it, with the abundance of motorcyclists on the road today, something needs to be done because many of they get to the right road. driver safety and training. This is one of the reasons why ENEOS Oils Philippines organized a motorcycle safety training given by well-known off-road rider Mel Aquino.
ENEOS wants Filipinos to enjoy their precious trip. That’s why they partnered with trainer Mel Aquino to conduct the Off-Road Motorcycle Safety Driving Training for the motoring media at the ENEOS Off-Road Track in Rizal. ENEOS Oils is the leading motor oil brand in Japan. In fact, it has almost 50% market share of motor oil sales in its home country. Offering a wide range of engine oils, especially for motorcycles, for both daily and competition applications, ENEOS is one of the brands of choice for many riding enthusiasts.
In addition to imparting safe driving skills to pen pushers as a way of expressing the brand’s stand for road safety, ENEOS also wants to showcase the capabilities of its products by encouraging drivers to ride with their beautiful bikes to the max. And boy, did we use every bike in the camp to the max.
“We want to share the importance of safe riding, especially on the road. We also want our customers to know that by using ENEOS motor oils, they can enjoy their bikes in a lively ride, whether on the road for daily use. or in the harsh off-road conditions,” said ENEOS Motor Oil Philippines President Kazumasa Imai.
Going off road
Our day started with a classroom session led by Mel Aquino. The veteran motorcycle rider taught the basics, from the right gear to the right attitude when riding a bike. One of the lessons highlighted during the class was the importance of proper braking and knowing which brake to use depending on the type of road. This part of the training also showed the proper riding position on a dirt bike.
After the theoretical part of the course came the most exciting part, the actual riding of the motorcycle. Before we hit the dirt track, our hands-on riding instructor, Coach Darell Divinagracia, taught us ways to easily mount a bike as well as how to move a bike without parking it. Soon enough, we took off. The class was taught proper off-road cornering, balance, braking and engine braking. The best part was completing several laps of the course which served as the final lesson.
So why off-road if it’s just a safe bike, you ask? Well, as yours truly found out during training, off-road cycling will teach you all the possible scenarios that can be encountered on two wheels on any other type of road. Look at it as preparation for the worst. They taught me how a bike would perform in certain situations that everyday riding would never do unless one was in a near miss.
In the class is Louie Camacho of Autocar Philippines who shared his thoughts after the class. “Riding a dirt bike is totally different than riding a four-wheeler. Today was absolutely fun. But what I liked most is the concept of applying the learnings about dirt to everyday riding. It’s here where the two disciplines are similar. becoming a more defensive and responsible driver, or in this case, pilot once you get back on the road,” Camacho said.
I went into this course with no manual transmission motorcycle experience and left shaking my fear of the manual clutch along with the benefit of enjoying off-road riding. The safety driving course taught me many things that I will cherish, not only as a motorcyclist, but also as a road user.
