Yamaha Ride With Confidence for Women!

In the busy and congested streets of the metro, motorcycles are probably the best thing (next to bicycles) that you can use to get around without the fear of getting stuck in traffic and soaking in someone else's sweat. But let's be honest. Not everyone who owns a motorcycle knows how to drive it safely. According to statistics, motorcycles have the highest road accident rate compared to cars and public transportation. I don't think anyone wants to end up as road kill. And, now that I have a license, I had every intention to learn proper motorcycle riding.

Earlier in the week, and in good timing, we received an invitation from Yamaha Motor Philippines to join their "Ride With Confidence: Yamaha Safe Riding Seminar for Women". This Seminar is arranged every Mother's Day and has been for 2 years now. 

I like this shirt a lot. :) 

I was part of batch 3 and got there a little past 12:30. I was surprised at how many women participated. It was refreshing to see middle aged women there and they were, honestly, more attentive and excited than I was. We were given a goody bag that contained a YSRS (Yamaha Safe Riding Science) shirt, arm sleeves, a snack stub and a Yamaha catalog mag. Moms in our group were given flowers for their special day.

We changed into the shirt they have provided and were served food and drinks to snack on for the hour and a half lecture.

 It was a combination of videos and in - depth discussions of what a motorcycle is, what safety gears we should use to road hazards and laws.  

The Yamaha tent for our "actual" was situated at the open parking lot across the Y-zone. We were greeted by a vibrant host and who didn't forget to honor the mothers in our batch. We were again served food ( I love it!) and prepared a couple of games while we waited to be called. 

stretching before doing drills.

We had to ride a bike before we were sent to the first drill station.

The trainers showed us the ropes and, boy, were they detailed! I can't imagine anyone leaving the program without learning how to drive a motorcycle. I felt safe when we were told that each student would have 1 trainer to focus on our progress.  

They had 3 drill stations prepared for us. The first station was a brief  demonstration of how to take the bike on and off either its center or side stand, and also, how to push the bike in different directions. 

Raecelle Penetrante getting the bike on it's center stand.

My "I have no idea what i'm doing... not" face. LOL

The second station was about balance and throttle control and the third was about turning. We were given a choice of motorcycles and I went for the Yamaha Soul i125. I felt it was enjoyable and easy to use.  

I really thought about getting one of these after our session...

I  had so much fun with the trainers while I was doing the drills. I danced to the beat of the upbeat music their speakers blasted and the trainers joined along. I think that's how you learn skills better; when you are enjoying what you are doing, you don't feel tense and you have more confidence and you trust your bike more.  Overall, it was a great experience and I definitely recommend this for everyone who wants to learn how to ride a motorcycle properly. Given that this is a FREE event, I felt they've covered all the bases and took care of us so well that. Thank you so much, Yamaha Motor Philippines and your team for letting us be a part of this successful event. I'm looking forward to participating in other courses offered by the Yamaha Ride Academy soon!