Something needs to be done about online motorcycling journalism. Scour the web about local motorcycling news and reviews and you’ll come up with a handful of results. Go ahead. Type in a motorcycle with the words “review” and “Philippines” in the search line and press enter. I’ll wait. Done? See what I mean? Sure, you’ll get a ton of international sources, and frankly, that’s good if you want straight up facts and information. But how about a local take on things? Like how the motorcycle rides on Philippine roads, local considerations such as filtering on EDSA or taking it out for a weekend ride to the south. You’ll see a blog or two pop-up but how current is the author and is he/she still actively posting? You don’t want to read up on something 4-5 years old. Some may argue, that’s what print media is for; the dedicated magazines and the occasional supplementary pages in popular automobile publications. Why stop there?
Motorcycling is an extremely huge part of our country. Look around you. Everyday, on our way to work, school or even just heading to the local sari-sari store to load up one’s cellphone, you’ll see a motorized two wheeled vehicle. Yes, yes, I understand that many believe that anything below 250cc doesn’t count, but why should they be left out? The Philippine market is extremely spoiled for choice when it comes to two-wheeled vehicles. You want a classic scooter, consider a Vespa. How about a café racer? You may want to check out Royal Enfield or Moto Guzzi. How about an adventure bike for those long-distance rides? Have you seen the latest offerings of Aprilla and KTM? How about an everyday-use, no fuss, easy to maintain, low displacement two-wheeler to do simple errands? Consider Honda or Yamaha. Considering your first bike, how about a guide on that? The best gear for a certain budget? Here’s a recommendation of brands. This is just the tip of the motorcycling iceberg in the Philippines. Sometimes, a print publication just can’t keep up. People are glued to their phones and tablets; reading up on their dream bikes and gear while their two-wheeler gathers dust. Every week, I read up on new tech being trickled down from cars to bikes. Want a bike that shuts off at stoplights to save gas? Or how about a scooter with ABS for safer braking situations? To be honest, there’s too much to write about that a handful of pages a month cannot simply convey to the interested reader. That’s why we are here to change all of that.
As you read this, we are currently working on a dedicated motorcycle section to Go Flat Out. Interesting articles regarding safety, gear, tech and all the latest bike releases will be carefully selected and written for your enjoyment. We’re talking about leveling up online motorcycle journalism in the Philippines. Print media will still play a huge role. We understand that. The point is this: We hope to be the ones you read about while you take dump with your smartphone. Easy to access, easy to read; we’re here to make motorcycling pretty damn fun for everyone.
Keep an eye out for our pilot article featuring a talented, young racer and a famous naked superbike for Italy!
Ride and drive safe!
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