Can motorcycles be humorous? Well aside from the fact that this one might make you chuckle a bit when you see it, it’s name might provoke a little humor … once you understand that Filipino humor is often a little more broad and less staid than some of us are used to in the US.
Take a very commonly used term in Tagalong-speaking areas describing working one’s way through heavy traffic … Making singit … nosing your w ay into the tightest gap between cars in your lane, or even making your own lane between exiting lanes … is a reference to the inguinal crease. (Google is your friend)
Many rural areas don’t have the level of traffic to justify using the common motorcycle-sidecar combination known as a tricycle. And especially for longer distances the operator may not want the extra weight and fuel-consuming drag of a third-wheel … thus, the habal-habal. Habal-habal, among other things is a somewhat broad-humored term for certain sexual intercourse positions. But in the provinces, it isn’t “sexy” it’s the way many folks get around.
My motorcycle driving experience is limited. I know enough, though, to know that riding with even one other passenger is a lot harder than riding solo. What one of these is like to drive with a roof and who knows how many passengers on board I really don’t know … and I promise not to try to find out too soon. How any passengers fit on a habal-habal? that’s easy to define … like many other Philippine conveyances the answer always is, “one more”.
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