I just got back home from doing some volunteer work in Iquitos Peru. The whole experience was very rewarding, but while there I also got to enjoy a whole different kind of motorcycle culture down there though, even though I was without my bike. No play motorcycles here, this is a primary mode of transportation and way of life.
Leaving from the airport, everyone was piling into what they refer to as "Motorcar's" to get to the hotel.
They needed two volunteers to ride pillion on actual motorcycles so I sucked up my manhood and jumped at the opportunity. This guy gave me my first motorcycle ride in Peru.
Almost no one has a car. Nearly every bike down there is around the sub 150cc variety. There apparently are traffic rules, but no one knows what they are. There are no lanes, stop lights are suggestions and riding around a bus into the oncoming lane is normal. Gaps to pull out into traffic are hard to find so you just pull right out a lot of the time, even making left hand turns. It's not unusual for someone to just stop in the middle of the road, especially motorcars as they throw their chains a lot. I also saw plenty of the stereotypical women riding pillion with a baby on their knee and families riding with their kids stuffed between them.
The best rider I rode with was this woman. She was smooth, situationally aware and very competent. I had zero problems riding pillion with her. You'll also notice she's one of the very few who wear any kind of helmet down there.
What a restaurant parking lot looks like.
Just some other random shots of various motorcycles down there.
Honda Navi
Some fairly nice bikes.
This Suzuki DR looks how every DR should look. Thoroughly used, abused, and still kicking.
And lastly, where exactly would you buy a motorcycle from down there? Sure there's plenty of motorcycle shops, but also places like this where you can buy a new phone, TV, washing machine and a motorcycle.
