Why aren’t motorcycles promoted as a cure for congestion in cities in America? I know they are more dangerous than the average car but they can’t be THAT dangerous. They get extremely good gas mileage also… to help us with that nasty little oil problem we will eventually run into. By the way, how many miles per gallon does an average, say 650cc, motorcycle get? Manufacturers don’t post it on their web site.
I can’t wait too watch the SUV owners’ faces when the gas prices here triple (to european levels)…
I dunno who you suggest should be promoting motorcycles to aid the urban congestion and oil dependence problems. The bike makers know that nobody picks a bike for that reason, so their ads continue to brag about excitement, horsepower, cool looks and the chick magnet factor. The government can’t do it. The reason is mainly safety. They’ve been forcing car makers for 25 years to make cars safer. Motorcycles, aside from better brakes, are no more safe than they were in 1950. Thus, the gummint would be embarassed to promote a less safe form of transport.
I am not, by the way, anti-motorcycle. The statistics, though, are hard to argue with. In the Indianapolis Star, a story recently stated that the safety stats for motorcycles are getting worse. It’s probably due to the rising average of motorcyclists. Reaction time, after all, deteriorates as humans age.
Great gas mileage but riding a mortorcycle is high risk behavior, imo. I avoid doing things that require a helmet. Also, weather would be a factor. It is no fun at all to be on a motorcycle in the rain and on a wet road.
I have spent a good amount of time on a motorcycle. I have enjoyed riding. I think they are best enjoyed on country roads, not busy highways. I can remember the way I felt when an 18 wheeler passed me going about 75 mph on the interstate. I don’t know if I needed more bike or more nerve, but I know I needed something.
In the early 70’s and maybe earlier in the 60’s Honda used to promote themselves as clean and efficient and downplay any rebellios associations motorcycles may have had from the more traditional American biker crowd.
In a documentary on motorcycles in America I watched a while back a Honda salesman recanted a mother bringing her son to the dealership and stating “He wanted a motorcycle for his birthday, but I told him no. I’m getting him a Honda instead.”. Honda has on occasion prmoted certain models as commuter bikes and efficient transportation. It’s middlin difficult to promote the CM-500 as a “Thrilling shaft driven experience!” but to say “Low maintenance, comfortable and good mileage!” is accurate enough. Two reasons you just don’t see these ads much anymore is that as stated above most bike buyers who are swayed by advertising are looking for a thrill or something to restart puberty and frankly the commuter bikes just don’t look all that flashy compared to the sport or cruiser models.
Some Bikes that were advertised for efficiency are (Sorry I’m mostly familliar with Hondas): The CM-500 series, the Pacific Coast model, some versions of the Silverwing (same Moto Guzzi motor as the CM-500), pretty much all of the scooters from the Esprit to the Helix. All were touted (usually correctly touted) as efficient and clean and economical commuter transportation.
The state of California also promotes motorcycles as a clean air solution as well as a traffic remedy by subsidizing registration fees and allowing two wheel vehicles to use the commuter lanes as well as pass between cars in traffic (this is hazardous in my opinion as people in traffic jams are likely to be hostile to persons on bikes bypassing them).
Most other states also have subsidized registration of some sort for bikes (no emissions checks, or cheaper tags, etc.).
An “airbag under development” means none are on the street yet. Now, what were you disagreeing with? I already conceded that today’s brakes are better than when I was a toddler.
Long term motorcyclist here: Motorcycles purchases are largely lifestyle choices. Motorcycles do get better fuel mileage, are easier to park etc. However the average price for a new large motorbike is pretty much the same as for a new econo car (at least here in Australia) but you can fit a lot more stuff in a little car and not get soaked when it rains.
We ride them because they’re fun, not because they’re economical.
I’d also disagree with the comment about bikes being no more safe than they were in the 1950s - they’re probably less safe in that there weren’t any bikes in the 1950s that came straight from the factory able to do over 300kms/hr. However, brakes, frames, tyres, suspension etc are considerably better and safer than they were even 20 years ago.
Motorcycles, amazingly great vehicles in many respects, are not really day-to-day userfriendly - in adverse weather, you should be prepared to bring a change of clothes, for instance. I have commuted on my bike and hope to continue to do so, but very practical it isn’t.
For the urban commuter, a scooter-type vehicle offers better protection against the elements (you can wear nice shoes, for instance), better stowage, low maintenance, ease of use and less of a bad-boy image. It is a very attractive alternative and much-used in plenty of European cities - Rome, for instance, is alive with the things. They fit in nicely with the Italian driving style, there are parking spaces set aside for them and in a city where the streets were basically laid out for use by horsecarts, they provide trasnportation without adding unduly to traffic. One shudders to think of the congestion in Rome if each scooter were to turn into a car, let alone a SUV behemoth.
The scooters are marketed for the urban commuter (among other market segments) and the promotional values are evident: Low price, low running cost, ease of parking and agility in traffic. Plus, some of them look friggin’ cool.
Safety is a problem. BMW is enjoying a moderate success with their C1 concept (http://www.bmw-c1.com/ ), but I doubt it’ll prevail.
Oh, and my 2002 Honda Intruder gets about 40-45 MPG, depending on my driving.
Motorcycles, amazingly great vehicles in many respects, are not really day-to-day userfriendly - in adverse weather, you should be prepared to bring a change of clothes, for instance. I have commuted on my bike and hope to continue to do so, but very practical it isn’t.
For the urban commuter, a scooter-type vehicle offers better protection against the elements (you can wear nice shoes, for instance), better stowage, low maintenance, ease of use and less of a bad-boy image. It is a very attractive alternative and much-used in plenty of European cities - Rome, for instance, is alive with the things. They fit in nicely with the Italian driving style, there are parking spaces set aside for them and in a city where the streets were basically laid out for use by horsecarts, they provide trasnportation without adding unduly to traffic. One shudders to think of the congestion in Rome if each scooter were to turn into a car, let alone a SUV behemoth.
The scooters are marketed for the urban commuter (among other market segments) and the promotional values are evident: Low price, low running cost, ease of parking and agility in traffic. Plus, some of them look friggin’ cool.
Safety is a problem. BMW is enjoying a moderate success with their C1 concept (http://www.bmw-c1.com/ ), but I doubt it’ll prevail.
Oh, and my 2002 Honda Intruder gets about 40-45 MPG, depending on my driving.
I ride motorcycles a lot, but am not amazed by the gas mileage. Sure, it’s reasonably good when compared to a car, but not that impressive when you consider the relative size of the two vehicles.
But I’ll continue to ride a bike just because I enjoy it.
Um, there are two different motorcycle airbags currently available.
One attaches to the bike via a drawstring type contraption, with the obvious drawback being if you forget to turn it off and get off the bike while it is running.
The other is much more expensive, and uses internal sensors to sense a change in G-Force relative to the motorcycle. It inflates around the person.
What the hell, might as well goose the ol’ post count upwards a notch.
I’ve got a little single-cylinder 500cc job, a Buell Blast. Yeah, I know, I know … Anticipating hoots of derision from any Real Bikers in the vicinity, I’ll point out (rather defensively) that I bought the thing specifically as a cheap commuter/runabout. It’s well suited to that role, too, racking up a legitimate 72mpg average in mixed city/highway riding.
Counterintuitively, though, its fuel economy goes south in a hurry on long turnpike rides, down to about 45mpg. More understandably, my comfort level–both physical and psychological–does likewise.
Then again, comfort level on any two-wheeled vehicle is iffy to begin with in Palm Beach County, where operating anything less substantial than, say, a Crown Vic is a guaranteed exercise in sustained paranoia. Most local motorists seem to suffer from some combination of blindness, intoxication, and homicidal mania.
Wish I still had the old BMW R75/5 or Triumph Bonneville, though.
Or, going in the other direction, maybe a scooter. Spiny Norman’s observations make good sense, and sometimes I regret not having examined that option more seriously.
I haven’t really checked car prices here lately, but a Honda Civic probably goes for about $15,000 (it was around there last time I checked in 1999). A Yamaha R6 is $8,000 and an R1 is $11,000. I haven’t checked touring bikes, but I think a Honda Goldwing probably comes close to the Civic; but they make other bikes that don’t.
As much as I dislike living in California, I must admit that you can ride all year here. You can always get a rainsuit for wet weather. And California is the only state (I think – I asked once and couldn’t find others) that allows lane splitting.
My Honda CM-500. I used to get teh same kind of crapola when I wrecked my Harley and bought the Honda, but I have yet to meet a Harley rider or a rocket biker who rides on slush or salted ice on a regular basis. I have seen a number of BMW bikers who wear dry suits and will ride in the rain, but not one on ice as yet.
I used to get teh same kind of crapola when I wrecked my Harley and bought the Honda, but I have yet to meet a Harley rider or a rocket biker who rides on slush or salted ice on a regular basis. I have seen a number of BMW bikers who wear dry suits and will ride in the rain, but not one on ice as yet.