There is not much we can do about the doubling-plus of the price of gas, which is a function of our money buying less as much as it is a function of there being less gas available (though not because there isn’t plenty of it potentially available).
Both being a function of government.
But we can do something about how much of it we have to buy – and use.
One way to do that is to buy and ride a motorcycle rather than drive a car, at least some of the time. As right now – when it’s nice and warm out and riding a bike is pleasant as well as economical.
How economical?
If you’re new to bikes you may not know that even the ones that use the most gas – the big cruisers and touring bikes, such as the ’22 BMW R18 I got to test-ride a few months back (see here) – use less gas than most economy cars. They average 40-something MPG. Some economy cars can deliver 40 MPG – on the highway. But not on average. To get that, in a car, you’ll have to get a hybrid – and the cost of that will take awhile to claw back in the form of whatever you aren’t spending on gas.
Medium-sized (medium-engined) bikes in the 650-750 cc range generally average better MPGs than hybrid cars. As an example, I own an ’83 Honda Silverwing, which has a 650 cc twin-cylinder engine. This bikes averages 60-plus MPG. No hybrid made since the ’90s-era Honda Insight two-seater (which was almost a motorcycle) can match that.
Nor the cost – of the bike, itself.
I paid less than $2,000 for it. This is not untypical – unlike what has been typical, recently, as regards used cars. Used bikes are different, in part, because unlike used cars – of which there aren’t nearly as many still-sound ones around, due almost entirely to the Obama thing’s “cash for clunkers” regime, which crushed so many of them – there are still lots of older, still-sound bikes around.
And they’re not priced out of sight.
This has always been particularly the case with regard to bikes because unlike cars, bikes are often bought for fun rather than function – and so tend to get used less. Sometimes, not at all. It is common for bikes to get bought – and then left in the garage. Sometimes, the owner wants to ride – but never seems to find the time. Or – also sometimes – he used to ride but got too old to ride; but he couldn’t bear to sell. Until – eventually – his wife nagged him enough to finally hang a For Sale sign on the thing.
The take-home point being, there are lots of good used bikes out there. A reader of this column wrote me about his recent acquisition:
“I just wanted to share with you and others my newly acquired bike. Every day (permissible by weather) I ride this to my job 12 miles away. Only on a motorcycle do I think I don’t commute far enough. Thwart the system as much as we can. I purchased this classic 1986 Honda V65 Magna 1100cc with 53,000 miles for $1,999.00 at a dealer. Runs great, no issues. I encourage everyone to buy a used bike.“
This is another way to save money on gas – and not just by using less of it. The reader above spent just shy of $2k on his bike, which leaves him with a lot more money in his pocket for gas.
He’ll be saving in other ways, too.
It costs less to ride a bike than to drive a car – beyond the less you’ll be paying for gas – because bikes cost less to maintain. For example, bikes only have two rather than four tires, halving what you’ll spend to replace them. It is true that bike tires usually wear faster and have to be replaced sooner. But they still cost significantly less than car tires – excepting high-performance bike tires – and that’ll save you money, leaving more available to pay for the gas you put in your car, for when you need to drive it.
Oil and filter changes are also less expensive – in part because there’s less oil (and smaller filters) to replace on most bikes. Plus, it’s usually very easy to change the oil/filters on a bike; no need to crawl around underneath, as is the case with changing a car’s oil. So you can save money by doing the change, yourself.
If you really want to save money – on gas, the bike and maintaining it – consider getting a bike in the 250 cc range. These are not necessarily small bikes, as such. Just small-engined. Good examples of the type are dual-sport (street/dirt) bikes such as the Suzuki DR series, the Kawasaki KLR and similar. These make for excellent commuter bikes and they deliver excellent gas mileage, some of them averaging 80-plus miles-per-gallon. These are also bikes you can still buy – new – for less than $7,000 and used for half as much.
You may not want to ride every day. And there may be days when you need to drive. But being able to ride will allow you to spend less on your driving – and thereby give the government of the Biden Thing the one finger salute.
. . .
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I’m glad I’ve got my VFR800 now where 91 is getting to be above $5/gal. That said I am in the market for a more versatile and probably when more efficient dual sport such as a DR-Z400 or KLR650, which way least in my area seem to have jumped in price a fair bit.
Please ignore the sail fawn induced typos.
Hi J,
I recommend the KLR as it is a very versatile bike as well as a very ancient one – and this is very good. Simple, single cylinder engine; very little regular maintenance needed and what is is both cheap and easy to do. These are great bikes. I hope you can snap one up!
Mercedes EV vs VW diesel fuel economy
The average EV owner wastes 4 gallons to go 100 miles but pays only $5.55, the tax payers subsidize it and they also use the road for free……freeloaders….parasites…
EV owner uses 4 gallons to go 100 miles, that is 25 mpg, lots of ice cars get better fuel economy.
ice vehicle economy example……
Fiat 500 0.9 lt. 8V 51 mpg city, 69 mpg highway…
https://motoreu.com/fiat-500-0.9-8v-twinair-start-stopp-mpg-fuel-consumption-technical-specifications-3921
travelling 100 miles in an average EV uses 1.03 gallons equivalent of fuel = 34.7 kwh of electricity @ $0.16 per kwh = $5.55, that is the net amount, but….at the power plant 4 gallons of fuel were burnt to get a net 1 gallon of fuel equivalant 34.7 kwh used by the EV.
If they paid the full cost it would = $16.00 for the fuel…. 4 gallons@ $4.00 a gallon
(under not ideal conditions this can easily double = $32.00)
Example: under ideal conditions but at top speed a mercedes EV used 90 kwh of electricity in 100 miles which = 3 gallons of gas….back at the power station = 12 gallons burnt….
Under not ideal conditions the EV efficiency drops a lot, might use twice as much energy to go 100 miles. Using the electric heater and the rear defroster and wipers in an EV reduces range. In very cold conditions the battery range can drop 50%. If the range drops 50% it costs twice as much to go 100 miles
travelling 100 miles in a 50 mpg diesel powered car uses 2 gallons of fuel….no need to waste all that fuel.
Thermal efficiency of power plants using coal, petroleum, natural gas or nuclear fuel and converting it to electricity are around 33% efficiency, natural gas is around 40%. Then there is average 6% loss in transmission, then there is a 5% loss in the charger, another 5% loss in the inverter, the electric motor is 90% efficient so another 10% loss before turning the electricity into mechanical power at the wheels.
33% – 6% – 5% – 5% – 10% = 25% efficiency for EV’s.
(under not ideal conditions it might be 12% efficient).
An Ev is 25% efficient in turning original source of energy, petroleum in this example into mechanical energy to push the car down the road.
So to end up with 34.7 kwh of electricity which is equivalent to 1.02 gallons of gas to push the EV 100 miles down the road 4.08 gallons of fuel were burnt to generate the electricity in the power station, remember net 25% efficiency. 100 miles using 4 gallons = 25 mpg, where is the better fuel economy?
The mercedes EV used 90 kwh of electricity to go 100 miles = 3 gallons of gas, but to get that 90 kwh of energy 12 gallons of petroleum were burnt at the power plant.
90 kwh@ $0.16 per kwh = $14.40 12 gallons of fuel were burnt at the power plant
Mercedes at top speed……100 miles using 12 gallons = 8 mpg….haha…
real fuel cost…12 gallons @ $4.00/gallon = $48.00, but only $14.40 was paid, (taxpayers paid the rest haha)
travelling 100 miles in a 50 mpg diesel uses 2 gallons of fuel @ $4.00 per gallon = $8.00
So it cost $14.40 for the Mercedes EV to go 100 miles. It cost the diesel car owner $8.00 to go 100 miles.
There is an additional cost for the EV owner: the tesla $22,000 battery is used up, worn out in 100,000 miles. this works out to $22.00 per 100 miles it is costing you for the battery.
So mercedes EV pwner pays $14.40 plus $22.00 = $36.40 to go 100 miles…haha…… It cost the diesel car owner $8.00 to go 100 miles.
ATTENTION: So the EV owner has to pay another $22.00 per 100 miles to pay for the battery, the diesel car owner doesn’t have that extra cost. Add $22.00 to the $5.55 for the electricity to go 100 miles, the diesel owner only paid $8.00 to go 100 miles….
The Mercedes EV owner paid $1.20 per gallon for fuel. The diesel owner paid $4.00 per gallon. One reason is the diesel owner is paying up to 50% tax in the fuel cost, partly to pay for the roads, the EV owner paid no tax in the fuel and uses the roads for free. The tax payers are subsidizing the cost of the electricity the EV owner is using.
burning 4 gallons or 12 gallons of fuel to go 100 miles is cleaner, safer, less wasteful then burning 2 gallons of fuel?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6BSdq-MpPdg&t=113s
I imagine a ton of people advertise on cia-facebook these days rather than websites such as Craigslist, either that, or a whole lotta people are hanging onto their bikes?
Every Spring & Fall I get the urge to buy a bike (Eric) I sift through what’s on Craigslist, there’s always been a ton of bikes for sale.
Not this year! Slim pickins. For instance, usually there’s several and many KLR’s. This year, not a one in my area, and only one in the search, way too far away.
Sometimes, I think it would be cool to own a horse, instead of a bike.
On that note, perhaps some of ya might like a sorta time-out with this read, I did:
‘Man! I Like That Horse!’
https://chuckbaldwinlive.com/Articles/tabid/109/ID/4262/Man-I-Like-That-Horse.aspx
The Harley dealer in Grand Junction has a big message sign along I70. For the last few months it just reads “GAS GAS GAS”
A lot of my neighbors are using their side-by-sides around town. Just the thing if you don’t want to ride a bicycle on the hills. Reichskommissar Polis outlawed them on streets last year but allowed for local municipalities to make exceptions.
https://staythetrail.org/ohvs-on-streets-and-roads/
Grand Lake has a long history of groomed snowmobile trails throughout town. Touristy fun for sure, but I know a few people who worked outdoors probably only got into a pickup when they headed to Granby for provisions (or the wife wanted to go to Denver for the weekend).
The problem I have with any kind of bike, whether human-powered or electric or gas-powered, is the total lack of any kind of protection of my body from crashes and the elements. This severely limits the speed, regardless of how it’s powered. I frankly don’t feel comfortable traveling more than, perhaps, 15 mph or so due to this exposure to both the elements and possible road rash. Cargo issues as well- in my experience, I can never seem to stop the grocery bags hanging from the handlebars from oscillating into the spokes. There are few things more annoying than having the bags wear away or simply get caught in the spokes, thereby dumping the contents out onto the road!
That said, I VERY much like the fact that I don’t have to tell the government that I have a bike, nor do I need to beg the permission of a government bureau to use it. Years ago, long before the “pandemic” scam, there was a proposal in Boston to register, tax, and insure bicycles; I phoned into a talk radio host who was shilling for this. Needless to say, the host “pressed the button” on me rather than debate the obvious personal liberty issues.
I had given up my car back in 2007 when I finally got fed up with Armed Government Warriors hassling me for having long hair and busting my balls about plants in my car, etc. I still had it in my yard in 2008 when a very dear friend died, and I wasn’t going to miss his funeral and burial for ANYTHING. The funeral was in a distant city, and I fired the car up, dead tags and inspection stickers and all, and drove there ANYWAY, for both the viewing and memorial service AND the burial in the cemetery. TWO separate trips and, fortunately, the Luck Gods had my back!
A gas-powered car truly is FREEDOM!
From 2007 all the way until 2020, I relied on my feet, bike, and mass transit to get where I needed to go. I felt free- I could ride my bike through the dystopian landscape in and around Boston without blue-light attention from AGW’s, except, perhaps, in Cambridge, probably the Bluest of any city in the area. Cambridge police were real nitpickers about bicycles, despite the political bias toward bike- riding in general.
In 2008, an elderly lady with probable vision issues crashed her car into the rear of my bike from behind. I was thrown to the pavement tearing my rotator cuff on my dominant (left) side, and her rear left tire ran over my right hand, crushing the bones in my thumb. I sued her, ultimately collecting the maximum she had on her “compulsory” insurance, sharing a third of that with the lawyers. She had no savings- “social security” had been encouraging and paying her not to save for her own retirement. She carried only the minimum limits on her insurance, so I had to pay the White Divines out of my own savings for the balance.
I’ve never had “health insurance”: I’ve always taken personal responsibility for my own health. I like to have the same adult relationships with the mechanics who work on my body as I do with those who work on my house or car. I’m still far ahead without feeding the Health Insurance mafia! But I must give credit where it’s due – the allopathic Rockefeller medical system is very good with Traumas. For everything else, however, I stay FAR AWAY from that system, even though I’m an old man. In 2021, I had 2 individuals close to me die from side effects of the Holy Jabs they took despite my vociferous objection – unfortunately, I was unable to break the Mass Formation Psychosis that had them in its grip! They believed the TeeVee over me! This Scamdemic has all but erased any remaining trust I’ve had in the Rockefeller medical system.
I got a car and started driving again when the Virus scam took hold in early 2020. I’d lost access to the mass transit system when they began to require face diapers. I won’t diaper for ANYONE- I got off a commuter train and walked 10 miles when they refused to sell me a ticket without diapering. In 2020, I observed that when I began driving again, I was hardly ever hassled by AGW’s. They were even ignoring dead inspection stickers when, previously, they were right on top of that at the beginning of each month! With the empty highways, I could even “speed!”
Sorry for the long rant!
Hi Number One,
Long rants welcome here when they are sound, as yours was! Like you, I have never Diapered and never will. No Jabs, either – obviously. I have also stopped “registering” my vehicles and so far, so good. I’m retiring . . . from their system. I agree with you also as regards allopathic medicine. For physical trauma, it works well. For general health, less so. Like you, I think one is far better off simply taking care of one’s health than seeking “health” from a “provider.” Most of what ails us is self-administered and can be self-corrected. Our bodies are amazing things!
I enjoyed your essay. I too used to ride my several bicycles that I still have. If you want stupid, ride a track bike with a single Weimann sidepull in front on the street and then draft the car traffic. In the old days of good roads there was a smooth piece that I could catch a mail truck that had the low lift platform and was made to draft upon. I talked to the driver several times after what he saw that I was doing. He claimed 57 MPH on one run and mid fifties at other times. A scary proposition as he couldn’t see me and I obviously could not see around. Tires of that silk are impossible on “modern” roads that are death if one tried.
I have fourteen motorcycles from 1956-2008. I have to agree that a small displacement bike would be fine. My junk goes 160 or 39MPH. The dorky 50cc is fun in a vastly differing way.
Also, there is a far better selection of crash suits than before. Old farts are fragile and likely should stay with bikes that are 270 pounds or less. I always used an open Bell with goggles. Ya look funny until you grind a flat on the helmet side and I have done some protracted slides. Even half decent leather gloves will go a long way to save the hands.
What Eric is prescribing makes sense, but motorcycles, motor scooter and the like are the main means of conveyance in third world countries. I guess that is where we are headed.
When I lived in Texas early 80s I rode everyday. My Yamaha 650 was my primary. MPG? I have no idea and I’m pretty sure I didn’t have any concerns with gas prices either. I have thought about getting a used, older bike. I work less than 10 minutes from home and the commute is on backroads. Alas, my age and health could put others at risk I’m afraid so I’m not willing to do that. People do not look after bike riders here either, not as they did in Texas where it seemed every third vehicle was a bike in those days. Have some good memories of my wife and I on that bike when we were young.
You know, this is really an excellent idea, but I’m not sure it’s for me. My main driving is doing my job, delivering groceries. I need my car for that. Secondarily, I drive my 90-year-old mom to the store, bank, or doctor’s office. She’s not going to hop on the back of a motorcycle. That would leave the little bit of other driving that I do (a weekly meeting with a liberty group, the odd meeting with another liberty group, etc.). I wouldn’t ride one enough to make it worth the expense of buying one in the first place. But it is a great idea.
There is the Ural sidecar setup to take mom to the bank.
https://grasstrackgb.co.uk/honours/domestic-honours/british-championship-500cc-sidecars/
These do not have any listed 95 year old moms in the car, so it might not be appropriate for trips to the bank and grocer.
One of my favored names for a motorcycle brand was the Tohatsu Runpet. How does one beat that?
I still refer to Toyota as Toyopet and it really annoys my wife that has no sense of history. My first reliable car was a Datsun 1600 two seat. I was glad for the 100cc boost from the Fair Lady. Reliability was superb as compared to MGB, but MGB/A parts were stupid cheap from JC Whitney at that time with all OE engine and suspension parts. Carpets, tops, everything excepting gearbox parts.
1960-1964 Tohatsu CA2 Runpet Sport 50cc
https://ridermagazine.com/2019/07/11/retrospective-1960-1964-tohatsu-ca2-runpet-sport-50cc/
Hi ERLE,
Great stuff! I once had – and now regret not having – a 250 cc dual-sport Kawasaki that averaged 90 MPG and was fully capable of short hops on the highway as it was capable of holding 70 MPH (top speed about 100 MPH). Single air cooled cylinder, carburetor – almost no maintenance required. I bought it with less than 3,000 miles on it for $1,500. Idiot that I am, I sold it because the garage was getting crowded and I needed the space.
Hi ERLE,
I miss Datsun! As far as names, hard to beat Vincent Black Shadow. Or Jensen Interceptor.
gas price squeeze….
What You Must Understand to Survive the Changing New World Order
It’s not that humans are so stupid that we can’t learn from our past mistakes that we keep repeating them; rather it’s that those in control of the world’s resources have never found it necessary to change their blueprints to keep
hoarding planet Earth’s resources to artificially drive prices higher
and to continue transferring enormous amounts of wealth from everyone in the world to themselves. Consequently, they keep executing the same blueprints that the masses view as “mistakes” and that the serfs delusionally believe will somehow self-correct in the future instead of repeat in perpetuity.
The medieval Game of Thrones, kings and nobles versus the serfs global economic system, has never changed either. The players in the game have only assumed different disguises to hide the roles so apparent during the days of kings, nobles and serfs.
https://www.zerohedge.com/news/2022-05-13/what-you-must-understand-survive-changing-new-world-order
‘those in control … continue transferring enormous amounts of wealth’ — Anon
Right on cue, dirty old turtle Mitch McClownell turns up in Keeeeeeev for a photo op, with several other craven RINOS in tow:
‘Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell and a delegation of GOP senators met with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in Kyiv during an unannounced visit Saturday, delivering the latest show of American solidarity with the country at war with Russia.
‘A video posted on Zelenskyy’s Telegram account showed McConnell, R-Ky., and Sens. Susan Collins of Maine, John Barrasso of Wyoming and John Cornyn of Texas greeting him in the capital.’ — AP ‘News’
$40 billion for the next permawar, less than 12 months after our humiliating retreat from the last 20-year quagmire — courtesy of the welfare/warfare Uniparty.
Would be great if the Rooskies shoot down Mitch and company on their flight out, would crack open a bottle of champagne to celebrate that.
handing out money for great causes…haha, is a great opportunity for politicians, a nice percentage of the money ends up in the offshore accounts of the politician handing out taxpayers money.
Dr. Marc Faber says these governments steal between 5% (honest governments) and 100% (crooked governments) of the money collected, borrowed, donated, stolen by the government.
Trouble is, when ya crash…the medical bills will more than eat-up any fuel savings (If you live). And EVERYONE crashes sooner or later. No matter how good a rider; no matter how sober; no matter how attired in safety gear.
It may very well not be your fault…the other person does something that could not be anticipated, and which can not be avoided…boom!
I had an accident 30 years ago….thankfully in a ‘cage’ rather than on a bike. The Polak pulled out of a stop sigh right in front of me (He thought it was a four-way stop….duhhhhh!!!). My truck was totaled, but I walked away. On a bike, I would have been seriously injured and disabled for the rest of my life…or dead.
It happens to everyone sooner or later….. Protecting bodily integrity, and not falling into the hands of the medical cartel are right near the top of my priority list. And todayt of all times, with vaxed, inattentive, texting, often clueless drivers fiddling with touch screens…I have never seen worse driving than in the last few years- People will just literally run into other cars in front of them on a straight road just because they are not even paying enough attention to realize a slight speed difference……. I don’t want to be killed when that asshole wearing the mask plows into me…or when the pig (AGW) rams me at 120MPH because he’s chasing someone because they had the leaves of a plant in their car. SCREW them! You hit me or cause me to hit you, I have 7500 lbs. of steel around me! 10MPG doesn’t seem like a bad price to pay….
Hi Nunz,
Yes – but there’s risk in everything that has a reward. As you know, I used to drive an old (’74) Beetle . . . in DC traffic. Had a truck or big SUV hit me, I’d have been creamed. But nothing happened – even though it might have – and in the meanwhile, I enjoyed the definite rewards of a low-cost car that didn’t require much in the way of gas, either. I look upon bikes much the same. Sure, I could get hit – or make a mistake. But I’ll hapily accept those risks for the rewards!
Yep, Eric. Understanding the risks and choosing to accept them is something we all do in many endeavors of life. I just like to posit comments such as my one above to help make some aware of the risks, as a lot of people tend to think it’ll never happen to them…till it does.
I think motorcicles are an unbelievably pleasant mode of transportation, but I’m just not willing to risk my health and life to ride one on the street. Believe me, I’m often tempted- but the thought of laying in a hospital bed for weeks or months…being subject to the pharma-medical cartel; maybe having a disability that will affect me the rest of my life or shorten my life….not to even mention the financial implications….just takes the joy away.
I’ve known lots of riders over the years. Most are no longer with us (And most of these were very responsible people- not drunken biker idiots; some were professional drivers…)- Some of ’em made it decades without a crash….some have had multiple crashes and are now walking around with bodies full of hardware and paying a severe price for it…some were in wheelchairs…some are long gone- killed instantly. I hope you beat the odds my friend….but unfortunately, sooner or later, the day comes when your luck runs out.
I agree with both of your sentiments, Eric and Nunzio. As a lifelong motorcycle enthusiast, I’ve tried to stay off the street as much as possible, and I mostly have in 40yrs. However, I’ve recently been spending a lot of time in very rural USA, and I got the street bug and did it. Very few cars, very few everything. Much safer on the street than the typical metro/suburban areas. Big animals are probably more of a problem.
So I think it depends on where your ride.
Jim Bianco biancoresearch.eth
@biancoresearch
·
May 12
5/5
“I have feared and warned that if inflation did not recede by summer, panicky politicians would make it orders of magnitude [worse] with price controls.” [the Consumer Fuel Price Gouging Prevention Act, headed for a House vote next week]
Price controls mean gas lines … same as in 1979.
Use a 4-wheeled vehicle with a big tank, plus a siphon, to keep the motorcycle tank filled without waiting in line very often.
Contrived shortages. Larry Summers’ words, not mine.
Eric,
At least for last year…you could buy a new Royal Enfield for around $6K which I have heard is a very nice, reliable, and retro classic 650CC. I would like to see your take on the Royal Enfield if you can get a test ride on one and see if you like it?
I’ve oft wanted one of these little Honda trail bikes:
https://www.cycleworld.com/story/buyers-guide/2021-honda-trail-125/
112 MPG, it is stated.
gas prices……..
The entire Great Reset can be boiled down to the same argument the villain in the Marvel films, Thanos, made about having to kill off half the life in the Universe to make things “sustainable.”
Davos’s Great Reset strategy is built on the same mistakes about resource scarcity that Thomas Malthus made back in the early 19th century. Theirs is an economic model which does not believe people respond in real time to incentives, pro and con, which moderate their behavior. Rather, they see humans as a virus unleashed upon the world that needs to be controlled, an invasive species.
The Real Reason Behind the EU’s Drive to Embargo Russian Oil
trading the most important commodity in the world, oil, with the biggest infrastructure to service it—chaos ensued.
The collective West, following Davos’s game plan, is hoping for even more.
Pozsar’s conclusion was that all these firms will either need a bailout at some point (with possible nationalization the price they pay) or be allowed to go bankrupt to serve the plan of radically overhauling the global energy economy away from petroleum of Davos.
Like classic narcissists with the burning need to control everything, Russia and the rest of Asia will not be allowed to walk away from Davos and their Eurocrat quislings
And we are just, at best, “the help” and at worst an invasive species, an inconvenience.
The bigger Davos plan of destroying the old global order to Build it Back Better, where they own everything and you will own nothing and like it or else, is the script.
They are now committed to this plan. It does not matter now whether it will work or not. This is what we have to realize in all of our analyses. Do the Russians and their friends in Asia and across the Global South have the means and the tools to come out on top? Possibly.
https://tomluongo.me/2022/05/12/real-reason-behind-eu-embargo-russia-oil/
I wish it were “nice and warm” here in East Idaho. First 70 degree days of the year coming up tomorrow through Tuesday. Then back to the 50’s and low 60’s for 10 days or so.
We get consistently warm weather from mid June-mid September. Weather is hit and miss the months of May and October.
I wish Bikes were viable for more of the year. The weather used to be the price you paid for low population and no traffic. Now they can’t build houses fast enough. The weather is no longer stopping people from swarming here.
Last fall I purchased two more motorcycles brand new. A Kymco Spade 150 and a Benelli TNT 135. They both run up to around 70mph and average 80mpg -even when riding two up. So much fun we can’t stay off them when the weather is nice. So now we own 4 bikes with the biggest gas guzzler being my Ninja, which averages 63.8 mpg. They can keep raising the price of gas but that will not stop us from living our life and having fun!
I kinda cringe at the idea of new riders on the already crowded roads in my neck of Dixie. My dad road all his life. As have I. When I transitioned from dirt bikes to street bikes he told me “Son, there’s two types of riders –those who have wrecked and those who will wreck”.
A lot of dealers offer the Motorcycle Safety Foundation classes. Sure hope new and novice riders consider it.
I can see why a guy would want a motorcycle. For some reason I see less and less of them on the road these days but not sure why. They’re fast as heck. My first vehicle was a Yamaha moped with separate gas and oil tanks enabling me to ride into any gas staton and fill er up. Commuted 12 miles each way on hilly terrain to work and college. Being a girl that was enough bike for me even tho its top speed was only 37 mph (which was the only speed I ever drove it at) but it never had one issue. The only bummer was rainy days. Over the years have wished we still had as it would be fun to ride around town.
If you plan your route so that you will do all your shopping in one trip instead of multiple trips you will save on gas by minimizing unnecessary travel. Grocery shopping on a motorcycle can be fun especially if the bungee cords don’t hold the grocery’s tight enough (the bag fell off when I stopped a couple days ago). Sadly motorcycle rated oil and filters cost more than car stuff though, I use Penzoil in everything but the bike and it goes on sale while the bike’s Castrol is sold by the quart and does not. Probably take out the old Kawi for a run today.
And as always watch out for the half wits and there cages.
Could not agree more. From age 19 to about 24 or so, I didn’t own a four wheel vehicle, getting around exclusively on choppers and bobbers I had cobbled together myself. Sold them all back around ’86 or so for some dumb reason, first wife I think.
Summer of 2016, a guy down the road had an ’05 800cc Vulcan classic for sale. Something about that bike spoke to me, and I bought it with 7900 miles for $2000. While I always enjoyed tinkering and fussing with the old Harley engines and British bikes (All Hail the Dark Prince – Joe Lucas!) at my age and fitness level, I am very pleased with the fact that, every year, with just the slightest maintenance, that bike does exactly what it is supposed to do, start and run and work.
Just a couple of months ago I picked up a 2001 1500cc Vulcan and sold the 800 to my daughter. This one had 17000 miles and I spent just under $3000. After pulling off about 100 pounds of accumulated Chinese add on accessories and another 20 excess pounds of stock exhaust, the bike is lighter, faster and cleaner looking. Very happy with it so far, and riding with my kid is one of the great joys in my life.
Eric is right, get in the wind, it can be done nicely on a budget far below what a car or truck will cost…it’s good for your wallet and good for your soul.