You may be contemplating how you’re going to get around – how you’ll still be able to afford to get around – if as seems likely the price of gas soars to $7 (or more) in the coming weeks, months and (possibly) years.
Buying an EV – recommended by some – is probably not going to help because the cost of electricity is also going up. It is already just as expensive to fast-charge an EV as it is to put $4 per gallon gas into the tank. If gas goes up by $3 per gallon, expect the cost of electricity to go up in tandem, because nothing is going to cost less when everything costs more. Data centers are already causing people’s power bills to go up, so it’s unlikely home-charging (assuming you can) is going to save you money. Never mind the cost of buying the EV and the peripherals you’ll need to be able to charge it at home.
An old motorcycle, on the other hand, could actually keep you mobile without making you broke.
I have one such. It is my 1983 Honda GL650. It’s the epitome of a beater bike. That’s probably why I ride it the most of all my bikes. It is, to begin with, a beater. Meaning it looks pretty beaten. The paint is faded and chalky The tank has a dent. The exhaust pipes are more rusty than chrome. That does not mean the bike isn’t mechanically sound. It just means I don’t have to worry about whether it gets rained on and I do not fear parking it in public areas. I wash it maybe once a year, cursorily. Not like my other bikes, which are kept cosmetically pristine and for that reason are garage queens. My ’76 Kz900, for instance, is more art than bike. Industrial sculpture I keep shiny and bright because it calms me down just to look at it. Same goes (even more so) for my ’75 Kawasaki S1 triple two-stroke, which I affectionately refer to as Little Stinker. The thing is as beautiful as it is useless.
My ’83 Honda, on the other hand, is useful. I bought it for next-to-nothing, to begin with. Someone had traded it in for a Harley and the Harley dealer just wanted it gone. Twelve hundred bucks later, it was mine. It was cheap because it wasn’t a Harley but also because it was just an old Honda and not one of the quick or sexy-looking ones. In fact, many cognoscenti regard its twin cylinder engine – with the big jugs protruding to either side – as ungainly, like a woman whose hips are too big for her frame. But it has its own kind of beauty. The simple and reliable kind. This engine – like most Japanese-brand engines made during the ’70s and ’80s and into the ’90s and early 2000s, even – is analogous to an anvil in that it is damned hard to hurt it. You’d probably need to run it without oil for awhile to do serious damage. If you change the oil once a year it will run – reliably – almost forever. In the case of my ’83 GL650 that’s 43 years so far – with many more years to go, probably.
The bike needs next to nothing from me beyond the once-yearly oil change. It has two spark plugs that maybe need to be replaced once a decade. The big thing to be attentive to with this bike is the lube in the shaft drive (no chain or sprockets to change, ever). Change that once a year and that too will last decades. Other than that, it’s just tires – and they’re cheap because the GL650 isn’t a crotch rocket and doesn’t need “sport” tires or eat them nearly as quickly as a sport bike eats tires. I get two years of regular riding out of mine and replacing them costs about $150 (about the cost of replacing one “cheap” tire on most cars).
That’s pretty much all there is to it.
Except for one other thing. The even more important thing, given the situation. It costs me almost nothing to operate – as well as to own. The bike goes about 60 miles on a gallon of gas, easily besting the most “fuel efficient” hybrid car you can buy. Even if the cost of gas goes up to $10 per gallon, I can still afford to ride this bike because it would still cost less to fill its tank than it currently costs at $4 per gallon to fill the tank of a typical small crossover SUV. 
Did I forget to mention that it has suitcase-style storage bags and so is capable of carrying a surprising amount of cargo? That it has a fairing that protects me from the rain and cold? Even without a heated riding suit, this is a bike that can be ridden in cold weather (assuming there’s no ice or snow on the road) if you dress warmly.
I use this as an example to make the point. There are many old, inexpensive bikes like mine out there that could serve to keep you moving when you can no longer afford to continue driving.
It might be worth thinking about.
. . .
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Want to know mpg for any motorcycle?
https://www.totalmotorcycle.com/MotorcycleFuelEconomyGuide/index
1983 Honda GL650.
1983 Honda GL650 Silver Wing
673cc 49.5mpg
60 hp 485 lb
I burn about 2 1/2 gallons a week riding my flhr to work . If it’s not raining , I’m riding. My job is seasonal so no worries in winter. Gas could climb to 10 bucks a gallon and not hurt.
Morning, Ant!
Yup. Keep say five five gallon jugs of gas on hand and you’re mobile for 2-3 months if you’re careful.
I love old Jap bikes, BUT parts can be a bitch to get for some of them, particularly exhausts, gauges, and bodywork. Oh the engines will mostly run forever, for sure, but some of that other stuff can be quite pricey IF you can find it on the used market at all, because all of the NOS inventory has been gone for 25-30 years.
(Kinda like a 1970s Trans-Am console…?)
Electronics can be dicey, there are aftermarket stators and regulators but installing them can be a chore — on that GL the stator is in the back of the motor, and the entire engine needs to come out to replace it. Same with the early GL 1000s.
I’d want a slightly newer bike for a bug-out rig, maybe something only 15-20 years old instead of 40-50 years… (says the guy who missed the entire month of July riding because he hasn’t found the time to get his fork seals and bushings done yet… but the parts ARE on the bench…)
All true, X –
A good choice for all-around would be a 10-20=year old Kawasaki KLR650. Modern but also ancient and they made so many of these that parts are easy to find and pretty cheap, too.
“Buying an EV – recommended by some – is probably not going to help because the cost of electricity is also going up.”
Not for me, it’s not. But as some say, your mileage may vary.
“It is already just as expensive to fast-charge an EV as it is to put $4 per gallon gas into the tank. ”
That’s true, or often even more expensive…
Also, I’m going to leave this right here:
https://tinyurl.com/mvzxvyms
28 MPH, 90 mile range, $500. Easily solar-rechargeable. Battery can be removed.
Funny thing is, Trump’s nonsense in the ME driving gas up to who knows what final level, might get more people to look at EVs.
Guess that’s a win for his buddy Elon.
It’s true, Dan! Darth Tangelo is the best EV salesman the world has ever known.
The Trump Caused Apocalypse
Clearly Donald Trump is mentally ill. But why? He is a supremacist and reality is not matching what he thinks the world should be. Trump is a Jewish supremacist, Israeli supremacist, Trump supremacist, Amerika supremacist and even a Bible God supremacist.
Because Trump thinks he is the king of the world, the best person god gave to earth ever, on the side of Israel and gawd almighty, he thinks attacking Iran is morally justified. Them Iranians can not have nuclear weapons he says over and over. Like God himself, Trump is going to stop them Iranians. He is becoming increasingly mentally ill because he can not.
The United States has nuclear weapons.
Israel has nuclear weapons (at least 2,000).
Trump claims Iran can not have nuclear weapons.
Nobody in the MSM calls out the hypocrisy.
Iran will probably get nuclear weapons as a deterrent.
Trump’s stated goal to prevent Iran from nukes is backfiring.
Donald Trump is a very bad man, a very evil man, but why? Because he is a Jewish supremacist, he believes he has a right to initiate the use of force to maintain Jew/Amerika supremacy. Trump has no moral justification or legal authority to attack Iran. But he is attacking Iran, a war crime. He is attacking Iran for Israel, a criminally insane nation, full of Jewish supremacists. Trump equates Jewish supremacism to Amerikan moral superiority. Iranians are inferior ragheads.
Trump is not just an evil warmongering liar, he is guilty of treason and a damn traitor, acting as an agent of a foreign state. Trump claimed to be a MAGA savior, in reality Trump is an obnoxious piece of shit not worthy of our attention. He will probably be removed early, as Nixon was. Each and every day Trump is on the throne is a deadly danger to the survival of our republic. Trump is not a little bad like Clinton or Biden, Trump is bad to the bone. No good in him just as Jeffrey Epstein said. If Epstein said Trump was no good we should listen, because Epstein was a monster rapist and cannibal.
Jewish supremacism is a mental illness. It is caused by Bible belief. The United States is destroying itself for Israel. It is doing this of it’s own free volition. Ultimately the Holy Bible will be the downfall of the United States. People think the opposite, Christian preachers like Mike Huckabee say we must love and support Israel or we are doomed, they claims some shit Israel is an apple stuck in God’s eye.
None of what these believers claim is true, the Holy Bible is a myth book, fiction, not true. If you think the Holy Bible is true, the words of god, holy and good, you have been duped by tribal supremacist text. The purpose of the Holy Bible is to dupe the Goyim into viewing Jews as chosen and thus superior. The Holy Bible is literally political propaganda for Jews and wealthy elites to rule over you by owning your mind.
Spend a few minutes to understand the real purpose of Christianity:
https://strangerinajewishworld.blogspot.com/2021/02/the-christian-bible-is-filled-with.html
I have followed Daneric Elliott Wave for many years, and read Robert Prechter books, and have been waiting for the current super bull market to end. Latest update:
https://danericselliottwaves.org/2026/07/elliott-wave-update-23-july-2026
It is my opinion that Trump is riding the last wave up, and when the bull reverses to the biggest bear market of all time, Trump’s record low approval rating will go into single digits and people will want to murder him for destroying our nation.
It is my opinion that the Trump’s deserve the Romanov treatment. Trump is cashing in on the demise of our republic, imo he deserves no mercy or consideration whatsoever, and all the things he stamped his damn Trump name on deserves to be erased.
Morning, Jack –
The rage is palpable. I also see Tsar Nicholas as a somewhat sympathetic figure. I think he was a fool, certainly. But not a bad man, per se. Trump, on the other hand is both a fool and a bad man. Is there anything redeeming about this man? Would you trust him around your wife or daughter? Would you get into business with him?
Using an old motorcycle may seem radical to Americans but it’s the standard go-to around the globe. You see them everywhere precisely for the reasons brought up: cheap, reliable, easy to maneuver.
I might suggest another key criteria is parts availability. A common one of ANY vintage is equally important. It’s the same question with cars. Having a 10 year Corolla that shares a parts catalog with a million others may be easier to find parts for than a 40 year old Volvo.
Now, the flip side of this is competition for parts. If you have a 1-of-1 vehicle if you do happen to find that the last set of exhaust valve left in existence is collecting dust on the back shelves of a NAPA in Tulsa and you’ll probably be the only person in the world trying to get them.
Point being worthwhile to sort your search on “number in stock” rather than “lowest price” if you’re looking to buy a bike.
As to the root question, it’s a planning onion of tasks and having more than one option is wise.
-When you need to carry cargo or get around on poor roads you need a 4WD truck.
-When you need to get around and stay dry you need a car.
-When you need to get around quickly and cost effectively you need a moto.
-When you need to get around and gas is coming from 55 gal drums with a hand pump an engine with low compression and a carb.
-When you need to make your own fuel a mechanical diesel or, yuck, an EV maybe.
-When you need to get around and all fuels are tough to find a regular (non-electric) bicycle with a trailer.
-When you just need to get around boots and a backpack.
The last two options are also very quiet and low profile, which don’t discount. If you’ve ever had an extended blackout you’ll only start to realize just how loud a generator is. Solar panels and an EV or electric bike could certainly make a lot of sense in your disaster planning.
Makes absolute sense and I’ve been thinking about it since I read an article here about crossover bikes. However, that scene in War of the Worlds when Tom Cruise has the only operational motor vehicle also comes to mind. When it reaches the point that people start to ride bikes solely for financial reasons, you have to wonder how safe it will be to even go out.
There are solutions to the transport problem that tried and true. 1. Woodgas. WW2 half the cars trucks ran on this. Wood chips branches, pine cones, etc. 2. Steam. See Jay Leno steam car. They can be converted. The former gas tank can be the new water tank.
I would throw in electric assist bicycles into this category too of just getting around.
Tons of different flavors and models. Yeah, electric, but pretty innocuous, if ya buy name brand stuff (not cheap stuff).
My wife can not get up our steep driveway on a regular bike, so she recently got an e-assist one and it has pannier bags for the store, and ya get a little exercise in too (you dial in the assist ya want or not).
Granted, short runs of miles, not for very rural folks to get to town.
Seconded! E-assist bikes are becoming ever more popular.
The US Forest Service still classifies them as motorized vehicles. But enforcement is lax, and exceptions are appearing.
One fedgov employee I know just bought herself one and went for a joyride on the trails. Upon returning home without getting caught, she gave herself ‘a stern talking-to.’ 🙂
Might need a spanking also. Just saying.
Consider a small bike for the Trump caused gasoline and diesel fuel apocalypse. Eric likes the big road hogs, I have to ask why. Why the hell do you want a motorcycle which weighs as much as a car and has an engine bigger than a Geo Metro?
I talked to a guy touring yesterday, he was riding an older Harley Road King, he told me it was 1500 cc. Holy shit batman. My Geo was 1000 cc. I asked about the fuel economy, he said he sometimes gets 45 mpg. My 8th gen Civic can get that.
A few days ago I was in central Idaho riding a Honda XT150L, which gets incredible mpg. As a general rule, if you ride 100 miles you will have burned 1 gallon. I typically get around 108 miles to the gallon. It has 3.4 gallon tank – which is really big for that kind of mpg for a motorcycle. It also has the old style odometer, you spin it to reset and it has a carburetor.
It is not super fast. The fastest I could get it going was down hill was 65mph. On the flat, the cruising speed is around 45mph. Cruising dirt forest service roads you rarely go over 30mph. For a bike to go highway speeds you need at least 250cc. To cruise all day at 75mph you need Eric’s 650 or bigger.
I think fuel injection is better, the computer theoretically can be more efficient at all temperatures and elevations. Almost all modern bikes (like cars) are fuel injected. They are reliable and easy to start. They have one injector, bolted to the bottom of the tank. To repair, you remove the tank. Easy to do since a motorcycle gas tank is usually held on with only a few small bolts. One nice thing about motorcycles is how all the parts are easy accessible to the mechanic.
One big difference is how quiet a 150cc Honda motorbike is. Like I mean really quiet – and I like that as I tool around the mountain roads. The other, compared to the Harley hog is the bike is very light, 289 lbs. I wish it was 250 lbs or even lighter. The XR could be much lighter if they used alloy frame and wheels. It is made of all steel, easy to weld, but not super light.
I think gasoline motorbikes are going to be a thing of the past for most riders soon. Electric mountain bicycles and electric motorcycles are really coming of age. They are everywhere and they have huge advantages. First of all, they are very light compared to a gasoline motor bike. 70 lbs vs 300 lbs.
The bicycle, any bicycle, has a huge advantage in that a bicycle can be flipped over and wheel removed EASILY. You can not flip a motorcycle over – the gas will leak out of the tank. This means fixing a bicycle tire is inherently easy built into the design. Any bicycle can easily have the wheel repaired. That is important when you are way back in the woods, miles from any power pole or phone service.
———–
AI Mode Conversation: what is the weight of a typical 29″ electric mountain bicycle
A typical 29″ electric mountain bike (eMTB) weighs between 45 and 60 pounds (20 to 27 kg).
———–
Fixing a flat tire on a motorcycle can be a problem, if not impossible in the field. Better have a good plan and a tire plug kit and tire sealant. One of my sons rode the Argentina spine last year on a Honda 300l, he got flats, he used a plug kit and slime. He had replaced the factory tires with more expensive tubeless tires.
With an electric mountain bicycle, with the 29er fattie wheels, you can tell Trump and his damn evil war for Israel to go to hell. We should not be victims of the Orange evil bastard. We should take positive actions to improve our survivability – and prosper why the hell demons run our society into the ground. Trump is a damn evil liar – who promised better times and only delivered more evil, more destruction, and pure wickedness so Jews could be Jews.
I think everyday that President Trump might actually cause a bigger and greater depression with his obsession with attacking Iran. I call our “president” Orange MIGAturd because he is the most grotesque Israeli firster pretending to be our president. He is working as an agent of a foreign state. Like previous POTUSes, who are really satraps of the Rothschild’s central banking empire, Trump is our president in name only.
i HAVE TO SAY, I HONESTLY WANT DONALD JOHN TRUMP DEAD. TO HELL WITH HIM, TO HELL WITH HIS WAR, TO HELL WITH HIS BIG MOUTH, BIG EGO, HIS SLAVISH DISGUSTING WHORING TO ISRAEL. TO HELL WITH ALL HIS STAFF, TO HELL WITH ISRAEL. I ACTUALLY HOPE RUSSIA AND IRAN PUT AN END TO THE TRUMP REGIME AND EVERYTHING THEY STAND FOR.
How this ends is anyone’s guess, but it seems to me Trump is taking our nation into a very bad place. He needs to be removed ASAP, with prejudice, by any means.
Hi Jack,
My ’83 Honda’s a 650; it’s powerful enough to easily achieve and maintain highway speeds while still getting 60 MPG. I know a 250 cc bike will get 90-100 MPG or even more, but a 250 is only just barely capable of achieving and maintaining highway speeds (70-75). It takes nearly everything it’s got, with no reserve margin to speak of. Smaller cc bikes are great for knocking around the back/secondary roads, though.
Those older Honda cruising bikes are fantastic, I owned a 350 version back in college. Honda builds quality and the most reliable bikes, and they built a lot of them. Anyone can buy a carb version for bargain prices. Basically fuel injection was such a big improvement, all the carburetor models are essentially obsolete. Now, e-motos are seriously challenging dirt bike supremacy.
The consumer is drowning is so many used bike and models. It is absolutely incredible how many motobikes are available right now, a guy could fill a barn with dozens for a few thousand dollars.
Kids are choosing the new tech electric motorized vehicles, from electric skateboards, to single mono-wheels, and there is a tsunami of e-bikes, so many choices on Amazon my head spins.
Basically, as far as I can tell, an electric powered bicycle is a good choice for many urban commuters. You don’t have to pedal, but you can pedal. Parking is given preferential treatment (like in Portland Oregon). Cost to commute is nil. Cost to register is zero. Because of the huge difference in capital and operating cost, it seems the gasoline apocalypse is going to result in a huge shift in our culture to a whole new way of life.
Decades ago, my sister in Corvallis Or road her touring bicycle everyday to Hewlett Packard. The local public school was a bicycle mecca. Hundreds, if not thousands of children, ride their bikes to school all year long. The west is leading the way toward a bright new future as old school Trump drives the nation into ruin.
Lots of new regulations here and coming for E-bicycles/motorcyles/scooters.
The one’s that are causing the most urban issues are the one’s that you don’t have to pedal. Agree, it is changing how people get around and play and cause trouble in urban areas (because to most population and congestion).
But as usual, the city type lawmakers don’t get it right and lump these into categories that don’t always line up.
In my suburban area, the regs are insane and I refuse to participate. I’ll take the fine if caught. In my rural area there are decent regs, but no need to participate.
These e-bikes are also causing many issues in off-road trail systems. Allow, don’t allow, hard to understand regs, etc…. and the masses with camera’s are going bizerk.
“ I talked to a guy touring yesterday, he was riding an older Harley Road King, he told me it was 1500 cc “
‘18 Road King-er here. 1750 CC (same as my ‘69 Alfa Romeo) 50 ish MPG, the 4 valve heads way more efficient than prior designs.
REMEMBER: Vespa scooter “I get 120 MPG”. Harley Road King “I get laid.” (Truth, buddy on his Harley got propositioned by the cutie clerk half his age at the gas station mini mart – “Temping, sorry sweetie I’m married”. Cutie: “Your wife isn’t invited”)
In all seriousness, at age 71 a more nimble lighter scooter is getting interesting. Norton or Triumph 650ish? What does piss me off is pearl clutching friends of the wife “He’s not still riding that motorcycle is he?” And to my face even the guys “oh, you’re still riding? @#$*# I’m not dead yet, Jeebus.
The one Honda sour note was the crank shaft in early ‘70s 450 twin cyl. motors. It was roller bearings on crank surface. Many would “eat” a crank journal, including mine 700 miles from home. Got the bike home via friends pickup that was along on the group ride. My first foray into a total motor tear down, Clymer manual in hand, me age 18, 1973. The local Honda dealer quoted $160 for the crank kit. I hummed and hawed but they already ordered it knowing I’d be back.
The beauty of Honda design/build is logical layouts and the manufacturing perfection. Me, taking my time and cleaning everything correctly was able to reassemble the 450 motor with no issues. I enjoyed 7 more years of zero issues riding that bike. No weird noises, ran perfect, no leaks. The Honda 5 speed transmission was far superior to the two subsequent Yamahas (750 triple 4 stroke, 1000 twin Virago). Both Yamahas refused clean shifts 1-2 in the triple, 2-3 in the Virago. POS trans.
The 450 failure convinced me to ONLY use the oil weight specified. Many of us were taught “thicker is better” for motor oil, especially air cooled engines. No more 20w50 Casterol. After the rebuild only 10W40 Valvoline, the grade stamped on the dipstick.
Good story, Sparkey!
Also, re the oil: The GL650 prefers conventional (non-synthetic) 10w-40. Use synthetic (especially a lighter viscosity) and expect the starter clutch to protest… .
Yes I remember your story re: starter clutch. Frankly, modern conventional oils are so much better than old days! Regular changes & all is good.
But speaking of NON regular changes lawn tractor is 26 years old, hot dusty mowing season it gets conventional 10W30 and a change every other year & still only slight use between changes runs dandy. V Twin Briggs many grouse about mines been bullet proof.
haha… RE: clymer manual. I did the same doing a complete engine rebuild on a CT70, when I was 12………. I couldn’t get the transmission to shift………. apart/together………. until I figured out it was one set of engagement dogs with springs that were preventing it from shifting. I saw the wear marks and the manual showed them going in backwards.
I called the manual company and told them. An engineer got on the line and said “OMG, you’re right!” “wait, how old did you say you are”?”
i felt sorry for the other book holders. How did you fix an error like that pre-internet?
Oh yes the transmission! Wow good on you figuring that out!
My rebuild bench was the ping pong table in the basement. The transmission worried me, so I carefully split the case & VERY carefully took the two gear sets/shaft assemblies & set them east west well away from where I was working. “Remember Sparkey the engine end of the case was facing south when you took the trans guts out”. All went well on reassembly & thankfully I never dropped any trans parts during all this.
Finally got the Sportster out this week, rode her 50 miles to town and filled with fresh 91. Rode her 50 miles back and then 10 miles to the nearest gas station, topped up with ONE Gallon of 91. And it felt good.
Oddly enough, even my little “chick bike/fag bike” hugger makes potato potato sounds, feels good, and I notice women turning their heads at the sound. I find the whole experience pleasurable. And in the 5 years I’ve had it all I’ve done is change oil and pressure wash it.
I rode a sportie for 30-some years. It was fun just to go goof around on a pretty day. The fat boys & gliders were a) too big for me and b) not worth the $$$ for a weekend warrior.
The silverwiing is a great all around bike for that. I thought the same and while I have other bikes, I just picked up a ‘beater’ Yamaha tw200. They are pricy used, but also can be resold for the same price. I would recommend for hard times.
Been riding for almost 20 years now and I’ll say coming back to the bike I first did a safety course on has been great. Weather doesnt matter, roads dont matter, dropping it doesnt matter, it apparently can operate like a lawnmower with a dead battery and get you home, and gets 70-80mpg. Plus a 400lb cargo capacity but light enough to be carried on a tow hitch carrier on a SUV. Main drawback is its slow. It CAN go about 70, but that’s like running at redline. 55-60 tops is cruising speed. But for most stuff it just works.
The TW200 has a cult following and still carbureted.
There’s clubs that ride them.
Putting out a fire with gasoline:
‘EU member states have authorized Operation Atalanta, the union’s counter-piracy naval mission off the Horn of Africa, to begin conducting flag-verification boardings of vessels suspected of belonging to Russia’s shadow fleet in the western Indian Ocean, DefenseNews reported. The decision, announced this week by EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas, extends to Atalanta a power already exercised by the EU’s Mediterranean mission, Operation Irini.
‘Kallas made the announcement alongside news that Irini forces had boarded the sanctioned oil tanker MV South Star on July 20, acting on suspicion that the vessel was sailing under a false flag. “Every illicit voyage helps sustain Russia’s war machine. We are matching our sanctions with action at sea,” Kallas said, adding that the Atalanta authorization “further tightens the net.”’
https://www.zerohedge.com/geopolitical/eu-launching-mission-board-russian-shadow-fleet-tankers-indian-ocean
Eurotards can rant all they want about Russia’s war machine. ‘Joe Biden,’ the titular head of our NATO war machine, crippled Europe when he LIHOP’d or MIHOP’d the sabotage of Nordstream 2 pipeline on 26 Sep 2022. Now, apparently, Europe wants to ‘share the pain’ of lost Russian energy supplies with the rest of the world, at the worst possible moment.
Both the EU and the US, with its insane embargo of Hormuz oil shipments, are pirate regimes. They are ripe for overthrow, as axiomatic enemies of the people.
Blowing up the Nordstream pipeline was to break up Germany-Russia alliance that was developing which would weaken German ties to NATO and European Union and throw balance of power in Europe to Russia.
Ukraine is also attacking Russian tankers. ” The General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine reports that the defence forces struck a tanker, a pontoon bridge and other Russian military targets on the night of 22-23 July. ”
WIKI: “Ukraine has conducted maritime operations against Russian forces since the 2022 invasion. However, 2025 marked a dramatic shift in scale and geographic scope…According to a report by The Atlantic, citing U.S. and Ukrainian officials, the Trump administration did not object to the Ukrainian strikes on the “shadow fleet”, and approved assistance for the strikes, with the US considering the strikes an “important tool” to put pressure on the Kremlin to negotiate peace. The publication details that Donald Trump did not object to attacks on Russian oil logistics in international waters and, in several instances, approved sharing intelligence with Kyiv. This intelligence was subsequently used to target Russian oil infrastructure….
“Starting from 6 July 2026, the Unmanned Systems Forces of Ukraine carried out multi-day operation, referred to as “Operation MoLoChKa” on Russian shadow fleet ships in the Sea of Azov, with over 100 vessels hit.[33][34][35][36][37] On 15 July 2026, Robert Brovdi said that the Sea of Azov chapter of the operation had extended to the Black Sea”
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ukrainian_attacks_on_the_Russian_shadow_fleet
I regularly use my bike to pick up groceries and to go to yard sales when I’m riding. Sometimes I have to go back with my car to get larger items I purchased like a hot water tank or generator I purchased. Either way a lot of your smaller purchases can be done more efficiently with a smaller bike. I’m not sure if the 117 cubic inch HD Deadwood would be practical for that sort of thing though. Either way you have more fun on a bike.
‘You may be contemplating how you’re going to get around.’ — eric
Indeed I am. An FT article describes a US fuel supply system that’s straining at its limits: refineries running at an incredible 96% capacity. This is great for refiners’ profits, until something breaks or a ‘mysterious fire’ occurs. Then suddenly we’ve got shortages.
But also, consider the plight of the Strategic Petroleum Reserve and the oil delivery hub at Cushing, Oklahoma:
‘Washington has released about 77 per cent of the 172 million barrels from the SPR that it pledged in March. The SPR, held in salt caverns in Texas and Louisiana, has fallen to 311 million barrels, its lowest level since 1983. Its operational minimum is estimated at 180 to 200 million barrels, according to industry analysts.
‘Meanwhile, inventories at America’s largest commercial storage complex in Cushing, Oklahoma, have hovered at around 20mn barrels since the end of June, a level near its operational minimum.’
https://archive.is/tfPn7#selection-1913.0-1913.189
It would be easy and facile to close with a verse from Jackson Browne’s Running on Empty (1977 — after Oil Shock I). But let’s keep it upbeat, eh?
I get around
From town to town
I’m a real cool head
I’m makin’ real good bread
Oh, I get around
— Beach Boys, I Get Around (1964)
As a friend once said of his wife: “Built for comfort, not for speed.”
One word, RK: semaglutides.