Well I keep seeing a post pop up about people buying bikes for fuel prices and shouldnt be on a bike.

Got a suzuki dealership (who would have thunk suzuki) that only mentions "gassing up" in their radio ad.


I dont need people riding a motorcycle just to save gas money.

 

There are thousands (maybe millions) of people worldwide who would disagree with you - some can't afford cars, and bikes are the only viable alternative. Others use bikes because there are special lanes for them (Norway) which get you to work faster, and you don't pay toll fees. Others use them to carry goods around as part of their small businesses.
Utopia would be a sportsbike world, but it just ain't so.....

 

I'm talking about people that buy them and have no clue about bikes and dont "learn" how to ride them. They expect them to be just like cars.

 

This sort of thing happens every decade. Petrol prices going up is not new. Wot tends to happen is that those who are not meant to ride, go back to cars or take the bus, then there are those who get hooked, realise their riding a piece of crap & buy something decent. Its the natural order of things as us old bastards drop off the perch, there is a younger lot stepping up to fill the gap.

 

There are plenty of people here (just read the high speed and run from the po-po threads) that have business on a bike but there they are.

I think it's great exposure for bikes in general and welcome the new riders. I *hope* they take the MSF class and have aproper license and insurance but we know how that works. I'll be a good percentage of members still don't have a proper license.

 

There are plenty of people here (just read the high speed and run from the po-po threads) that have ..... business on a bike but there they are. I'm sure there's a 'NO missing there, X ?
Be interesting to take a poll and see just how many unlicensed people are out there......

 

The funny thing, is that I calculated out how much I would save a year if I rode every single day to work (which I don't). I would save about $600 in fuel cost. But this really doesn't account for maintenance, like replacing the tires more frequently or the additional cost of insurance. My bike doesn't offer me a significant savings over my focus. Nor would say, a Hybrid, which costs a lot more and has the negative impact of the battery components (and storage). Sure the batteries come from somewhere else, it still doesn't mean it's good for the environment.

 

The only time it's significantly cheaper is riding the really small bikes up to about 250cc- tyres are cheap and fuel lasts forever.......not much fun compared to a 600 or 1000, but .......at least it's a ride !
+1 Classic and Pacemaker

 

I'm one of the few people I know who actually has a M-class endorsement. Many people I know don't even have legal permits. It's a damn shame.