Q&A: Should a motorcycle be your major source of transportation?
Question by MKG: Should a motorcycle be your major source of transportation?
Is it a good idea to have only a motorcycle as transportation? With all the different weather conditions, what are the pros and cons?
Best answer:
Answer by hello
b/c of a wide range of weather, no. the only place i’d drive one for my only weather is if i lived in the american southwest, and then only if i did not live in the mountains. down in the low lands they get little rain and it rarely gets truly cold so you could run one year round.
in the rest of the country, even the south, they get enough rain to make it difficult and even dangerous to ride at times. in the parts of the country where snow is an annual event, riding year round could be termed suicidal.
What do you think? Answer below!
The only pro is the gas mileage. With weather factors, need to carry large items from time to time and the down right inevitability of losing your life when (not if) the day comes that your luck runs out and a car tags you, everything other than MPG is a con.
when i lived in the northeast i rode year round and would not want to do that again. i live on the west coast now and won’t even ride in the rain if i can avoid it. being cold and wet can be very dangerous. avoid relying on a motorcycle if you can, you don’t want to be on that inevitable cold, wet, dark ride wondering if you’ll make it home.
yes.
I ride whenever possible.
It can be your major source.
You may need a minor source too.
I drive my Cage when I have to take
more than two people some where or
haul too much to be safe on a bike. ( like my bass boat ).
My best friend never owned a car. She used her motorcycle year round, and she lived in PA, where the winters can be cold and snowy/icy. Rain-well riding in rain is up to the individual, I don’t mind it, and most serious riders don’t, but special precautions do have to be taken. As for hot Dry weather, again you need to guard against dehydration, so a Camelback unit works well. As for the cold-well if it was me, and I am over 50 and have some health issues, I use a heated suit for cold weather riding. I wear it under my jacket and chaps. I always use a full face helmet when traveling on interstates, and use a shorty helmet when it is just too stinking hot for anything else. I always wear gloves and a jacket and some type of pants. I never wear open toed shoes when riding no matter how hot it gets.
A motorcycle can be a great way to get around provided you use common sense.
NO!!!!! Trust me I tried that… it SUCKS. I so wish I had spent the 13000 on a car. Less than half the year is optimal for riding… and I live in Florida. They’re toys not primary transportation; you’ll hate it when its rainy, foggy, or cold and the people next to you are nice and warm sipping on their latte in their car. I’m telling you, you’ll hate it.
pros- you can go really fast
cons- everything else… no music,passengers, or mcdonalds to go
Being a former bike rider I can tell you no. Even if you have saddlebags or a backpack there are too many things in our day to day lives that you wont be able to transport.
As for the weather, bike riding is only “fun” in nice weather. In the rain, you are cold and wet. If you don’t have a face shield, rain hurts your face when it hits you in the face at 70mph. If it’s cold, you are even colder when your are moving… and did I mention wet?
Lastly, there will be occasions that you may have to dress up and if you ride any distance or speed, you can have all kinds of nice bugs splatted on you.
Bikes are fun, but not practical.
Wether it should or not is totally up to the individual.
That’s the truth.
You have a bunch of biased opinions above, and I’ll add my own.
I live in New Hampshire, where we get more cold and snow than PA.
I rode my bike two out of the last three winters. My primary reason for not riding this past winter was to please my wife, not the comfort or convenience of driving her car. Money issues were also involved.
That said, I enjoyed my all-weather riding. There are ways to deal with everything, as long as you’re inclined too. I can, and have many times, done the grocery shopping for a family of four, plus cats and dogs. And I don’t squash the bread. Dealing with cold and wet, or hot and dry, just teaches you how to dress. That’s something I learned as a kid, unlike others.
To me, it’s all pros. Including laughing at the cop who couldn’t really control his cruiser with studded tires, while I led the way without a slip.
Riding a motorcycle is a personal choice.
So is when to ride.
My choice is my own.
You have bikers, and those who ride motorcycles.
The latter will tell you no. For them, riding is not as important as their comfort.
The former will tell you yes. For them, the idea of not riding when you can is a concept they do not understand.
Motorcycles are our prime transportation at our house for both me and my wife. Our mini truck gets driven a couple times a month.
That’s what you call avid motorcycling for forty years.
Depends where you live. You’re not riding your bike year round in Maine. That’s just it, man. Some place with a small winter, sure, it can be done. However, it’s very troublesome to go shopping for groceries on a bike. Even a fully dressed one…
That depends on where you live. Here’s the deal.
1: rain sucks, but only if your not dressed for it. Wet roads are dangers on two wheels, cars don’t slip and fall.
2: Snow sucks more than rain.
3: wind sucks, i’ve seen guy’s blown off the road. Crashing on a bike, hurts more than in a car.
4: Transporting stuff, Not as much as a car. But, I can load a lot of stuff on my bike.
5: gas mileage, Way better on a bike.
6: fun, can be just as much fun in a car as on a bike.
7: Girls, like bikes and or hot cars.
8: Maintenance, cost less with a bike.
9: Intangibles, bikes are not toys. But like a car, can be made into one. I can park my bike just about anywhere, can’t do that with a car. If you are a good rider, you are as safe as in a car. The key to safety, is to not get into a accident in the first place. Would you rather ride or drive?
10: Culture, are you a rider or not. Some think of riding as a sport, some do not. If you think that riding is a sport, you just don’t get it and you never will.
The only real con, to a bike is that it’s harder. A car is easy, just get in and drive. If you want to carry something, just throw it in the seat next to you. On a bike you can’t do that.