Do officials frown upon recommending motorcycles as fuel saving vehicles?

Question

I always hear or read about advice or programs to recommend that people buy a more fuel-economic car, start car-pooling, use mass transit, and even bicycle to work.

What I don't see much is the recommendation that people should consider a motorcycle or scooter

Even though it is shown that motorcycles have become more popular for their fuel savings, I don't see much praise of their use by the government or anyone who is trying to get people to save gasoline.

Could this be because they see motorcycles as too dangerous to recommend as an everyday commuter even though they can get more than twice the gas mileage of many cars and trucks?

Answer 1

I think you hit the nail on the head...

Cagers are cagers, and they don't do so well on 2 wheels without their cages...

Answer 2

a) Yup, it's dangerous, and if someone dies, the government doesn't want to be the one to blame.

b) Motorcycles and scooters put out more pollution than cars.  Apparently, a lot more.  Los Angeles Times says 10 times as much.

Answer 3

Check most of the bike shops in your hood, nothing for sale under 1000cc

seems someone has bought them all up

Answer 4

I noticed the same thing...I am a motorcycle rider and get 40+ miles in town and I have an 1800cc bike.  Many of the smaller ones get 60+ mpg.  I have definately seen more on the road over the past few months and hope the trend continues.

As for why they are not suggesting it as an alternative I believe it may have to do with the additional coordination and licensing that may be required before you can ride in most places, where a different car would not require this.

Answer 5

There have been alot of good answers on this point, but I would like to bring up a couple of points that have not been mentioned.

Most people do other things in a car that you can't do on a bike. (i.e. get groceries, take kids places, pick up a dresser, you get the point)  Not all people just drive to work and home.  Also you need to remember that most places only offer 4-5 months of riding weather to make buying a bike practical.  $150 bike payment, plus insurance, plus upkeep, plus registration, all add up to a price that consumers would rather spend putting gas in the tank.  This is why the government hasn't said "Go buy a bike and save on GAS"

Besides, I hate to think of all the people who ride just to save money.  Riding is meant to mean something to the rider not the wallet, it would be a shame to lose that due to someone wanting to save money.  Think of why the Motorcycle has been what it has for the last 40 years, and look at where it is headed.  It's a bleak future!

Answer 6

I think your partially right about motorcycles being dangerous, another thing maybe is that even though motorcycles are very economical compared to a car, they really have bad fuel economy when you consider how much they weigh .  In other words motorcycles are not designed to be fuel efficient.  On the other hand I think buying a motorcycle to save on fuel is a good idea.

Answer 7

Motorcycles are not politically correct in some ways.  Therefore officials shy away from them.

Answer 8

IMHO people are scared to TRY to ride. I just recently got my wife to agree to try again after some 30 years. We are currently looking for a 250 or so for here because she is so small. I think most people are afraid of hitting the ground (and with good reason) and many are just afraid of not having the false security a cage gives them. As far as emissions? They MAY be worse in that department but recent engineering changes have helped that. Japanese automobiles didn't need the things American cars did to meet emission standards in the early to late 70s and STILL outperform the American cars today. That is why they were (and still are to a point) cheaper to purchase. Maybe another reason a Harley is more expensive than Honda? That plus American labor costs.

Answer 9

Ever notice that the only times politicians consider motorcyclists at all is when they fight with us?

Answer 10

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