Total Motorcycle Community Forums

bennettoid wrote:

9000white wrote:Bush had to take a 5 week vacation to count all the kickback money he will get from the oil companies.

Are you the same guy that said the Iraq war was just for oil? If that was true then why is the price going up?

Bush gets trashed no matter what.

well your beloved president said that american troops would be all gone by this time and the Iraq oil would be flowing to the world and each Iraqi citizen would benefit from this.worked out really well didnt it.

One of the reasons for higher gas prices in the states is because the oil companies shut down many of the refineries in recent years. At this point, all of the refineries are at max output. So, have one refinery shut down, even for a few hours, and they raise the prices. There used to be 6 refineries in my area of Northwestern Pennsylvania. There is only 1 left. Our gas prices are around $2.519 today. But, they seem to go up about a $0.05 each week. Getting a bit expensive to fill up my pickup. Time for a fuel efficient motorcyle! (At least, that's what I'm telling everyone what the reason is... )

Those of you that think politicians control the world oil market are kidding yourselves. When it comes to oil on this planet, supply and demand rules. Right now worldwide demand is going up, and with continued economic development in China and asia in general, it will keep going up for the forseeable future. We are now competing directly with all of these other demanders for a limited supply of oil.

Anybody remember about 6 or 7 years ago, when you couldn't give away a barrel of oil? Suppliers were pumping it out, but demand wasn't there. No politician in the world could have done anything about that either.

Oh, don't bother to mention China, dude, they only have like a billion or so people. What impact could their recent economic upturn have on fuel prices?

To be sure, China is very thirsty for oil. Their growing need is being filled by taking from the rest of the world, increasing demand, and with that, prices. Not only that, but US consumption has actually INCREASED with the higher prices. Virtually NOBODY has made a demonstrably significant effort to curb usage. Approximately 50% of the vehicles I see on the streets and hiways are motorhomes of 35 feet or more, mostly pulling other vehicles. The other day I saw a 40' one pulling a Hummer. Besides the motorhomes, big one-ton pickups pulling fifth-wheel trailers are a hot item, too. There is no incentive whatsoever to reduce gas prices. Generally, Americans at least, will do whatever is convenient and feels good, break out the plastic, never mind if the gas bill for driving the motorhome to Florida is $3000. What the heck, we gotta have fun, right?

Hey, its no suprise that when oil was around $30 a BBL that people started driving their gas guzzlers again. The two coincided so nicely that we are now seeing the effects. When oil was around $10 a BBl people were still smarting from the oil embargo they so vividly remembered. They bought economical cars even though gas was around a dollar. You could fill your tank for $10; now it costs $30 for the same vehicle. We were in a recession. How soon we forget.

Watch out this Xmas when people are already overextended on credit they've used at the pump. We'll see a lackluster showing at the megamall this year.

Hell, sure China is a factor. Not as big as they will be at some point. What do they pay for a gallon of petrol? Hmm? If it's anything like we pay or even more its probably a day's wages. They ride small cc motorcycles and pedal bicycles. In contrast I would hazard a guess that there is a motorvehicle of some sort for every man, woman and child in the USA. I bet only Austraillia comes close to that. Couple it with unnecessary and overly large SUV's we've got a real problem.

We have to change our attitude. Of course nobody is willing to give up theirs... I just have to have this two ton truck to hold this babyseat safely while I talk on my cell phone. Seriously.

I thank God every day that I have a motorcycle.

I actually have 4 vehicles in my family. Two bikes, a pickup and a station wagon. But the cars get 25 or better and the bikes 40 and 65. I actually use very little gas though. I live about 80 feet from work so the only time I drive is for pleasure. So, the current gas woes don't affect me (directly) as much as they do others. If the supply woes continue, and I think they will, it will eventually force people to live close to where they work or work close to where they live. I don't think that's necessarily a bad thing. Either way I think the short-term problems are overblown. No one ever adjusts for inflation when they cite the scary numbers. We just got used to gas being about $1.25 for what seemed forever. After adjusting for inflation the current figures aren't that out of whack. Things change and affect the way we live. We have to react to those changes. Things could unfold that would force us to drive less of a distance to get to work or to play. Things could unfold that would force us to be more efficient. It need not be the end of the world. Post-Industrial society has undergone many changes... we mechanized assembly, we turned the farms over to machines, we moved from the country to the city, we allowed women to vote, we ditched the gold standard, etc. ad nauseum. All of these things according to many were the 'end of society as we know it'. Not the end, just the beginning of another phase. Walking a little more would be good for all of us. Actually having to consider whether or not it would be a good idea to seek alternate transport or public transport or skip the trip altogether or get a more fuel efficient vehicle is not going to kill any of us. We've just become used to fuel cost not being a big part of the equation. It's getting to be part of the equation and it's going to be moreso in the future, so get used to it. Oil is plentiful. It is not infinite. No number of wars or refineries or subsidies can ever change that fact.

I've had my truck ('05 Colorado) since June 8th, so a little over three months now, and I already have over 6200 miles on the odometer. I have also managed to put over 6500 miles on my bike since I took it out of deep freeze this past March. Gas prices are just like inflation...everyone buys gas, so everyone is effected...hence nobody curbs their spending on it since everyone is feeling the same pinch. With current prices, I just spent $49.00 to fill my truck up yesterday (granted it was with premium since this 90-degree weather makes it ping on 87), but it didn't anger me or even phase me. I need gas, and I'm not about to sit at home on my arse just to save money on the stuff, so I'll keep buying it no matter how high it gets.

No worries.

Yep, it's still plentiful and reasonably inexpensive. But you can damn well bet that when someone has to work an hour to afford to get home and back the next day, people will be considering gas a good bit more than they do now. It all depends how much you make, but I guarantee you there's plenty of folks right now who are reconsidering their 30 minute drives to an $8/hour job. They might be considering public transport, they might be considering a more fuel efficient vehicle. They might be considering a job closer to home. All I'm saying is that people will start to make big changes in their lives which are directly related to fuel costs as they are effected by the rising prices. It hasn't hit you yet but that doesn't mean that it couldn't. Would it affect you at double the price? Triple?

eugeart wrote:Hell, sure China is a factor. Not as big as they will be at some point. What do they pay for a gallon of petrol? Hmm? If it's anything like we pay or even more its probably a day's wages. They ride small cc motorcycles and pedal bicycles.

The days where most Chinese used little or no oil in their daily lives are long gone. China is growing a middle class that drives cars and uses a lot of electricity to run their newly purchased gadgets. With a population of 1.3 billion (today), that middle class will eventually dwarf the U.S. economy.

Passenger car sales in China increase roughly 50% every year (like clockwork for the past several years). Recently, annual domestic vehicle sales topped 5 million / yr. and production is increasing as fast as they can build factories.