Total Motorcycle Community Forums

celt wrote:the reason the trend worries me is the fact that we live in such a 'nanny' society nowadays.

therefore, all these noobs getting into it to save a buck that have crashes will most likely have an effect on current laws.

look at all the silly laws we have now to protect idiots from living in the real world....

mark my words - you'll have required helmet laws in every state, required seatbelts, required airbags(the wingers will be OK.. ) and who knows what else the idiot lawmakers who have never even sat on a motorcycle come up with...

I think everyone should wear a helmet but thats my opinion.

roncg41677 wrote:

KingRobb wrote:I think as for gas I have lost money since riding again. You see I never EVER go straight to work when I ride.

Heres to taking the long way to work!!!!

Here in Florida, it's now mandatory to take the MSF course before you can get your endorsement, so even if a lot of people DO get a bike to save on gas money, they'll have to take a safety course (that is, of course, assuming they are all honest law-abiding citizens). Hopefully that will dissuade the more casual would-be riders.

I have seen a LOT more bikes on the road lately where I live. I saw an older gentleman pulling out of a parking space in the Walmart parking lot who CLEARLY had no business on a bike yet, shorts, black socks and all . He slipped the clutch and almost ran into a moving car, grabbed the front brake and shot both legs out like he was free falling. It wasn't pretty.

Here's hoping that all these new riders find the TM forums and get set straight. There is so much help available here.

P.S. I feel kind of naughty slipping into the "Experienced Riders" forum with only ~60 miles under my belt, but I was just snooping and wanted to weigh in . Not sure if this is a faux pas. And NO, I didn't get a bike to save on gas money (even if it is a nice perk).

hehe its ok I only have just shy of 8 thousand miles under my belt in 2 years and im by no means an expert.

roncg41677 wrote:Here in Florida, it's now mandatory to take the MSF course before you can get your endorsement, so even if a lot of people DO get a bike to save on gas money, they'll have to take a safety course (that is, of course, assuming they are all honest law-abiding citizens). Hopefully that will dissuade the more casual would-be riders.

This is a brilliant solution. IMHO, if you're gonna regulate something, regulate training. Ultimately, improving rider skill will have much more of an effect on reducing accidents (and associated injuries) than regulating vehicles or gear.

ofblong wrote:It seems like everyday for the last month or 2 I have seen at least 1 person I know getting a new motorcycle because of the cost of gas. Most of them get bikes like mine that get 60mpg, some think its to whimpy and go with a 1000cc bike that only gets 40mpg and some are smart and get a suziki or honda rebel to get 80mpg.

Looks to me like people would rather buy a motorcycle than a hyrbrid cause $30 grand for a hybrid for most people now adays is a stretch but 3-7 grand for a motorcycle is more feasable. Alot of these people are financing these bikes and very few are paying cash. Has anyone learned from this credit crisis america is in that if you dont have the cash you shouldnt buy it??????? Other than a mortgage I see no reason we should be paying for things with credit except for emergencies. I have been in this credit situation and am getting out of it and thats what I have learned from all this. I havent used credit in almost a year now, thank goodness, and thats credit of any kind like credit cards etc etc etc. Yes I paid cash for my bike.

I have myself noticed more people getting into motorcycling as well over the past few years. Total Motorcycle has a Motorcycle Fuel Economy Guide: http://totalmotorcycle.com/MotorcycleFu ... yGuide.htm now for over 3 years when gas first shot up in price. Since then, it's been very popular (although I do need to update it again).

I see a lot more sales of scooters to new riders and in places where gas is very expensive, like the UK, scooters are extremely popular and rode everywhere. 100mpg on a scooter when gas is $8 gallon (or more) deminishes the "uncool" factor of a small engine size.

The economy and market has really changed for the worse since your post but I agree with your principles of pay cash when possible, get yourself out of debt and think efficiently.

My Suzuki V-Strom 650 gets 60mpg on average and has a 22ltr tank, which takes me everywhere and gas milage is a great thing as that 650cc can go like stink and not use a lot of gas doing it.

As the credit crisis grows, sales of motorcycles will slow, but I feel won't slow as much as car sales do to their cheaper cost, better MPG and cheaper insurance. Currently in North America we see them as a hobby vehicle while the rest of the word sees them as primary transportation.


Mike

Take a look at this new just released Honda 110cc model: http://totalmotorcycle.com/BBS/viewtopic.php?t=31243 it looks like it will replace the Honda Cub. It should get 100mpg...

Do you think it would sell in North America?

Mike

if its sold in north america I bet it will do well.

That's a really good looking scooter, I think it would stand a much better chance than the others on the market.

From the front it's probably hard to even tell exactly what the person is riding (from a non-rider perspective).

totalmotorcycle wrote:Do you think it would sell in North America?

Maybe in real urban centers. But not in suburbia, the distances to travel are too far and the speeds are too high. You can't get anywhere without using a freeway of some sort.

jstark47 wrote:

totalmotorcycle wrote:Do you think it would sell in North America?

Maybe in real urban centers. But not in suburbia, the distances to travel are too far and the speeds are too high. You can't get anywhere without using a freeway of some sort.

the higher end scooters can travel upto 90mph so if this scooter can do that I am sure it wouldnt be an issue.

ofblong wrote:

jstark47 wrote:

totalmotorcycle wrote:Do you think it would sell in North America?

Maybe in real urban centers. But not in suburbia, the distances to travel are too far and the speeds are too high. You can't get anywhere without using a freeway of some sort.

the higher end scooters can travel upto 90mph so if this scooter can do that I am sure it wouldnt be an issue.

If you mean maxi-scooters by "higher end", they are 400-600cc bikes. This is 110cc. Back when my wife and I had a 250cc scooter, a big issue was figuring out how to get places without using the local interstates. The bike could go 65mph, but it had so little left in reserve at that speed it just wasn't safe.

totalmotorcycle wrote:Take a look at this new just released Honda 110cc model: http://totalmotorcycle.com/BBS/viewtopic.php?t=31243 it looks like it will replace the Honda Cub. It should get 100mpg...

Do you think it would sell in North America?

Mike

As a supplement to also having a real bike... Maybe. But by itself, not really. But if it can't go highway speeds it would be no-way at all.

RhadamYgg