Today's leap in oil prices to $138 per barrel is hardly good news for anybody (especially the Dow Jones Industrial average, which reacted with a 400 point drop), but record fuel prices have also drawn unprecedented notice to all things two-wheeled. Motorcycling is becoming a viable option for more cagers than ever before, and the Motorcycle Industry Council claims that scooter sales are up 24% for the first three months of 2008 (compared to last year, which saw the first downturn in motorcycle sales in 14 years.)
We've already inquired into whether you really care about fuel economy, but now I'm curious if you mind sharing the road with riders whose only concerns are maximizing every last mile per gallon. What are your thoughts?
Photo © David McNew / Staff / Getty Images News
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The more bikes on the road the better it is for all bikers.
Government only look at statistics so more bikes = more voters on that form of transport = more mouths to complain.
I like the idea of more two-wheeled vehicles, now if only they would wear some gear. I see people ride scooters with just a helmet and their work uniform (scrubs).
The more the merrier. I wish states would require rider education before permitting. I see people around here with new bikes (scooters and big wheel) that obviously don’t know what they are doing. The news media jumps on a story about motorcycle accidents so safety is a major concern.
Numbers are important for laws and recognition, but riding for $ will only bring more injuries and fatalities which will make biking look worse.
The people that manage cities and their infrastructure still don’t get it – anywhere in North America. We spent a couple weeks in and around London in the summer of 2004. They have it together!
Every 2nd or 2rd city block is reserved exclusively to park bikes & scooters. Cars are chnarged a surtax to be brought in to city limits – bikes are not.
New York, Los Angeles, Toronto…take a hint. There’s no place to park…you can’t move on the streets…
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Does anybody know where that picture was taken? That might be a California plate on the car in the background. The guys on 675.net want to see if they can id the person since he was on national websites this week.
Hi Sloan,
Getty Images indicates the photo was taken in Pasadena, CA on May 30th.
Basem
The only problem I can see are the numties who recon a motorcyles much the same as a push bike,especialy those with an older licence which enables them to by a small cc machine and think they can out ride any other vahicle especially going through city traffic where most junction related RTA’s occur.
Where I live it is a three part effort to get a motorcycle license and many fail the first time, because it’s quite strict. However a scooter under 50 cc can be ridden with a car license. The skills are the same and so these inexperienced people are wending through heavy urban traffic with a gutless, less stable machine. That makes no sense to me.