The Advantages to Owning a Motorcycle
Owning and riding a motorcycle is a thrilling and fun experience for those enjoy travelling the road on two wheels. While riding a motorcycle can be a fun way of getting around compared to taking a car, it presents distinct disadvantages and advantages compared to using a car as you everyday vehicle.
Being a part of a Community
Owning a bike gives you a different kind of membership of a ‘club’ than that of a car owner-whilst there are countless car clubs out there, the social aspect of biking is a different ball game, and has its own ins, outs and quirks-something a petrolhead would be well advised to check out at least once.
The Cost of Vehicles
While there are various conflicting statistics on the subject, in general a motorcycle costs approximately half of a car of equivalent age to maintain. You can use websites such as Lexmoto and other online classifieds to find a bike dealership with fair pricing, whether you decide to purchase a brand new model or quality used motorcycle.
Improved Fuel Efficiency
Motorcycles can offer drastically improved fuel economy and efficiency over a car. A mid-sized motorcycle will typically burn approximately 35 to 60mpg, depending on the size and weight of the bike. With gas prices going up, this is one pleasant benefit to riding a motorcycle which a lot of people don't realize.
Insurance
The majority of concerned mothers will baulk when their hear their child has a bought a motorcycle, since they imagine getting a call from an emergency room one day. While younger or inexperienced riders will of course be required to pay higher premiums initially, those who cultivate a good record can escape get by paying a lower amount in insurance for their motorcycle every year.
Parking
A small issue, but an importunate one nonetheless. How many times have you driven somewhere in a car only to find that parking is a nightmare?
Riding a motorcycle you can generally always find an ‘available space' even if where you park it isn't a parking lot. It is a bit easier to locate parking due to the smaller size and maneuverability of bikes. As long as you can find something sturdy to fix it to if you prefer and a it is safe place you shouldn’t have to worry about anything. security advice at the same time.
Disadvantages to owning a Motorcycle
Obviously, there are some disadvantages to owning a motorcycle, which you’d be wise to consider if you are thinking of getting a motorcycle or motorcycle license.
Safety
We might as well get it out of the way-riding a motorcycle is simply going to be more dangerous than driving in a car, even one with an imperfect safety rating. Aside from being smaller and much harder to see than a car, you’ve got no protection at all from impacts and will inevitably be sent flying from the bike in the event of a crash. Bikes are harder to control to learn how to control due to the 2-wheel configuration. You need to be able to balance well or you run the risk of falling and injuring yourself. This is especially an issue in tight turns.
In order to be safe, make sure that you use predictive thinking as much as possible, buy good quality leathers and a decent helmet, and only ride within the limits of your ability-it’s easy to get carried away and ride dangerously fast.
Limited usage?
Even supercars tend to have more storage space than motorbikes, which begs the question of how practical they can be for anything requiring you to lug a lot of stuff around. Not much of a problem if it’s an average day at the office or you’re out for a morning ride with the guys, but if you and a passenger are going out for the day is there really going to be room for all of your accouterments on the bike? Even with aftermaket storage compartments?
The Weather
When you’re in a car, the windows, chassis and the roof protect you from the elements-not so when you’re on a bike… not so much. Riding a bike in rain or with snow on the ground makes it about 100 times less safe than normal. Other drivers are less likely to see you and your traction on 2-wheels is going to be a lot worse.
The Last Word
While some avid motorcycle enthusiasts might argue that the benefits of owning a motorbike outweigh the disadvantages, they still will never provide as much safety and practicality as a simple economy car. However, riding on a motorcycle is one of the best ways to travel the open countryside and enjoy the beauty of a specific region or landscape in ways you could never in a car. You get to see things in a totally new way and feel a deeper connection with the road. Even if some might not think it is practical, riding a motorcycle is a whole lot of fun.
