Page 12 of 15
motorcycles section
Posted:
Sat 26 Jan 2008, 08:10:22by vampyregirl
Could we maybe have a motorcycles section for members who ride? Just a thought.
Scooter riders laughing all the way to the pump
Posted:
Tue 27 May 2008, 20:46:24by JohnDenver
Scooter riders laughing all the way to the pump by Aaron Ogg | The Grand Rapids Press, Tues May 27, 2008, 12:02 PM:
Jim Klinge, of Grand Rapids, bought a 49cc Wildfire scooter about two weeks ago because of rising gas prices. Klinge's scooter costs about $3 to fill and gets 100 miles to the gallon. Jim Klinge gets plenty of honks as he rides his blue scooter to and from work. But the 49-year-old Grand Rapids man doesn't think motorists are commending him for his fuel-conscious vehicle choice. "Cars don't have any respect for you," Klinge said. "You can be doing the speed limit, and they still come and pass you."
Still, Klinge is willing to deal with a few horn-happy gas guzzlers. He's laughing all the way to the pump. Klinge bought his 49cc Wildfire for $901 from Mill Creek Motors, 3867 West River Drive NE in Plainfield Township. He made the decision about three weeks ago as gasoline neared $4 per gallon.
He gets about 100 miles per gallon and rides it whenever possible, using bungee cords to strap groceries to the back. "I had to do something," he said. "My pickup (truck) was getting like 10 miles or 11 miles per gallon, if that." As the price of gas climbs, many cash-strapped motorists are turning to fuel-stingy motor scooters and smaller motorcycles.
Dealers in West Michigan and across the nation report brisk sales this spring, particularly for those that get 75 to 120 miles per gallon. Dave Marshall, sales manager at Mill Creek Motors, carries only the $901 model. Any color you want, as long as it's yellow, red or blue. He orders about a dozen a week and cannot keep them in stock, he said.
"With the price of gas and the mileage these things get, people are finding out that they can ride them even if it's going to the store," Marshall said. "They pay for themselves."
Link
Re: Scooter riders laughing all the way to the pump
Posted:
Tue 27 May 2008, 20:50:08by joeltrout
I anticipate the amount of moped deaths will rise. Motorcycles are hard enough to see. Mopeds are even harder due to smaller size.
joeltrout
Re: Scooter riders laughing all the way to the pump
Posted:
Tue 27 May 2008, 21:01:14by Impervius
The scooter riders won't be laughing much longer as they see the price of food rising uncontrollably. The public has the mistaken belief that the only effect or rising price of crude is high gas prices.
Re: Scooter riders laughing all the way to the pump
Posted:
Tue 27 May 2008, 21:09:04by jlw61
joeltrout wrote:I anticipate the amount of moped deaths will rise. Motorcycles are hard enough to see. Mopeds are even harder due to smaller size.
joeltrout
That is axiomatic. If there are more mopeds on the street, there will be more moped deaths. However, if the number of mopeds increase significantly, does that not then mean that there are fewer cars on ther road? True, the numbers are not yet significant but should they become significant, then it should in turn reduce the number of deaths.
I've noticed this bias of two wheeled vehicles. I have a motorcycle and a bicycle plus I'm buying an electric bicycle for my wife at her insistance. Am I worried? No, because she and I are careful drivers and we expect the other guy to be out for us even when we're in our two-door gas efficient car. In fact, I feel less safe in that when I'm on the freeway doing 55mph and people are blasting past me at 80mph than on my bicycle doing 15mph and people are blasting past me at 25mph on the city street.
Re: Scooter riders laughing all the way to the pump
Posted:
Tue 27 May 2008, 21:12:04by jlw61
Impervius wrote:The scooter riders won't be laughing much longer as they see the price of food rising uncontrollably. The public has the mistaken belief that the only effect or rising price of crude is high gas prices.
Well, actually, yeah we will. Because instead of spending $35 a week to fill my car I'm spending $5 a week filling my motorcycle and $3 a year oiling my bicycle chains. That leaves a bit of cash left over for extra buttered popcorn.
Re: Scooter riders laughing all the way to the pump
Posted:
Tue 27 May 2008, 21:18:26by 3aidlillahi
True, the numbers are not yet significant but should they become significant, then it should in turn reduce the number of deaths.
It will be interesting to see how the economic dynamics work out. Will it turn out to be roads full of buses and mopeds (90+% so)? Mopeders stand little chance at surviving a car smashing them let alone a bus. But if we get to that point, we'll have a 70-80% reduction in vehicle congestion which would lead to less deaths anyway. Possibly city codes would mandate different lanes for mopeds and smaller vehicles and other lanes for buses and personal vehicles.
Re: Scooter riders laughing all the way to the pump
Posted:
Tue 27 May 2008, 22:02:27by Pops
Hi JD, I was just talking about you to someone or the other.
What brings you back to this Den of Doom?
Re: Scooter riders laughing all the way to the pump
Posted:
Tue 27 May 2008, 22:06:05by frankthetank
My bicycle gets 1000mpg, can easily hit 30mph on flat ground and can go down trails/sidewalks, can blow through stop signs, red lights, and will fit inside the car
I'd take a scooter, but wouldnt spend 2K on one(Honda).
They also don't work in a Wisconsin winter.
Re: Scooter riders laughing all the way to the pump
Posted:
Tue 27 May 2008, 22:35:37by max_in_wa
jlw61 wrote:... she and I are careful drivers and we expect the other guy to be out for us even when we're in our two-door gas efficient car. ....
That's the secret to driving a 2 wheeled conveyance -- treat the road like you have a bullseye painted on you back and are the target in some blood sport.
Everyone in the world seems to think he or she is a great driver. I don't have that illusion precisely because I do ride a lot. I notice that in the dead of winter when I'm driving my car and not my motorcycle, I get much more sloppy than when I'm sticking to two wheels. It's so easy to be distracted by the radio or other controls in a car and very easy to zone out to some degree. By January, I'm sure my car driving sucks.
Re: Scooter riders laughing all the way to the pump
Posted:
Tue 27 May 2008, 23:30:57by kublikhan
If you tried to ride a bike/scooter during some of the bitter winter months we get here, I'd be the one laughing all the way to the pump.
Re: Scooter riders laughing all the way to the pump
Posted:
Tue 27 May 2008, 23:56:57by Heineken
Can't carry much merchandise on a scooter or bike. Just a bag or two of groceries or other stuff in a backpack or saddle bags.
Scooter riders may be laughing on the way to the pump, but they won't be laughing when they receive pink slips because the consumer-driven US economy has collapsed.
Re: Scooter riders laughing all the way to the pump
Posted:
Wed 28 May 2008, 00:21:38by jato
A small displacement scooter will not work in my area. I need to go with the flow of traffic at 60 MPH. Therefore, I will be purchasing a KLR650, which gets 50-60 MPG. I will commute on the KLR.
Re: Scooter riders laughing all the way to the pump
Posted:
Wed 28 May 2008, 00:47:06by SchroedingersCat
Of course, this all comes at a price. Unless you're driving a late-model 4 stroke scooter with emission controls, you are adding more pollution to the world than several SUV's. Even with the higher mileage.
Re: Scooter riders laughing all the way to the pump
Posted:
Wed 28 May 2008, 00:48:58by frankthetank
Where did you go to and is your ass still numb?
In the past few days i've noticed 3 different on road/off road bikes (probably like yours?) driving around. This would be my first choice because of the ruggedness you get with them. You could go flying through backyards on one of them.
Re: Scooter riders laughing all the way to the pump
Posted:
Wed 28 May 2008, 02:04:24by JohnDenver
Heineken wrote:Can't carry much merchandise on a scooter or bike. Just a bag or two of groceries or other stuff in a backpack or saddle bags.
The next bit thing -- cargo scooters and bikes:
[video width=425 height=355]http://www.youtube.com/v/hb5LyN94Vx4&hl=en[/video]
Re: Scooter riders laughing all the way to the pump
Posted:
Wed 28 May 2008, 02:09:33by JohnDenver
Pops wrote::-D
Hi JD, I was just talking about you to someone or the other.
What brings you back to this Den of Doom?
Hi Pops, I hope you said something nice!
Just dropped in to spread the good news to the newbs.
No need to stress out about gas prices -- you can slash a zero off your fuel costs by riding a dorky little scooter. We're saved! Can I have an amen and a hallelujah for the dorky little 100mpg scooter?
Re: Scooter riders laughing all the way to the pump
Posted:
Wed 28 May 2008, 04:19:28by Blacksmith
In my younger years I drove a scooter, great fun but also extremely dangerous. Cars would try to come as close to you as they could.
Re: Scooter riders laughing all the way to the pump
Posted:
Wed 28 May 2008, 09:18:28by Specop_007
No, Jetta drivers are the ones laughing all the way to the bank.
4 wheels, 8 air bags, radio, A/C, heat and a sunroof for when the weather is nice.
Best milage so far?? 65mpg
http://forums.tdiclub.com/showthread.php?t=212102
Yeah, he can keep his cute little scooter.
Re: Scooter riders laughing all the way to the pump
Posted:
Wed 28 May 2008, 09:27:58by vision-master
Hawkcreek wrote:Therefore, I will be purchasing a KLR650, which gets 50-60 MPG. I will commute on the KLR.
Just finished an 800 mile ride on mine last weekend. Ran great and I averaged 49 mpg, driving about a third of that at 70-80 mph.
Lots of fun, and dependable as an old mule.
The new Harley's get 54 mpg.
The BMW 650 (single) get 65 mpg.
Those 125cc scooters get 80 mpg.