here's another interesting fact... depending on the motorcycle... it may not be as cost effective as some think too. It may save on gas but... when you add up maintenance costs and tires... sometimes they are not that cheap to ride.
For instance... I do own a motorcycle that gets 45 mpg. Last week... I figured out the cost of driving it per mile vs. my Ford Escape and surprisingly the cost per mile was a couple cents difference. Reason... my bike is a sportbike with lots of torque and engine braking... what this equates to is low mileage out of most tires.
I get 3500-4500 out of a rear tire on the motorcycle. Tires cost me $150 each on bike mounted. All 4 tires on the truck cost me same basically when mounted. Truck tires (for me) last about 30,000 miles because I drive 90% in city which is all turning and stop and go plus I don't spend extra for the higher mileage tires.
So even though my truck eats more gas... I get more miles between tire replacement and brake replacement. When I did the math... the difference in cost per mile was so little that really... traveling in either one is about the same cost... though I enjoy the motorcycle more (when the weather is nice at least).
Now... I was talking to a Harley rider with a HUGE truck that got like 14 miles per gallon and his Harley rides on very hard tires that last probably about 10,000 miles or so. It is more feasible for him to save money riding his Harley vs. his big truck.
STM... got semi trucks (tractor and trailer) on your roads? On our highways, these large trucks outnumber even SUV's and are often involved in accidents. Ain't nothing gonna stop one of those babies... still at risk even in biggest SUV or non-commercial truck made, but... I too no wish to ride in the smallest vehicle on the road... I compromise with the Escape ;-)
See... there's just no clearly defined solution for efficient and safe travel it seems... at least with our current offerings
