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Thought 4 - The Practical Motorcycle

Is a motorcycle a fuel efficient mode of transportation or merely a weekend warriors way to escape the bounds of reality on an endless ride? Since having procured a motorcycle recently it occurred to me an odd an peculiar observation, that many people consider a motorcycle in the realm of the classic bikers from "Easy Rider" or that bikers go on long rides just to ride their steel horses. However, this ideal is in conflict with concept of a fuel efficient mode of transportation. Instead of a motorcycle a scooter or moped appear in the minds of people wanting an efficient mode of transportation.

Ok, I think I need to take a micro break out to add some history about myself. I have been riding my bicycle to places as a way to get errands done since I was 6, been riding said bicycle as a method of transport since Jr. High. And after a car accident left me without a vehicle, went for 3 years with little need for car, riding the bicycle in 100 degree blistering heat, and freezing ice rain. Only truly needing a vehicle when going to the airport or when the bike was beyond my level repairing. This did lead to some rather interesting behaviors from friends, who just did not understand that I had learned to adapt to no longer needing a car.

Anyway want does bike riding have to do with bike riding? Well it's roughly the same principle of confusion. Why get a scooter or small motorcycle, if you cannot enjoy the ride? And why get an overpowered beast that is driven for the sake of showing how loud it can be. Both extremes certainly have the reasoning, but in the case of the distances and usefulness of a scooter, I might as well ride my bicycle. And if I wanted an overpowered loud beast just to get the wind in my hair, I would get a convertible sports car. Because of these cases I find myself in the bizarre middle ground of the practical motorcycle. A motorcycle that save gas while making long trips and commutes to work, but strong enough to provide the enjoyment of the power that a steel horse can bring.

In any case I think that going riding for seems a bit like a betrayal of one of the reasons to get a motorcycle, fuel efficiency. However, I cannot deny the desire to find an excuse to ride great distances. I guess that is just the duality of man.

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