As we enter 2009, more people than ever are talking about behaving ecomically. From TV news to newspapers to web sites there are a rash of articles about how to save money. Many of these talk about how to save pennies on things electic consumption (changing incandescent to flourescent bulbs) or food (buy raw ingredients rather than partially prepared frozen.) It seems almost everyone is keen to find ways to save money.
When we look at American homes, the biggest cost is clearly housing. Mortgate, insurance, property taxes (or rent) and heating/air conditioning are the biggest cost of practically every household. The second, by a wide margin, is transportation. The cost of automobiles, insurance and fuel far outweigh any other cost – including food – except for a minority of urbanites that avoid owning a car altother. As we saw last year during the oil runup, for most people finding ways to save money on transportation is very high on the list of concerns.
Yet, the easiest ways to save money are largely ignored. We all know from advertisements on TV and public service announcements that mass transit is cheaper and more "green" than personal transportation. Yet, Americans still prefer the flexibility of their own transportation. Even though the fully loaded cost of a car averages between $500 and $800 per month (and can go much higher for pricier autos).
So, why don't more people drive motorcycles? It is easy to find a used motorcycle for $2,000 to $4,000 - especially smaller engined machines that are ideal for commuting. Most motorcycle insurance costs $100 per year, compared to more than $100 per month for most cars. Most motorcycles average 40 miles per gallon, with some exceeding 100 mpg. And their 0 to 60 performance greatly exceeds low cost and low powered autos that seek higher mileage. Even large motorcycles with big engines that easily tour along at 70-80 miles per hour achieve more than 35 mpg and can exceed 50 mpg on highways. There is simply no way to ignore the fact that the cost of owning and operating two-wheeled transportation is less per year than a single month of even a cheap 4-wheeled auto.
If you go outside the USA, motorbikes are prevalent. They are much easier to maneuver in heavy traffic – virtually ignoring traffic jams. And parking costs range from $0 (because there are many places to hide one in an alley, on a side street or even on sidewalks with two-wheeled parking spots) to a mere fraction of an auto – which costs from $40/day to $200/month in most cities. Where gasoline has long cost $4.00/gallon (north of $1.00 per liter in most countries) the benefits of motorcycles has led the rapid growth of riders. In India motorbikes are so prevalent some cities have considered banning them in order to make more room for autos and "raise the community standars" – bans unlikely to pass and even less likely to be enforced.
So why don't Americans buy more motorcycles? Ask your friends and neighbors – and maybe yourself. Odds are, you never considered it. Somewhere in your mind, motorcycles are stuck in a strange land between gangs (the Hells Angels) and those who can't afford a car. When someone asks about riding one, the immediate image is "dangerous" – yet statistics show that motorcycle riders are less than 5% as likely to be in an accident as an auto driver. Motorcyclists are dramatically safer than auto drivers, and that is reflected in the remarkably lower insurance rates. And when motorcycles are involved in accidents, the costs of repair are rarely even 10% of the cost to repair a car.
Americans don't ride motorcycles largely because they never have. America was always a "car" society. The home of Ford, GM and Chrysler, people bought and drove cars. Of course this was augmented by ample oil reserves leading to very low gasoline prices for many years – something not available in most countries. Whereas in Europe and Asia motorcycles led the transportation movement. It was much more common for the first vehicle to be two-wheeled rather than four.
People are talking a lot about how to be economical. But the reality is that most people are locked-in to old practices. They will switch light bulbs so they have more money for gasoline. They will turn down the heat in winter so they can pay for car parking when going into the city or to work. People will try to make small adjustments around the edges of life so they can Defend & Extend the lifestyle to which they are accustomed.
There are lots of opportunities for us to change our lives. We can make big changes that lower the cost of living. But to implement these requires we Disrupt our lives. Until we challenge the status quo, and change our Lock-in to things we've always done, we don't really consider doing things that can make a big difference.
In the meantime, take a look at buying a motorcycle (read more about motorcycle use in America here.) You might be surprised just how economical they are – and how fun! Your fear of leaving your car at home might dissipate if you ever took a ride on a motorized bike. And you'll be surprised just how much money it can put back into your wallet every month. And it will drop your carbon footprint more than anything else you can do – except switch to mass transit.