| Author | Message | ||
     Fltwistygirl |
Hope the simple answer is "I'll just ride more", but suspect that may not be the case. Last two premium fill-ups have been over $4 per gallon and $5 does not seem far off. We are feeling the pinch in a bunch of ways, both good and bad. Growing up in a place where most businesses were either seasonal, government, or contract to contract (union), I will never complain when business is good. Rider training and motorcycle sales are CRAZY busy right now and for that we are grateful. Working six of seven days is not a problem, gotta make hay while the sun shines. However, hubby's restaurant business is anticipated to start slowing down, partially because of the snowbirds flying north, but also because people have less money to spend on luxuries like eating out when they are dumping all their money in the fuel tank. Yin and yang. At the school, we are seeing more riders who are turning to motorcycling strictly as a cost savings measure versus something they are knocking off their bucket list. Most have different motives for taking the class now than when gas prices are lower. As a result, we are seeing more people with less previous experience, less real innate desire to ride, and less hand-eye coordination (think grandma whose only previous 2 wheeled experience was when she rode a bicycle 65 years ago and now decides she wants a scooter to ride to the grocery store/Walgreens to save on gas). Scary to picture some of these people on our roads, especially on 2 wheels instead of in the comparable safety (for them) of a car and yes, quite sad. It is heart breaking to see these people on fixed incomes desperate to learn to ride just to help make ends meet. It’s worse when you have to tell them they don’t have what it takes to be safe on the streets. But better to deal with those tears than read about them in the newspaper later on. Places with limited mass transit, like greater Orlando, suffer. Had FL gotten their act together and gotten light rail YEARS ago, there would be more options for people to get around. Affordably. Efficiently. Perhaps a gripe for another thread.  So, gas prices are up and no relief in sight for us mere mortals. And ironically, or not, happening just as we are seeing small glimpses of hope with the economy turning. How will this affect you and your family's way/standard of living? | ||
| Ronmold |
More Uly, less Jeep when I can, often need to carry ladders. Makes me think Trump for pres. not a bad idea! Do they make 3 wheel gas moped-type scooters for the less balanced? (Message edited by ronmold on April 18, 2011) | ||
| Froggy |
All it will do to me is make me broker. I will still ride possibly 30k miles this year. Ron, Paggio makes a 3 wheel scoot called the MP3 | ||
| Union_man |
1st thing I did was got a locking gas caps for all my vehicles!!! While at work I lost 1/2 tank!!! | ||
| Etennuly |
I will go less, spend less, and help to slow the economy. Sorry. | ||
| Ourdee |
I've had locking caps since the early 80s. Insurance rates will go up with the influx of rookies in all age brackets. I may go back to skinny tires on the jeep. Or get a cheap beater I can abandon in a snow drift. Maybe a dirt bike with a homemade side-car. | ||
| Fltwistygirl |
"Do they make 3 wheel gas moped-type scooters for the less balanced?" Yes, and because of our school having a couple triked automatics in our training fleet, our three wheeled training classes are MUAY busy. So there are options for balanced challenged granny, and for people with other physical limitations. However, in comparison to the price of a simple used scooter, or CF moto automatic motorcycle, the cost of a triked out version of said bike may be cost prohibitive. Plus does not get as good of gas mileage because of the extra weight of the back two wheels. For many reasons, Granny may be better off in a small car. | ||
| Albert666 |
fuel in england is getting on for £6 a gallon, won't stop me riding just for fun though, just have to eat less and drink less beer  | ||
| Court |
I'm darn sure the wrong person to ask about this today . . . having just posted a check to the feds that would have bought a couple Buells . . . . Grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr I am so ashamed of our current leaders. Welcome to the only country in the world where over 90% of those living below the poverty level have:
and . . . where, when you fall asleep at work, well . . . we just hire another person to hang with you. If you tried to create the perfect idiot . . . you could not approach the group, and Pres, we have now. | ||
| Rarebird |
It's funny, but we were all told the previous "idiot" (lets see, one of 44 men EVER elected by millions of people to lead the largest country in the free world- hard to imagine an idiot, regardless of personal opinions) could not be held accountable the last time gas went through the roof and hit $3 a gallon- so why would this "idiot" be any more capable of preventing the world market price of crude costing us more at the pump???? C'mon folks, this is a motorcycle post... At 55+ mpg, I ride the Buell as much as possible already. definitely helps ease the sting of the monthly bill! | ||
| Scooter808484 |
Welcome to the only country in the world where over 90% of those living below the poverty level have: Cell phones Air conditioning Cable TV Yeah those folks should be living in refrigerator boxes and using the roadside ditches as bathrooms, just like in Haiti or any of those other "good" countries. | ||
| Court |
>>>>just like in Haiti or any of those other "good" countries. Nothing like $712,000,000 of USA $$$ to help out those folks, eh? Private business could at least cast the nation into abject poverty for less money. | ||
| Babired |
up here in Baltimore its $110.00 to fill my old pick up truck it drinks gas like crazy. $50.00 + to fill my mustang up and about 12 to fill the ULY up. Last time the gas prices were so hi we had the same thing people coming in to learn how to ride bikes and scooters are all over the Baltimore metro area. don't forget they're using their cell phones to order their steamed crabs while in the air conditioning, watching some bling bling show on cable | ||
| Babalugatz |
Welcome to the only country in the world where over 90% of those living below the poverty level have: Cell phones Air conditioning Cable TV yeah and they are feeding their dogs steak because you can't buy dog food with food stamps. | ||
| Babired |
Belinda that sucks hearing your forecast on Hubby's business. I am a part owner of a Painting contractor business and in 2009 it started to slow. last year maybe 3 jobs and the labor rates dropped from the 2007 rates. The old pick up truck is a part of the business I can't afford to go out on free estimates now most estimates on potenial jobs are under bidded by somebody either unemployed or illegal. 2007 was the best year so far I don't see it coming back. | ||
| 7873jake |
The current administration's concern over the price of fuel at the pump isn't as high as some would believe (despite negative economic impact elsewhere in the economy or the quest for reelection). The Pres and Sec of Energy aren't overly pressed to make sure we can afford our gas so long as we continue to nuzzle back up to the teet to fill our inefficient trucks and SUVs every time Washington intervenes and lowers our pump price. There is real sentiment that until the pain of $100+ fillups sinks in and we un-stupid ourselves in to a more efficient methodology, they will remain content to let oil prices do what they will and that is continue to rise and impact us. Please understand that this sentiment isn't mine. This is what they (Obama and Steven Chu) have said, what has been reported and what continues to be a theme in the daily proceedings of energy policy in America. I just think its not something widely known by most and reeks of an adolescent behavioral management tactic frankly. And I'm riding more and the Buell seems to be getting better with each successive ride. (Message edited by 7873jake on April 18, 2011) | ||
| Ourdee |
Yep, I forgot about the pets. Kugo isn't that big but if the family is hungry, we are going to eat him. OH R.D., how could you do that? Knife and fork. People act like they have never seen a popular idiot. (or a stupid voter) Uh, what were we talking about? Oh, high to us locals gas prices. In the early 80s, I lived in England. People there would drive 40 or 45 in the 60 mph zones. I would get tired of passing them. I mainly rode bikes while there, but had to have a Jaguar for about 6 months. I understood the slow driving after filling it up a few times on a military paycheck. Highest insurance I have ever forked over. I don't know how it is over there now but when I was there doing the ton involved curves. Give me a time machine! | ||
| Electraglider_1997 |
Gas prices have seemed to peak about the time the Buell Homecoming comes around each year, at least last year it did. Not bad if you go by yourself but I usually come with two others on motorcycles, my son on his ULY and wife on her Sportster. Way cheaper to arrive by Prius but then that would be as lame as it gets. | ||
| Motorbike |
I will probably ride my XT to work occasionally. One problem with living in Minnesota is the fact that we cannot ride year-round. No one, and I mean no one rides street bike year-round in Minnesota. It is physically impossible. I would like someone to prove me wrong on that! Oh, by the way, I agree with everything Court said in his last two posts, even if this is a motorcycle forum. | ||
| Maximum |
I will find a good corner to stand holding my "will ride for fuel" sign! | ||
| 7873jake |
BeLinda, You mentioned the light rail dilemma around Orlando- I wish I could re-find and forward to you a historical news piece I once found that explained why places like Orlando missed the bus, so to speak, on public transpo infrastructure. It was a sub-story very similar to the Great American streetcar scandal kind of thing. It had to do with GM, primarily, but there were others, wanting to build more busses and sell more cars in the south and so projects and civil/municipal engineers were basically bought off to stall, suspend or kill projects that didn't involve a Detroit derived bus or car. Because of this, light rail between the Orlando hub and WPB/Broward/Dade, Tampa, Jax and Tallahassee were doomed. Detroit supposedly didn't want the level or quality of rail and services that existed in the north to migrate south and impinge on their ability to put a car in every driveway that they could. Florida was not the only place this occurred in the south but remains a good example. This started in the 1940's and 50's and continued into the 60's. Some say it might still be going on today...  Seriously, I'm not a conspiracy theorist and the story didn't reek of C.T. babble but made for interesting reading for anyone that has been in Central Fla for any length of time. Some say it explains why all of the roads in Florida are all straight with nary a curve...  (Message edited by 7873jake on April 18, 2011) | ||
| Scooter808484 |
Nothing like $712,000,000 of USA $$$ to help out those folks, eh? $712,000,000? We probably spent that much on tax breaks for Bank of America's, (or Exxon Mobil's, in keeping with the theme of the thread) executives alone. If you think they have it so easy, why don't you trade places with them? | ||
| Panhead_dan |
I'm gonna go to my local honda shop and ask which bike gets the best gas mileage. I expect there to be at least one that gets like 80mpg. The payments should be about what the fuel savings are. FREE BIKE!!! My wife calls it Dan-math. | ||
| Bttrthnwrk |
"Private business could at least cast the nation into abject poverty for less money." Heh. Reminds me of a libertarian joke I read many years ago, "It would take the Democrats $500,000,000.00 and 5 years to get us to the point where the only thing we see on our streets is the grass growing up through the gigantic potholes. Of course, the Republicans could get it done in half the time and for less money." As for me, my Uly gets 43+ mpg overall average, and my 'zuki cruiser is pulling down 55+ mpg average. I expect I'll be running up the miles on both. I don't plan to cut back any on miles ridden, either. I'm doing about 30,000 miles per year - 23,000 or 24,000 on the Uly, the rest on the 'zuki. I even do another about 2000 in the Tacoma I bought last year, although that might drop off. Too many damn wheels. | ||
| Hooper |
I'll be riding to work at least a day per week...saves me about $5 per day (50 mile round trip commute)! What bugs me about the fuel price debate is in the early stages of a price hike, the media whips everyone into a frenzy, saying "Americans are giving up [insert luxury item, fun expense, food item, etc.] because of rising gas prices!" Well, let's see. At that early stage, like last August when it started its creep up from the mid-$2 range, the media was freaking out, saying "GAS PRICES ARE UP 8 CENTS THIS MONTH!" Hm, 8 cents times 16 gallons to fill my tank is $1.28. Heavens! What will I give up to counter this increase?! It's like the folks that drive miles out of their way to save $0.02 per gallon at some far-flung gas station. All that said, the situation we're in now is different, of course - the increase has been steady and is over $1 per gallon since last summer in most parts. A $16-per-tank increase in eight months is nothing to sneeze at. I go to the Dept. of Energy website for historic numbers to feed my curiosity. It wasn't until this thread that I actually did the math to see how much it costs for me to drive the cage to work ($9.88) versus the bike ($4.15). 50mpg really makes a difference. I had no idea I was dropping 10 bucks a day just to go to work, not counting the stupid Toll Road I have to take ($2.50 per day)!  Now if I could only sort out the helmet-hair when I get to the office...  | ||
| Union_man |
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| Fltwistygirl |
"Belinda that sucks hearing your forecast on Hubby's business". It is usually just a seasonal drop, but with all these other factors, the future is a little uncertain. We are prepared to re tool if needed. "No one, and I mean no one rides street bike year-round in Minnesota. It is physically impossible. I would like someone to prove me wrong on that!" Sigh, this may be apples to oranges but here goes. In Dec 09/Jan 10 we vacationed in the twin cities. we Floridians took a drive to sportsmans guide in S. St. Paul to get some winter stuff. On 494 coming back we saw a Harley that was westbound with an attached hack. It was zero degrees F. I have kicked myself multiple times for not having my camera along. My sidecar/trike co-coach from MN also operates hacks for things like police funerals year round in MN. "My wife calls it Dan-math".  . We have our own version of that at our house, usually also involving motorcycles. "interesting reading for anyone that has been in Central Fla for any length of time. Some say it explains why all of the roads in Florida are all straight with nary a curve..." THAT would be interesting reading. Light rail is a hot button for me. Grew up with access to public transportation up north and have spent time in Hotlanta doing the Marta thing. Just seems to make sense in most "real" cities. "Now if I could only sort out the helmet-hair when I get to the office..." When helmet hair mattered in my corporate job, I used to keep a small hair dryer in my desk drawer. I'd get to work early, use my plant water spritzer to dampen my hair, fluff it with the blow dryer, and on with my day. Baseball caps kinda don't "go" with suits! | ||
| 7873jake |
Hooper, A #3 blade on the clippers fixes helmet hair. | ||
| Sayitaintso |
I had no idea I was dropping 10 bucks a day just to go to work, I'd be willing to bet there are many many folks that have no idea what it costs to commute to work on a daily basis.... just in gas. Prorate in an amount for maintenance and depreciation (vehicle usage cost or replacement cost) and it is expensive as hell to get you butt to and from work. I did an audit of police taking their vehicles home and iirc it was something like 70-80 cents per mile for officers to use a patrol car for commuting back and forth to work.... and that was before gas went through the roof. now I'd bet it is well over $1.00 per mile. | ||
| Luftkoph |
won't effect me now but next winter it might,putting $5 a gallon gold into my snow machine may not happen so much. |
