| Author | Message | ||
     Crusty |
A New Day Yesterday, I had a bit of an epiphany. For my entire adult life, I’ve been a motorcycle enthusiast. Sometimes, I’ve been a fanatic. Yesterday, I realized that I’ve been deluding myself for over fifty years. It occurred to me that many of the reasons I prefer riding motorcycles to riding in a car are as valid as the theory of Phlogiston was. Motorcycles are an expensive hobby. They need frequent maintenance, go through tires at an insanely rapid rate and do not get as good gas mileage as many cars. When you look at the price of parts and accessories for motorcycles versus the same for cars it becomes pretty obvious that they are a major source official waste. If you’re going to ride a motorcycle, you need items like a Helmet, protective riding jacket, pants boots and gloves. You also need good rain gear. Just buying an ensemble can easily run over $2,000, and the price goes up from there. In the winter, you need even more gear. You can layer up, but eventually, you’ll either become so motion limited that you can’t move, or you’ll have to resort to electrically heated clothing; another expensive option. And if you should get caught by a snowstorm, the odds are pretty good that you’ll crash. I’ve been living with only a motorcycle for transportation for several years. That results in me having to be extremely resourceful when it comes to grocery shopping. Ever try to carry a 32 bottle package of water on a bike? How about when the supermarket has a sale on Pepsi; three twelve packs for $11.00 or one 12 pack for $5.49? It can be interesting getting groceries home. With a car, there’s plenty of room to carry things. If it should need parts, they’re much more affordable. Tires last an order of magnitude longer. I don’t need special gear. I can just walk out to the car and get in. I don’t need to spend a while putting on riding pants, jacket, helmet and gloves. The car has heat during the winter. If traction is minimal, I might slide, but I won’t fall down unless I leave the road. If I were to get an econo box, I’d get better fuel mileage. I could actually buy a weeks worth of groceries and haul it home without having to resort to fumbling with bungee cords and other straps. If it’s pouring rain, it will be no problem. My groceries will stay dry. I could hit my favorite restaurant and carry the styrofoam container flat on the passenger seat. I wouldn’t have to tilt it to fit in a saddlebag, so that the sauce leaks out. Life would be easier. Since I can’t afford to have both a car and a motorcycle, I guess I’ll just have to give up the bike. It only makes sense. I’ve been lying to myself for decades; it’s time to get honest. It’s time to hang up my helmet. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . APRIL FOOLS!!! (Message edited by Crusty on April 01, 2021) | ||
| Rick_a |
Nice. Though, through unfortunate experience, I would say bikes definitely do better through standing water. Ice and sleet...not so much...but you'd have to have the right tires on a car. Also, unless you have some kind of unconventional high powered liter bike, the fuel mileage thing doesn't really pan out, either. It is hard to haul multiple passengers, large/heavy gear, and pets on a bike. On the maintenance thing, if you do your own, it breaks about even, I've found. Pay more in gas and insurance with car (even with econobox), and pay more in oil and tires with the bike. However, both my bikes had engines expire in less than 70K miles. The cars tend to do a little better  | ||
| Buellerxt |
Well done, Crusty. You hit the right points and made a good case for the switch. Thankfully, you were saved by April Fools.  | ||
| Crusty |
Yesterday, I sent out an e mail saying that I was going to give up riding motorcycles. At the very end, in bold red capital letters, I wrote, APRIL FOOLS!!! It was a joke. Yesterday was April Fools Day. I honestly thought that people would figure out it was a joke and would think it was funny. I wrote it like I was being serious, but that's part of the joke.I even posted it on a couple of motorcycle forums. I thought that maybe people there would get into the spirit, and there would be a string of April Fools jokes. I suppose that makes me the fool. I had several responses where people took it seriously. I guess that either they didn't scroll down to see the red April Fools, or maybe April Fools jokes have gone out of fashion. In any event, I have no intention of giving up motorcycling. I just thought I should make that absolutely clear. | ||
| Rick_a |
I thought your excuses were not good, is all.  | ||
| Xbpete |
Freakin hilarious | ||
| Aesquire |
https://9gag.com/gag/aV77y1w |
