01-15-2017, 03:03 AM
IF a young family or young person was looking for an inexpensive transportation machine the ST would not be on the list. When I was in that position I bought a used TS125. I think I paid $300.
That said, I think your premise that choosing a car makes more sense is still valid. When I bought the bike I was living in Duluth Minnesota so when winter came I eventually bought a Ford Pinto (and I'll cut the story short there as that is another tale all together!). I did take the bus for much of my commuting but the bus still had its' limits and naturally the bike had even more. Most health related.
But a cheap used econo car is hard to beat. You can carry two weeks worth of groceries, a date (even double date in most cars), safer, you can listen to your tunes - easily, and the critical heat and A/C are not to be under estimated.
With four wheels your car won't take naps. Especially in front of all your friends.
Meeting the nicest people on a Honda has morphed and I'll venture to say that people see bikers as your rebel types - and not in the good rebel may the force be with you type either. So motorcycles as a whole needs some image polishing to attract more main stream types (good for the industry, maybe not so good for us - I kinda like being a bit outside the mainstream. At least when I'm on the Guzzi.
The cheapest way to do this image overhaul? Make a block buster movie (aka Star Wars, Gone with the Wind, Dirty Harry - especially Dirty Harry) where the hero/heroine ride mid sized motorcycles. E.g. the CB500. You know how many Smith & Wesson Model 29's in 44 magnum were sold because of Dirty Harry? Or how many banjo's were sold because of Deliverance? Our society is lead by the nose by the entertainment industry. We need our version of Transformers to sell bikes (but please dear gawd, better looking bikes than transformers!).
Like so many other solutions. It's easier said than done.
That said, I think your premise that choosing a car makes more sense is still valid. When I bought the bike I was living in Duluth Minnesota so when winter came I eventually bought a Ford Pinto (and I'll cut the story short there as that is another tale all together!). I did take the bus for much of my commuting but the bus still had its' limits and naturally the bike had even more. Most health related.
But a cheap used econo car is hard to beat. You can carry two weeks worth of groceries, a date (even double date in most cars), safer, you can listen to your tunes - easily, and the critical heat and A/C are not to be under estimated.
With four wheels your car won't take naps. Especially in front of all your friends.
Meeting the nicest people on a Honda has morphed and I'll venture to say that people see bikers as your rebel types - and not in the good rebel may the force be with you type either. So motorcycles as a whole needs some image polishing to attract more main stream types (good for the industry, maybe not so good for us - I kinda like being a bit outside the mainstream. At least when I'm on the Guzzi.
The cheapest way to do this image overhaul? Make a block buster movie (aka Star Wars, Gone with the Wind, Dirty Harry - especially Dirty Harry) where the hero/heroine ride mid sized motorcycles. E.g. the CB500. You know how many Smith & Wesson Model 29's in 44 magnum were sold because of Dirty Harry? Or how many banjo's were sold because of Deliverance? Our society is lead by the nose by the entertainment industry. We need our version of Transformers to sell bikes (but please dear gawd, better looking bikes than transformers!).
Like so many other solutions. It's easier said than done.