01-15-2017, 06:54 AM
You simply wouldn't buy a large capacity motorcycle to save money, would you? You'd buy a smaller one and then you would save on petrol.
But you'd probably be a motorcycle tragic or you'd be single, have a modest income that meant a car was out of the question and really want the independence owning a motor vehicle gives you. The minute a partner or family sailed over the horizon, you'd be looking for a small, economical used car and the bike'd be a goner.
At one period in my life, when my children were young and I lived in a small city with not very good public transport, I was just able to afford a second vehicle to commute. So I bought a Honda C90 scooter which cost next to nothing and gave me 105 mpg. But it was scary on a windy day and, when I could afford it, and given a car park at work, I replaced it with a cheap second hand Toyota Corona. It was dry and had a heater too.
I have three sons and my wife has two daughters. Only two of them own cars: one with a young family; the other for business reasons. Of the others, one has no form of drivers' licence; another lives in the city and walks everywhere or uses public transport. The cost of using one to commute is prohibitive (mostly parking costs). So, if he really needs a car, he rents one. The final one also lives in the city, has a young family and chooses not to add the cost of motor vehicle ownership to the already stretched budget.
I've not done any surveys, but, as I trundle around the countryside, I see plenty of young people on motorcycles. There are lots of 300-600 cc bikes about the joint. As I've [url=http://cb1100forum.com/forum/showthread.php?tid=10131]posted elsewhere, motorcycle sales in Australia were up in 2016 and the number of smaller capacity bikes being sold in a market where there are constraints on what new riders can ride leads me to suspect it's mostly young people buying bikes.
I'm not sure many of the basics have changed. Owning a motorcycle was always a minority activity. Some did it, but most opted for a car.
But you'd probably be a motorcycle tragic or you'd be single, have a modest income that meant a car was out of the question and really want the independence owning a motor vehicle gives you. The minute a partner or family sailed over the horizon, you'd be looking for a small, economical used car and the bike'd be a goner.
At one period in my life, when my children were young and I lived in a small city with not very good public transport, I was just able to afford a second vehicle to commute. So I bought a Honda C90 scooter which cost next to nothing and gave me 105 mpg. But it was scary on a windy day and, when I could afford it, and given a car park at work, I replaced it with a cheap second hand Toyota Corona. It was dry and had a heater too.
I have three sons and my wife has two daughters. Only two of them own cars: one with a young family; the other for business reasons. Of the others, one has no form of drivers' licence; another lives in the city and walks everywhere or uses public transport. The cost of using one to commute is prohibitive (mostly parking costs). So, if he really needs a car, he rents one. The final one also lives in the city, has a young family and chooses not to add the cost of motor vehicle ownership to the already stretched budget.
I've not done any surveys, but, as I trundle around the countryside, I see plenty of young people on motorcycles. There are lots of 300-600 cc bikes about the joint. As I've [url=http://cb1100forum.com/forum/showthread.php?tid=10131]posted elsewhere, motorcycle sales in Australia were up in 2016 and the number of smaller capacity bikes being sold in a market where there are constraints on what new riders can ride leads me to suspect it's mostly young people buying bikes.
I'm not sure many of the basics have changed. Owning a motorcycle was always a minority activity. Some did it, but most opted for a car.