04-04-2017, 10:37 PM
I agree with your assessment, rotor, but would like to add that there are quite a few other variables w/r/t why people in the U.S and Canada don't think of a motorcycle as an effective option for their commute. I can't blame the M/C manufacturers completely. The U.S. public still has the M/C as a toy mentality. In the northern U.S and Canada, it's really not an option during the winter. I think most believe, possibly correctly, that it's not really a practical option for them because they still need a car. Over here, they need a vehicle to go back and forth to Home Depot. Look at the best selling vehicle in the USA, it's a pickup truck. Most believe it's too dangerous as a daily option due to the clogged highways with drivers of SUVs doing 85 MPH 15 feet behind the next vehicle. And the move to the suburbs over the past 50 years make for longer commutes than people in Europe typically have. As I type this, this morning, the wait time to cross into NYC on the George Washington Bridge is 75 minutes. The temps may be mild, but it's a light drizzle with dense fog, so between the conditions and the wait, not very comfortable to do on the bike. Millenials are moving back to the cities and many of them don't need or want a car. A scooter or a small motorcycle may be an option, but it's still not necessary what with the buses, taxis, Uber and subways all available.