Here is a few reasons why motorcycles are a good investment for city commuters and college students. When I refer to city commuters, I am referring to people who live and work in the city, so they commute less than 5-10 miles per day not including streets that exceed a speed limit of 45 miles per hour.
Pros:
Purchase Cost:
Motorcycles are nowhere near as expensive as cars (varies by country/state, but in general, a motorcycle will be much less expensive than a car, especially a brand new one.). For example, the 2016 Kawasaki Ninja 650 with ABS brakes. It costs around $7,600, which isn’t super expensive. It may be a little high for most college students and some of the city commuters, but this bike is way more powerful than you need for city commuting and in college. It is a great bike, but I would not recommend starting on a 650 as your first bike. If you commute on the highway often and have extra money to spare, go for a 650. If you tend to be reckless, try to learn on a 300 first. Borrow a friend’s 250 or 300 bike, or rent one for a few weeks and ride it daily. Once you feel more comfortable then purchase your own 650, but otherwise, I recommend starting on a 300. A 300 is a better starter bike in my opinion and much more affordable. Check out this 2016 Honda CBR 300R for example. It goes for around $4,500, which is definitely within range for a lot of city commuters, and some college students. These prices are also for brand new bikes. I highly recommend buying your bike new, unless you have knowledge on bike repair/maintenance, have a friend that does, or you can afford it without digging into any kind of emergency money. If you buy a used bike of craigslist, bring someone with you to check the bike out and make sure it is all in order. I’ve encountered horror stories of people buying used bikes and then literally having to shell out the cost of the bike new in repairs. Be wary of this.
Fuel Efficiency:
Bikes are much more fuel efficient than cars. I have a Honda CBR 300R, and it has an estimated 71 miles per gallon fuel efficiency. Yes that’s right, 71. Take the standard Honda Accord, a very common car in the US, and you’ll see its fuel efficiency rates at around 31 MPG. Check out this list of fuel efficient motorcycles. The top one on the list, the Honda Grom is priced at around $3,350, and has an MPG rating of 100+. This bike is definitely a good recommendation if you don’t commute far.
Parking:
I personally have found that finding parking on a motorcycle is much easier than in a car. Most parking lots have specific motorcycle parking areas. At my school, the motorcycle parking permit would allow you to park in 36 different areas, whereas a car’s parking permit only allowed you to park in your designated zone. The parking permit cost was also $115 for the year, whereas the car’s was a whopping $800 per year. I once asked a motorcycle cop where I could park when I was going to a rave, and he let me park next to his motorcycle on the sidewalk by the front door of the rave. Awesome!
Insurance:
Insuring a motorcycle is much cheaper than insuring a car. Being a college student, the insurance on my motorcycle for the whole year is $150 for minimal coverage. For full coverage, it was quoted to be about $300-350. My car insurance is currently $226 per month. Which amounts to $2,712 per year. I’m insured with the same company under the same account with both vehicles, so my driving record is accounted for in these costs.
Freedom:
Simply put, there is no feeling similar to riding on a motorcycle. You feel free, and it is one of the most enjoyable experiences you can have on a daily basis.
Creed:
Motorcyclists have a kind of creed going. Riders respect other riders, almost all of the motorcyclists I have encountered give me the standard motorcycle hand wave. Whenever another rider sees me with my helmet, or I see them with their helmet, I engage in conversation with them, ask them about their bike, and usually end up going for a ride with them.
Alright that’s all the good stuff, now time for the cons.
Cons:
Danger:
Although most fatal motorcycle accidents are mainly caused by severe speeding, drinking and riding, improper riding procedure, and lack of gear, especially a helmet. As outlined here are some in the case that some idiot in a car running a red light, driving drunk or recklessly causing them to hit an innocent motorcyclist. You are not protected on a motorcycle. If you get hit by a car from any direction, you will most likely be injured severely. If you fall due to braking suddenly, and slide across the ground, you are much less likely to be injured. See this video of a man and his girlfriend sliding across the ground. Both suffered only mild injuries, but as you can see by the video, danger is a part of riding.
Friends:
You will have to decide between friends whenever you go out riding, since you can only take 1 person with you. On some bikes, you can’t even have a passenger. So if you and 3 friends want to hangout, it becomes a little more complicated if nobody else has a vehicle.
Weather:
You’d better learn to have a spidey-sense when it comes to weather, because if you go riding and it begins to pour, or there’s a heavy rainstorm, it is not fun at all. It is incredibly dangerous and not recommended. Not to mention you get entirely wet, so if you don’t have a waterproof bag, or are headed to work or school, you will be soaked. Solutions to this are to get a waterproof bag, and bring a spare change of clothes wherever you go.
There is also the problem of temperature. I ride around in Miami, and it is 90+ degrees daily, with humidity exceeding 90%. It is insufferable to be at a stoplight when you are on a motorcycle in this kind of weather. In the winter, when I used to live in Atlanta, the temperatures would drop into single digits, and if you tried to ride without proper gear, or gloves, you would could get dangerously close to hypothermia.
F*ckfaces:
People are f*ckfaces. Your parked bike is not safe around people. I have come back to my bike knocked over by some moron who doesn’t know how to park. It is a real problem.
Thieves:
People steal motorcycles more frequently than cars just because it is easier. Make sure you always lock your tires when you park your bike, and try not to park it in an obscure area. Park it indoors if possible, or close to the window of whatever establishment you are going to be in.
Trunk Space:
I’ve done it before, but good luck carrying your groceries home while riding on your motorcycle.
Traffic Lights:
Depending on what kind of bike you have, some traffic lights do not sense you while you are sitting there. I’ve missed plenty of left turn arrows, and late at night, sometimes I have sat for minutes before I eventually just take an alternate route because the light isn’t changing. Solutions to this exist, seen here. You can get a magnet, drop your kickstand, or get a light triggering system onto your bike.
Nagging:
People will nag the heck out of you. Your mom, your girlfriend, your boyfriend, your dad, your sister, your brother, your friends, everyone will nag you. Half of them will nag you like this: “Oh my god (insert your name here) why do you have a motorcycle? Those things are so dangerous you’re so stupid just get a car like the rest of us! Blah blah blah. ”The other half will nag you like this: “Holy crap your motorcycle is awesome (insert name here)! I really want to ride it, can you give me a ride on it? Can I borrow it for a bit? Please? Come on I’ll only take it around the block!!! I won’t drop it I promise!”
People Hate You:
No seriously, people will hate you simply for being a motorcyclist. People road rage for no reason, or simply because they are jealous that you can lane split (if you are in California it’s legal, but people do it all the time. Why? Because then they are in front of the car traffic rather than in the midst of it, where a motorcyclist is most in danger.). See here for an example of road rage. You are also 99% (not an actual percentage, just a generalization) of the time instantly seen to be a complete jerk/shmuck/(insert dumb and judgmental comment here). This may happen if you are a guy and own a motorcycle (generally this is only if you own a sports bike, if you own a harley, it’s not seen this way from my experience). It’s a dumb stigma, and I don’t associate with the people that assume that right off the bat anyway, so it’s all good. If you are a girl, usually you are just seen as a badass so I guess if you’re female this (generally speaking) fits under the pros section.
There you are! The pros and cons of getting a motorcycle! City commuters and college students will benefit due to the low cost, high fuel efficiency, and low cost of parking permits. Ride responsibly!
