Choosing your next vehicle can be a tall, difficult task. There are hours of research, test drives, reviews, talking to friends and family. If you’re buying used, you’ll always want to make sure you’re not getting swindled or cheated out of a deal.
Cars rule the road and are the primary means of transportation, but have you ever considered getting yourself a motorcycle? While you may not picture yourself as a “bad to the bone” type of person complete with an “I Heart Mom” tattoo on your shoulder, you don’t have to be.
You could just be looking for your next adventure or even thinking about using it as a daily vehicle.
Owning a motorcycle has lots of benefits and below is a list of four that will help you get started.
Motorcycles Are Safer
While you obviously don’t have the physical protection that a car brings and you may be more susceptible to the environment while riding, there are plenty of reasons why a motorcycle is safer than a car.
It all starts with you: the driver. When you’re on a motorcycle, you have a much great field of vision. How many times have you had to crane your neck around the interior of a car to see if someone else was coming? In a motorcycle, that’s just a quick turn of the head.
You also have better-stopping power and easy control. If a car was to suddenly slam on their brakes, it’s much easier for you to stop as well or at least redirect yourself to the side without putting you or other drivers in harm’s way.
Lastly, driving a motorcycle is much more distraction free. You don’t have a radio to change, text messages to respond to or a chance to eat on the go. All your focus and concentration is on how you’re driving and the road ahead.
This isn’t to say you’re invincible, plenty of accidents still happen. If you’re ever in an accident, make sure you have yourself covered.
Motorcycles are better for the Environment
Most everyone knows that motorcycles are much more fuel-efficient than cars, often reaching up to 50-60 miles per gallon. For starters, that means you’ll be filling up less, assuming you’re not constantly doing cross country journeys.
Motorcycles also take much less raw materials to make, with the average being about 1/8th that of a car. Being smaller also means they are much less taxing on infrastructure, something that the U.S. continually finds itself lagging behind.
Less space means less traffic. Over 80% of cars carry only one passenger and when traffic starts, it’s pretty much gridlock everywhere. Motorcycles don’t have that problem and do not clog up the roads as much as cars do.
If you live in California, you can even actively avoid traffic by using lane-splitting. You’ll have to wait till you’re at an intersection to shimmy your way to the front of the line, but it’s a great way to make sure you’re not constantly being stuck at red lights.
Motorcycles are onboard with Ride-Sharing
Chances are, almost everyone you know has used an Uber or Lyft before. It’s just a much easier option sometimes instead of getting in your car, riding downtown and then trying to find a place to park. And when you do, you’ll be coughing up $20 before you’ve even gotten to your dinner reservation.
Motorcycles are hopping on the ride-sharing wagon as well, with many different companies popping up in major cities around the world. Many of these fall into the “electric scooter” category, but nonetheless they are a great way to take you from Point A to Point B. They’re much easier to park than cars everyone just uses a simple app.
Motorcycles Are Easier on the Wallet
At the end of the day, a lot of our decisions are based on money. Why not save some of your hard earned cash and opt for a motorcycle? Not only will you be paying less up front, but you’ll be paying less on gas, maintenance costs, less frequent oil changes and more.
You can use some of your money to instead buy some official biker outfits and look for a local gang. Just kidding, but it’s worth a thought, right?
