Why you DO want a motorcycle.

When you think of getting yourself a motorcycle, the de facto response from most people is that of surprise, disbelief, denial and accusation. You could just as well said you plan on quitting your job, donate all your earthly possessions and study some long forgotten theology on some high mountain Eastern Asia! But you also get the "Cooooool! What bike?" replies. But mostly people are skeptical... I can only guess they are mentally trying to picture you on a bike with a bandanna on your head, lots of tattoos and harassing old ladies at intersections.

So why DO you want 'n motorcycle?

Fuel prices: Yes, oil is a rare fossil fuel short in supply and in great demand. Motorists must foot the bill for the luxury of travel. I have a Toyota Raider 2.7 bakkie. It is big, useful and dependable, but it only gives me 7.5km on a litre of fuel. My BMW 650 GS Dakar gives me around 25km for that same litre! And there are plenty of scooters and smaller bikes that will put my Dakar to shame in the economy section. AND my Toyota is slow :)

Traffic congestion: Oil is high in demand, because so many people have cars. And all those people happen to travel the same road I take to and from the office each day! I live 17km from the office and by car it takes around 40 minutes to get there or back in peak traffic hour. And that is if there are no "problems" on the road. On a motorcycle, you get to move through the traffic, not move as part of it. Now that I think of it, I'm actually doing other motorists a favor by not adding an additional car to their traffic problem!

Purchase and maintenance cost: Even though there are motorcycles more expensive than some luxury cars, they are generally very affordable - to get and keep going. Sure, it does not offer all the features and luxuries of the cross-section motor vehicle, but all models come with aircon! Seriously, higher-end motorcycle models come with ABS, heated grips, on-board computers, and of course, an unbeatable power-to-weight ratio.

Freedom, Fun: I admit, this is more on a philosophical level, but a motorcycle connects to some primitive part of your brain - when humans first domesticated and rode animals, I guess. It does not give you the kind of freedom to break traffic laws and such, but on a motorcycle, your flying! Lone Ranger, Indiana Jones type stuff I'm talking here.

There are however a number of reasons to rather be apprehensive towards motorcycles in general, but it falls outside the scope of this post :)

In this current age of consumarism, individualism and style, there is now way denying that a motorcycle makes so much more sense than the conformist and traditional motor vehicle that Henry Ford was so proud of a century ago. So now get up, walk to the nearest mirror, look yourself in the eyes and ask yourself: "Are you ready to go on two?".

See you on the road!