Like many drivers, you may have been chewing over the thought of getting a motorcycle since before you were old enough to drive one, and still feel kind of on the fence about it. If you’ve finally got the cash saved away, but you’re not sure whether to buy a bike or a new car, here are some of the pros and cons of biking to help you decide…
The Pros
- The cool factor. Whether it’s Easy Rider or Sons of Anarchy, there’s no denying that there’s something incredibly cool about someone on a good motorcycle. For a lot of motorists, this can outweigh the practical sacrifices of riding a bike.
- The savings. You’d be pretty hard-pressed to find any model of motorcycle that has a worse fuel economy than your average car. Aside from the money you’ll save at the gas station, motorcycles are also a lot less expensive to service and maintain. In many cases, motorcycle insurance can also be much cheaper than any policy you’ll find for a car of the same value.
- The space. If you look closely, you’ll notice that motorcycles are smaller than cars. Parking is a piece of cake and you’ll be able to squeeze into much tighter spots than cars. Having less of a surface area also makes bikes much quicker and easier to clean.
- They’re greener. An offshoot of their better fuel economy is that motorcycles do less damage to the environment than cars. If you’re trying to lead a greener lifestyle, this is a great way to go about it.
- Less depreciation. Bikes almost always retain their value much better than cars do, as they rarely rack up as many miles.
- The fun. Riding a motorcycle is extremely fun. Need we say more?
The Cons
- The weather. If you live in an area that gets a lot of strong wind, extreme heat, sleet and snow, riding your bike around in these conditions can make you miss the shelter of a car roof.
- Safety. Even with a helmet on and all the right clothing, biking is always more dangerous than driving a car. Motorcycle wreck lawyers rarely get a day off, mainly due to bikers being harder to see and predict on the road. Riding a motorcycle is a lot of fun, but it can also be extremely costly.
- Less storage. Although you may be able to slip through gaps that cars can’t, you’ll have much less space on board for taking things with you. Giving your friends lifts from A to B will also be much more limiting. Even with all the accessories you can buy, you’ll never have as much storage with a bike.
- Endurance. While they’re cheaper and easier to maintain, motorcycles tend to have much shorter lifespans than cars. A modern car can realistically clock 200,000 miles before it’s too worn to drive, whereas with a bike, you’d be lucky to get 100,000 miles and still be able to ride it.
