High Fuel Costs Rev Up Motorcycle Sales

If the thought of motorcycling still conjures up images of leather-clad rogues speeding along highways, consider another picture: Buttoned-down commuter zipping through Manhattan traffic on two wheels.

Having enjoying a surge in popularity during the 1970s fuel crisis, motorcycles are back in vogue. Across the country more and more people are recognizing the environmental benefits of motorcycles for everyday commuting and transportation purposes.

In fact, 2007 was one of the best years for motorcycle and scooter sales since the 70s, illustrating consumers' pursuit of new ways to deal with four-dollar-per-gallon gasoline. Weekend warriors who used to motorcycle only recreationally are now opting to commute on two wheels.

The fuel efficiency of motorcycles varies depending on road and traffic conditions, but ranges from a minimum of about 30 miles per gallon up to around 70.  Of course there are the mpg superstars: Motorcycles like the Matzu Matsuzawa Honda XL125  have been specifically designed for fuel efficiency and have been known to achieve nearly five hundred miles to the gallon.

Fuel efficiency was enough to make a motorcycle fan out of Joshua De Los Santos of San Diego.  De Los Santos says he likes “everything" about motorcycles. "They’re more mobile and it is easier to get places faster than in a car," he says. "Where it costs fifty dollars to fill up our Four-Runner,  it only costs about ten to fuel the motorcycle.”

Motorcyclists are also benefiting from the same automobile clean-tech advances as cars. Most motorcycles are ethanol and biofuel compatible, and Intelligent Energy has developed a fuel cell motorcycle for use with hydrogen. Plug-in motorcycles are also in development, but face the same battery efficiency issues as plug-in hybrids do, with the additional challenge of the motorcycle’s storage limitations.

Motorcycles offer a compact, easy to-park-solution for city dwellers where parking spots can rent for hundreds or thousands of dollars a month. Many cities permit motorcyclists to park even where spots aren't defined. However, people who live in inclement climates may find exposure to the elements and the two wheels’ diminished traction discouraging. De Los Santos says that touring bikes (with more substantial wheel widths and protective windshields) or sidecars (providing a third wheel) offer more stability for motorcyclists in rainy climates.

But for many, motorcycling's primary allure is fuel-cost savings.  “The biggest difference is the gas," De Los Santos says. " Riding a motorcycle saves a lot of money.”