More Motorcycles On The Road ?

[Bob_Roller]

Has anyone noticed that there seems to be more motorcycles out on the road these days ?

A co-worker made mention of it about a week ago, and also commented on the number of early to mid '80's bikes that are back on the road, after having been pushed to corner of the garage for the last 20 years or so.

A vast majority of the bikes that I see, are of the 'smaller' displacement type, 650 cc and under.

I've noticed at work, that the motorcycle only parking that my employer provides, in now overflowing with bikes when I get to work at about 5:30 am, I have to park in the cage parking area, until our 'graveyard' shift leaves at 7 am, before I can put the bike in the motorcycle parking area.

A lot of dual purpose single cylinder bikes back out on the road here in the Phoenix area.

Local motorcycle dealerships are seeing 'foot traffic' in their dealerships go up about four fold in the last 2 months, and one of the first questions that is asked, is what is the fuel mileage for the bike, even before price comes into the equation.

I fear that there is going to be a significant increase in motorcycle related injuries and deaths from all of the inexperienced riders out on the road.

I hope I'm wrong ....................

[Danie]

I spoke to a local motorcycle mechanic during the previous week. He told me that he is extremely busy working on older bikes at the moment - bikes which suddenly seem to have appeared from nowhere.

Most of this bikes were standing in garages for years - with obvious negative results.

[SCJJR65]

The one thing I've noticed in the past 6 months or so is a rapid increase in "scooters", usually the 50cc type, usually ridden by idiots without any helmet or protective gear of any sort.  Sometimes I've seen two people on these tiny things, loaded down to what must be beyond the normal acceptable weight limits and laboring to stay at the minimum speed limits in the town city limits.  I'm surprised that there haven't been more accidents involving these people abusing their tiny scooters!

[montmil]

Just this morning, in the local Denton "wipe", was a front page article about the increase in sales at the local rice-bike dealership. Also a few lines from the mega HD dealer.

My dark thought is how insurance rates may be impacted once many of these absolute rookies begin doing heavy 'agricultural inspections' or impersonating hood ornaments on large SUVs.

MOnte

[nhmaf]

I am noticing more bikes on the roads up here also.    Another change has been that sub-500cc bikes (and especially
those 200cc-400cc twins from the 80s) are selling well, and for much higher prices than they ever used to do.

I also hope that we don't see a major spike in bike accidents, but I think that it will be inevitable with the sudden
resurgence in interest in bikes, people coming back into riding after long hiatus, and many newbies joining the ranks to
save gas money.    In the long run, having a larger biker community can be a good thing, as it may help make legislation
happen that is more bike friendly in some areas.   But, we'll likely have to put up with the bad, as well...

[Semper Gumby]

With the summer heat there has been a rapid increase of the shorts and Flip flop scooter crowd.  

[Justin B.]

I don't see that the current crop of newbies should add much more of a percentage to the "grease-spot" category than the herd of sexagenarian biker wannabes who put away their Escalades when they retired and decided to buy that "Harley" they always wanted.   You know who I am talking about, never been on two wheels before and buy the biggest dressed out Hawg they can find and ride it to the Awful House for Saturday morning coffee...

I remember back 30 years ago in the service hearing the distinctive rumble of an old pan-head coming up the road.  I go outside and my Platoon Sgt. pulls in on his '49 Pan and one of the other Platoon Sgts. pulls in beside him on an old faded red 1966 Harley Electraglide.  I mentioned the faded red part because I thought it was pink when I first saw it and ragged him about buying a pink sickle...  Well, back to the story...

After talking for a while they went to leave and I had to help push him out of the yard (he was a short little $hite), needless to say he was extremely embarrassed.  Several months later I asked my sgt. how Chris liked his new bike and he told me that he sold it.  After prying the details out of him, and being sworn to secrecy, he told me of how ol' Chris had got home one afternoon and the bike tipped over on him in the garage when he was getting off of it and he basically had to lay there until his neighbor got home, heard him howling, and came over and helped him extricate himself!  I almost died laughing as I really didn't like ol' Chris anyway.

I'm not sure what that story has to do with this but for some reason it popped into my head and I always get a good chuckle when I think about that dumb-ass goober laying there with his little stubby legs sticking out from underneath that big ol' 'Glide...   But, it probably saved his life as he would mosty likely have wound up a statistic...

[montmil]

With the summer heat there has been a rapid increase of the shorts and Flip flop scooter crowd.  

Might be the guy I saw last week... except this fool was not wearing a helmet. What's that 'ol saying? Dress for the crash, not the ride"

[MrRiden]

Yep Bob,
Lotsa bikes all over the place here and scooters too! Also lotsa riders in flip flops / shorts / T-shirts and no helmet. The Darwin effect should weed many of these poor souls out shortly. Noticed many dealer and independent shops have a steady stream of traffic. The local Wisconsin tractor outlet [H.D.] was deserted. Many many old 80' bikes to be seen on the streets now.
rich

[Melena]

I've seen a lot more motorcycles and scooters too.  And I haven't been out much lately.  

There has been a gazillion Harleys on Hwy 101 going north the last few days.  I can hear them out on the freeway with their unmuffled or semi muffled pipes (hold your hands over your ears folks, here comes another pod of them)..............oh, but that's the annual Redwood Run.  I guess that doesn't count