[eastbay]

A motorcyclist magazine (Motorcyclist) I subscribe to has a very good one page article on page 32 of it's March '08 issue briefly outlining peak oil. I checked the website and there's no mention of this article (yet) so I'll try to summarize it here.

First, it bears a doomerosity level of about 9.0, which should be enough incentive for anyone here to save $4.00 and, next time you're in a store, simply take a few minutes and read page 32.

It has the now-famous Hubbert bell curve graphed showing US production from 1850 to 2050 with a caption that states globally we will soon need to, 'Use less or pay a whole lot more.' It has another graph correctly showing country-by-country (SA and Russia omitted) oil production peaking about 2005.

Interestingly, for an 'industry' periodical, it offers not even one glimmer of hope other than a suggestion that gas might be $10.00/g within a decade which, as we all know, is an opiated dream. It's quite rare to see oil depletion so forcefully mentioned in a car or bike enthusiast periodical. The article doesn't quite reach a point of questioning what motorcycle riders will be riding in a few years leaving the fairly obvious conclusion (scooters? electric bicycles?? Doc Martins??) to the reader.

[emersonbiggins]

Interesting, especially in the light that car industry mouths (Csaba Csere comes to mind) are currently touting exotic fuel cells and hydrogen as the panacea to liberate Americans from the horrors of mass transit and carpooling.

[eastbay]

Yeah, this article ignores 'alternatives' with the exception of mentioning the airline industry is doomed since no other energy source has sufficient energy density.

Our friend Simmons is mentioned too and in a very positive way.... although the message isn't very positive!

[Plantagenet]

Peak Oil might be very good for motorcycle and scooter manufacturers. When gas gets expensive and people want better mileage, the best thing they can do is get a motorcycle.

[eastbay]

Most motorcycles sold in North America get 35 to 45 mpg... about the same as a Honda Civic. Some get a bit less and some a bit more.

Today, two people in just about any car is more fuel efficient than one person on 99% of motorcycles sold in North America. What the motorcycle manufacturers need to eventually do (or go out of business) is mass produce something like the 1960's Honda 90 which (if I recall correctly) went 45 mph and got around 120 mpg.

Put two people on that!!

[Plantagenet]

Interesting. I didn't realize motorcycles only got 40 mpg. I've mainly messed around with scooters. Scooters get better mileage then motorcycles. Go to places like VietNam, Thailand, or even Italy and lots of people ride small scooters (Italian motoscaglia) getting 80-100 mpg.

[emersonbiggins]

This is a noob question, but do you need a motorcycle license to drive a scooter (Vespa, for instance)?

[Hawkcreek]

--

[eastbay]

EB:

Every state is different. Check the dmv website where you live.

PA: I have an Italian scooter... 150cc... gets 90 mpg and can carry two people! More and more of these wonderful creations are on the road these days... in time North America will be like Asia and Europe and we too will see 'em all over the place.

[eastbay]

HC, I've even got into the 20's a few times on both my old Harley's and as well as on a few sportbikes I've owned over the years. Back when gas was (almost) free who cared?

[vision-master]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('eastbay', 'M')ost motorcycles sold in North America get 35 to 45 mpg... about the same as a Honda Civic. Some get a bit less and some a bit more.

Today, two people in just about any car is more fuel efficient than one person on 99% of motorcycles sold in North America. What the motorcycle manufacturers need to eventually do (or go out of business) is mass produce something like the 1960's Honda 90 which (if I recall correctly) went 45 mph and got around 120 mpg.

Put two people on that!!

[I_Like_Plants]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('Plantagenet', 'P')eak Oil might be very good for motorcycle and scooter manufacturers. When gas gets expensive and people want better mileage, the best thing they can do is get a motorcycle.

[vision-master]

No PIP with motorcycles - that means no medical insurance is provided for the bikers..............


Well, in my State I can get $500 coverage.

[eastbay]

It's funny... I was booted from a few motorcycle enthusiast forums back in '04 and '05 for my frequent peak oil rants (filled with new-to-peak-oil enthusiasm, I'll admit). One of the sites was operated by a motorcycle magazine too! Now one of the most popular bike mag's of them all carries a story saying essentially the same thing I was saying.

It's a rather sweet feeling to hold a minority belief that so many others mock and ridicule and to be later proven correct. It's not the first time it's happened to me, and definitely won't be the last.

[vision-master]

I've been booted for bringing up the idea of PO on motorcycle sites too. But, guess what, the ones that argue with me in the past are now more understanding of the idea. I just kept beating on them with data.