I don't have much to brag about my firm athletic ass, but I DO drive a XR250 dual sport motor cycle. My girlfriend drives an NX250 dual sport. Mine gets 65mpg, her 75mpg. They were both under $1000 used.

There are many great dual sports to be had out there for around a grand or so. Search: klr250, NX250, XR250 XL250, TW200, ect...

With a dual sport bike, you can get off the road and camp where ever you want. It's very nice to have offroad capability as a climber ya know? With a dual sport, you don't even need a road or a trail even. As long as your handlebars fit between the trees, you're good to go!

I think everyone capable of driving one, should own a motorcycle/dualsport. One nice days, you can leave your car at home and save a ton on gas. I have an hour commute to and from work every day. My truck costs $15 a day, my bike costs $4 a day. My bike saves me $55 a week in gas! And on top of it all, it's way better for the environment.
Consider a small motorcycle man, and if you have any questions about them, PM me.

Motorcycles use less gas but actually, in most cases, polute more than a newer model car. They don't have as many emmission control items as cars.

Cars are actually increadably clean burning nowadays. The majority of polution comes from dust and small motor equipment like lawnmowers and off road vehicles.. Yes, that includes dirt bikes.

Astros aren't Ford, they were Chevy.

You have to define "way better for the environment"..

Motorcycles use less gas but actually, in most cases, polute more than a newer model car. They don't have as many emmission control items as cars.

They are better for the environment BECAUSE they use less gas. Did you forget oil is finite?

Besides, a 250cc motor is 10 times smaller than a 2.5 liter engine, which is small by todays car standards. Is the car putting out 10 times less emissions per liter? Not by today's standards. Most greenhouse gasses come from cattle anyway, so I'm WAY more concerned with saving gas, which is what this thread is about.

Get a dual sport. My XR250 takes me AND my girlfriend to the crag, and will do 70mph on the highway with two ppl. no prob. It's definitely more fun on twisty dirt roads though!

This demands a source. I call BS.

saving gas is not an environmental problem. Its a personal problem.

size of the engine is also not important. There is a huge push to get rid of gas powered lawn mowers and lawn equipment because they put out 10 times the polution than a car....even though the engine size is ten times smaller...

I ride on a daily basis. I like it and it is more gas economical. But that solves a personal problem not an environmental problem.

I was in Italy recently and was just floored by what polution had done to all the historical buildings. They spend Millions of dollars cleaning these buildings up on a regular basis.

If you take a survey, the majority of people in Italy use small motorcycles and Mopeds that all have a stream of black smoke coming out the back.

Just bringing a point up that has been a peeve of mine for a while since I love bikes too.. the industry needs to do more about cleaning up the smaller engines as well. Otherwise we will have a bigger problem when everyone switches over to them because gas prices are so high..

If you question thoughts, check with your local power company. Many are offering rebates if you will turn in your gas powered lawn tools.

saving gas is not an environmental problem. Its a personal problem.

OIL IS FINITE and it's production is destructive to the environment.

You didn't answer my question.

I asked you to cite sources that motorcycles pollute more than a car.

In reply you said that European cities have bad pollution. Could this possibly be from the massive population? The prevalance of diesel (particulate matter vs. dangerous gasses, another debate)? Or scooters. Yep, it's the scooters.

As dingus would say, that's a strawman.

Then you went to lump lawnmowers in with motorcycles... You do realize that in America it's almost unheard of to see a 2 stroke motorcycle cruising the streets don't you? I bet that many dirtbikes and sportbikes used for racing on the track are 2 cycle. Everything else is 4. Big difference in pollution.

If I owned a power company, I would also offer rebates to gas powered equipment. The more I could do to get my customers to plug more things in, the better.

Still, I want to see a report, or a link to a report, that a 150cc scooter is putting out more pollution than a 1.5L car (Toyota Corrolla size).

I'll grant you that the scooter certainly is putting out more than 1/10 of the 1.5L car. Have you factored in the polution caused to refine and transport 3 times as much fuel (assuming 90mpg vs 30mpg) or the pollution caused to create a 2000 pound car (rubber, steel, aluminum, plastic) vs a 200lb scooter.

I'm not going to lay off you until you either come up with a source, or admit you made it up.

Um, it surely is an environmental problem... OIL IS FINITE and it's production is destructive to the environment.

Um, it surely is an environmental problem... OIL IS FINITE and it's production is destructive to the environment.

...I dont understand your point about it being finite. When its gone you will have to do without. ...

Only the naive are not at least thinking about alternatives to standard automobiles, whether for cragging or in general. Of course I understand this means the majority of the population hasn't yet considered making changes.

Smart move - to the bike. And I'd think some people would appreciate the research, as they begin making their transportation changes. Let me ask a question - can you rig it to carry stuff or do you do a backpack, or what?

I always fantasized about having an oooold Indian motorbike with a sidecar for Teddy and my gear.....

Most greenhouse gasses come from cattle anyway, so I'm WAY more concerned with saving gas, which is what this thread is about.

Just to piss you off.

Gas in Burnaby is about $1.20-1.25 but it is only $1.10 in Squamish, so I go there just fill my tank up, and then there is climbing.

the two-wheel versus four-wheel pollution debate basically comes down to whether the scooter/motorcycle engine is a two stroke or four stroke.
two-strokes are traditionally more polluting. however, most new scooters now come with a chip that regulates the amount of oil being mixed with the gasoline.

i drive a four-stroke manual bajaj that gets 100mpg.

higher fuel prices are the only way americans are going to change their driving habits. unfortunately, unlike europe, we do not have a public tranist system to fall back on. so, we are basically screwed.

per liter?

If you look at the fuel economy of some of the newer cars lately, you will find that the average motorcycle isn't even more fuel efficient. My fjr1300 gets about 40mpg. Many cars are getting that economy nowadays

saving gas is not an environmental problem. Its a personal problem.