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Increasing Gas Prices Bring Out Old Motorcycles

Posted on Aug 27, 2009

Posted 5/30/2007

With increasing gas prices, more people are choosing motorcycles and scooters for transportation in an effort to save money. Some motorcycles get 40-50 miles per gallon, while scooters can achieve 75-100 miles per gallon.

Not everyone is going out and buying new machines however. Some people are dusting off bikes that have been in storage for up to 20 years. After getting married, some have settled down to raise families, putting their bikes in storage rather than selling them. The problem with this is not only are the bikes rusty, so are the riding skills of many of these now middle aged bikers.

The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reported on this issue in the May 22, 2007 edition of the newspaper. While the article by Rick Barrett reported that some of these bikes shouldn’t be put back in service without major mechanical overhauls, it did not address the issue of retraining the riders. Some of these people haven’t been on a bike for years, and others are completely new to the sport. While some shop owners worry about the liability of putting some of these old bikes on the road, preferring to sell them for parts instead, there doesn’t appear to be that same fear of liability in putting rusty riders back out on the road. You can read the complete article by visiting the link below. www.jsonline.com/story/index.aspx?id=608405