The hills are green, the flowers in bloom and the air is mild. It’s the perfect time for heading out to the highway, seeing America and connecting with friends. The question is which vehicle to use? The gas-guzzling, plush, living-room-on-wheels SUV, or the more economical, not-so-comfortable Hybrid. How about the fuel-efficient motorcycle? No matter what you choose, each type of vehicle faces some issues, but for getting around using fewer resources in an ever growing world of more people and less space, the motorcycle is the smart ride.
Take a look at the drivers around you next time you’re out. Notice how 80 percent of them are alone in a 6-by-16 foot, 4-ton box just so they can go a few miles. Seems a bit excessive, doesn’t it? Every person wants their own habitat on wheels, but natural resources are finite and dwindling. As a species can we afford to spend so much of our resources on tires, fenders, and upholstery? Motorcycles use less than half the resources to make. And there’s less to recycle when we’re done with them.
Parking is becoming harder with our growing population. Once you’ve found a space in an overcrowded apartment complex, school, or mall parking lot, it’s just wide enough pull an SUV or full-sized pickup into. When you open the door you’re likely chipping, denting or scratching the paint on the car next to you; especially coups with longer doors.
On a motorcycle, however, angling into a spot is a breeze and three motorcycles can park in the space of one car. That’s 12 motorbikes in the space of four car spots, and there’s no door to ding or be dinged. Plus, parallel parking would be a dreadful thing of the past if we rode on two wheels instead of four.
In this age of distracted driving, drivers have so many things to fiddle with. From computer screens, rear-facing cameras, numerous, small-buttoned radio and MP3 players, satellite services and DVD players, with creature comforts like power everything- from heated seats and opening roofs to hands-free gabbing – our distraction/entertainment options are overwhelming.
As our fingers and eyes find the next thing to occupy us from stop to stop we are spending less time looking out the windshield.  It’s easy to see how fender benders and accidents happen. In a car it’s a cosmetic blemish, but on a motorcycle it’s more serious. However, if we all ride our combined attention would make serious accidents few and far between.
On a motorcycle, it’s a twist of the wrist and you’re off. No longer driving through the world in distracted isolation; you become a part of it. With your feet flying inches above the hard ground, your mind quiets your nagging worries and stresses as you concentrate fully on your surroundings. With no radio and only one free hand your music is the wind and your phone is forgotten, tucked away in your saddle bag. If it rings you probably won’t hear it and you definitely won’t be tempted to answer it.
Ever notice how motorcyclists acknowledge each other with a wave? They share the same two-wheeled experience, and it unites them. It’s hard to be dismissive or indifferent to someone you consider a part of your tribe.
With no distractions and a restored sense of community, we would be happier as a two-wheeled society. You never see a motorcycle parked in front of therapist’s office, do you? The results of a study published in American Iron’s April issue claimed women are happier on motorcycles, with 74 percent of them believing their lives improved since they started riding. While 53 percent of them say their motorcycles make them happy, they also reported feeling more confident, less-stressed and sexier.
A bi-wheeled society can further reduce its dependence on foreign oil by sipping instead of gulping. Everyone will love the $20-or-less fill-up at the gas station. Some motorcycles even average 65 mpg. That’s better than a Prius.
Cars and motorcycles don’t mix, as cars are often too distracted too see them, and cars alone aren’t a compact, resource-efficient, planet-friendly solution to getting around on a sunny day. If we left just the buses, delivery trucks and semis to drive, while the rest of us rode, the congestion of rush hour would disappear since we would all fit in the carpool lane. See America and visit friends the smart way by treading lightly this season.