The case for commuting by motorcycle

Despite the reputation, it's better, more practical transit than you might think.

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[yoinkers]

not going to lie, I prefer both a) living and b) living without a critical motorcycle-accident car inflicted disability

 

[sporkinum]

Electric is the way to go for local travel. For me, it's a skateboard. I roll up to the entrance, bring my board into my office, and charge. Been doing this for the last 7 years. Only take the car when the streets are wet. And I always wear my helmet with a gopro on it to document if I get squished.

 

[arsisloam]

Other than the part about people in cars almost hitting you, and having to go anywhere in bad weather? E-bikes are better bc you don't have to do engine maintenance, but they still have most of the same issues that gas powered motorcycles have.

 

[Snark218]

I like motorcycle culture and aesthetics, particularly the subculture thereof that comes from the lineage of cool dudes like Steve McQueen and Paul Newman doing cool dude shit in the desert on cool bikes, and cool dudes like Ewan McGregor and Charley Boorman doing cool overland shit on cool bikes, and cool motorcycle races like the Dakar. They're cool. I see a BMW 1600 GS or a Husqvarna Svartpilen or a Ducati Scrambler and I bite my lip a little. There's few cars that have that kind of cool, and the ones that do tend to get adopted as aspirational lifestyle affectations by owners who aren't that cool, e.g. Wranglers, G-wagens, Broncos, etc. And that dynamic ends up making them less cool unless it's a very rare car, like a 911 Dakar. Motorcycles aren't usually so common that you can just assume the driver is a dork with a high debt tolerance who's just commuting to work and has never done anything cool.

But I was a volunteer at a local hospital when I was 16-18 or so, and ended up hanging out a lot in the ER, and there's some sights related to motorcycle accidents I wish I'd known to play a lot of Tetris soon after I beheld them there. The idea of actually riding a bike brings up a mental image of someone's whole-ass thigh hanging off their femur and that kills all the cool vibes.

That said, this is all good advice:

Spoiler alert: they're not.

Motorcycling is dangerous, but as with anything else, you can do a lot to mitigate your risks and make riding much safer. The first and most important step is educating yourself. Taking a Motorcycle Safety Foundation course from a certified instructor is a great start. This will teach you the basics of motorcycle riding and start you off with some good habits that will make you more aware on the road. These courses are also usually pretty inexpensive and will provide you with things like helmets and even a motorcycle to learn on.

Being alert, aware of your surroundings, and free from distractions is hands-down the best way to avoid a crash. If you're paying attention to the world around you, you're less likely to be surprised by the person watching movies on their phone drifting into your lane.

Practicing with your motorcycle is also a great way to train your body to know what to do if you need to make an evasive maneuver. Riding around a parking lot isn't all that fun, but it's better than ending up in the hospital because you couldn't avoid a bad situation.

And I'd add that the classic ingredients for a horrific motorcycle accident are high speed, highways, darkness, bad visibility, unprotected intersections, not enough PPE, alcohol, drugs, or combinations thereof. Avoid as many of those factors as you can and you're probably fine. Probably. And pick your routes, times, and actions very carefully. Friends of mine who ride tell me there's lots of mornings where the vibe is just off and they take the car.

 

[Tremelune]

I've been riding since I was five. I commuted on a motorcycle in NYC and LA for a while. It was fun, but always a bit dicey. I would take circuitous routes to avoid certain intersections. Gear is annoying, too...

A much better option would be an ebike and actual bike lanes (and often all it requires is painting the roads differently), but the US can't have nice things. You could make it from downtown LA to the ocean in less than an hour, and you wouldn't have to find parking...

Also, most folks have serious weather in this country...

 

[RickRoyLeonPrisZhoraRacha]

Where I live, I detest the loud Harleys. No, they don't save lives, its called Doppler effect and I only hear you as you pass or from behind, and rattle our windows. How some don't wear helmets is just asking for Grim Reaper or deafness.
Too many distracted drivers. Else yes, I would ride an electric motorcycle or Motorbike (BMW) to work and for travel. But you are limited to weather. Better have your bloodtype/Med ID on your self. (friend is EMT. He told me how he took Helmet Extraction training. I don't ride now).

 

[stewartmyers]

I wish you'd mention some of the fatality/injury stats for motorcyles before saying they're not dangerous. These things are death traps and the data backs that. I worry about anyone that recommends them as a mode of travel.

 

[markgo]

I stopped being interested in motorcycles during my college Neurophysiology class when I learned that neurological research pays for long-term hospitalization of motorcycle riders with brain injuries because motorcyclists damaging and inserting foreign objects into every corner of the skull is still one of the best ways of figuring out what parts of the brain do what.

 

[alfy1989]

Commute riding is so different to commuting in a car, which many people do with about 20% attentiveness. On the bike, if you want to stay alive, and in one piece, you have to have 100% attentiveness, all the time. It sure makes you feel alive. The commute becomes a whole other enjoyable part of the day, rather than a chore.

 

[Tremelune]

Other than the part about people in cars almost hitting you, and having to go anywhere in bad weather? E-bikes are better bc you don't have to do engine maintenance, but they still have most of the same issues that gas powered motorcycles have.

Not really. You can park an ebike anywhere, and sometimes take it inside, on a train, up stairs...and they're allowed places motor vehicles aren't.

 

[N9IWP]

Better for CO2, but aren't motorcycles worse for other pollutants? I think it is due to no/smaller catalytic converter.

Brian

 

[DistinctivelyCanuck]

"because Canada" there's only (realistically) about a six month motorcycling season in most of the country.

I've got an Uncle who is an ER doctor, fair bit older than I am.

Every spring: his contribution to ensuring that younger family members didn't get motorcycles was to tell us at various family events about the "number of organ donors generated in the first weekend of fair weather with motorcycle related accidents" in his hospital.

A great combo -> roads that aren't cleared from salt sand used for recent winter driving management, First rides of the season, cars not used to motorcycles being out.

Nearly lost a fellow engineering school colleague to one of those.
after he got out of the hospital he brought his crushed helmet to one of our design engineering classes.
Design challenge -> what else might this helmet have needed to be done to meet the "weight vs safety vs temperature control vs visibility" trade offs. The helmet in question, withstood an F-150 driving over my student colleague's head


Weirdly, when asked, my ER doctor uncle never had the same anecdotes about folks on bicycles, but you'd have thought that the same sort of factors would have been involved... (fair weather? first excuse to be out for a pedal?)

 

[RetconRob]

Despite the reputation, it's better, more practical transit than you might think.

On the condition that you voluntarily take a class and put on a full uniform every single time you want to go somewhere. Obviously, most people aren't going to do that.

Environmentally, having fewer cars on the road is a good thing, particularly when you consider that most people commute alone in otherwise empty cars or SUVs. Bikes put less wear and tear on roads, use less energy, and take up less space, making more room for everyone else.

Environmentally, you should be making the case for public transportation, not telling people to risk their lives lane splitting on a busy road.

 

[NOT_RICK]

The worst wake I ever went to was for one of my coworkers. She was a beautiful soul, worked with disabled children and was damn good at it. She and her Fiancee were on a motorcycle together and got hit by a car. She died on the scene, he walked away with nothing but superficial injuries. Having to look him in the eyes and give my condolences was one of the most difficult things I've ever had to do.

It doesn't matter how good of a rider you are, the roads are littered with idiots on their phones, drunk, exhausted, you name it. It's just not worth the risk.

 

[E.Murphy]

Other than the part about people in cars almost hitting you, and having to go anywhere in bad weather? E-bikes are better bc you don't have to do engine maintenance, but they still have most of the same issues that gas powered motorcycles have.

The difference between wiping out at 20mph vs 40 mph is vast.

 

[BobDole11]

You can be as safe and careful of a driver that is humanly possible. You however can't mitigate every idiot wrapped in tons of steel from turning you into a meat crayon. Obviously a very common saying.

Maybe its less risky to bike in traffic that is largely at a bumper to bumper sludge speed? Less risk of someone hitting you at speed I suppose. But when you're splitting lanes, people sadly can be spiteful at you and actually pull inward just so you can't split. I've seen it. And what happens if you're going a little too fast splitting and someone does that, maybe not even thinking they'll wreck you but just to give you the finger.

Its just not worth the risks to me. My dad died on his Harley, he tried to swerve to miss a dog, instead of as he knew was best - just hit the dog. He knew it mentally, but didn't in the spur of the moment. Paid for it with his life

 

[appliance]

I wish you'd mention some of the fatality/injury stats for motorcyles before saying they're not dangerous. These things are death traps and the data backs that. I worry about anyone that recommends them as a mode of travel.

He says just the opposite....so.....

 

[1Zach1]

Sounds like this is specific to California cities, with their relativity stable environment, and motorcycle friendly laws. Outside of that you start running into all the major downsides, not to mention the fact that you're talking about buying a $10k+ commuter specific vehicle to go along with needing another vehicle for non-commuting needs.

Next is gear. There is a term in motorcycling called "ATGATT," which stands for All The Gear, All The Time. This means that you put on all of your safety equipment every time you ride, and this is a really good habit to get into. It has saved my life.

But we live in the real world, where people are going to wear the least amount they can get away with legally. I very rarely see people on motorcycles with riding specific gear, other than a helmet. Maybe commuters are more likely to wear this as they need to keep their work clothes in better shape?

 

[Browser639624 /s]

I loved my motorcycles and didn’t even get a car license until I was 20. A sports car and other drivers finally convinced me it wasn’t worth the inconvenience anymore. In other words the benefits didn’t outweigh the negatives. YMMV, it’s a more efficient mode of transportation, but it’s not a viable solution for everyone

 

[Psyact]

Electric is the way to go for local travel. For me, it's a skateboard. I roll up to the entrance, bring my board into my office, and charge. Been doing this for the last 7 years. Only take the car when the streets are wet. And I always wear my helmet with a gopro on it to document if I get squished.

I've been toying with the idea of grabbing an electric scooter or bike that can safely get me and a couple bags of groceries or whatever 20ish miles at a decent clip. The biggest problem for us is that there are very few roads where I could do this safely. There are a few places I can get to through back roads but otherwise I'm out of luck, which really impacts the utility of this mode of transportation for me. Our main connecting road is a 3-4 lane state highway and there's no way I'm getting on that. They've been planning a shared use path but I'd be surprised if it was ever built out substantially (current estimates have it completed in 2029).

 

[Dumb Svengali]

One thing to consider is that, like General Aviation and other moderately dangerous activities - a big portion of the crashes come from things you CAN control for. For example, more than 1/3rd of fatal crashes were folks without a license in 2022, 40-something percent were intoxicated, and 1/3 were speeding.

That doesn't make motorcycling safe if you don't do those things - not by any means. People still get killed or severely injured all the time who are safe, licensed, sober, and driving defensively under the speed limit. It's just good to note that a lot of folks* (*young men, far and away) get on bikes with no experience, no training, no gear, often intoxicated and die. That's a big portion of the crashes.

 

[SunnyD]

Motorbikes could indeed be the answer, but the same reasons that make them a reasonable alternative in this article also make them a bad choice in the US.

The US is very remote which makes the efficiency of them very attractive. But at the same time every mile on the road along side all the other hazards make them just as unattractive. In addition, much of the country lives in areas where motorcycles simply aren’t viable for a large portion of the year.

I commute 57 miles one way daily. I’ve considered motorcycles, really. But half the year it would sit in a garage and the other half the year I would be taking my life into my own hands, especially now that we share the road with self driving death traps. A better solution would be for society to reevaluate and change to allow remote work as the norm and better mass transit options to be available. Removing this irrational dependence on private transportation in general would make significant strides to the problem in general.

 

[Zoc]

I once made the mistake of googling "motorcycle injuries" and immediately swore off ever getting on one. Not the way I want to go out.

 

[Snark218]

I've been riding since I was five. I commuted on a motorcycle in NYC and LA for a while. It was fun, but always a bit dicey. I would take circuitous routes to avoid certain intersections. Gear is annoying, too...

A much better option would be an ebike and actual bike lanes (and often all it requires is painting the roads differently), but the US can't have nice things. You could make it from downtown LA to the ocean in less than an hour, and you wouldn't have to find parking...

Also, most folks have serious weather in this country...

Eh. I live in Colorado. There's plenty of days I wouldn't want to bike or ride anywhere, but that still leaves a few hundred where the weather would probably be fine.

I wish you'd mention some of the fatality/injury stats for motorcyles before saying they're not dangerous. These things are death traps and the data backs that. I worry about anyone that recommends them as a mode of travel.

I think it depends on your risk tolerance and risk management.

 

[markgo]

The difference between wiping out at 20mph vs 40 mph is vast.

Vast indeed:

While lethality of wiping out from a bike is lower vs a pedestrian being hit by a vehicle, the same power law applies, meaning the graph of serious injury and death will look very similar.

Edit: Source https://www.paho.org/sites/default/files/2018-SpeedRoadCrashes_ENGLISH_FINAL.pdf

There’s even better research out there but unsurprisingly all the graphs are in km/h and I didn’t want to open that can of

 

[xrmb]

Biggest downside for me and commuting with the motorcycle was the weather. Winter with around freezing temps is just too slippery, summer and surprise downpours also are no fun. And if you wear the right protection, any warm day will get you soaked before getting to work. Forget it if you have to wear nice clothes to work.

It's still more fun than a car commute.

 

[mikestew]

Better for CO2, but aren't motorcycles worse for other pollutants? I think it is due to no/smaller catalytic converter.

Brian

My BMW has a cat, and it’s over ten years old. You’re not wrong, but at the same time emissions controls on bikes have improved even if not mandated.

 

[miken32]

For motorcyclists, it's also famous because you get the ability to legally split lanes (i.e., ride between cars on the lane-dividing lines) and filter (i.e., ride between vehicles at a stoplight to get to the front)

As someone who used to commute in traffic on a bicycle in the pre-WFH days, both these practices sound absolutely terrifying! You'd want to have an awful lot of faith in your fellow road users; I do not.

And another anecdote, my dad ended up under a car after someone rear-ended him while stopped in traffic on his motorcycle on the way to work one morning. The leather gear and rider awareness courses did not have any effect on the driver who ran into him. Doctor said he was lucky to live, and he never replaced the bike.

 

[mmmmwmmmm]

I used to have a motorcycle, commuted with it to work; biked cool places on the weekend. Loved all of that. I have very fond memories of doing a "toy run" rally on the bike with thousands of other bikers through the city. Afterwards I learned that someone died during that toy run.

Then I moved to a new country; suddenly I had to actively decide whether to get a new bike. I was older and wiser; the thrill was no longer worth the risk. I've seen how other drivers swerve around on the highway. I want to see my children grow up. I won't ever ride a motorbike again.

Edit: This source says that, per vehicle mile driven, you have an 18x higher risk of fatal crash than a car driver.

 

[cgo_12345]

Anything but investing in public transit I guess

 

[BCGeiger]

I’m looking at getting a motorcycle. I don’t need a hundred horsepower or to spend $15-$20k after tax on one. I’m looking at ~250-300cc, something I can scoot around town on. As far as safety, people need to keep in mind that the squids skew the statistics. The young (mostly) men (mostly) who ride as if they were indestructible and stunt, and post videos of themselves speeding, count for a huge proportion of the motorcycle accidents and fatalities. Most of us, especially on smaller bikes, who are careful, wear proper equipment, and get trained simply don’t attract the attention.

That said though, I support mandatory helmet laws. Anyone who gets on a motorcycle without one is a moron who needs their license pulled. If you disagree…GFYS

 

[Snark218]

The difference between wiping out at 20mph vs 40 mph is vast.

Yeah. Speed, distance, frequency, and other road users all figure in to the risk picture. Would I ride a motorcycle on a quiet back road with few other cars? Sure. Would I ride a motorcycle or e-bike short distances in the city, at relatively low neighborhood speeds? Sure. Would I ride a motorcycle at 66-70mph in morning highway traffic? Shit the living fuck no.

 

[Old_Fogie_Late_Bloomer]

I'm sorry, but, like...no.

If you live somewhere with gridlock, buy the most comfortable and quiet car you can. If you live somewhere where you can open the throttle up a little on the regular, buy something with a stick. Otherwise, if you can work from home, do that.

The safety delta between motorcycles and the one-to-three-ton automotive behemoths they share the road with is so steep that I don't think one can in good conscience recommend a motorcycle for a daily commute. One shouldn't live their life in constant fear, but if you care about continuing to live that life, motorcycles aren't the way to go.

 

[rain shadow]

Vast indeed:

View attachment 115753
While lethality of wiping out from a bike is lower vs a pedestrian being hit by a vehicle, the same power law applies, meaning the graph of serious injury and death will look very similar.

That's not the power law, that's the logistics curve.

 

[dr_eeew]

But, but....I DO want a pickle! No motor-sickle for me!

 

[akw0088]

Motorcycles aren't great in the city, I don't care how good of a rider you are if someone pulls out in front of you, you have little to no options. Lane splitting while done in dead stopped traffic is safer, but it's not safe in general. People often ride between traffic at 40+ mph which is not what lane splitting is for. Even when lane filtering and splitting are legal, drivers get road rage when you do it. Sure you can try to explain the law to them, but they aren't rational at this point so it's falling on deaf ears. In fact, talking with anyone during road rage gives you nothing.

Riding at night is more risky, riding in the rain is more risky, etc.

I always get a kick at when I see a sports car bragging about driving in the rain or snow, like what's the point if you cannot travel faster than 20mph? Same thing is true for some bikers talking about how they ride in the rain all the time

They are fun, great for sunny days, but I'd avoid the high traffic areas (ie: stores, strip malls etc) but daily driving them through rain sleet snow and traffic will eventually lead to a bad accident

 

[Qyygle]

With ebikes getting ever closer in performance to motorcycles, it's a shame bicycle infrastructure isn't better in the US.

A proper public transit system and folding ebike could permanently replace my motorcycle completely, but that's apparently communism or something.

 

[Okcomposite]

I'm a motorcycle rider and I love it but the idea that it is safe, practical or economical is ludicrous. When you are riding a motorcycle you have to imagine yourself as the protagonist of a Final Destination movie. Everyone around you is trying as hard as they can to kill you at all times.

 

[DistinctivelyCanuck]

The worst wake I ever went to was for one of my coworkers. She was a beautiful soul, worked with disabled children and was damn good at it. She and her Fiancee were on a motorcycle together and got hit by a car. She died on the scene, he walked away with nothing but superficial injuries. Having to look him in the eyes and give my condolences was one of the most difficult things I've ever had to do.

It doesn't matter how good of a rider you are, the roads are littered with idiots on their phones, drunk, exhausted, you name it. It's just not worth the risk.

Somewhat similar situation at a startup I was at a decade or so ago.
Husband and wife out for a run in a three wheeler: spring: first ride of the year: celebrating that the last of their kids had moved out.
Bad accident: wife ends up being helicoptered from the scene: husband pretty badly injured but not gravely.
wife ended up most of a year in hospital. And the youngest kid had to move back home

Lest this thread turn into an "all bad news" thread: a dear friend of mine is on year 35 of running his bikes around... He's so ATGATT that he looks like a stormtrooper, but the positive of that is that worst he ever had was to having to lay down his GPZ750 to slide under a semi that turned without signalling... Literally got back up: got the plate number of the semi, got back on the bike, cursed the truckdriver (who never stopped) and resumed his ride. Filed a police report on the semi: the cops didn't believe him until he showed them his gear, the bike, and the cop goes "you got up and kept going? Dude you have serious stones." (its been years: but that's the way I recall it LOL)