RockMoto

Pretty much anyone reading this blog knows or suspects that riding a motorcycle feels good. Really good. Can it also make you feel good about yourself? About what you’re doing as a citizen-slash-steward of Planet Earth?

 

I think it’s yet another getting-yer-cake-and-eating-it-too aspect of two-wheeling.

 

Motorcycling has long been green in a number of areas but it seems like sometimes we sell ourselves short when we're talking about bikes. It's good to see that a number of manufacturers are talking more about green issues on their Web sites and posting some impressive MPG figures on certain models. But we know there's more to it than miles per gallon alone. Even non-riders should be able to appreciate what a two-wheeler does, in total, for the environment versus a car or even a hybrid.

 

It starts with thousands of pounds less, tons less, in raw materials. There's also less to scrap or recycle at the end of a bike's life cycle.

 

Less burning of fossil fuels equals less energy used to pull it out of the ground. And it means less greenhouse gases.

 

Besides less gasoline, there's less use of other chemicals and oils in a motorcycle throughout the life of the bike. There's no air-conditioner. Many bikes are air-cooled, so no anti-freeze. The list goes on. Many bikes take around two or three quarts of fresh oil when it needs changing. Many cars take five.

 

Combined motorcycle emissions amount to less than 10 percent of the total emissions from all motor vehicles. Motorcycle manufacturers have been required to make bikes cleaner and cleaner. In fact, the emissions of today's motorcycles are about 70 to 75 percent cleaner than bikes 30 years ago. In California, it's about 90 percent cleaner.

 

Now, new cars have close to zero emissions of pollutants. So it could be said that motorcycles emit 10 to 20 times more pollutants than new cars, but that's only because new cars are so close to zero. Keep in mind that it’s very tough to physically package all the heavy and bulky emission-controlling devices of a car on a motorcycle. But, a bike has other advantages.

 

In California, a big state for motorcycling, and in many other places around the world, motorcycles are allowed to lane-share and filter through clogged car traffic. That means that instead of sitting there idling away, burning fuel and polluting the air without getting anywhere, a motorcycle is almost always getting its rider somewhere, and sooner, too. Since we help ease traffic, even a little bit, that helps reduce everyone else's emissions, no matter what they're driving.

 

We also know, from the Motorcycle Industry Council Owner Survey, that more American riders are using their bikes for commuting and errands, and that's good news.

 

Altogether, motorcycles are green machines in a lot of ways, capable of everyday transportation, in many areas for many months of the year, all while minimizing waste. And, in case you’re wondering, the facts above were vetted with some help from a senior partner and co-founder of Sierra Research, one of the leading research and consulting firms in the field of air pollution control.

So the next time you're filling up the fuel tank or changing oil, give your bike a pat on the seat, and say "you're welcome" to any other motorist within earshot. Loudly.