Are bikes eco friendly?

[Flynn]

http://ecomodder.com/blog/2008/09/01/motorcycles-scooters-great-environment-wrong/

OK article but a good reader discussion follows.

Flynn

[Alex Carlson]

The problem with most arguments for or against the eco-friendliness of anything, be it personal conveyance or building materials or consumer recycling or anything, is that in general the argument is narrowly defined so that is boils down to one sides' statistics versus the others'.  And, as we all know, not only can the most accurate of statistics be spun to reflect almost anything, 89.3% of most statistics are made up on the spot.

The fact is, the argument regarding the eco-friendliness of motorcycles and scooters is multifacted.  Only basing the judgement on carbon emissions is misleading.  (And it looks like the author of this article managed to get even that aspect wrong.)  One also has to look at things like fuel economy, resource consumption, space efficiency, infrastructure impact... the list goes on.  It's my gut feeling that most motorcycles, even the dirty old ones that we all like, suss out to be more 'green' than most cars when assessed by the same matrix of criteria. 

And let's not forget that by keeping these old machines alive, we're keeping them out of landfills and scrapyards, and saving manufacturing cost on new units that we'd otherwise be riding.

But what do I know?  I just ride 'cause I like it.  I also like big old V8 cars, and I won't stop liking those because they're killing the ozone and sucking up the last of the dino juice.

-Alex

[Rock Harris]

Well, I know that even modern bikes put out a lot more emissions than a car. And my old '76 HD is probably even worse. However, the number of bikes vs. the number of cars makes this far less important (but the day of reckoning for new bikes is coming). Plus, the MPG fact is important.

All in all, I agree; they're probably better overall.

Except with this:

And let's not forget that by keeping these old machines alive, we're keeping them out of landfills and scrapyards, and saving manufacturing cost on new units that we'd otherwise be riding.

One thing to remember is that aluminum or paper are not the most recycled item in the world. Iron is. And it always has been and it probably always will be. Our old bikes, assuming they get to a scrapyard, get turned into patio furniture or brake rotors or body panels in short order.

I'd say for every old bike ridden, that's a new one not being bought. And except for Ducati's GT (sex in iron), I'm fine with that....

:-)

--
rock harris
314.221.5941

Anyone who lives within their means suffers from a lack of imagination.