Naked Science Forum
Life Sciences => The Environment => Topic started by: geo driver on 08/06/2010 02:27:40
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Bikes or cars
now cars use more petrol/diesel then motorbikes. However i have to change the tires on my bike every 15k kilomerters, change the oil every 6k kilometers not to mention the break pads and all the servicing.
all in all it hits my pocket, but does it hit the enviroment as much?
oh and on my motor bike i avrage 6.5L of petrol per 100K no matter how i ride, that meen town motorway and the occasional 230 kph, pinning the exelorater on fast for long amounts of time.
i know the answer that i want but..... i dont mind paying more if i can beat cars, and have the adrenlin rush
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Interesting question - my gut reaction is that the bike is better -a bike only has two tyres - so you only replace 4 tyres every 30k.
It will need less oil (even if the servicing is more frequent - but some cars (e.g. Mazda Bongo's) need more frequent oil changes.
Assuming you have a proper bike (i.e. one designed in Japan) rather than some cast useless monstrosity barely capable of turing corners American icon - Parts will often be lighter on a bike and broadly require fewer resources to produce...
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Bike is probably more eco friendly, provided it is low power 4 stroke engine, used at legal speeds only.
Of course remember the old axiom of a bike accident - dented tank, bent wheels and dead rider.
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it sounds good, and yes i do have a 600 honda, a slight little road queen that always gives me a smile, i have b4 kaned the little minx and driven it calmly like a gentle lamb however i always seem too get the same avrage L/per hundred K not bad. cheers for trying to sort out the question. as for the breakpads what are they made of?
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I drive a CBR 1000, and it's the same for me....about 45mpg all day long, whether I've been doing 140mph or just cruising around at slow speeds. Yes, some of the maintenance is more often than cars, but there is still a lot less metal/oil/etc used in the bike, and combined with the gas mileage savings, I would have to say it is far more eco-friendly. Especially since some of the newer cars(like my '06 Dodge Charger), require quite regular servicing as well as having a lot of metal/rubber/oil used to create it.
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Yahama brand new vehicle fuel cell vehicle in the photos, which is why it is a bit misleading. This refers to the starting point might be correct in general, but I suspect that has not been studied in depth. Since most travel is within short distances, I find it hard to believe that, in general, 4-wheel drive a better alternative. Amount of resources to create and maintain a 4-wheel vehicle emissions would exceed the poor quality of two-wheeled vehicles. The study found that the bikes can be up to 90 times more pollutants. Depending on what parameters? I suspect that many of the newer models are cleaner than previous models.
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Would it not also make sense to include how many people you transport with this vehicle? Two people on two motorcycles at 45mpg is not any better than 2 people in a car at 25mpg. And that is not good gas mileage for a car.
Additionally, most people in the USA (or other industrialized nations) who own a motorcycle also own a car, so I cannot see the advantage of using less metal.
And then there is the fact that many of us drive a motorcycle for pleasure rather than going where you need to go. That has little to do with the machine itself, although the use of the motorcycle machine is more fun than using the car machine. As a result people do things with a motorcycle that they would not do if they did not have one.
So, I would say that if you ride your car alone to where you need(!) to go and REPLACE your car with a motorcycle to go to the same places, you are better off with a motorcycle, especially a small one. Better even if more than one person rides. Bikepool!
However, ADDING one motorcycle to your life may do more damage than good.
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Good points Karsten.
Considering some small cars, such as the Nissan Micra, can attain 60+ mpg and carry 4 people, that would certainly put such cars way ahead in the economy and ecological stakes.
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While most cars can carry more than one person, very few of them do. Have a look at the commuters- they are generally one person in each car (at least in my experience).
Having a car and motorbike might be reasonable since, while there is clearly more metal used, it lasts longer so those effects might cancel out.
BTW, I never learned to drive a car or a motorbike. I use public transport.