So you're thinking about getting a motorcycle

I've never owned a car, partly because I have very strong feelings about the degree to which American society has become dependent on the automobile, and partly because owning a car is expensive. So last Christmas, I took a Motorcycle Safety Foundation course, got a motorcycle endorsement, and purchased a 2002 Suzuki LS650 'Savage' from a friend. Since then, people have asked me lots of questions about the practicality, safety, and costs of owning a motorcycle, and so I write this as a response for anyone considering getting a motorcycle intending to use it as a form of transportation.

First off, most people buy motorcycles primarily for recreation, and most motorcycle shops cater to the weekend warriors and not the everyday commuters. This is relatively unusual globally, because at least in the United States, the downsides of commuting by motorcycle are perceived outweigh the advantages, while in most of the world, a significantly higher proportion personal motor transportation is by motorcycle (including scooters and mopeds). Before you make your decision to commute routinely by motorcycle, consider the following:

pro	con
initial purchase, titling, registration, fuel, maintenance, repair, tolls, and parking permits are almost always thousands of dollars a year less expensive	requires significant investment in protective gear to ride safely: ideally: full-face helmet, armored gloves, armored jacket, long pants, and boots, in a pinch: helmet and eye protection, full-finger gloves, long pants, closed shoes, minimum legal: sunglasses and a deathwish
able to out-accelerate and out-maneuver most non-motorcycle road traffic, making passing, merging, stopping, and lane-changing easier	smaller visual profile and relative rarity relative to cars makes it more difficult to be seen by other traffic
vastly better sensory awareness of surroundings, affording the rider a unique and visceral experience of the roads and enabling the rider to better avoid potentially dangerous situations	physically and mentally more demanding than driving, unsafe to ride in inclement weather (heavy rain, snow, high winds), and uncomfortable to ride in extreme heat or cold
most maintenance and repairs can (and should) be done yourself with a minimal mechanical aptitude and tools	requires more maintenance per passenger mile (especially oil and fluid changes), parts may be difficult to source, and requires special tools for some procedures
subjectively more fun than driving, and likely to improve your perceived attractiveness to your preferred sex/gender	significantly higher risk of severe injury and/or fatality through rider error or interaction with traffic; cannot legally or safely use a cellphone, eat, drink, shave, apply make-up, or receive sexual favors while riding
children wave at you and smile with beaming joy when you rev your engine for them, middle-aged suburbanites in land yachts eye you with blood-curdling envy, and Jawas point and say 'OOTINI' when you pass	minimal or non-existent provision for carrying cargo without backpacks or saddlebags, and difficult to carry passengers

I'm about done for today, but future installments of Sven and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance will include topics such as:

1. how to choose, assess, and purchase your first motorcycle, including recommendations for specific types and models
2. how to commute by motorcycle and deal with inclement road and weather conditions without getting your ass killed
3. how to perform basic maintenance and repairs, and why you should do most of it yourself instead of handing it off to a mechanic
4. anthropological observations of motorcycle culture and interactions between motorcyclists and other traffic