I see a repetitive trend all over the 'net with motorcycle owners. They ALL seem to have a really combative/chip-on-the-shoulder attitude about anything relating to their bikes and the other people on the road. They also seem to forget about all of the persons that make them look like idiots by popping up on a wheelie in the middle of the interstate, running 100+mph on the stripe between moving traffic, and having exhaust loud enough to be harmful to other motorists/bikers. I don't group all bikers together,and would appreciate them doing the same for the "cagers" as they like to call us. I find that term as derogatory as someone calling a biker a "thug",and feel it does nothing but build animosity between the 2 groups.
JL

 

Back to the OP. If you want a truck that gets econobox mileage, I hope that you have just as you said "Found" it and not bought it. I have had several Ford trucks before. I have a SD with the V10 now. It gets the best mileage of any of the others. However, if you want good mileage, don't ever expect to get better than 15MPG highway mileage empty and not towing. Mine is stock and that is the best I get.

 

I've ridden for years, starting on the road at around 18 years of age. I haven't been on since I got thrown over my handlebars about 4 years ago (that puts me at about 21 years of riding total).

I crashed it three times, all stupidity on my part when off-road. Never on-road.

I can't count the number of times I've had people try to switch lanes into me, cut me off, pull out in front of me, and a whole bunch of other nonsense.

I keep an eye on the local newspaper stories about bike deaths, almost all of them are NOT THEIR FAULT.

And we do have plenty of stripe-riders, wheelies, and a bunch of other idiot-types who apparently don't kill themselves that way.

But not me.

Like I said, in 21 years of riding, I've been "almost" killed/injured about 20 times a year. I tend to keep moving in traffic so people see me, I don't stay near the side of a car too long on the highway, and I never EVER trust someone not to pull out in front of me. If I see someone going to make a turn across the highway I'm traveling on, I just slow down until I really know they've seen me. Yes, that means I've actually stopped on a 55MPH highway because some idiot wasn't looking.

Anyway, I'm one of those people who get defensive about other people in their cages

But my Enduro only got about 30 miles to the gallon anyway, because at 70-75MPH, it's screaming...

 

Wow are you angry. And saying things like "I can't afford my toy" are just rude and ignorant. I only responded because you did the typical cliche reaction when someone brings up a motorcycle. You start acting like you know anything about the actual number and statistics on bikes. You had no data do quantify your statement. Nor from what I read so far have you ever really been on one. And I'm jealous also I guess from what you said. Man you have me figured out. Motorcycles are 50 times cheaper than maintaing a horse. Oh wait.. your little 4 legged horse. No chip on my shoulder until someone starts attacking one of my hobbies that I choose to do. But hell I can't afford it I guess. Anyone wanna buy my toys I can't afford. I have to get a horse it seems.

Pow pow pow

 

The same could be said for your quote about my negative attitude towards motorcycles is because I'm scared and I should just say I'm scared.

It's kinda hard to embed a news broadcast in my post.


I did not say horses were cheaper to maintain then bikes, I had brought out horses as to your attack over my being scared over riding a bike and that is why I have a negative outlook on them. I said nothing about what is cheaper with regard to the horses. In fact, I actually pointed out one of the reasons why people have gone to motorcycles is because they are one of the cheaper things out there. Oh FYI, even though at 4.00/gallon diesel prices(which it has well been beyone that here) at an avg. of 23k a yr if it stays at those prices, my truck is still cheaper then the horses, but yet, I'm able to afford everything because of those expensive animals.


The toy you couldnt' afford is the truck, not the motorcycle(however, that was just a counter attack to your scared attack. I really do not take kindly to someone that attacks me in that way when they don't know squat about me). Your really mis-read my comment. One big angry strawman fallacy on your part.

 

News affiliate here said that most people that are related in accidents, don't know how to merge onto oncoming traffic, as there is no helmet law they don't wear helmets and I have seen some very scary but funny moments when they had a hard time stopping or actually hitting a curve correctly(however, that one was just scary). Here is another fact for you, none of the riding schools for motorcycles are filled up beyond their average number in this area. It may not be in your area, but I don't really care what goes on in your area(no offense) because I don't have to drive up around there. Whatever the reason they choose not to, when you have people doing dumb mistakes like that, that are basic riding mistakes, that is just stupidity and a scarey thought particularly when I'm hauling living cargo and I have to slam on the brakes(although most of that has been with cars, I think maybe 1 motorcycle, if you could call it that).

I admit there aren't angels on both sides, but don't try to sell me the put upon "motorcycles riders lament" it just won't work. I have seen enough of them do dumb stuff(rather or not at that time they caused an accident, the fact that they do it exponentially raises the chances that they will eventially get into one) given their small stature on the road that they just shouldn't do. Which makes people that drive normal vehicles pissed at them and thus, you have the cutting off and all the other stuff because of that. I'm not excusing what people in "cars" do, but don't try to sell me a bill of goods with regard to bikes. Y'all are no angels. Oh and there can just be single vehicle accidents as well, 4 yrs ago I saw a biker crash into a bridge, no helmet, don't know what became of him.

First I applaud you doing that, because that is defensive driving(which everyone should do no matter what you drive), however, I have not once in my life ever noticed any biker being that cautious on any road(granted I haven't ever been up to New York). I have seen crotch rockets blaze by doing from what I can estimate as being 90(speed limit is 70 here, how is that safe especially given the little mass that these bikes have and zero protection?). I have seen bikers use the shoulder of the interstate to get around traffic if you have two relatively slow drivers taking up both lanes. I have seen bikers zig and zag in traffic on regular roads(your smaller speed limit roads up to 45 mpg). I'm sorry but I don't see the little angels that y'all say bikers are. From what you said(in the quote), that is actually experiance talking, however, like I said there are alot of people that don't drive like that(not just bikers granted) no matter what their yrs of experiance are and the odds are increased that they will be involved in an accident that they caused. However, there is a loophole to that expecially for those that cut people off(unless y'all ask, I won't go into that).

 

This is getting way off but Oh well...been riding bikes for say 35 years had 20 of them and say 200,000 miles or more. Never had an accident. Never even had a close call. Learned on the dirt and drove I95 from NY to CT hell's highway..I learned early on to stay away from cars. I usually go by them and get out of the way. I suppose angels been watching my butt also. I have been riding with guy's that scare the crap out of me. Their style puts them in danger more than I can afford.


Dick

 

Just seems the truth is seeping out I mentioned bikes in my first post and that was your hot button. You have a problem with them. That hurts my feelings and makes 6 pound 7 ounce baby jesus cry. It seems you tend to lump anything on 2 wheels into one category. But you know what they say about arguing over the internet right?

Also I will need a translation for this " One big angry strawman fallacy on your part" I think thats a little past my country knowledge and I live in South Georgia!

 

Actually in my original post I mentioned why getting a bike doesn't fit my particular situation like it does yours and I mentioned other concerns that I had with owning a bike(which I would believe most would think of those concerns as genuine concerns) after that is when you started the character assaulting and I just replied in kind(granted it wasn't the correct thing to do, but nonetheless there it is).



No, that's not true, I didn't make any mention of bicycles in this argument. Technically speaking I didn't try to lump anything with two wheels into one catagory.



Don't feel too bad, most of the people that I know from my hometown(Dallas) don't know it either or the people around where I live now(Nashville). However, that doesn't mean you didn't commit it either. In this case(there are 3 forms of strawman fallacy), it means that you took something that I had said, switched to suit an argument that you could debate that doesn't relate to the original material(I highly doubt you really wanted me to translate it, but once again there it is).

 

Nah didn't really need a translation. But it is making my day at work go by so much faster looking forward to each and every silly retort. Now take my word "silly" and twist it around. Did I have to use "silly"? No. But it wouldn't be very entertaining if I didn't now would it?

Hell why not.

More than 250 children ages 14 and under died in bicycle-related crashes. Motor vehicles were involved in 230 of these deaths. Those evil little bastars doing wheelies and just peddling to darn fast! They should get a horse.

 

You say you didn't need a translation and yet you have committed it twice within this last post. Your little twisting the word "silly" around is not a good analogy to what I was talking about with you twisting what I said around. If you really didn't need a translation you wouldn't committed it here in this type of scenerio especially(that is of course your use of the word "need" as in you already knew the defination of "strawman fallacy" and therefore, didn't need me to explain it to you, but given this sentence it leads me to another conclusion then that).


You committed the strawman fallacy again with the horse scenerio. My only reason for the use of the horse was to prove against you thinking I am too scared to ride on a motorcycle that is it. I did not mean to say that instead of getting motorcycles people should get horses, that would be even more dangerous particularly those bikers that do stupid things on their bikes.

Bottomline is I think you do need the defination of the strawman fallacy as it is not apparently that you do know what it means as you just bring up irrelevant items and you hardly do any counterpointing(that is not irrevelant to the points that other people bring up).

I apologize to the original poster about this, I'm done with this as I'm going to commit a little fallacy of my own here(ad hominem, look that up as well that's what you committed when you called me scared without any evidence to suggest such) and just label you as the typical "biker thug" and be done with it. This is my last post on this thread, can't argue logically with an illogical person.

 

Ignore him. Please.

Tex, give it up. No need to go any further with this, I suggest a beer and a nice quiet sit in the backyard not reading anything about motorcycles

 

Heres some actual advice! New spark plugs are cheap, and if your old ones have more then ~70K miles its time for new ones probably. Same for oxygen sensors. O2 sensors can have a big influence on gas mileage. As they get older the respond slower and your PCM cant adjust fuel trims as quickly and effectively.

 

It also doesn't hurt to pull the intake hose off of the intake manifold every once and a while and spray the beejeebers out of the intake plenum (while the engine is running) with carb cleaner to clean out the gunk that the PCV valve deposits into the intake stream.

Also, cleaning your MAF sensor on a regular basis can't hurt.

 

Stop passing cars between lanes and on shoulders with your bikes and I won't steer into you. Motorcycles are an annoyance, most of you ignore the laws of the road, end up run the hell over then blame everyone with 4 or more wheels for your own stupidity. Makes me sick seeing the "start seeing motorcycles" stickers everywhere when the riders don't pay attention to what they are doing. You should "start seeing cars" and obeying traffic laws.

There are the other riders that ride the way they should. Smart, safe and attentive. More biased towards riding and enjoying than showing off and acting like an idiot. These riders I treat as if they are in a car, respecting them as they are me. But everyday, some clown on a gsxr-1000 blows down the center of the lanes, and I steer to the center just because you shouldn't be doing that. I can't, so why are you so special. You hit me, oh well. You should have been obeying the law. Your fault.