I Sold My RT Today

I just couldn't stand the shame of it all. I wasn't sure how far to ride and not harm anyone and
there was no guide for me on how to live and make decisions.

I sold my RT and even my mint 2004 yellow Honda Helix.

When Greta Thunberg didn't answer my email, the guilt was overwhelming.

Now I walk everywhere and my trip to Alaska will take eight years, but will be
good for the environment and my soul.

Luckily for me, there was guidance from a wise social warrior in the MOA letters.

Thanks,

Wally the Walker. #10,695

My condolences to you and yours.

Dang Wally, I know that is a tough decision. Does not matter if you know it is time. It is hard to sell the steeds. I am not there yet, but I do wonder what it will be like when I know it is time. Hope you are able to direct your riding passion toward another activity.

Hi Bluehole

bluehole said:

Dang Wally, I know that is a tough decision. Does not matter if you know it is time. It is hard to sell the steeds. I am not there yet, but I do wonder what it will be like when I know it is time. Hope you are able to direct your riding passion toward another activity.

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Hi Bluehole,

I guess I should have been more direct. My post is in response to the guy who wrote a letter in the recent issue of the news.

Basically, it's okay to ride as long as it's not too far unless our purpose is pure and Greta Thunberg approves.

We have to have our thoughts vetted before we can start our bikes.

I have no plans to sell my BMW.
Thanks,
Wally #10695

I must apologize, but I'm not sure I understand what's going on in this thread.

WalterK75 said:

I must apologize, but I'm not sure I understand what's going on in this thread.

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He is making fun of somebody who wrote a letter to the editor in the June BMW Owners News. Apparently this has something to do with climate change, or more accurately climate change denial. Since the original post was actually a political post disguised as something else I think the Forum Moderators really ought to look at the ON, look at this post, and close this thread.

PGlaves said:

to look at the ON

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Can't...haven't seen the ON yet. This is all tongue in cheek...nothing to see here...keep moving!

Wally. I read the letter. I get it. Pretty funny.

PGlaves said:

He is making fun of somebody who wrote a letter to the editor in the June BMW Owners News. Apparently this has something to do with climate change, or more accurately climate change denial. Since the original post was actually a political post disguised as something else I think the Forum Moderators really ought to look at the ON, look at this post, and close this thread.

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Oh my. If you don't agree, shut them down.

You make my point, but can't comprehend how you do it.

I've been riding for a few years and am ashamed you would think I'm a climate change denier.

I think I will self-report to the moderators.

Ps - What this has to do is pointing out the great unwashed who think they can tell me how to think and act.

Wally

#10695

US Army - PhuBai Vietnam 1969-70

wallyhelix said:

Oh my. If you don't agree, shut them down.

You make my point, but can't comprehend how you do it.

I've been riding for a few years and am ashamed you would think I'm a climate change denier.

I think I will self-report to the moderators.

Ps - What this has to do is pointing out the great unwashed who think they can tell me how to think and act.

Wally

#10695

US Army - PhuBai Vietnam 1969-70

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Since there were at least three letters to the editor that touched on climate change - for or against - I couldn't actually tell which one you were making fun of. But in either case it was a political post which are technically not supposed to be on the forum. Which was my only point. There is actually no need for personal attacks here.

PGlaves said:

Since there were at least three letters to the editor that touched on climate change - for or against - I couldn't actually tell which one you were making fun of. But in either case it was a political post which are technically not supposed to be on the forum. Which was my only point. There is actually no need for personal attacks here.

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I was not making a personal "attack" and my post was not political, it was practical.

There was only one Greta Thunberg reference in the letters section, so that's the one I was addressing.

Of course the climate changes, it's changing as I type.

See, we have common ground.

wallyhelix said:

Now I walk... my trip to Alaska will take eight years....

Wally the Walker. #10,695

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Aside from the real reason for your post, that project will make a great book!

Hop to it! I wanna read it before I get too old.

SS

I sold my 2008 RT Sunday. It was a great bike, trips to Alaska, the Smokies, Booneville Salt Flats. I really miss it. But the 2012 RT I bought is doing it's best to console me.

Climate change letter

TEDZEMLICKA said:

I sold my 2008 RT Sunday. It was a great bike, trips to Alaska, the Smokies, Booneville Salt Flats. I really miss it. But the 2012 RT I bought is doing it's best to console me.

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Hello folks, I think the letter that you were referring to was written by me. In that letter I never suggested that we curtail our riding or sell our bikes in shame and guilt. I suggested that we, as a club, might recognize that we DO contribute to climate change and therefore investigate ways to offset it. It was not a political statement but a statement of facts, unless your bike runs on air.

One idea that I thought of was to partner up with an established organization that has tree planting campaigns, like the Nature Conservancy. Or if we want to take it a step further we could adopt an area and make it our BMW ecological sanctuary. Sounds far fetched but worth checking into. As I was researching this with the local Nature Conservancy chapter, I found out that Harley Davidson actually has some kind of partnership program with them that offsets carbon footprints.

I just returned from a 570 mile weekend trip on my K100RS, one of three beemers in my garage. I ride every day and love it.

Safe riding!

Hans Reumschuessel
Sturgeon Bay/Door County, WI

PS: look me up if you are in the area. Let’s go on a ride together.

I offset my CO2 emissions from my bike by my main ride, my 2017 Prius Prime plug-in hybrid which currently sports a running average fuel economy of 96.9 mpg. And with all the lockdowns and plague concerns I'm not doing many miles on either vehicle.

Harry

FWIW, climate change and environmental impacts are largely what generated my interest in motorcycles as a teenager in the 80's. One time, while tuning my Yamaha, I remember mentioning that to a family member who replied I shouldn't worry about it, as the little bit one vehicle contributes to the air was so minor. While I hadn't heard of the Tragedy of the Commons (here or here) at that time, it didn't dissuade me. At 50+, I still use my bikes as my primary commuters when the weather is cooperative (I just can't do the Texas heat in June-September), during which I retreat to the Miatas). The mileage is still so good (averaging 40+ mpg for the bikes/30+ for the cars- even at their age) relative to most ICE vehicles I can buy today and the bikes contribute less to wear/maintenance on the roads.

As a 30-year biologist and environmental scientist, educator, and researcher, I chuckle sometimes at the things I read in the enthusiast magazines and forums I frequent that deny our impacts on climate, especially when it comes to our chosen past-times (i.e., cars and bikes). I enjoy my "toys" and would not advocate anyone give them up. But I also think that we need to be smart about the future and what we are leaving for those that come after us.

Technology is moving quickly, and the markets are right behind them. I am greatly encouraged by the fact that renewables in the energy sector (energy production is the top contributor to greenhouse gasses globally) are advancing to the point that they are cost competitive and the investments by major companies are helping drive that transition (i.e., companies like Walmart, Google, Amazon contracting renewable power at scale from wind and solar providers like BP... yes, that BP). I'm encouraged that car and bike manufactures are driving (haha) development of non-ICE, personal transportation that is increasingly cost competitive, as transportation is the second leading contributor to greenhouse gasses globally. I suspect that the infrastructure for support (recharging, maintenance) for these vehicles will soon follow the path ICE transportation followed so many years ago- I don't doubt that the near future will see vehicle charging stations as common and conveniently located as gas stations today. I've likely purchased my last ICE vehicle, and have supported only renewable energy for several years (which in recent years has become equally priced to coal-fired alternatives in my area). I'm glad so many members in my various clubs are adopting the newer technologies (like Harry) as they become cost competitive.

I think Hans suggestion is a good one, and encourage individuals and organizations alike to think in this direction to support efforts to conserve and promote the earth's ability to offset our waste generation (after all, these ecosystem services are free, and that's a great price); asking members to contribute a $1 along with their membership renewal that would go to these efforts wouldn't bother me in the least.

AKsuited said:

I offset my CO2 emissions from my bike by my main ride, my 2017 Prius Prime plug-in hybrid which currently sports a running average fuel economy of 96.9 mpg. And with all the lockdowns and plague concerns I'm not doing many miles on either vehicle.

Harry

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Here's a pic I took a few minutes ago:



It shows my current running average mpg @ 97.0 mpg. I reset the running average the day after I drove the car home from the dealers, having bought it new.

Also notice the 0.4 miles - that's the EV (electric vehicle) range left in the "plug-in partition." The goal is to arrive home with that number close to zero, which means I got the most out of the EV mode. A key to hybrid vehicles' good fuel economy is regeneration, converting kinetic energy to electricity which is then used to recharge the hybrid battery pack. With a plug-in, you've got a plug-in partition as well as a hybrid partition.

Consider how much gasoline I saved over more than 39K miles with an effective mpg of 97.0 mpg.

Harry

Ok, I have to ask on watts per mile/cost per charge?
OM

How much coal or natural gas did the power plant burn to provide the electricity that came through the plug to the car? Have you compared the cost per mile for electricity vs gasoline? I am curious as to whether I ought to consider a Prius when I replace my Ford Focus.

Omega Man said:

Ok, I have to ask on watts per mile/cost per charge?
OM

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I'd have to look on my next electric bill because I tossed the last one. This time of year, running the central air impacts my electric bill way more than charging my plug-in hybrid. The hybrid battery pack is 8.8 kWh, 4 miles/kWh, MPGe of 133, which is higher than any other plug-in hybrid and higher than many electric only cars. https://drivegreen.nationalgridus.com/form_cars.php

Be careful about assigning watts/mile because as with all hybrid electric cars, there is the benefit of regeneration. Don't assume that the energy put into charging the plug-in partition is equivalent to charging a lead/acid battery and seeing how far you can go. In any kind of hybrid vehicle, the biggest benefit is being able to shut off the ICE every time the car doesn't need the ice to run and also changing the electric traction motor into a large generator and recovering the kinetic energy from the motion of the vehicle E = 1/2mV*V and stuffing that recovered energy back into the hybrid pack. One example - my previous Prius averaged about 45 mpg and it was not a plug-in and required no charging at all. So why was it's efficiency so much higher than "normal" cars? Because the engine was optimized for fuel economy, because the car engine would shut off at lights and when coasting, especially down hills, and because of regeneration, where it captured kinetic energy and converted that into charge for the hybrid pack.

It's hard to put an exact number on how many miles I get on a charge, which takes about 5 1/2 hours @ 11 amps, I believe.

My electric rates where I live in the Southern Tier of New York aren't as high as many places like Long Island, and our electric in New York tends to be "greener" than many locations due to a lot of hydro electric from Niagara Falls, Massena, NY, Hydro Québec, and the closing of most coal fired plants in favor of natural gas. There is a wind farm, for example, less than five miles from here.

https://www.carsdirect.com/green-ca... carry a,electricity for their electric motor.

The main reason electric cars and partial EV cars like my Prius Prime are more efficient is because gasoline engines in cars are horribly inefficient. Electric motors in cars are more efficient. They don't put out anywhere near the amount of waste heat an ICE produces, and they benefit from regeneration, where conventional cars just produce heat when braking.

Drive a hybrid car for a week, notice the ICE shutting off at every opportunity, capturing energy every time you slow for a light or exit, and you'll wonder why every car isn't a hybrid. And a plug-in hybrid is even better.

Harry