[HankL]

Motorcycles get better MPG and accelerate faster.

I love motorcycles, and have since I was 10 years old.

The beginings of my knowledge of mechanical things
began with a Briggs and Stratton 5 hp engine in a "Scat Cat" minibike
and continued with a 49cc Honda. With my father beside me to give me courage I took both completely apart. My first mod was to mill the head to increase the compression ratio and use premium gasoline to compensate. I immediately felt better throttle response and get better MPG, which I could tell when I refilled the 3 gallon tank for exactly $1, because even premium gasoline only cost 33 cents per gallon down at the country store at the bottom of the mountain road leading to our house. My two brothers had it even better: Dad bought them a 6 wheel amphipious ATV with a 12 hp Wisconsin single cylinder that the head was milled so much that no head gasket would hold, so Dad surprised them one day with a 40 hp Wankel engine out of a wrecked Arctic Cat snowmobile he bought on a business trip to Denver. A 'mod' upgrade from 12 to 40 hp with a new redline rpm of 12,000 is a really noticeable upgrade!

I have the scars from 'road rash' to prove those days of motorcycles and ATV's, and later two airplane forced landings.

I know my body won't heal like it used to.

I know motorcycle accidents can be 'life changing' events
and I have the friends to prove that.

I drive a Ram pickup, partly for safety.

My mother has a very good orthopedic surgeon
who is on his second Cummins Ram pickup with over 180,000 miles
and who told me he traded in his Mercedes for the Rams years ago
when he saw patients who survived accidents in Rams much better
than accidents in even high end cars that advertise their safety features.

The cost of a single auto accident that tears up your body
can easily exceed the total cost of 30 years worth of fuel.

If you lift your Ram with suspension or tires
the greatly increased chance of roll-over
kills off any safety advantage of the pickup.