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Okay, food and clothing...I'd probably have to concede that point. I haven't noticed prices rising that much. That doesn't mean they haven't, just that I haven't noticed it, so since I can't argue that point, I'll concede. Ditto for building supplies. Regarding appliances and furniture...I'd say they've increased, but not by the same factor that I gave in my examples above.

Bicycles, however...gotta disagree with you there. I bought a Diamondback Outlook less than ten years ago for under $300. It's not a high-end bike like a Cannondale or Giant or K2, but for an affordable consumer bike, it's pretty decent. Last summer I went to look for a similar bike for my wife, and even though I went to the same store, there was nothing anywhere near the quality of my Diamondback for under $400, and even at that price, the pickings were a bit sketchy. Just to be clear, there wasn't anything at that price point at any other stores either, unless you wanted to buy the Wal-Mart no-name special. Almost twenty years ago, you could pick up a high-end recreational bike for around the same price (about $500) as the decent quality consumer bikes I was looking for last summer. There's also been a pretty steep price increase on motor vehicles lately. A 2009 V-Strom listed just north of $7000 when I was shopping for one; the 2012 model books at $8299. In 2007, a Nissan Frontier SE King Cab ran $21K in my neck of the woods; when I last had my vehicle serviced, a comparable model was about $10K more.

You do realize that despite the name, it's a car rather than a scooter, right? $7k is quite good

Hell I've got a Suzuki Burgmann scooter that costs more than $7K that I just use for getting around town and for short out of town trips. When it's raining I don't use it, a $7K car I could use.

7.5 miles/sec (11.3 km/sec) sounds about right for a Hayabusa <grin>

No, a Ninja is nothing like a Hayabusa, different makes too.

Ninja
Hayabusa

Funny, I get 45MPG without having to drive an overly pretentious vehicle that eats up all the savings on gas in cost of initial purchase + ongoing maintenance a more complicated than typical system. Hybrids bug me in that they are:

a) a temporary stopgap between gasoline and whatever comes next.
b) more complex than competing vehicles. This alone will probably make the price skyrocket past the ~$5k premium one pays up front as they age and require more expensive and more frequent maintenance.
c) a leading cause of smug, following only narrowly behind owning a Mac. (Sorry, had to stick this one in there for a laugh)

There's talk of tax breaks for the people buying hybrids that get 40MPG+. Big fucking deal, what about the pragmatic (or penny penching, or possibly just low income and therefore more in need of the money) person driving a Geo Metro, or in my case a motorcycle? I have to get a new car as well for rainy days and for when I need to transport more than just myself. In addition to my previous car (which I've not yet sold) getting upwards of 40MPG highway, my next planned purchase pushes similar mileage with very good storage and safety. Yet I won't be seeing tax breaks as a reward for frugality and forethought of buying efficient, maneuverable vehicles well suited to city driving, parking, and transport. I can drive my motorcycle in the HOV lane when I'm alone fortunately, but my car that pushes 40MPG can't, even though some states such as California will allow hybrid SUVs that get worse mileage that priviledge strictly because of the "hybrid" label. Complete and utter pretentious horseshit.

It's all about lobbying and political maneuvering, I know. It's still funny how just having a few dollars to toss in a politician's pocket can go just as far in selling your product as an advertising campaign these days. Still, seeing the braintrust over at Google endorse this lunacy is discouraging. Is it just something in the air in California?</rant>

By the way, the Hyabusa only has 160HP but it makes it up to 13,000 RPM (instead of probably 5,000 RPM in the V8 bike). Akin to F1 cars that rev up to 21,000 RPM. GIS

Try one of the new large displacement scooters if you want power and efficiency. 0-60 is usually around 4.5-5.5 seconds, top speeds a little over 100 mph, and mpg of around 50-60. I've been riding one for a few years now, and yes, the underseat storage is fine for a week's worth of groceries and more if you also add a top box or cargo rack to the tail. A decent rain suit will keep you dry in bad weather as well, so that's no excuse. I've also gone cross country on it from coast to coast. It's also unbelievably cheaper to insure than a car.

• "not all" is generally 5%, especially for the last 2

This should be modded up as insightful.

Two points come to mind. 1) The trend has been overwhelmingly towards bigger bikes, which are less fuel efficient. 2) One must consider the number of people being transported. An automobile with 3 passengers and 25% the MPG of a single rider bike has equal efficiency, generally. (However, I do notice that the majority of cars on the roads where I live have a single occupant.)

That said, my bike (a Suzuki GZ 250) has a measly 249 c.c. engine, which is fine for most of the riding I do in a densely populated metro area. On one hand, I'm not going to impress anyone with my bike, on the other I get over 60 MPG.

Funny thing is, my motorcycle gets half the mileage of this car (although that could have a lot to do with my riding habits). You may be better off with a scooter.

I hear ya on that one, but I seem to remember (keep in mind I'm an old geezer in computer terms - 33) that to alleviate that, you could just upgrade the 'graphics accelerator'. I may be wrong, but couldn't a PII with a good ole' Diamond Viper V550 or V770 do the trick?

Plus the fact, that every new OS or software version magically requires more and more power. GRanted some of this is necessary, but how much is really necessary? Some people use ALL of the features of a package, but most don't even scratch the surface. Alot of folks consider me a computer 'Guru', and though I probably know more than most, I am far from it. It's like buying the Hyabusa, when all you want to be capable of doing is riding on two wheels

Hayabusa, which is Japanese for "falcon",...

Specifically, a peregrine falcon, which is the fastest animal in the world. It can reach speeds of 440 kph (275 mph) when diving for its prey. This also accounts for the name of the fastest road bike in the world, the Suzuki Hayabusa. Impressive stuff...

And so far they do not have buggy S/W installed on them.

I have a Suzuki Savage 650 something of a starter bike.

I intend to upgrade in a few months :-)

The other downside is that your motorcycle has worse emissions than a Ford Expedition. Thanks to nonexistent emissions requirements for motorcycles in the US, motorcycles of any kind are more harmful to the environment than even the biggest SUVs.

If you care about the environment, junk that motorcycle and buy a big-ass SUV (or better yet, a car).

I call BS. The 2003 SV650 has Electronic Fuel Injection and a Catalytic converter. And it gets better gas milage (45-55mpg) than the Jetta TDI. And it's one hell of a lot more fun.

Anyway, if you want *real* accelerations, grandiose sensations and top speed and aren't a millionaire, just get a fast motorbike :)

A stock $10.500Suzuki 1000 GSXR has a 160hp engine that redlines at 12.500rpm for a dry weight of 170kg (374lbs), does the 1/4-mile in less than 9 seconds and a top speed of 190+ mph. This thing basically blows any street-legal two and four-wheel vehicle.

The power of this bike is absolutely awesome... and extremely frustrating on the open roads. On the track, though... :) In both cases you need a serious pair of cojones to master the beast!

Cheers,
max

You are correct, the WRX is a very impressive little car, thanks in no small part to its all-wheel drive and the fact that it really is a little (and very light) car. Not to mention, when was the last time you saw someone on the street driving a WRC (race) spec WRX? That's like me justifying my argument by comparing a stock Honda to a Porsche 911 GT3 RS prepped for 24 hours at Le Mans.

I also agree that Lotus does produce exotic (and pretty) cars. However, the Elise isn't exactly a rocket ship. Zero to 62 in 5.1 seconds, while good, isn't astonishing. And 156hp? Your point was what, exactly? Oh, and how much did it cost again? Personally, I am more impressed by the Esprit. But, it also happens to be powered by a twin turbo V8.....

And unless my memory fails me, isn't a Hayabusa a MOTORCYCLE?!?! Let's see it has, a 1300cc (1.3L) engine and it weighs what, 480lbs? In other words, it has nearly as big an engine as and weighs roughly 75% less than your previously mentioned Elise. Isn't bringing that into a discussion about cars kind of like me saying that, if I strap my ass to a artillery shell, I can do 0-60 in about 1ms and top out at over 3000mph?

Now, as far as the gas comment goes, I would rather buy a little more gasoline, spend less per horsepower on the car, and have a car that is fast and doesn't look (and sound) like I have seen The Fast and the Furious one too many times....

I've never been in a position where I've been asked to take a paycut, temporary or otherwise. I've taken a paycut to switch jobs (beleive me: ANYTHING to not have to work for EMC!), and I've talked extensively with folks in the tech sector that have taken paycuts to continue working. I've always sworn up and down that I'd never take a paycut, that I'd just walk.

Four months of unemployment, however, with no jobs out there, watching the cash I had saved up to use on buying a new mmotorcycle go down the drain, wasting it on stupid things like rent, utilities, and food, will kind of change your perspecitve, I think. I would think that it depends heavily on the company itself, and your position in the job market:

If the company is looking strong, long-term, and you're pretty sure things are going to get much better, then it might be worth it. Taking a cut could actually help the company's cashflow problems and buy them enough time to get the next big contract, or do something rebuild.

This is probably pretty unlikely, though. I'd think that if the company has gotten this bad, you're probably looking pretty hopeless, long term. In which case, you have three options: You can quit now, quit later, or get laid off later. Quitting now means no unemployment (at least not in my state, to the best of my knowlegde), and no job in this oh-so-stellar job market. Getting laid off means that you'll be looking for a job while all your former coworkers are also looking for a job, but you'd have unemployment, most likely, and possibly some sort of severange package (but I wouldn't count on it).

I'd say your best option is to take your paycut now and start shopping for a new job immediately. Job search as though you are unemployed today and need a job. Chances are, you can keep yourself afloat on the reduced salary long enough to find a new home at a company that might be a little more stable.

There's a last option that you could explore, however, lawyers are expensive and even if you did win, there probably wouldn't be any money left for you to have, and you'd be stuck with no job, no mon-ay, and a nice, fat lawyer bill.

For example, two recent Japanese motorcycles were so powerful and fast that the manufacturers "detuned" the engines at the prodding of various European governments

The bikes in question are the Suzuki Hayabusa and the Kawasaki Ninja ZX-12R

Badass bikes - I'd kill (you) for a GSX1300R

For us who ride motorbikes, this concept isn't new by any means. Especially for us who ride all year round, like me.

A good jacket will cost you $500 and up anyway. A good jacket which keeps you warm, dry, and safe at highway speeds and considerably more will often set you back somewhere between $700 and $900.

Gloves, jackets and even underwear with built-in heating have existed for some time. Most of them plug into the bike's generator.

Bah. My Suzuki GSX-1300R Hayabusa will do it in 2.2, maxes out at just 17mph below the F1, and at a list price of $10,999, costs approximately 1% of your McLaren. And it looks about as cool, too.

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