​Where Have All The American Consumers Gone?

My very first mode of transport that wasn’t pedal-powered was a 1999 Honda VTR 250. I still love that motorcycle, even though it’s long gone and I’ve since upgraded. I choose to ride over own a car for a number of very altruistic reasons. A bike would make me more attractive to the opposite sex, or so I thought, while friends would think twice before asking for a lift, so no designated driving for me. I also came from a very motorcycle-centric family. My Granddad and Uncle owned two antique ‘50s British Ariels, which Pa would constantly tinker with in his garage. He even had an original restored sidecar that would cart Gram to Sunday Church in their younger days. The last reason was petrol. As a young kid in Sydney, Australia at the turn of the millennium, it would cost me about AUD11.00 to fill each tank and that gave me a range of about 200-250 kilometers.