Why all the dirtbikes?

I have seen a few discussions about survival or bugout vehicles here, and they all seem to have many people with dirtbikes. What makes this vehicle so great for getting out of town? Besides the high speed for an offroad vehicle they seem fairly terrible for the job. Can someone clue me in on why this is such a popular bugout vehicle? Or is it just a good excuse to buy a new toy?

reply to post by AnarchysAngel


Manueverability and off road use. You can't pack a lot into it but if the streets are destroyed or are clogged with dead vehicles you need something that can fit through tight spaces. It would be my best choice. I would try to stay in my big truck as long as possible but if everyone is evacuating when the sh#$ hits the fan the roads will be full of dead vehicles.

My advice get a good pair of hiking boots and several extra pairs of socks. Chances are no matter what vehicle you choose you will end up having to walk some great distances looking for water, food, shelter and fuel.

reply to post by AnarchysAngel

Why all the dirtbikes?

Being able to get away from the desperate, hungry, and well armed crowds will be essential if you want to survive.

Traveling along the highways will be a nightmare. I would prefer a sailboat for bugging out but the Rio Grande goes dry from time to time.

Here's a pretty good look at what it will be like....

It will be fun!!!

reply to post by AnarchysAngel


I would much rather have something like this...
S&M bikes 24" Dirt Bike


I had one since I was like 14, and the last Five years of my ownership of it was spent actively attempting to break it. I sadly sold it to a friend recently though. Seriously one of the most rugged bicycles i've ever seen.

As much as I love Jeeps, and yes, jeeps WILL go places a dirtbike can't, the same goes for a dirtbike in certain situations.

It can be up and gone in a blink of an eye, and navigate might tighter spots well. It's also alot more audible and you could only carry a little gas tank and whatever you throw on your back.

Another point, you could go alot farther on a gallon on a dirt bike then you could in a straight 6 jeep.

Otherwords, it doesn't hurt to have a dirt bike. Of course, doesn't hurt to have a jeep that can carry it too.

Originally posted by AnarchysAngel
I have seen a few discussions about survival or bugout vehicles here, and they all seem to have many people with dirtbikes. What makes this vehicle so great for getting out of town? Besides the high speed for an offroad vehicle they seem fairly terrible for the job. Can someone clue me in on why this is such a popular bugout vehicle? Or is it just a good excuse to buy a new toy?

A " dirtbike" is versatile,it can go places other vehicles can not.
Plus,they use less gas so they can carry you further.

Other alternatives are running,a bicycle, or a car.

Pick and chose for your specific apocalyptic scenario.

reply to post by AnarchysAngel


If you can get your hands on a Kawasaki M1030M1 military Diesel off road motorcycle, you're looking at 95mpg on a 4.2 gallon tank.
Military Diesel Motorcycles + stats

Benefits to diesel dirtbike, especially in a post-apocalyptic scenario is the ease of making bio-diesel fuel compared to getting stuck with running out of regular petrol with other vehicles.

One can always purchase a regular dirt bike and do a diesel conversion themselves, but, I wouldn't know where to start with any of that. Some google searches might prove helpful for those interested.

Personally, I prefer a sailboat.
Sailboat = travel anywhere on the planet.
Sailboat = far away from other people which will be just as much a problem in resource competition as the hazards of environment.
Sailboat = clear sight lines
Sailboat = sustainability, security through isolation, shelter, storage, and mobility all together.

Because they can go places that a Harley or a Prius can't

Peace

A few things wrong with even dirtbikes:

gas/oil..2 strokes need premix and water topped up regularly and are obnoxiously loud,so easy to detect,they also gobble gas and without a oversize tank they usually can't go 2.5 hours without gassing/oiling up.

Injury..you are much more likely to get injured on a motorbike than anyother vehicle,if you are in a panic it's almost garanteed,instantly at a disadvantage if your leg or arm is broken.

Detection..our eyes are very tuned to motion,the faster you can travel is not nessesarily the best ,your more likely to get spotted ripping through town or up the mountain leaving tracks and a big dust trail and possibly radio'd in.

Imo lose the idea of bugging out during an emergency,unless it's imment your life is at stake,you may find yourself in a worse situation than you had thought

For practical bugging out the best, most stealthy, fuel efficient vehicle available is also the cheapest...



But as I posted before a bike would be very useful, and a good idea would be to have one hidden in a very trustworthy place outside of your town.

Originally posted by Druscilla
reply to post by AnarchysAngel

 

If you can get your hands on a Kawasaki M1030M1 military Diesel off road motorcycle, you're looking at 95mpg on a 4.2 gallon tank.
Military Diesel Motorcycles + stats

Benefits to diesel dirtbike, especially in a post-apocalyptic scenario is the ease of making bio-diesel fuel compared to getting stuck with running out of regular petrol with other vehicles.

One can always purchase a regular dirt bike and do a diesel conversion themselves, but, I wouldn't know where to start with any of that. Some google searches might prove helpful for those interested.

Personally, I prefer a sailboat.
Sailboat = travel anywhere on the planet.
Sailboat = far away from other people which will be just as much a problem in resource competition as the hazards of environment.
Sailboat = clear sight lines
Sailboat = sustainability, security through isolation, shelter, storage, and mobility all together.

edit on 23-9-2012 by Druscilla because: (no reason given)

I hear you on the sailboat!! Unfortunately, I am locked into the Great Lakes with my boat. I imagine that the St. Lawrence would be unnavigable in a SHTF scenario... I've got a wind turbine, small solar panels and a means to purify lake water. I'm good to go for a while on the Lakes if need be!!

Coming about!!!

reply to post by AnarchysAngel


Because that is what many people are on in the mad max movies

I'm confused as to why a quad is not the prefferd small vehicle. They give up some top speed when compared to a dirt bike, and they cost more, but an ATV can haul enough fuel to maybe cross the united states without any outside fuel source. Just the tow/carrying specs for my small 300cc are as follows: 65 lbs front rack, 180 lbs rear rack, 800 lbs towing. That's a lot of fuel that can be packed on or towed, and quads are almost as good on fuel as dirt bikes. They are very quiet compared to a dirtbike, and they can go places neither a Jeep nor a dirtbike can go.

They also offer much more stability offroad. A dirtbike rider revs up, gets a running start, and holds on for dear life when crossing a deep river. The quad rider just puts it in low gear and crawls through it with almost zero danger to life and limb. I just don't get the dirtbike mentality?

Please do not buy anything with the words Kawasaki, diesel, multi-fuel, or anything colored olive drab if your intention is to get away. Soldiers beat on vehicles and kawasaki bikes are not considered really great to begin with. Nice mileage claim but it's going to be getting zero miles to the gallon when it breaks.

If you want to use an ex-government vehicle of any type it's going to need a complete rebuild from front to back. I have never seen an ex-gov vehicle that wasn't trashed and worn out.

reply to post by boot2theface


Single speeds are a lot of fun until you blow out a knee and have to use the bike as a rolling crutch for the rest of your life.

If you are completely off the path, the dirtbike is so ill-suited it's dangerous.

When you are out scouting, say, searching for a river crossing, any stone from cobble-size on up can knock you on your tuckus. you have to go so slow to scan for upcoming hazards that you risk falling over. You cannot float a dirt bike either, in my experience.

I don't use ATV's either, when hunting.

Every hunter I know who uses an ATV to get out to the hunting site complains about the lack of deer. They don't even think about it from the deer's point of view (or hearing!).

Dirt bikes are macho. But
-you cannot carry more than a backpack
-they tip over very, very easily
-most of them don't have much clearance; so you cannot drive over logs or boulders

Most importantly:

-they advertise your presence to people far beyond your field of vision, giving them time to prepare a greeting.


Personally, I hate surprise parties.

there's 2 thing's wrong with dirt bike's...
#1 i fall off them and hurt myself.
#2 i fall off them and hurt myself.

Originally posted by jibeho

I hear you on the sailboat!! Unfortunately, I am locked into the Great Lakes with my boat. I imagine that the St. Lawrence would be unnavigable in a SHTF scenario... I've got a wind turbine, small solar panels and a means to purify lake water. I'm good to go for a while on the Lakes if need be!!

Coming about!!!

Some of the hardest times, if global apocalyptic SHTF happens, are going to occur in the first year.

Float around in the Great Lakes that first year and you'll do fine. After most people have gone to Darwin, you can creep quietly along, with greater confidence of not being interfered with in sneaking out to the deep blue.

By the time you make it to deep blue, or whatever color it might be, you'll have likely found and adopted the use of more than one boat, hermit-crabbing from one shell to another along the way.

My goal is to find and acquire a Nautor Swan similar this.. I don't have $10 million in the bank to afford one, (as pictured in the link, boat isn't outfitted proper with solar gels, wind turbines, and dinks on davitsand other such) but, should SHTF in any sort of ways as imagined in countless fictional imaginings, money will be useless.
I'm usually no more than a day or three walk from somewhere on the third coast (Gulf of Mex) where there's marinas aplenty.

If I have to start with a sunfish, so be it, but, while everyone is headed to the hills to starve due to over competition with each other for survival, I'll have the sun, wind, and sea, with the occasional sparkling beach for toes in the sand.