While most of us would ideally like to stay and defend our homes against disaster, sometimes this just isn’t possible. Whether it’s due to large-scale disasters like wildfires or full-scale civil unrest, when the problem gets too big for you to defend against or deal with, the next best option is to bug out.
While you might have your bug out bag ready and waiting and a plan of where you’re going to bug out to, the big question is how are you going to get there? Sure, you could take the car you already have, or maybe you have an off-road truck you’re saving for just such an emergency. While both will get you moving, nothing quite compares to a motorcycle for bugging out. Now we’re not talking about a Harley cruiser or a crotch rocket here, but instead a street and trail bike or a dedicated off-road dirtbike that’s ready to go and has room for a second person as well as your gear.
As long as the bike is on the small side and can drive off-road, it’s a prime candidate for a bug out vehicle. Still not won over to the idea of using such an exposed vehicle to escape? We’ve compiled six reasons why a motorcycle is the best bug out vehicle around so you can start prepping your own now and get out of Dodge the best way possible.
1. Fuel Economy
A 4x4 truck will get around 18 MPG on the highway, and a car will get you around 25-35 MPG when you set the cruise control and let it drive. A motorcycle however should get you at least 50 MPG under various driving conditions. This means you’ll use less fuel and go farther on the fuel you’ve got.
Sure, the motorcycle can’t carry as much fuel as a car or truck can, but when you’re down to siphoning gas out of wrecked and stranded cars you need to get the most out of every gallon you can find. This is also great if the price of gas goes up to inconceivable amounts, as you’ll get more out of each buck you spend.
2. Roadblocks No More
One major problem with most disasters is that the highways become clogged very quickly. People trying to flee the area jam the roads and create enormous blockades that end up stranding hundreds of vehicles where you need to drive.
If you have a truck or car you can try to go around these, but chances are others already tried that and either got stuck or broken down, creating an even larger blockade. With a motorcycle you can easily navigate through such traffic jams and when you can’t go through them, it’s far easier to go around, even taking a small woods trail if necessary.
A motorcycle will help you keep your mode of transportation long after a car or truck would need to be abandoned.
3. Easy Storage
OpSec is a very important part of prepping, so keeping your gear nice and hidden is a must. If you have a specific truck for bugging out it can be hard to shield it from prying eyes, but with a motorcycle you can park it in the same garage as your car. Sure, people will see you pull it in and out, and see you riding it, but as the old saying goes, out of sight, out of mind.
If you need to take your bug out plan a step farther and actually hide your bike in a cache somewhere away from your house, it’s far easier to camouflage a motorcycle to hide it than a truck or car. A small, squat hide is all that’s necessary and it’s completely out of view from everyone.
4. Easy to Fix
Repairing a basic motorcycle or dirtbike is far simpler than their four-wheeled counterparts. Trucks and cars have become significantly more complicated as years have progressed, and while you can get a very complex bike, you can get very simple ones, too.
Above and beyond skill level required for repair, the sheer weight of items like the engine and transmission in a car or truck make them require lifting machinery to remove them, while a small motorcycle can be taken apart by one person if necessary.
There’s less moving parts due to smaller engine size, and overall an ease of repair that’s far better than any larger vehicle.
5. Off-Road Capability
To take a truck off road you need quite a large trail and enough clearance to not bottom out. A motorcycle however can drive on extremely narrow trails, sometimes even forging their own trails in the process. With proper tires mud, dirt, snow, and even sand are not a problem for the motorcycle.
Just about every basic bike has some inherent off-road capability, making them far more versatile than any car or truck. When your path is unknown, you want to be ready to drive anywhere.
6. Quick Escape
If you’re still not won over to the idea of motorcycles as bug out vehicles yet, this last one might do the trick. When something bad happens and you need to get out fast, it’s far quicker to jump on a bike and drive off. Sure, this might only be a few seconds, but that could mean the difference between looters taking everything you have and you getting away to fight another day.
Motorcycles can get up to speed faster than many passenger vehicles and are highly maneuverable, making them far better at evading than trucks or cars are. When the SHTF there will be quite a few people out there that want to do you harm and take what you have. By using a motorcycle for your means of transportation you can be better at evading them and escaping when necessary.
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