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Comment by barrkel | Hacker News Reader

Buy a motorcycle. It's a thing, but it gives you experiences.

My friend had several organs replaced, including his kidneys and pancreas (elective surgery). In each case, the organ donor was a recently deceased motorcyclist.

Bikers get to look cool and have fun, plus be a great source of organs. It's a win-win!

Buy a bicycle. It's a thing, but it costs a lot less, is a lot cleaner and safer, and still gives you experiences.

I've done both a lot, and there's no way you can compare riding a bike to going 250mpg on a motorcycle.

Of course, like many awesomely fun things, it's quite dangerous, which is why I won't start riding again until I'm 55 or so.

Ever go 50 MPH down a hill on a bicycle in TT position? If all you want is scary, I think this would meet your needs ;)

He was talking about mpg (miles per gallon). He seems to be a hypermiler.

I am sure downhill mountain biking is both safer and more exciting than riding a motorbike fast on a fairly flat piece of road.

Motorcycles come into their own when touring (IMO). You can tour on bicycle too, but it's a lot slower (i.e. takes up more vacation time to visit the same number of different places) and more effort (especially considering bringing luggage up and over mountains).

I don't have the time to tour from London to Croatia by bicycle, and there's no way I could consider it in any two-week break. I did it last summer by motorbike, and it was nothing to cross multiple mountain passes a day along the way.

Amen to that!

I think you've hit on an important nuance there - buying things in the pursuit of experiences: good, buying things strictly for their own sake: not so good. As long as the pleasure of owning the thing is secondary to the pleasure of using the thing, then all is well :-)

It's the same thing for me with my rather expensive camera equipment. It gives me an excuse to see interesting places.

So does your phone camera if you train yourself to focus on subject and composition.

Very true. I am not saying it's rational but I spend much more time on airshows or on the beach watching birds now that I have spent 2k on a big zoom lens.

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