Here in the United States, most people ride motorcycles as a hobby. According to one survey, less than five percent of motorcycle owners actually ride their bike to work regularly as their primary form of transportation. Another ten percent ride their bikes seasonally but use a different form of transportation during cold weather. However, the same is not true around the world. In some countries, there are actually more motorcycle riders than automobile drivers.
Taiwan is one of the countries where motorcycle riders far outnumber other motorists. One survey showed that there were 2,500 automobiles and 5,000 motorcycles per ten thousand people. Vietnam is actually much higher, with almost everyone riding some form of motorcycle or scooter because of the lack of public transportation and the lower cost of these types of vehicles. Automobiles are simply too expensive for many people.
Looking at motorcycle usage around the world, the four countries with the largest biker population are all in Asia. They are China, India, Indonesia, and Vietnam. This is mostly because of the crowded and small streets, the lack of major public transportation, the cost of automobiles, and the efficiency of motorcycles. However, motorcycles in these countries are not the same as those in the U.S. Many are more like what we call scooters or motorbikes. They're smaller than what we think of as a motorcycle and, in many cases, less powerful.
Motorcycles are popular in many other countries, too. In recent years, they have become popular in the frontier towns of Brazil and other South American countries. A number of people ride motorcycles in the UK because they are exempt from certain charges and tolls, making it much cheaper to cross bridges. The same in true in New Zealand, where motorcycle riders don't have to pay for parking in some lots.
