Dodge Trump Tariffs With This One Weird, Two-Wheel Trick (Car Dealers Hate It)

The Trump administration's 25 percent tariff on imported vehicles will go into effect on April 2 and, according to the White House's release, prices are going to jump on nearly everything on dealer lots: "[S]edans, sport utility vehicles, crossover utility vehicles, minivans, and cargo vans," as well as  "light trucks." Experts are warning the new levies could crater new vehicle sales by 700,000 this year alone, but I'm more optimistic. Sure, cars and trucks are primed for a price rise, but one vehicle is still safe from tariff inflation: Motorcycles.

Foreign-built motorcycles don't fall into any of the taxed categories. Their prices should stay steady through these trade-war storms, meaning they'll be ready to go should those 700,000 prospective buyers turn an eye their way. When cars get more expensive, when truck payments sink deep into the four figures, Americans should remember there are cheaper, more fuel efficient options, options that still carry everything they've got in their cars on an average day. When cars get more expensive, we should all buy bikes instead. 

Two wheeled commuting is a novelty in the United States, but plenty of other countries have it figured out. Motorcycles and scooters can, contrary to popular American belief, be ridden in the rain and cold just fine. The average car trip in the U.S. carries just one and a half people, a number well within the two seats of a standard bike or scooter. Motorcycles are cheaper, lighter, and can still get you to work and back. Scooters even have cargo room for all those massive Costco hauls that you're definitely making every week. 

If you want to dodge the new tariffs, get a bike. I myself bought a motorcycle this year manufactured in Hamamatsu, Japan, and I'm plenty happy with it as my primary transportation. You don't need to give up your Japanese or European design, engineering, and manufacturing, you may just have to give up a couple wheels to save yourself some precious cash. Trust me when I say it doesn't feel like that much of a tradeoff — in fact, you may well like it better.