Continued

While some may see camping as the only inexpensive way of attending a rally, pre-planning can be a frugal bikers best friend. Gathering together enough riders will allow a group to book a home or timeshare that comes with its own list of cost-effective advantages. Usually, by the time the rental costs are spread over the group staying in the house it turns out to be an unheard of bargain for each person. The houses' kitchen allows for a run to the local grocery store with the supplies for the entire event amounting to less than it would cost to have dinner in a mid-range restaurant chain.

But the biggest threat to bikers away from home is the event’s t-shirts and memorabilia. Riders like to remember where they’ve been with a t-shirt (or two) which can add up pretty quickly. How much is never truly known until riders arrive home and look at their credit card bill or bank accounts.

The easiest way to avoid the buyer’s remorse is to budget what a rider can afford to spend on casual, impulsive purchases such as t-shirts and event products and then carry that amount in cash. Once the money is gone, there are no more t-shirt purchases or bandana buys. Also, having the cash at hand helps weigh up the potential transactions adding some balance to how ‘cool’ that t-shirt really looks.

If riders time their visit to a rally well and arrive towards the end of the event, they could find themselves wandering booths of vendors who have slashed their prices, selling the unique merchandise for much less rather than taking it back home with them unsold.

And just like riding with friends at home, before leaving the ‘biker-compound’ or house for the day’s events, pack the food and drinks to save those hard-earned dollars.

As with renting a house, hotels get cheaper by the numbers. Riders should always consider sharing a room and if enough pre-planning is done, group bookings at hotels can be made along the route to and from the motorcycle event, saving some serious dollars.

While all these cost-cutting measures may seem like they take away from the freedom of riding, caging the very spirit that makes rider yearn for the next unknown mile, they actually re-open the road to many struggling bikers.

If further soothing of that rebel spirit is needed, those soaring souls who feel grounded as they pack bottles of water and snacks can tell themselves that this could be considered as a short term fix as we ride through this economic storm.

However, for some it’s not a short term fix but a new way of life.

Aside from the financial concerns, coming together as bikers not only grows the number of riding buddies, but it may bring those 'lone wolf' types into the pack. No one is saying which style is right or wrong, but it gives many the opportunity to test ride the world of group rides.

And economically speaking, these trying times just might work out for bikers. The prices of new motorcycles are at historical lows even as manufacturers continue to develop and improve their models to tempt riders back into the showrooms.

Even more wide-reaching, an online poll conducted by the National Foundation for Credit Counseling (NFCC) in August  2010 revealed that as a result of the economic crisis, 51 percent of the 3,201 respondents took steps to reduce their debt.

“If there is a silver lining to the recession, it is that it has served to refocus consumers’ attention on their personal finances,” said Gail Cunningham, spokesperson for the NFCC. “When times are good, we tend to put our finances on auto-pilot. The recent financial wake-up call has been harsh, but may have been the splash of cold reality many Americans needed to regain control of their finances. Consumers have apparently become uncomfortable carrying debt, realizing how detrimental it can be to their overall financial well-being, and have gotten serious about doing what it takes to pay it off.”

And less debt is only a good thing for the biker, looking to free themselves from the shackles of everyday life and society. If not only for that one, spirit-lifting motorcycle ride.