I think overall they are better than cars but still have issues. They are smaller and less dangerous to other people (though far more dangerous to you). However, many models can be quite polluting in spite of their fuel efficiency because of lesser emissions controls. And they are often extremely loud. This one makes me the most angry because lots of riders tend to be really dismissive of the real harm that their noise imposes on the community.

But if your motorcycle is clean and quiet then I think it’s relatively fine. Even if it’s not, an awareness of the harms you are causing and active efforts to minimize them and transition to other modes of transit is all we ask. I still drive a car when I need to. It may not be the maximally ethical decision but I think some people underestimate the difficulty of the total transformation our society will need to undergo. I applaud anyone who is taking large and serious steps in the right direction even if they are not all the way there yet.