To Motorcycle or not to motorcycle

Ok, Casey and I have been having some interesting discussions lately about what type of transportation we should use while in Malaysia. I will just lay out some facts for all of you. We are very close to campus where we will spend every Mon-Fri for the next 3-4 months. We can easily walk or ride our bikes there. We generally arrive a little sweaty and occasionally we have to wait out the rain or get wet but overall walking or biking to school is not a problem. In fact, it is a nice way to start the day. While on campus, walking or biking is also a legitimate option for getting around from section to section. Getting around town, however is another story. Walking and biking is not possible but there is public transportation here. The commuter trains run all over the area and they are clean, fast, efficient, and reliable. These train lines are easily accessible from our house- it takes 25 minutes for us to get there - 5 minutes if we take a cab. There are also bus lines that run everywhere, however the timetables and schedules are printed in hieroglyphics and the route is, I seriously believe, up to the whim of the driver. As long as you are not in a hurry the bus is a viable option. There are also cabs everywhere. As long as you negotiate your price before you get in you don't get ripped off too badly. Now for a recap - we have a bike and our feet to get everywhere close and a bus, a train, and taxis always at our disposal. We have also developed the art of the freeload and can secure a ride from our teachers or neighbors almost anytime. This seems to suggest that we do not need any transportation of our own. This fact is highlighted by the fact that cars and motorcycles are expensive and we are on a budget. This evidence in and of itself, however, is not enough to convince me that buying a motorcycle is a bad idea.
There are some other considerations though that are important to look at. First of all, it rains all the time. There are at least 6 months a year that it will rain everyday. This is not your average, everyday, run of the mill rain. This is straight monsoon rain. It comes down with torrential force and for at least an hour or two. You cannot drive safely during these rains, particularly on a motorcycle, and for hours after the rains stop there are enormous puddles everywhere. This would suggest that a car is the more practical option. Another factor worth noting is that it is hard to grocery shop with a motorcycle. If we wanted to go buy groceries for the week or if we needed to purchase a piece of furniture, etc a motorcycle is not necessarily the best vehicle for transporting things. A motorcycle is also not the best vacation option. If we had a car we could pack our bags and go away for a week or so. With a motorcycle this is not so easy.
What have we learned so far? The the extensive public transportation system, our generous friends, our proximity to campus, and our lack of funds would all suggest that buying a vehicle is not a wise decision. If however, we did decide to buy a vehicle the weather, the fact that there are two of us, and reasons we would use that vehicle all suggest that a car is the appropriate option. Having said all of this I would like to note that today I am going shopping for a motorcycle. Wish me luck.