leamcorp
I don't think you're all wrong. I have lived within 30 miles of Rochester, Lake Ontario for about half my life, 3 decades or so. The wind does blow. People do adapt. Cathy may not be the 'typical' rider. But I think there are few 'average' riders. The distribution of rider skill, initiative, attitude is probably nothing like a normal curve. There are probably few samples in the cell representing average. There are a bunch of enthusiasts like Cathy and a bunch of 'hey it's nice out, lets go for a ride' bikers.
SLA batteries (Sealed Lead Acid) are about the cheapist way of containing energy I know of, if one needs to buy more, hopefully they can afford it. It's a LOT better than the price of gas.