Know anyone who's bought a motorcycle/scooter for MPG reasons?

[metromizer]

Originally Posted by dcb

It sure would be nice to have a discussion about bikes without the concern trolls though

getting it... I can't disagree with anything you wrote

I guess the other side of the story is this... I have in fact been looking at Craig Vetter's site, looked at a for sale VTR250, then surfed around the web to see what mpg they get. There may be another bike or two in my future, after my kids are through school.

[Doofus McFancypants]

I have not heard about anyone getting a bike / scooter... although i an considering it.

my commute is 12 miles - and the roads not well made for Bicycles ( no real burm in many places and "illegal" to ride on sidewalks)

Safety is my biggest concern. have 2 little girls at home and do not want to miss anything they do because someone was careless.

SWMBO ( She who must be obeyed) mentioned that if our next house is less then a 5 mile commute to the my office - and Bicycling is still not an option - then she could see a Scooter or small motorcycle

(( Secretly i am looking for the bike to convert to Electric - simular to El Ninja))

Steve

[metromizer]

Originally Posted by Doofus McFancypants

if our next house is less then a 5 mile commute to the my office - and Bicycling is still not an option - then she could see a Scooter or small motorcycle

(( Secretly i am looking for the bike to convert to Electric - simular to El Ninja))

Steve

Dam! I was just getting rid of a bunch of bicycle stuff at a garage sale, and sold an almost new Zap <electric booster for bicycles> for $20.

[aerohead]

I got the Honda VT-700 a couple years ago for the mini-hypercar project,and promise of higher mpg.Later,last year,came across a Honda CT-90,with high/low transmission.I'm very impressed with Doug Malwecki's accomplishments(155-mpg California Commuter) and having the Trail 90 around lets me think in that direction.

[Crono]

This April (I believe) I purchased a 2007 Yamaha C3, which is supposed to get around 115mpg. I myself have gotten around 95mpg with it, but that's because I'm not driving around at 40km/hr, I'm usually more around 55-60. (40 how you get 115mpg apparently) Admittedly, I just recently checked the tires (I can thank this site for making me think to do it) and they were waaay underinflated. I mean...they should have been 25 and were something like 10 and 15, so I'll see on this next tank if that makes a significant difference.

Anyhow, I've also got a Geo Metro, which tends to be driven much more frequently by virtue of the fact that I've got passengers around 80% of the time I'm driving (at least). Once school gets in I'm planning on using the scooter for my commute, as parking is much cheaper (Pass is $150 vs $400+ for a car) as well as gas, and bus routes to my school from where I live are terrible.

So yes, I did buy a scooter for the sake of better mileage, as well as better parking rates. (Not to mention that insurance is more around $250 as compared to $700, though that's just for basic. Since I opted for full insurance it's more around $400, but that would be I'm sure waaaay more than $700 for a car)

[landscaper52]

I've been riding beater motorcycles for almost 30 years now...still got no desire to invest in some fancy bike...Right now I've got a 78 Honda CB400 Twin which I picked up for $200 down in VA. It runs okay, and I reckon it gets close to 50 mpg. Not bad. Way frickin' better than my ranger, even with all the mods in the world...besides, who needs those mods, I'm a rocker!
If you like cheap beater bikes, check out ratbike.org

[beatr911]

I bought an '88 Kawasaki Concours for $1800 in '98. It had 140,000 miles on it then and ran great. Since then I've replaced 60,000 four wheeler miles using the bike for about half the gasoline useage of the haul-mode vehicle. I now am getting about 55mpg and am at 199,981 miles - going strong.

BTW motorcycles don't have to be expensive to own: Ride like you are invisible (YOU ARE!) and learn how to work on it. Motorcycles don't really take that much maintenance if you can do the basics yourself. Tires can be cheap if you shop around and learn to change them yourself, it's really not that bad.

[dcb]

Originally Posted by landscaper52

Icheck out ratbike.org

Lot of "survival bikes" there though, there really is a distinction between ratbikes and survivalbikes IMHO, the former being utilitarian driven and the latter being for show. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ratbike
I'm kind of surprised to see the two presented side by side so much actually.

example of ratbike engineering (use what you've got, don't fix it unless absolutely necessary):


and survival bike engineering (mad max wannabe)

[lbillc]

I had a 250cc Honda Helix for close to a year that did about 67mpg followed by a 650cc Suzuki Burgman that only got 48mpg but had much more power. Although my previous modded 66cc SYM moped used a lot less gas, I wanted to pack my wife and go on the freeway. Over time though, the cost of well loaded insurance on the maxi-scooters and the lack of usefulness for moving stuff and rainy days, ride gear, etc offset any benefit over a fuel efficient car, so the Burgman got sold off too. If I got another one it would only be if my wife were to tolerate having her car as our only one and I'd definitely go for the 68mpg Burgman 400cc, which I feel is the best all around scooter out there.

[oldtech1]

how about the cheaper insurance rates or in some states no insurance needed for motorcycles.that in itself in some cases is a $600 to $1000 a year savings off the top before calculating any gas mpg savings.