Motorcycle for gas saving commutes?

[beatr911]

The OP asked if it was "worth the risk". This is a very personal decision and one that keeps most people off of motorcycles. When would-be riders ask me if they should begin riding I tend to ask them about thier accident history and try to evaluate if they are the type of people that things "just seem to happen" to. Like airplanes and parachutes, you don't want "things to happen" to you.

Motorcycling only pays off in economic terms if the rider can to several things well. 1)Be a good risk manager of your actions, and the others around you. 2)Learn about and maintain your own motorcycle well. 3)Wait for and seek out great deals on a used bike. 4)Purchase and use good riding gear. 5)Ride often and seek to improve your riding skills each time.

There are probably other skills and actions that I can't think of right now but start with those. Riding can be a very, very enjoyable mode of transportation as well as being inexpensive, but it's not for everyone.

[renault_megane_dci]

Originally Posted by star_deceiver

Fortunately I only live 5kms away so I have a few options in regarding getting there.

(...)

Bicycle is free, but considering how much I (and everybody else) despise the antics of local Calgarian cyclists I won't be choosing this option.

For this kind of mileage, using an engine is really a waste.
I don't get the comments about bicycle though.

Anyway, from a money POV, the smaller the engine, the best it would be at such a short distance, be it buying the vehicle or usage costs.

[litesong]

Motorcycles are dangerous. If you are poor & don't have good medical insurance, you can find yourself permanently injured, instantly on the gov't dole, in a rest home & worse. Scooters are inherently unstable & even more dangerous. Since they are slower(which you may think is safer), you'll slow following drivers(specially on hills), & that in itself may be dangerous. At the least, it is not fun if you have a stack of cars behind you, with your throttle floored.

Riding a cycle to save money often doesn't work out. Despite better mpg, tires wear out quickly. Often the rears wear by 5000 miles. I had a front tire that wore to 11,000+ miles, but would wash out in gravel, even at slow speeds!

BBBUUUUTTTTT....... riding a cycle is GREAT! My 1980 Suzuki 450, w/engine balancer was wonderful. If you can do without big HP, you can get excellent used smaller displacement bikes fairly cheaply, despite the great increase in new cycle costs over the last 2 decades. Lots of people buying smaller displacement bikes, quickly move to larger displacement bikes.

Tho smaller displacement, smaller bikes have lots of power. I even changed my sprocket, counter sprocket & chain, to lower rpms by 15%, & gained 10% in mpg(to 75mpg). Suzi even gave 67mpg, fully loaded for a camping, spotting scopes & camera gear vacation around the western U.S., even to 14,000 foot Colorado mtns. Suzi was much smoother & highway fitted with the higher gearing. Hopefully, in present times, smaller bikes should already be geared properly for highway travels.

[sendler]

I look at it this way. Do we want the emerging nations from India east, billions of people who don't yet have any motorized transportation, all expecting to have a new 50 mpgUS car? Or would it be better to encourage everyone in the world to learn how to get by on a 110 mpg scooter or motorcycle? Lead by example.

[sheepdog 44]

Originally Posted by sendler

I look at it this way. Do we want the emerging nations from India east, billions of people who don't yet have any motorized transportation, all expecting to have a new 50 mpgUS car? Or would it be better to encourage everyone in the world to learn how to get by on a 110 mpg scooter or motorcycle? Lead by example.

Sendler, since you have a lot of experience with motorcycles, could you tell us a little about cost of ownership and maintenance of a motorcycle?

I know i would save $650 A YEAR or more on car insurance alone. Less depending on riding season, Much more for a newer car. My 4 tires are rated for 40,000 miles, cost about $90 each. So $90 every 10,000 miles. Oil change at dealership -$20 every 3,500 miles. Having other people change engine mounts, maintenance, and parts can unexpectedly run far greater than several hundred. Vehicle depreciation. I know gas mileage for me is a small part of it. Also i have several thousand invested in my car just from purchasing. All of which could potentially be lost in an accident.

I really am over full time vehicle ownership. It's just a little bit too much material. I want something that i wouldn't care kicked the bucket one day, or got hit and run while parked, stolen etc.

If it wasn't so hard finding a cheap sidecar for my dog, i would have gotten a motorcycle already.

[sendler]

I bought a new, take off oem rear tire for $50 and had the dealer put it on at 16,000 miles. The front is still 30% so it should make it to 25,000. But I am easier on tires (and gas) than the average owner. I have another one in storage. $50 again. They charged me $30 to put the rear on and balance it with me bringing the wheel in off the bike. It would have been $50 on the bike. I have replaced the air filter twice even though they still looked like new as the CBR250R is sometimes a competition vehicle. $15. 4 oil changes I did myself. It holds less than 2 quarts so $100 total with Mobil 1 4T. I could have used cheaper oil to cut that in half. I did my own valve adjustments 4 times. Two were just a check which takes an hour and 2 times I needed to swap shims which is 3 hours. These 2 would have cost $200 each time through the shop. I may replace the chain soon. $70. So doing things myself I will have spent approx $500 on tires and maintenance out to 32,000 when I will need another rear tire for $80 installed. I am getting 94 mpgUS at 65 mph. I guess the engine will need a rebuild some day. 70,000 miles? It's a single so it will be cheap. The PCX150 is also a joy to drive if you can get by with a top speed of 65 mph and is getting 103 mpg at 50 mph. But the rear tire is nearly worn at 6,000 miles and I won't be able to find a take off. Aside from the purchase price, $4350 out the door plus tax and tags for the CBR250R and $3550 for the PCX150, riding a bike might not save a lot of money but it does save a lot of gas and carbon. And it is addictingly exhilarating. Any dog will rather hang his head out the window. They are on to something. Riding is dangerous though. And shouldn't be practiced by anyone that doesn't have the right awareness for it. Good riding gear is expensive but should last half a lifetime.

[star_deceiver]

Using a bicycle has two major drawbacks... rain and cargo capacity. The rain gear I have for the motorcycle is not conducive for bicycle use. I also have no intention of getting my books and papers soaked from sitting in a backpack nor do I enjoy a ton of books hanging off my shoulders. I also enjoy riding the KLR much more than any bicycle. Truth be told... I just don't like riding pedal bike anymore.

$45 a month for parking is ok with me. It's much cheaper than paying the daily vehicle parking lot $10/day fee. I'll spend way more for parking than any fuel I use be it Silverado or KLR.

And since the topic of "cost of ownership" has been brought up...

Silverado: Purchase price after taxes and such, $36000, new.
Yearly insurance, full coverage, $1030
Oil change every 8-10K kms, $50 DIY. Dexos 1 full synth QS 5w30
Front/rear axle, transmission, transfer case fluid changes about once every two years, $200 DIY.
Tires. New studded winter tires/rims when I purchased the truck, $1500.
Tires. Replacement summer tires $800-$1200ish.
Gas. My lifetime average is 13.1L/100kms or 18mpg so figure in your own distance and $/L or $/gal.
Windshield replacement, $200-$250. Given the rocks/gravel on the road during winter this will probably be a 2-3 year interval between replacement.

KLR650: Purchase price after taxes and such (2010 model bought new in May 2012), $7116.
Happy trails aluminum panniers and mounting hardware, $1000, included in purchase price.
Insurance, full coverage, $465/yr.
Oil change every 5-7K kms, $35. Kawasaki S4 10w40
Chain replacement, top quality o-ring, $100. At 27000kms, the original chain has not reached its stretch limits yet.
Front sprocket upsized 1 tooth, $26.
Rear sprocket, stock, $45ish. Not worn out yet. When I replace the chain both sprockets will be replaced as well.
Fork seals, $15, Fork oil $15, neither need doing yet.
Front tire, stock lasted 14000kms cost $110 for a new one and $40 install, bringing the rim down already off the bike. Current front tire shows minimal wear.
Rear tire. Replacement every 8000kms ish, Shinko E705, tire $117, install $40 with the rim already off the bike.
Gas, lifetime mileage of 4.8L/100kms or 49mpg, do your own $/L/gal calculations.
I oil the chain whenever it starts to look dry or after riding in the rain. This winter I'll have a look at the spark plug, doohicky spring (google it), valve adjustment, ect.

[mechman600]

You can't get much better than a KLR, especially for a bike that is good on the freeway and good in inclement weather.

I sold my CBR929RR last night to a kid from a fancy part of Vancouver. I had been commuting with it lately, mostly out of necessity because the Electric Booger is down for upgrades. I've been able to milk 45-50 MPG out of it by short shifting, running 2000-3000 RPM and a bit of EOC. Fuelly.com has these bikes averaging 36-40. But 148 HP in a 435 lb (fully fuelled) bike? Come on....there's something wrong with a bike that will hoist the from wheel in 2nd at 75 MPH and carry it in the same gear to almost 100.

I literally was afraid that the kid wouldn't make it home alive. Not that it's a hard bike to ride slowly - he just seemed really really insecure on it. The funny thing is, he bought it for an economical vehicle to commute on. Once he factors in $350 tires every 4000 miles (which is 70% of the price of fuel if HE manages 45 mpg) he might be in for a shocker.

[sendler]

The KLR650 isn't real great on gas but they are good at bombing the occasional fire road if you are tall enough to keep from dropping it at stop lights. Any of the new Honda world bikes will do much better on gas.
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[mechman600]

Originally Posted by sendler

Any of the new Honda world bikes will do much better on gas.

For me fuel economy isn't the only thing I care about. I think most of the world bikes are gross - mere marketing hype for sub-par bikes. The NCs are awful. Barely adequate - cheap hardware all around (brakes/suspension).