Around town bike for high gas prices NGC

[rocker59]

Also nice!  Good point.  https://powersports.honda.com/street/minimoto/trail125-abs/?cid=main_reprise/google/Brand_Model_Motorcycle_miniMOTO_Exact/Trail125/2021%20honda%20trail&gclid=CjwKCAiA4KaRBhBdEiwAZi1zznNzlfRI08RSj3KTuAc18z_7yFZ8Yh-cPu2f8t2DhG5aNZPpM3GpxBoCXUQQAvD_BwE&gclsrc=aw.ds

Yeah.  I never understood the "spend money to save money" concept.  LOL.

A family member asked me this week what I thought about buying an electric car to save money on gas.

That family member drives an SUV which is paid for.

I asked, "how much gas will $40,000 buy?"   

The conversation ended.

[Joliet Jim]

buy a used buell blast for 500 and get almost 80 mpg

[Tiki Joe]

Yeah.  I never understood the "spend money to save money" concept.  LOL.

I agree....when my son was travelling a lot with baseball, one of the other dads would rent a car for the weekend for a 400 mile road trip to keep miles off of his.....He drove an older truck that wasn't fancy by any means.  So when you trade it in after 15 years and it has 180,000 miles instead of 182,500 miles are you going to get more for it??  I just don't understand peoples logic.

[twowheeladdict]

I agree....when my son was travelling a lot with baseball, one of the other dads would rent a car for the weekend for a 400 mile road trip to keep miles off of his.....He drove an older truck that wasn't fancy by any means.  So when you trade it in after 15 years and it has 180,000 miles instead of 182,500 miles are you going to get more for it??  I just don't understand peoples logic.

Maybe he plans on never selling the vehicle and the rental and travel for a volunteer organization used to be a tax deduction or at least considered a donation deduction. 

[twowheeladdict]

Yeah.  I never understood the "spend money to save money" concept.  LOL.

A family member asked me this week what I thought about buying an electric car to save money on gas.

That family member drives an SUV which is paid for.

I asked, "how much gas will $40,000 buy?"   

The conversation ended.

I agree with spending $40k just to save gas, but when it comes time to change vehicles are you going to choose one that gets better mileage?

When we had kids at home my wife drove a minivan.  Every vehicle since then has been smaller and more fuel efficient where now she has the Mazda CX-30 in the garage.

But, when talking about a $4000 motorcycle that will have a residual value of $2500 and you are going from 15 mpg to 100 mpg it makes a lot of sense to spend money to save money. 

[Sye]

Statistically most people in the UK commute less than 16 miles a day and only do 1 or two long trips a year. I know quite a few people who have a small car for commuting and shopping stuff who hire a larger car for their main holiday.

They say it saves them a fortune. Low purchase price, low maintenance costs, low depreciation and 50mpg more than makes up for the hire of a holiday vehicle.

I imagine it will be different in the USA due to much greater distances.

[Moparnut72]

I got my V7lll for an around town bike a couple of years ago. I guess I was ahead of the curve. I replaced my 40 mpg Audace with a Triumph T120, it gets almost as good a mileage as the V7, 55 to 60 mpg.
kk

[LowRyter]

Just checked, my Accord has averaged over 28mpg for the last 12k miles (I guess I haven't hit the trip Odo in a couple of years?).  1 oil change, no maintenance, no tires.  OTOH, my Duramax and Toy Hauler haven't since Doug's campout.  My bikes get from 33-43 mpg, they eat tires and maintenance. 

[Moparnut72]

Depends on what you are comparing your bike to. Compared to my Dually Ram diesel my two bikes don't even come close. I am due for an oil and fuel filters change. 12 quarts of oil comes to $75. The two fuel filters plus oil filter adds another $200. I just did a trans filter change, I don’t remember how much that was, special fluid was pricey. Still needs a intake manifold filter, another $75. I don't
even want to think about the six tires but I have it worked out to where I have to buy only two at a time by rotating them around. This doesn't include big difference in fuel mileage, insurance and registration fees. Annual registration and license fees for my 8 year old truck are $750. So I ride my bikes as much as possible and leave the truck parked until it is really needed. Of course I realize not many of us have a dually diesel pickup.
kk

[Huzo]

Well, I did 18,000 k’s on this in 6 weeks


and survived.

[Tom]

Try a scooter.  I picked up 3 in Nov. 2021.  Low mileage.  Registration and insurance costs are low.  Gas mileage is about 80mpg.  About $7K for all three.  They're becoming the commute workhorses.  2020 Kymco Agility 125, 2013 Honda PCX 150 & 2016 Honda PCX 150.  All 3 will 55mph +.  The Honda's will get up to low 60's.  Factory says they should be 70mph, might be the dyno they test them on.

The Kymco is my favorite.  It looks like the 50 Agility w/larger cylinder & piston.  If I hit an intersection with traffic congestion, I'll pull over in the moped/bicycle lane and slow down to 35mph.  I'll pretty much keep forward movement going and not sit in traffic.  It's also the one to take shopping.  Large under seat storage w/trunk but it also has a hook to hang t shirt bags from.

The long term plan is for personal use, teaching the youngest for motorized 2 wheel transport and rentals.  I live 2 miles from the airport.  They will pay for themselves.     Weather wise, we get maybe 5 days of rain per year.  Mostly sunny and warm year round with low humidity.     I'm still working the bugs out before renting them out.   

[twowheeladdict]

I think you'll find that cost per mile to operate a motorcycle is not that much different than the average automobile and possibly more. People want to believe that since a motorcycle gets 40+ MPG that it has to be cheaper to operate.

What do you consider in your cost per mile calculation? 

I would consider gas, maintenance,  parts, tires, registration,  insurance, and the difference between purchase and sale price to figure cost per mile. 

Of course it is hard to put a value on enjoyment.

[Canuck750]

Fuel mileage is only part of the equation.

The ‘cost’ of running any vehicle needs to include the annual deprecated market value, finance companies, auto leasing calculations etc are roughly 10% of the new sale price over 10 years. year 1 and 2 depreciated values are greater than 10% and years 9 and 10 are lower but an average ‘cost’ is 10% per year. So a $70K pickup is costing (loosing value) of $7K per year. Add insurance, registration, fuel etc to get to actual cost.  A $70K truck is purchased with after tax dollars, for most people that $70K purchase price equates to at least $100K in earned income, so the actual cost on depreciation is not $7K by $10K per year of earned income.

A Tesla Model S may only cost pennies per mile in electricity but since it’s close to $100K (or more depending on type) in earned income depreciation that vehicle costs in the range of $13K per year before any other costs are added. A V8 full size pickup that cost $60K earned income depreciation is appx. $7.8 per year. That’s about half the cost per year of the Tesla Model S.

[Scud]

I have a Yamaha TW200 that I do a few errands on. My daughters ride it on trail rides with me when we go to the mountains and it's rated at 78 MPG (seems about right, but I don't actually calculate it). I have a rack on the back. It's a surprisingly capable little all-arounder and kind of fun to go slow.

I also rent it on Riders-Share. I get a renter about once or twice a month, so it covers all my insurance, registration, and maintenance. But "unfortunately" the depreciation causes a loss at tax time...

I also have an electric bicycle with a rack. Good for day-time errands, but I don't like taking it out at night.

[MMRanch]

Hay Bob

I got a DR200 for local back roads , but in hind-sight I'd rather have the RE350 Meteor.   I believe $4,500 will get a  new one with 3 year grantee.   If you can believe the claimed mpg ... then you could expect near 100 mpg.

The DR200 has less than 3000 miles , and runs like it should with 20 HP.   I'd sell it and get the RE tomorrow if I had a buyer .

[chuck peterson]

+ 1 on Van Van. Excellent 200 cc all rounder. 
Regarding Perazzimx comment on justification of spending X amount on a motorcycle to save at the gas pump. 
Always remember:  The dollars you spend on a motorcycle is a different currency.  Those dollars are not the same dollars you spend on gas, insurance,
food, mortgage, etc.  Motorcycle dollars are their own separate entity.  As a side corollary, once you sell a motorcycle, never/ever put those funds back into the real money accounts.  Once you do that, the motorcycle  $ are now lost forever and have become real money.  Always best to set up a side account for the special motorcycle currency for, well, you know......

Oh absolutely! I’ve been on this blessed path since 1975.. amen brother!

[chuck peterson]

I’ve been hoarding for the apocalypse for several years now…

150-180mpg. Seven running mopeds X 150 mpg equals….if seven mopeds drive 150 miles at 150 miles per gallon equals..buying a $1000 moped and riding it 10 miles to work over 52 weeks a year will only cost you ….$1000 plus gas, so it takes 10 years to save the $1000 you spent to save gas…

Or something like that..the short answer is you bought the damn thing because you wanted it….but use the gas mileage as a reasonable justification

[twowheeladdict]

I have a Yamaha TW200 that I do a few errands on. My daughters ride it on trail rides with me when we go to the mountains and it's rated at 78 MPG (seems about right, but I don't actually calculate it). I have a rack on the back. It's a surprisingly capable little all-arounder and kind of fun to go slow.

I also rent it on Riders-Share. I get a renter about once or twice a month, so it covers all my insurance, registration, and maintenance. But "unfortunately" the depreciation causes a loss at tax time...

I also have an electric bicycle with a rack. Good for day-time errands, but I don't like taking it out at night.

Do you have to have special insurance to cover the bike being rented? 

[twowheeladdict]

Fuel mileage is only part of the equation.

The ‘cost’ of running any vehicle needs to include the annual deprecated market value, finance companies, auto leasing calculations etc are roughly 10% of the new sale price over 10 years. year 1 and 2 depreciated values are greater than 10% and years 9 and 10 are lower but an average ‘cost’ is 10% per year. So a $70K pickup is costing (loosing value) of $7K per year. Add insurance, registration, fuel etc to get to actual cost.  A $70K truck is purchased with after tax dollars, for most people that $70K purchase price equates to at least $100K in earned income, so the actual cost on depreciation is not $7K by $10K per year of earned income.

A Tesla Model S may only cost pennies per mile in electricity but since it’s close to $100K (or more depending on type) in earned income depreciation that vehicle costs in the range of $13K per year before any other costs are added. A V8 full size pickup that cost $60K earned income depreciation is appx. $7.8 per year. That’s about half the cost per year of the Tesla Model S.

Wouldn't it be 0.1 X 70,000 = 7000
then 0.1 x 63,000 = 6300
then 0.1 x 56,700 = 5670 

Of course corrected for the years you say are above 10 percent and years below.  The point is that it is never the same amount each year (you say $7k per year)

This is why when buying used motorcycles there is an age where the depreciation is almost non-existent and of course varies by the specific brand/model bike.

Like the TW200 mentioned above.  New price with dealer fees might push you above $5000, but once they hit the $3000 price they will never go much lower in well maintained condition. 

 

[Tom]

Do you have to have special insurance to cover the bike being rented?

Insurance proviided by Rider Share during rental period.

[twowheeladdict]

Insurance proviided by Rider Share during rental period.

Interesting.  I don't just let anyone ride my bikes, but if I lived in an area where rideshare was popular I could see an excuse to expand my fleet 

[pressureangle]

Many years ago, I lived in Miami where traffic and parking made taking the car anywhere a nightmare. I worked 10 miles away.

I always rode my bicycle, because 20 miles a day only cost 15 minutes more than the car and was free exercise. Some time later I came across a Honda Elite 80 scooter nearly free which got ~75mpg on the work commute. I did the arithmetic, and discovered that at the gas prices of that time, it was cheaper to ride the scooter than to feed myself on the bicycle. FWIW.
With the influx of refugees from elsewhere into Florida, riding a bicycle has become off-road only so none of that for commuting.

Given the current state of affairs, I'm rehabilitating my '74 Aermacchi H-D Sprint 350. I don't know the mileage but figure it's ~55 around town if I don't have any fun on it. Back to my early 20's, backpacking and being a bit sweaty everywhere.

[Furbo]

I'd go with any mid range used Jap air cooled dual sport. Even up to a KLR/XLR. Great mileage and you can stay out of peoples way. 

[9fingers]

I think those Honda Trail 125s are pretty cool.......in a dorky way. Unless I am mistaken they get over 100 MPG and are capable of 55mph, so OK for around town. I am considering one to take on the Northeast BDR route.......figure it would be a hoot and way easier in the more difficult off road parts than a loaded V Strom. But I like that CRF300 Rally too. The Royal Enfield bikes, being in a relatively mild state of tune, all get good mileage.
Scott

[kballowe]

Hey what sort of fuel mileage will my new V7 850 get ?

[stubbie]

What about a Vitpilen 401, 59 miles to gallon.

[Scud]

Interesting.  I don't just let anyone ride my bikes, but if I lived in an area where rideshare was popular I could see an excuse to expand my fleet 

I'm good with renting the TW 200, I'd barely ride it otherwise, but this way, I can justify keeping it for few times a year my daughters will ride with me. I have though about putting the Stelvio on there, it would rent for a lot more than the TW - but I like that bike too much.

My last renter was interesting. He just relocated from Europe, and has been riding for 40 years. Has a Vincent Black Shadow and a big BMW. Just wanted the TW to pass the California DMV test, which is stupidly riding in a very tight circle and weaving through some cones.

Anyway... back to topic... I like the 401 Husqvarnas. Those would be a lot of fun around town, and they are damn capable, great handling bikes. And they are powerful enough to take on the freeway for a bit (which I have done, but did not enjoy on the TW).

[Shorty]

I needed a car to commute in with a big enough interior to move my legs around a little and headroom.  Found a Nissan Versa with manual windows and door locks. Thinners doors, no electronic protrusions jutting onto my left leg. 35-40 mpg. Cheap tires. It has taken me throught about 3 fuel "crisis" now with the only disadvantage being having to jump in before unlocking the doors. My RE Meteor is a fuel champion as well, (65 mpg +) but you better not be in a hurry to get anywhere.

[bobrebos]

Last year, I took a test ride on one of those new Monkey bikes.  They had several "demo bikes" out front, and were encouraging everyone to participate.  Hey, free hot dogs and drinks - how could I resist?

Did I want one?  You bet.   

Lots of fun, but it would take some getting used-to.  I mean, 40 mph on that thing felt like 80 on a full-sized motorcycle.

What I really want is one of those Honda "Trail 125"  bikes.   I know they're out there. but I've not seen one anywhere.

I agree.  Honda Trail 125 sounds great! 

[bobrebos]

Try a scooter.  I picked up 3 in Nov. 2021.  Low mileage.  Registration and insurance costs are low.  Gas mileage is about 80mpg.  About $7K for all three.  They're becoming the commute workhorses.  2020 Kymco Agility 125, 2013 Honda PCX 150 & 2016 Honda PCX 150.  All 3 will 55mph +.  The Honda's will get up to low 60's.  Factory says they should be 70mph, might be the dyno they test them on.

The Kymco is my favorite.  It looks like the 50 Agility w/larger cylinder & piston.  If I hit an intersection with traffic congestion, I'll pull over in the moped/bicycle lane and slow down to 35mph.  I'll pretty much keep forward movement going and not sit in traffic.  It's also the one to take shopping.  Large under seat storage w/trunk but it also has a hook to hang t shirt bags from.

The long term plan is for personal use, teaching the youngest for motorized 2 wheel transport and rentals.  I live 2 miles from the airport.  They will pay for themselves.     Weather wise, we get maybe 5 days of rain per year.  Mostly sunny and warm year round with low humidity.     I'm still working the bugs out before renting them out.   

I had a kymco people 300 and a Suzuki burgman 650 five years ago that I bought not running, and I fixed them up and sold them.  Never should have sold them!  My mistake