To save money

I have been wanting to buy a motorcycle for a long time for personal reasons. Recently with the gas pricing issues the thought of buying a motorcycle has come up more often due to their efficiency. I am spending roughly 300 a month on gas for the taco. I can only see that cost going up with the state of the gas crisis. Realizing that my initial investement would be relative to what type/make of bike I would buy. In your opinion would buying a motorcycle be a worthwhile economic decision? Few of the factors I have realized are detailed below.

1. Monthly savings would be not be AMAZING.
2. Can only realistically be driven about 7-8 months out of the year
3. The most fuel efficient bikes aren't my cup of tea (ex: scooters)
4. Chance for it to be stolen. While I live in a high rent district I still worry about theft.
5. Initial cost of the bike versus long term cost savings. Would it even be worth it?

 

That last one is a killer, depending on the bike. Figure out what you're realistically going to save in gas money and calculate how long it will take to pay off a motorcycle. Don't forget insurance, registration and maintenance for the motorcycle. If you're looking at buying a $15,000 bike for fuel savings alone, it's not worth it at all.

If you're looking for something reasonable, you can find a cheap, small displacement bike like single cylinder dual sport dirt bike or there are also some smaller cruisers and sport bikes. You could go for something a little nicer and more expensive but you'd be kidding yourself if you think its just about fuel savings at that point. Just an FYI, I have a 2002 Suzuki Katana 750, I bought it 2.5 years ago for under $4k and it gets almost 50 MPG with a Yoshi exhaust and stage I kit. Don't get a scooter... Motorcycles are a lot of fun, just be safe!

As far as theft, you can use locks but they mostly just stop the honest people from stealing it. 4 guys and 2 metal poles and they can lift the bike into a truck and get the locks off in their own shop. Keeping it covered helps. Some newer (and expensive) bikes have alarms and electronic 'kills' built-in.

 

this is how i have been saving money....i dont drive my Taco i drive my 97 nissan altima
i eat rice and frozen chicken from sams club

my sig has me on the brink being a broke ass

 

If your doing it to save money then get a little ninja 250. They are cheap and get good gas mileage.

 

i have a cbr1000rr for the riding season

 

My advice would be to get a supermoto or dual sport bike. I regularly got around 65 mpg on my drz400sm. They can go pretty much anywhere, are insane amounts of fun, and pretty much bulletproof. I had a friend I was teaching to ride front flip it, I got ran off the road one time and threw it down at about 40, and took it off-road a bunch, yet it always ran like a champ and took only oil changes new plastics to make brand new. Here's a pic of what it looked like right before I sold it after all those wrecks and abuse.

 

I was going to type out a helpful response, but this pretty much says it all.

 

I bought at the time, a 3 year old cruiser thinking the same thing..It spends more time in the shed, then on the road. You really need to think hard about it. Ill take it to work here and there, but its not enough to make it worthwhile.

 

I had one of these... and I still have one in my house as my GFs and it gets about 70 mpg and you can find used ones for cheap... plus they are low maintenance and very easy to maintain


my old Ninja 250

 

Aside from what's already been said, *please* take a MSF course if you have not already. This goes for all motorcyclists, no matter how long you've been riding. JMO

 

X2. I took a msf course at 20 years old. I had been riding bikes since I was 5 and I learned new stuff! Pretty fun too. Plus you don't have to take the motorcycle test at the DMV if you take that course.

 

Is that Radiant Red, Too ?

CC

 

no but it was close

 

I'll add a third vote to that one. Understand that you're next to invisible to every "cager" (person driving a car or truck) out there, and there will be times you'll feel like a target. The safety course WILL help you deal with that, along with helping you enjoy the bike more. And do a lot of research, including test rides if available, on every type of bike.
Do not buy a new bike. When one rolls out the door it loses up to 30% of its initial value- a hard pill to swallow when the buyer suddenly finds him/herself "too busy to ride" or afraid to ride, and winds up selling it a year later with 500 miles on the clock.
Gas mileage is one thing- my Victory Vision was averaging 43 MPG in mixed driving, even at 835 pounds. Sonny Barger, President of the Hell's Angels, calls it the "most comfortable bike I've ridden", while many of his people look down on it as a "Jetson Bike", or simply, not a Harley. Meanwhile it's also one of the safest bikes on the road with more lighting, better balance, better handling, and tip over protection than almost any other ride. My buddy was always impressed the the Vision could out turn and out handle his VRod. But the biggest thing is that motorcycling gets in your blood, and the pleasure of open air travelling far outweighs the inherent risk.

Good luck with your decision, and ride safe.

 

Thought about getting a 4cyl car? Or a car in general?

I roughly spend 130+ a week on gas while working.

Recently I thought about getting an older 325i e36 for a DD or Bike.

 

Thanks for all the responses. I have considered taking the MSF course. Also I like the idea of the Ninja 250 Solus. Once again you guys are a wealth of knowledge. Thanks again.

 

Never buy a motorcycle for the reason to save money on gas!
Buy a motorcycle for the love, enjoyment and freedom of riding one
My motorcycle is my therapy, my escape from all the people I hate so bad, my freedom to go where I want and when I want, the feeling of the air on my face, nobody sitting next to you, no radio to listen to, no distractions, looking down and watching the road just inches away rushing under your feet, to me its beautiful, its better than sex.
The money you save on gas is just an added benifit, but first you have to have the love and the passion to ride

 

That's awesome your motorbike gives you so many benefits, not to mention the money saved by not seeing a therapist. But it doesn't matter why a person rides a motorcycle. If they buy one to save money/gas, they will very quickly discover the love, enjoyment and freedom you describe above... while saving money on gas.

 

I see too many new people buying their first motorcycle for the reason to impress their friends. I have noticed too many beginners with that cocky attitude thinking they are the only ones that own a motorcycle, that they are the pro rider, they show off, they pretend they are a tough guy and so on.
When I ride with other motorcycles I quickly find out that I am a better rider than anybody else. It drives me crazy that a beginner buys a 1400cc crotch rocket or a top HD touring bike and they think they are an expert rider. When they own bikes like that as their first bike you know they bought the bike for the wrong reasons, they just own the bike to show off and to impress other people, they don't have that passion and love of riding a motorcycle.
I also have a serious problem of some beginner making fun of and cutting down the bike I ride, I have to walk away from them to control my temper cause I want to hurt them really bad!
I have more respect with a rider that owns a smaller, boring, not exciting type of bike

btw: I currently own a Yamaha Tmax, its a scooter with a crotch rocket engine, I LOVE it and I don't care what anybody says or thinks about it, I own it to impress me, not everybody else! In the past I have owned 600cc crotch rockets and all types of cruiser bikes, but I currently love my scooter, my dream bike is the Suzuki V Strom 1000, I want it as a cross country touring bike to ride with guys that own Honda Gold Wings, I might get my V Strom this spring, if I can find one.

 

One question that hasn't been asked yet is what type of commute do you have. If it's 50 miles on the interstate, a smaller bike is going to wear on you and you won't want to ride it as often, there by reducing the savings. Also, I rebuild old Hondas (70s SOHCs) and you can get them for pretty cheap, they still get good gas mileage, and are fun. You'd have to enjoy tinkering with them but you'd spend a fraction of what you would on a new bike. Just a thought. Personally, if you don't have a long highway ride, the ninja or rebel 250 are excellent choices for gas savings are are actually really fun to ride. No need to scratch your chest and break out the ruler with the liter bike squids if you're not hitting the track.