Guest post by Kyle Allen
Motorcycles ridden for everyday transportation was a normal part of my life growing up in the 70’s and 80’s. With high gas prices playing a factor, I have fond memories of both of my parents riding. Dad had a 500 Yamaha with an aftermarket fairing that he’d ride rain or shine to work everyday, and on weekends would let me swing a leg over the passenger seat for a scenic afternoon cruise on the backroads. Mom rode a Honda 125 that was formerly used by the Shriner’s to put on riding agility displays at local parades. She would use it to ride back and forth to her part-time job while us kids were in school, or to pick up a few groceries or run some errands. As a kid, I viewed riding a motorcycle as just a normal part of everyday life.
By the time I was old enough to drive, my parents had sold both bikes (I suppose the logistics of shuttling 3 kids around played a part in that decision, but my Mom also said she felt like drivers were not paying attention to riders), and I ended up learning to drive on 4-wheels, but always with a thought about wanting to ride a motorcycle...someday.
Someday came when I started working as part of the marketing team here at Aerostich. After some training and practice, I got my motorcycle endorsement in the Spring of 2009. Donning a new Hi-Viz Roadcrafter Classic one piece, I threw my leg over a borrowed 1971 Honda CB350 and never looked back as I established my roots as a dedicated daily rider.
In the early Spring of 2010, I was offered a great deal on a lightly used, ’08 Kawasaki Versys, (that fit into the ‘bike budget’ I had been saving for) and logged the first ride of the season on March 11th, continuing to commute nearly every day that year through the end of November. Out of about 165 workdays during that timeframe, commuting on the new bike accounted for 145 of those days (with a few longer day trips and vacation riding days mixed in too). A quick run of the math proved that after the investment in the bike and riding gear, I was saving a fairly significant (to me anyway) amount of money by choosing to ride over driving a car too!
With my Aerostich gear and a determined mind-set, 2012 allowed me to ride (at least a few days) every month this year – not always easily, but enjoyable every time – from below zero Duluth, MN temps in January and February to sweltering heat and humidity in July and August. Riding (anywhere), for me, is always the most versatile, practical and economical (not to mention fun), way to get from point A to B. Gas prices were jacked-up most of that year too, creating an even bigger savings.
Flash forward another 5 years and I’m still riding the same Kawasaki (have changed the oil annually and put 2 sets of new tires and brake pads on it over the years) and wearing the same (road grimed) Hi-Viz one piece Roadcrafter Classic. The bike and gear have gotten very comfortable after over 7 years of use, not to mention that every mile and every day that I ride further adds to the long-term value of the investment in the motorcycle and riding gear. Every ride continues to save money over driving the car too. Looking at just the gas savings over the last several years, the economic benefits of riding become pretty easily apparent. The fact that riding gets me from A to B more efficiently, allows easier and more readily available parking options and is better on the environment is nice too. But the personal benefits from riding are where the real reward is. Anytime I ride somewhere, I arrive more alert, aware and ready to take on tasks at hand. If you choose to ride more I’m pretty sure that you would find similar results. Save money, feel energized and healthy and have way more fun!
I like how you said that you can find a lot more convenient parking spaces if you ride a motorcycle. I want to get a motorcycle but my wife is against it. I’ll try and convince her to let us get one by sharing some of what you said, like finding quick parking spots.
I’m glad to hear that you’ve gotten so much great use out of your bike, and that each use adds to the value of your investment in the motorcycle and gear. My husband and I have been thinking about getting motorcycles to give us a fun new activity we can enjoy together, but it can be a bit difficult to justify the initial investment. I know we’ll get lots of use out of the bikes, so thanks for pointing out that each use will increase the value of our investment long-term!
With commuting options it’s never apples-to-apples or oranges-to-oranges. There are far too many variables. We still have a loaner Zero electric motorcycle here in commuting service which all-in (tires, insurance, Aerostich gear, etc) I bet would beat even a full electric car like a Nissan Leaf over the long-term service-life of both machines if the commute-distance was anything within it’s range. But a friend of mine here did a 160 mile each-way thrice-weekly Duluth to Minneapolis commute on a Gold Wing for several years, at the time choosing riding over his Saab 99. There’s no perfect way to make perfect comparisons between any two commuting options. Kyle’s point in part is that for him motorcycle commuting fell well within an envelope of economically sensible options even factoring out the fun, speed, time and efficiency benefits of riding, and also that even in a harsh seasonal climate like Duluth’s it was not some ridiculous kind of self-indulgence. The aggregate is what made overall sense for his commute here, even without the factors mentioned above. That it does isn’t obvious to most commuters, here and elsewhere in the USA. The point is that motorcycle commuting does not have to be a luxury benefit enjoyed only on fair-weather days by those who happen to already own a motorcycle for other reasons.
My motorcycle is the most expensive vehicle I have to operate and gets the worst gas mileage.
2011 BMW R1200RT: 42 mpg with premium fuel @ $2.93 per gallon = $0.07 per mile
2009 Toyota Prius: 46 mpg with regular fuel @ 2.65 per gallon = $0.06 per mile
2016 Spark EV. 4.9 miles per KWH at $0.11 per KWH = $0.02 per mile
Of course that is just fuel. As other have said, the tires for the motorcycle cost as much as a set for the cars and only last 1/4 of the miles.
Then there is maintenance…..
Needless to say I don’t ride to same money.
The savings of a bike comes not from the savings in gas but the much smaller depreciation vs a car. I bought a $3000 2012 Honda CBR 250R ABS with only 400 miles. I can’t even imagine what kind of car I would get for $3k. I get 80mpg and I use regular gas which is recommended for my bike. My insurance is only $80 per YEAR and registration/tax is only $20. The cost of maintenance is probably more but not by much. The other huge savings is for parking. My parking is free while I would be paying $100/month for car parking. The economics are there for the right situation.
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