The Economics of Riding
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!
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.
Then lets add in transporting the vehicle to your local showroom. Lets get really wild and add in a “fun” factor and how are we going to develop a scale that fairly conveys these two modes of transportation.
For me, I enjoy riding, I watch out for the texting drivers that don’t see anything smaller than a Chevy and I don’t pay as much for fuel. I am a happy camper.
What about tires? Rear bike tiers wear out in 9k miles, and can cost over $200 to replace. Car tires last over 50k miles, and cost less than $250 for all 4.
I would breakdown the costs into a few sections
– Fuel; My bike gives me 37-38 mpg. If I had to really cheap out I could get a Civic and eek out 34 mpg. BMW takes premium and the Honda would take regular. I change oil twice a year and flush all fluids once a year
– Consumables: So maintenance wise the Honda edges it out. Same story for tires. Honda should get me 50K miles on a set of tires the BMW..I am lucky if I get 10K.
– Monthly insurance. I am pretty sure that the Honda will be similarly priced or slightly pricier than the BMW for Insurance
– Time: When I had a shorter commute in reverse traffic the bike was more time consuming just because I had to suit up and suit off. But with a longer commute now, the bike wins hands down. I save almost 70 – 90 minutes every day because I ride and dont drive. I am not stuck in traffic and the commute becomes a pleasure. This to me is the most significant advantage of the bike
– Tank range: The thing that irritates me the most about the bike is the tank range. With my daily 100 mile commute I have to refuel everyday. That is a pain in the rear. In the car I have to do it once every 4 days. It takes up valuable time
– Versatility: Its a draw. The bike with a top box is almost as versatile as my cars. I carry less junk but I can easily accomplish a grocery run with a top box and if I need to carry more soft panniers are a good solve
All that being said I would never trade my bike with a car commute. Bike is just easier and cooler
So, If people are going to add something like tires to the metric, why not add purchase price of the vehicle? Maybe Honda will come out with a GL5000 so the Tesla will still look good…
Then I traded Avalon for a Prius which got honest 50 MPG to GL1800’s 42, and used tires that cost much less than the Avalon’s which cost less per mile than the Goldwing’s. Quit riding much and sold the Goldwing. Currently ride an FJR1300 at 49 MPG. But using the twisted arguments used in this blog my Tesla wins yet again because its electric use costs same as 75 MPG gasoline. And apparently gasoline is the only metric used.
Tires for the main bike cost a tick over $300 a pair for good Michilins, and last maybe 12,000 miles. I can get tires for the truck for less than $500 that will last almost 60k miles. I have a 15 year old Roadcrafter that cost well under $100 per year, although I have sent it in for a “tune-up” a couple of times. Like Nathan, I don’t ride to save money – it’s an affliction and I am happy to support it.