Total Motorcycle Community Forums

wallbrownfj8 wrote:Tru! But I'd rather have a bike that is a little more uncomfortable (because I'm not going to ride it more than about 25 miles each way to school or the store or a job) that gets a little bit more MPGs.

A comfortable bike isn't just a comfort issue, it's a safety issue. A 25 mile commute could take 40-45 minutes. At the end of the ride, if you're uncomfortable to the point of distraction, you're going to be less able to scan and react to traffic. From your posts, I'm assuming you haven't had this experience. If you have, then well and good - I don't need to tell you how to balance safety and comfort. But all the MPG in the world won't help if you end up hating the bike or being scared because of close calls.

wallbrownfj8 wrote:Although, comfort is a factor for me, that is why I went with the Rebel rather than a Ninja 250.

By the way, have you been to a dealer and sat on a Ninja 250? If not, I think you should before you conclude they're less comfortable than a cruiser like a Rebel. Despite looks, the Ninja is more a standard than a sportbike.

Pittance,

Your numbers may be based off a car why don't you do it off an SUV that gets 12MPG. If cost me 20 dollars a week to fill up twice a week on my bike where i fill my explorer once a week at 70 dollars a savings of 50 dollars a week, $200 a month atleast.. this is just work driving.

And gas here is at 3.49 a gallon.

My fiqures are based off last year as there is still snow on the ground here

Have you even tried sitting on a Ninja 250? The might look uncormfortable but they're considered more of a "standard" then Sport...
If ALL you care about is saving money and MPG, look at my bike.
125cc ... 12HP 80MPG
i'm about 5'7" and i think im about to be to big for it, so i'd say you'd be too tall.
But you need to try sitting on a Ninja 250.. and see how ya like it

wallbrownfj8 wrote: (because I'm not going to ride it more than about 25 miles each way to school or the store or a job)

start riding, and see how long that statement remains true you'll soon start trying to find reasons to take the bike out

Thank you for all of your support and insight. You have all brought up some very important things to think about.

My Vulcan 500 can get 50 MPG for regular riding, and now it gets 56 after some modification. Combined with a 4 gallon (US) tank.

A Ninja 250 can get 60 - 73 MPG while providing plenty of performance compared to intro cruisers. This one has 4.8 gallons (US) tank. Note that this bike will bring pretty high insurance premiums to new riders.

The Rebel can get 72 MPG based on personal experience but it is pretty cramped and slow compared to my Suzuki GZ250 which got 68MPG.

When it comes to gear, don't worry about getting stuff made for sport riding. Overdoing it with gear will save you from a good amount of injuries should an accident happen.

big_ry_ry wrote:Pittance,

Your numbers may be based off a car why don't you do it off an SUV that gets 12MPG. If cost me 20 dollars a week to fill up twice a week on my bike where i fill my explorer once a week at 70 dollars a savings of 50 dollars a week, $200 a month atleast.. this is just work driving.

And gas here is at 3.49 a gallon.

My fiqures are based off last year as there is still snow on the ground here

I was only using my worst scenario for my honda civic in the city. I dont think Ive ever gotten below 25, and its good on gas. But 25mph is essentially going 5mph stop and go through downtown the whole way. If I used my best mpg (32) or a diesel car (50), itd be closer. But civics are plentiful and cheap.

Pittance wrote:Because I've heard a lot of people say they only want a bike to save money on gas, I ran some very basic numbers to make the savings more evident.

$2800 to save initially
25mpg for car
75mpg for bike
$3.30 for gas

1mi: $0.13 for car, $0.04 for bike, $0.09 savings
10mi: $1.32 for car, $0.44 for bike, $0.88 savings
100mi: $13.20 for car, $4.40 for bike, $8.80 savings
1000mi: $132 for car, $44 for bike, $88 savings

~32,000mi to break even on cost of bike.

I think that people should look at this formula and factor in how much driving they do. Some people drive 30,000+ miles a year that's why they have leases for different tiers.

Well, we have consider that in a lot of places - you won't be able to ride the motorcycle in to work every day. So, it may take a very long time to make up the costs of a motorcycle in terms of fuel savings - unless you sell your car which is probably impractical unless you can take mass transit on those bad days or months.

However, I consider the idea that many people are moving to motorcycles - and overall the fuel reduction of even if only on a sometimes basis will help reduce overall fuel consumption.

Yesterday, commuting up to Yonkers from NJ, I saw a new record - 5 motorcyclists. It kind of warmed my heart. No one was driving like an "O Ring" and two of the motorcyles actually had to merge and picked up in to staggered formation. (yesterday wasn't even that nice a day - pretty cold actually)

So, if enough people get motorcycles - the impact could be lower fuel costs for everyone - or at least less fuel consumption overall on an annual basis - if people ride to work on those fair-weather days.

Of course, the calculations above in the posts could be thrown off greatly if fuel costs rise to $5 or $6 a gallon.

RhadamYgg

If all you're interested in is mileage, here's your solution....



80 - 100 miles per gallon...