sobering math

[Greg]

A 400 mile day costs you about $125 - $150.

10 gallons of gas @ $4/gal = $40
1/10th the life of your (sport-bike) tires = $35 (price includes mounting & balancing)
Lunch (Kwik Trip style  ) , assorted soda's & ice cream throughout the day = $10
Assuming various maintenance intervals ... Brakes pads, valve adjustment, chain, sprockets, battery, stator, oil changes = $30 (very rough estimate, probably on the low end)
Depreciation = $20
Various gear over a lifetime = $10

That's $145 dollars listed above. I'm sure I'm missing some things as well. Yes, large chunks of cash can be saved by doing a lot of the maintenance work yourself. But unfortunately I wasn't born with that guy gene, so even with Lloyd's reasonable prices this is one expensive hobby / sport / passion / life!   

But I'm not complaining too loudly. I wouldn't replace one moment in my life that I've spent on a bike.

Greg

[supraman]

A 400 mile day costs you about $125 - $150.

Yikes, that's more then I thought it would be.

This thread is really begging for a "...priceless" comment though.

[Mike Duluth]

Holy crap Greg, you want us all to quit ritin or what? Just think how much money you spent chasin girls years ago, and you didn't get to sell what was left when you were ready to upgrade.

[Ray916MN]

IRS allows $0.51/mile deduction for business miles driven. Pretty indicative of typical vehicle operating costs and when you consider that versus the projected $0.3625/mile, bikes aren't too bad.

The biggest cost in general by a far margin is depreciation. You buy a new $50K sedan and it depreciates $10K as soon as you drive it off the lot. Gonna take allot of miles to get your cost per mile below $1.

[vince]

Please don't try to figure out how much it cost to right a snowmobile.

[Elk]

All I care about is the yucks per buck ratio.  It's very high.

[Greg]

All I care about is the yucks per buck ratio.  It's very high.

Absolutely, the best bang for your buck!  What price Nirvana?

[SilkMoneyLove]

Sobering math indeed.  However, the new crop of 250s (tu250x and my current fav the cbr250r) seem like a good deal.  60 to 70 mpg, $4000 price, pay cash and your insurance is only $150 a year for liability.  Do your own oil changes, brake pads and valve adjustments.  Chains and sprockets are cheap for little bikes.  Low power means less stress.

On the other hand, you can get a cheap fuel sipper car like an Aveo 5 speed that gets 35mpg, but will run to 130,000 miles without real issues for $10,000 new.

Can the new 250s go 130,000 miles without a rebuild?  No one knows yet, but my guess is no.

So even with the latest offerings with economy in mind, the car still is cheaper.  Good thing bikes are fun.

I have no idea why, but i am fascinated by the new 250s.

[Aprilian]

Don't forget to include registration, plates and sales tax.  Here is a spreadsheet I had someone build to prove a point at work a couple years ago when gas price was $4.  The data is for illustration, you can put your own data in.   I'm glad I'm not super rational about my riding or I'd sell the bikes and hypermile in a boring sub compact!

[tk]

IRS allows $0.51/mile deduction for business miles driven.

Two of us used to take our bikes on business trips when I was in the corporate world. HR Department got wind of it eventually and put a stop to
it. They felt the company was assuming unneccessay liability.

[Aprilian]

Tony,  
Did they also tell people who drove  cars with poor crash test results or convertibles that they couldn't drive them?   I would have been an ass in that situation.   I have no problem with safety, but selective safety bugs me.
I had one good employer that would let me ride to client sites.  Unfortunately another made me always drive an American-built company-subsidized car.  
I can remember many interviews where I rhetorically told my prospective boss, "I ride a motorcycle, that isn't a problem is it?!"   I felt that agreement generally pre-empted any later discussion about riding not being appropriate.

[Elk]

I just returned from a three hour plus interview with a Fortune 100 company.  They have a special motorcycle only parking spot.

[Tim...]

Yep, part of my narcissistic rationale to buy an $16000 motorcycle is to commute 75 miles/day, weather allowing, so that I do not go over my mileage allowance on my truck lease.   My accountant just doesn't get the passion.

Great topic Greg!

[EdgeRyder]

Please don't try to figure out how much it cost to right a snowmobile.

I did the snowmobile  math a few years ago when there was no snow.  That's when I stop buying sleds every year and bought the Bike.  

A rough estimate would be to take Greg's number and triple it. 



Still have the sleds and bike just don't buy a new ones every year anymore.

Either way both are a bargain for the amount of joy they bring.

Ray

[vince]

I told you not to do that.