Before you upgrade...

[R6_kid]

It's been just over a year now since i got my full licence and purchased a 600cc sportsbikes (my 1999 Yamaha R6) and i've been thinking about costs etc and just generally how things are different to how it was when rode my 250's.

Basically just wanted to open you all up to the things that you might not think about before you upgrade, or possibly ponder but not look into properly, mainly the cost side of things.

Tyres... a CHEAP set of decent tyres for a 600cc and bigger sports bike starts at around $550*. Now unless you were the type that was riding the balls out of your 250 sproty then this is probably a shock to you. As you get faster on a big bike tyres can start to get worn out quite quickly, and if you get fast enough you wont want to settle for less than what you need to keep you on the road (for some people this means $700+ for a set of tyres)

*based on a set of Michelin Pilot Powers from Cycletreads in Auckland.

A good chain on a 250 will cost you about $120 for an X/O-ring, and probably $70 for a set of sprokets... For decent grade wares on a 600 you're looking at 530 type chains... cheaps ones start at around $100 and the top ones are creaping over the $200 just for the chain. Mid-range kits are around $250ish for a set of sprokets and chain.

You should possibly consider how much you will be using your new bike. I stacked up more than 30,000km in the first 12 months of riding my R6. This lead to needing two 'big' services within the year.

On top of this i pushed a bit hard at the start and bit the dust. That led to just over $1000 in damage. Lesson learnt, sort of. I did it another time late last year but got away scott free with nothing more than a bit of lost pride and the nickname 'the rustle in russel' (for rustling the trees on the side of the road)

At the end of the day if you are sensible and dont use your bike too much you'll get away with it. If like me you put the km's quickly you might find yourself spending money on your bike more than you'd like to. To some extent sportsbikes are meant more for the track or weekend openroad riding, not particularly high km's built up commuting. In all honesty i wouldnt mind having an FXR150 or similar for commuting a big sportsbike for trackdays and weekends but budget doesnt allow.

I try to save about $50 a fortnight to cover bike costs, doesnt always work out, but its good to have some money set aside so that you dont find yourself leaving things til you can afford to pay for them.

Of course there is the extra power, different handling etc, which you can really only truly discover by getting out and riding a bigger bike. Someone else can go into those details if they wish. My main point is that modern sports bike dont only cost more to buy, but in general they cost more to maintain too, so just keep this in mind so you dont end up like me, working to pay for bike upkeep!

[MidnightMike]

Ahh, great, very eye opening info. Thanks.

[doc]

It's been just over a year now since i got my full licence and purchased a 600cc sportsbikes (my 1999 Yamaha R6) and i've been thinking about costs etc and just generally how things are different to how it was when rode my 250's.

Basically just wanted to open you all up to the things that you might not think about before you upgrade, or possibly ponder but not look into properly, mainly the cost side of things.

Tyres... a CHEAP set of decent tyres for a 600cc and bigger sports bike starts at around $550*. Now unless you were the type that was riding the balls out of your 250 sproty then this is probably a shock to you. As you get faster on a big bike tyres can start to get worn out quite quickly, and if you get fast enough you wont want to settle for less than what you need to keep you on the road (for some people this means $700+ for a set of tyres)

*based on a set of Michelin Pilot Powers from Cycletreads in Auckland.

A good chain on a 250 will cost you about $120 for an X/O-ring, and probably $70 for a set of sprokets... For decent grade wares on a 600 you're looking at 530 type chains... cheaps ones start at around $100 and the top ones are creaping over the $200 just for the chain. Mid-range kits are around $250ish for a set of sprokets and chain.

You should possibly consider how much you will be using your new bike. I stacked up more than 30,000km in the first 12 months of riding my R6. This lead to needing two 'big' services within the year.

On top of this i pushed a bit hard at the start and bit the dust. That led to just over $1000 in damage. Lesson learnt, sort of. I did it another time late last year but got away scott free with nothing more than a bit of lost pride and the nickname 'the rustle in russel' (for rustling the trees on the side of the road)

At the end of the day if you are sensible and dont use your bike too much you'll get away with it. If like me you put the km's quickly you might find yourself spending money on your bike more than you'd like to. To some extent sportsbikes are meant more for the track or weekend openroad riding, not particularly high km's built up commuting. In all honesty i wouldnt mind having an FXR150 or similar for commuting a big sportsbike for trackdays and weekends but budget doesnt allow.

I try to save about $50 a fortnight to cover bike costs, doesnt always work out, but its good to have some money set aside so that you dont find yourself leaving things til you can afford to pay for them.

Of course there is the extra power, different handling etc, which you can really only truly discover by getting out and riding a bigger bike. Someone else can go into those details if they wish. My main point is that modern sports bike dont only cost more to buy, but in general they cost more to maintain too, so just keep this in mind so you dont end up like me, working to pay for bike upkeep!

Sensible post. The other day there was a thread about how much people were prepared to spend on their bike per week. Add into this the cost of finance which some do and its pretty expensive then trying to have a life outside bikes you are looking at big numbers. That's why you see a lot of posts of guys returning to bikes after a few years absence. Post sensible stage.(ie Mortgage, school/uni fees, fleet maintence once they learn to drive etc....). Once you get that first experience on a bike its addictive, you can't explain it to people who haven't been into them before they get sensible. Hope this makes sense I'm drinking a cheap wine but it has a high alcohol content which is important. The rest of my money now goes into bikes again and heaps of petrol tax.

[Flyingpony]

Thanks for the post. Very good to read.

Hmm,,, well,,, that clears up some things I was pondering about. Mr Wallet wouldn't like such big surprises after being used to coughing up cash to feed Mr FXR.

Seems my next big upgrade won't be so big after all. Maybe I'll jump up to 250 cc V-Twin or some thing sensible around there. Still keeping it thrifty but with a little more power.

[awesker]

fank joo mr decon!

[ZeroIndex]

good post Gareth. Thanks for the insight... Just moved from the GPX250 to a RG150, and I'm already complaining about the added petrol usage, nevermind the price of 2-stroke oil. Might have to search for an inbetween... like a 400...

[Wasp]

thanks for the knowledge, much appreciated and will be considered when choosing my next bike in a month or so

[steved]

If you get away with $25 dollars a week, you're doing well. My bill is more likely double that. Bikes are an expensive hobby.

[Crisis management]

Very good post!
I tend to forget how much I spend on bikes but a quick add up goes something like this:
GSXR 1100: not much, cause I service it myself and nothing major has fallen off, but about $400 in the last 6 months.
DR 650: Chain & sprockets @$250, Bark busters $150, Oil $80 various bits etc $200 Total: $680.
But its due a new rear tyre soon.

So... about $1000 in 6 months or $40 per week

Thats not counting other gear that gets damaged, boots, trou, gloves etc. and especially not counting a previous DR that cost me $1500 in engine work 3 months ago :sick:

Remember thats with me doing the servicing, no tyre replacements and not a lot of Km's being clocked up.

Must admit, it gets expensive quick when you write it down, eh?

[Squiggles]

i've recently got a gsxr750 and im feeling the bite that comes with it, i also have a gn250 though... i ride that to uni instead, and keep my gsxr for the longer trips (and for showing off of course) :innocent:

[Grub]

Good thread ... and right on the money.

I upgraded from my g/f's FXR150 to the CBR600 because I didn't have a bike of my own and an FXR just don't push well against the Welly NWsters.

I guess I had the choice of any sized bike but for similar reasons to the original post ... why would I?

I have an old CBR that goes like the clappers, that has been maintained by a fanatic, that is low, light and handles like it's on rails. It has 93hp (67.9Kw) @ 11,000 (which is way more than I need) and a top speed of 227kmh (which I can never use - even on Manfield). We just toured the Nth Is over xmas and I had no sore back, ass, hands or arms - how cool is that!

It gets me quicker than most bikes over Paekak Hill Rd twice a day and it only cost 3 grand (just pocket money). If I bin it, so what?

What more could I want? Sure it's not cool (although some would call it "pretty" - lol) but hell, I can't see that when I am mounted up and having fun.

Brett

[Flyingpony]

If you get away with $25 dollars a week, you're doing well. My bill is more likely double that. Bikes are an expensive hobby.
If I rode my bike 5 days a week to work, that's 11km per day, with petrol costing $1.38 (excluded super market discounts) and it averages 36km/l, * quickly gets calculator out *, my petrol bill will be $2.12 :dodge:

Actually, it's the rego (+WOFs) and full insurance which are the killers for a small bike. They telly up to be the same as a cage, $450 per year.

In December I clocked up 60.3km. With a stationary cost ^^^ of $40 per month, it would've been cheaper to not to have the bike and just run the cage I've got. Expensive hobby indeed. But but,,, AAhhhh :love: Me Wuv little motorcycle

[Motoracer]

Good on ya m8

[Freakshow]

Thanks for the great info.

[placidfemme]

Great info and good way to open peoples eyes about the added costs.

Certainly does give you something to think about...

*still wants a 600*

[t3mp0r4ry nzr]

really, bikes are expensive?? (says the guy that has spent $1000 on his this week). but by fuck its fun, aint it

[R6_kid]

LOL ^^^ so true. Another thing that i forgot (someone else just mentioned) is insurance... I went from $300 a year full cover on my ZXR250 insured for 4k, to $1100 a year for full cover on the R6 insured for a about $10k... $88 a month

[awesker]

theres something wrong here..
if you paid 1100 for your r6, and I paid 1000 (last year, insured for 7) on my cib.. hmm :shit:

who you wif?

[Jantar]

A basic estimate of the true costs of operating a motorcyle is that what ever you spend on fuel, allow the same amount again for basic maintenance. Then the amount you spend on fuel for the 12,000 kms will be close to the cost of registration and insurance for 1 year.

Pretty basic I know, and there will a lot of variation between diffent bikes and different riding styles, but as a rule of thumb its not too far out.

On my GS1200 in 2 years and 30,000 km I spent around $2500 on fuel, $1600 on tyres, $650 on services, and $400 for chain and sprokets, $500 for registration and WOFs and $1800 for insurance. So that rule of thumb wasn't too far out.

[doc]

Ive just worked out the cost on my bike paid cash 6mths ago 12k service completed today.

Insurance $650 (Total $1300)

Tyres $1150 (Just fitted third set )

Servicing $1400 (12k service done to day)

Fuel $1338 (avg fuel consumption 13kpl avg cost $1.45ltr)

Not allowing for bling etc actual cost of using it per week

$174 per week

[Ixion]

You have left out depreciation. And loss of interest on the money.

[Firefight]

a very good post R6 kid, well thought out and worth a read and a green rep,


F/F

[Meekey_Mouse]

Great post, thanks Gareth :yes:

[Jonny Rotten]

ive just brought myself a gsxr 600 and yes it is costing me more but i love it....

my bike is my only form of trasport so ill do about 300 km a week on it its about twice as thirsty as my vtr250..... id just like to point out to people that on things like chains and sprockets if you look after them and lube them as they should be you should get atleast 30,000 km out of an o ring chain.
as for tyres just be sure your getting the right ones to suit your style of ridding aswell....im running perreilli dragon super corsacas at the momment which are a sorf compound tyre and will where out quickly and cost a fair bit.... for my next set because i commute ill be looking at a set of bridgestone bt 014's because they are a harder compound in the middle and soft and sticky on the sides so stick arond corners. also if you have your bike sercived at a dealer youll be looking at around $300 for a basic service.

theres lots of things to factor in when looking at bigger bikes but aslong as you set yourself a buget when looking to buy and put aside for running a service costs you should be sweet....

great post garath :rockon:

[R6_kid]

theres something wrong here..
if you paid 1100 for your r6, and I paid 1000 (last year, insured for 7) on my cib.. hmm :shit:

who you wif?

wait til your out of recruit course and ask about defence force discounted insurance with lumley :yes:

[R6_kid]

You have left out depreciation. And loss of interest on the money.

that starts from the first day you purchase any motorcycle so i figured everyone would know that, shesh!!! and you thought i just didnt think about it!

[Jantar]

..... id just like to point out to people that on things like chains and sprockets if you look after them and lube them as they should be you should get atleast 30,000 km out of an o ring chain. ...
:gob: The most I've ever had out of a chain is 26,000 kms and that is using a Scottoiler. Without the oiler I've never had more than 12,000 kms on any bike bigger than a 500 cc.

[Jonny Rotten]

30k is just the info i got from a macanic mate of mine.... its all dependent on how you ride and maintain your chain.... to much lube can be a bad thing as it creates a griding paste when shit gets mixed with the lube... also to slack or to tight can affect it aswell.....

[R6_kid]

the current chain on my R6 is up over the 20k mark now, not bad considering i ran it in doing power wheelies etc which you arent supposed to. It has a tight spot or two but they are easily tamed by a good clean, lube and tension.

[Jantar]

... It has a tight spot or two but they are easily tamed by a good clean, lube and tension. OK, this the point at which I change chain and sprockets. I have been stranded at the side of the road once too often through continuing to use a chain once it reaches the stage of developing tight spots. :doh:

[Cajun]

Great info there mate!
I agree that bigger bikes cost more to own and maintain. I was getting away with paying $400 for full insurance of a $15000 bike - then I crashed it.
Now, I'm forking out a whopping $1125 a year to insure the replacement for the same amount. I'd pay aaround $3,000 a year to own my bike.

My point? You're more likely to crash a bigger bike once you get cocky with the additional power it has over your 250. Just bear in mind that your insurance will go through the roof!

[Disco Dan]

Ok so you mentioned the extra costs of owning a big bike (bigger than 250), what about a few tips for people regarding competence - ie, you know your ready to upgrade when.... etc. ???

I know I have soooo much too learn and have not taken my 250 to its limits yet, but still think I should upgrade soon?

"Thoughts on a postcard to: PO Box Newbies"

[R6_kid]

most of it comes from maturity and right hand control. Remember that that same throttle input on a bigger bike has a much more dignified (and magnified) effect than the same input on a 250.

for instance on a 250 if i gave it full tits out of a corner i would 99% of the time just accelerate, assuming i had the skill it wouldnt be hard to keep it in line.

Same situation on a decently powered 600 and you come into many obstacles. The most obvious being that the bike is more likely to standup, wheelspin, run ride, or make the front end 'light'. Any one of these will lead to you having to react in order to avoid an accident. Also you will be leaving the corner at a much higher rate of acceleration - the next corner is going to come up faster, and you are going to need to brake quicker and more effectively. (This was a large contributor to my first crash).

Of course this is assuming that you ride for the thrill and like to push it a bit. If on the other hand you are a humble tourer that doesnt use much over 60% of the bikes revs and just sits in the mid-range all day then you shouldnt have any troubles.

I guess the main thing is to really take your time, especially with road riding. The track generally gives you a lot of leeway for making mistakes as you learn, the road is not so forgiving. Understand that you wont be as confident or competant on the bigger bike straight away (no one is, and if they are its called cocky not confident). Learning how to handle it properly before picking up the pace is never a bad idea, i would also consider doing the RRRS on the new bike to refresh your skills and get some practice in a closed environment, empty carparks are an alternative but you tend to look a bit stupid.

[Buddy L]

brillant posts people.
I have been always been told that the "cheapest" part of bike riding is buying the bike.
In off road riding the consumables items like tyres and chains last about a 1/8of what they do on the road. Tyres and leavers are the worst, a good set tyres will only last about 100- 400 kays depending on the level of Competition you are at.
My road bike hasn't cost me much yet but i only ride it on the ANTNR and maybe on the weekend, so haven't racked up the kays on it, but is due for its head off service wich im dreading.

[BUNGY]

I never really thought of all those extra costs. maybe I should keep my cbr as I go through uni although if the k's get to high I may lose a bit when I do sell it.

[zooter]

Great thread. Does anyone now have detailed info on the longer run costs of running a wee commuter bike like the fxr150 or something similarly unmuscular?

[NZJONESY]

I think in general you can class riding bikes as a luxury extertainment/sport, as most are a performance machine. When do you ever hear of cheap performance/parts for a machine that can do 250kmh??

My family has numerous super-cars and most of them run on tires that range to about $6000-$8000 each (yeah just the tires) AND there are four of them per car. The costs outlined in the original post are pretty minimal when you consider the relative other motorsports.

Buying a bike like an R6 you should be able to afford any costs to keep it going in top form.


My 0.02c

[Tortron]

a set of spanners and a good read of the manual goes along way on keeping costs down
(hell if i didnt have so many tools i could never afford to have a classic car)

[The Pastor]

I think in general you can class riding bikes as a luxury extertainment/sport, as most are a performance machine. When do you ever hear of cheap performance/parts for a machine that can do 250kmh??

My family has numerous super-cars and most of them run on tires that range to about $6000-$8000 each (yeah just the tires) AND there are four of them per car. The costs outlined in the original post are pretty minimal when you consider the relative other motorsports.

Buying a bike like an R6 you should be able to afford any costs to keep it going in top form.


My 0.02c
you need a reality check. one that doesnt come on a silver platter.

[NZJONESY]

you need a reality check. one that doesnt come on a silver platter.

Maybe you should work a bit harder if were going down that route.

[R6_kid]

I think in general you can class riding bikes as a luxury extertainment/sport, as most are a performance machine. When do you ever hear of cheap performance/parts for a machine that can do 250kmh??

My family has numerous super-cars and most of them run on tires that range to about $6000-$8000 each (yeah just the tires) AND there are four of them per car. The costs outlined in the original post are pretty minimal when you consider the relative other motorsports.

Buying a bike like an R6 you should be able to afford any costs to keep it going in top form.


My 0.02c

Not everyone has the foresight though. It's an exciting process going from a measily 250 up to a real bike(tm), and the details tend to get lost in the excitement. Not everyone that rides a bike is paid up and has money to through around, many are more or less servicing an addiction in the form of a motorcycle.

I'd put money on the fact that most people (of a similar age to me at the time of writing the initial post) wouldn't be thinking forwardly enough to consider the total cost of running and maintaining a modern sportsbike. I learnt from experience and as I'm back at uni i'm now on a bike that requires 1/4 the amount of money to keep it in good shape as the bike I had when i was working full time.

It'd be nice to come from a family that doesn't have to worry about spending $8k+ on a tyres for their fancy 'supercar', not everyone gets dealt that hand in life, and not everyone will be fully clued up on what they are getting into when they 'upgrade' their bike. Saying that because you bought a bike, you should be able to afford the maintenance is short sighted and quite showing of your naievity.

Also, $8k for a tyre? I'd like to see the reciepts! I think you'll find spending $6k on all four tyres for a 'supercar' is more likely.

[howdamnhard]

Talking about servicing costs , R6 kid , how much were the 12000km ones costing you on average?

[puddytat]

Yup, my R6 costs me a lot more than the 650 twin I had,but the cost is more than worth it in the buzz it gives me.
With the older bikes a lot of the servicing & upgrades you can do yourself i.e suspension mods,brakes, minor performance mods...whereas with a late model sports bike there is alot more trickery invoved.No way am I going to fiddle with my forks on the R6 & are looking at 1500 bucks to get an upgrade there.,& another 5 hundy on the rar shock. Like others have said , get a manual & get on the web & youll learn a lot & save $$$. But high performance is definitely expensive.

[NZJONESY]

Saying that because you bought a bike, you should be able to afford the maintenance......

Prepared would have been a better word in hindsight. But don't over react thinking you know me in any way, you never will. It was just an opinion. Trying to have a dig personally is just immature and slightly narcissistic. Keep it objective yeah?

[Slyer]

Duuude, this thread is a major buzz kill.

[R6_kid]

Talking about servicing costs , R6 kid , how much were the 12000km ones costing you on average?

I can't remember off the top of my head as it was a few years back and all the records went with the bike.

I was doing oil changes every 5000km at about $60 a time. I ended up running second hand race tyres at about $150-200 a set and they'd last me about 3000-5000km.

I had the valve clearances done, and had the cam chain replaced at 42,000km, i think that one was about $700.

I also had some other pretty serious shit go wrong with that particular bike, one episode involving the reg/reg + alternator was about $500, then the gearbox shat itself and that cost slightly over $1200.

On top of that, insurance was $1100 a year for full cover (before I'd lost my license!)

[R6_kid]

Prepared would have been a better word in hindsight. But don't over react thinking you know me in any way, you never will. It was just an opinion. Trying to have a dig personally is just immature and slightly narcissistic. Keep it objective yeah?

Fair call.

Prepared - that's the reason that I put this post up - I wasn't, because for whatever reason I hadn't thought about it much more than "600's are fucken awesome, I want one"


Duuude, this thread is a major buzz kill.

Lol, in all honesty I wouldn't stress it. It all depends on how you ride, what you ride, and how much you ride. At the time I was doing 500km+ per week, probably half of that was open road riding 'at pace', and also included a trackday probably every second month.

Basically what I was saying is that you need to take everything into consideration - not just how much you are gonna need to buy the bike.If you plan, and save a bit each week then you shouldn't have any trouble.

[Northsyde]

Thanks heaps for the read and the info, I'll be getting my full soon and was thinking of getting a ZX-6R, which would put me in the same boat!

Might settle for an SV or something less racey. :)

[Slyer]

zx6 all the way brah!

[NZJONESY]

zx6 all the way brah!

Naaa, Yami R6 all the way!