What's the running cost of a bike vs car?

[Ghost_Bullet]

A bit geeky, but what is the cost, A bike of course uses less gas than most cars, for me The Grizz goes through on average 6.00 litres per 100km. And our family car, Honda Odyssey drinks and average of 12.00 litres per 100km.

I do all my own serviceing on the car, so with that including gas, consumables, and wof/reg the cost per km for the last year is 20.4cents per km.
The bike on the otherhand was bought new end of March last year, with Wof and reg included, so I took that out of the calculation.

I have never held bike insurance before, never felt the need. So was punnished by having to pay $1758.00 for the first year, ($1200 for the new year).
Shop does the servicing($760.33), tyres dont go as far($572.00)
I have done 11913km in that period.
The cost works out to be 34.87cents per km

A little suprising. Cut my services out and insurance down to about 500 bucks and the number would be 17.9cents per km.

The above info is accurate, as I record all fuel and millage at each fill for all our vehicles. Other costs are taken from a money program that records details of bank statements

[Mully]

Ahh, but surely the bike is worth the extra 14c per KM in fun factor.

That and the fact that it ain't a Honda Oddity.

[miSTa]

By far the cheapest option is not to worry about...works for me.


What price do you put on the smile you have on your face when you get off your grizzler?

[JimO]

yes but your honda will carry several more people than your bike

[Ghost_Bullet]

Oh yeah I hear ya!!!!:yes: ... in no way shape or form am I complaining about the cost of running me bike... hell I would not have bought it in the first place.

Just interesting, the differences between the extremes of travel. The oddy is just a plain old brick, sorta like taken a rough ride on the Cook Ferry:mellow: :zzzz: :sick:

The bike... damn :scooter: :scooter: :scooter: :first:

[Hitcher]

How long is a piece of string? What sort of bike and what sort of car? What sort of distance is driven each week?

There are 50cc scooters that are cheaper to run than an African orphan. A V-12 E-type Jaguar costs a bit more. However there probably are cars that are cheaper to run than bikes -- such as a Civic hybrid (not counting the ludicrous purchase price) versus some full-noise sprotsbikes.

I don't get the point of the question.

[dogsnbikes]

There is no question about it the Car is out @$100 of desiel for 540 k's the bike wins as with 1200k's for $100 of gas more if I was to ease of the gas abit on the bike :innocent:

Even the tyers cost $300 each for bike and car

But its worth the smile at the end of every day:Punk:

[JimO]

There is no question about it the Car is out @$100 of desiel for 540 k's the bike wins as with 1200k's for $100 of gas more if I was to ease of the gas abit on the bike :innocent:

Even the tyers cost $300 each for bike and car

But its worth the smile at the end of every day:Punk:

never paid $300 for a car tyre yet

[MaxCannon]

Well the GN does around 25km per litre in weekday heavy traffic and weekend thrashing.
It costs nothing to insure and servicing has been pretty cheap so far.

The GTB legacy is surprisingly economical for it's size and output (and my right foot) on the open rd but in gridlock traffic does about 7km per litre if I'm lucky.
It's $600 a year to insure and obviously more expensive for parts and servicing as it has lots more bits on it than the bike.

Having the bike has dropped my weekly fuel bill from $75 a week to about $40.
That includes using both a fair bit at the weekends.

I worked out I'll recoup the cost of the bike and my gear in about 9months.

[Ghost_Bullet]

How long is a piece of string?

I don't get the point of the question.

Thats just it, I am only taking my own example, and obviously some bikes and cars are going to cary massive amounts.

The point?? non realy. if no one gives a damn then this thread will just die... :whocares:

"Mastercard"
Bike $23k
Gas and costs for a year $4.4k
The Joy of riding the Grizzler "Priceless"

[Timber020]

I do this little figure which changes the sums for me at least.

Time saved per week gapping traffic = 5 hours which is worth about $300-$600 in work time and also equates to an extra $30 or so in fuel wasted in traffic if I was cage bound. Not to mention the ease of finding a park which would save me another hour a week and whatever parking costs.

No wonder my bikes a business vehicle.

[nudemetalz]

My V6 Pajero averages only 6 km/l.
The Guzzi V11 averages a good 14km/l.
The XR250R dunno as it's off-road only.

However, the XR costs virtually nothing to insure, the Pajero costs $300 per year to insure and the Guzzi a whopping $1200 a year to insure (being a Guzzi not 'cause of me).

If I was really bothered by these expenses I wouldn't have bothered buying them, but they all fit a purpose.

[iwilde]

My ZX14 averages 13.8km/l, the adrenaline factor would be 13.8L/km!

[Deviant Esq]

Mine are both economical, though once I upgrade from the NZ250 to a bigger bike, I suspect the cost will even up somewhat. At the moment I pay far less to insure the bike than the car (even though I'm under 25 and still on my restricted bike licence), and less on fuel for the bike as well. But although I initially thought I was buying the bike to save money on fuel... that's gone totally out of the window. I don't really think about it now, I just love riding. I still keep track of how much fuel I use in the bike, but more out of habit than anything else.

[Filterer]

Casual parking rates for a car in Auckland city $4 per hour
Casual parking for a bike $0.0

'Nuf said

[onearmedbandit]

I drive car, I put gas in.
I ride motorcycle, I put gas in.

Repeat until old age forces me off the road.

(Wasn't knocking your thread, I just never worry about the running costs of my vehicles, which to me represent my independence.)

[Dave-]

some people at work say $10 a day...

im on $18 fortnightly, thats riding for half an hour to and from work + an extra hour ride for fun, + atleast an extra hour on sat-sun

[NighthawkNZ]

I use to worry about it... but now I don't if I can't go for a ride cause I am short on cash... I sell my liver... its well preserved in alchol

[Ghost_Bullet]

I drive car, I put gas in.
I ride motorcycle, I put gas in.

Repeat until old age forces me off the road.

(Wasn't knocking your thread, I just never worry about the running costs of my vehicles, which to me represent my independence.)

Aggree, I am def not like... dang to much gas this week, better not throw the key in.
We average around 500 bucks a month for gas, and I walk to work... ha ha (its only meters from by front door):whocares:

The bike is more pleasure now than transportation.

[Fub@r]

I know this is only a Hyobag but:

I pay $450 a yr full insurance (my old cage of equal value and and 10 yrs older cost the same)

I get 400km min out of 14 ltrs @ 6c a km (car I was getting 17c km)

Service cost on my bike is less than the V6 I used to own

Commuting time I save 1.5hrs a day vs a cage ($180 a day charge out)

Can't exactly put a value to the reduced stress levels of not being stuck in the traffice everday and constantly being late for meetings etc

Set of tyres for a car similar to a bike, and if you buy super stickies well you weren't exactly on two wheels for the economy then

Never missing a traffic light phase, never having to wait in a queue at any intersection, knowing that you passing every gridlocked cager is leaving them fuming, don't have to worry about parking...........the list is endless :)

[The Pastor]

Never missing a traffic light phase, never having to wait in a queue at any intersection, knowing that you passing every gridlocked cager is leaving them fuming, don't have to worry about parking...........the list is endless :)

What parking at work like now? I heard they got rid of our awesome space up that little ramp?

[nudemetalz]

(Wasn't knocking your thread, I just never worry about the running costs of my vehicles, which to me represent my independence.)

Yes, my post might have sounded that way as well, def not intended to, but agree with OAB also.

[Fub@r]

What parking at work like now? I heard they got rid of our awesome space up that little ramp?

Yeah that sucked, especially after I gave my carpark back when I sold my cage. Joys of expansion. There are 4 of us in the office that ride but we easily find a spot to park our bikes at any time.

Looks like we will be set to move in about 12 months, but I'm sure I find a spot for my bike. If not I will ask for a space to be allocated to me again. Benefits of having spent 12+ yrs working for the same company :)

[more_fasterer]

Car (2.0L family sedan) gives 10km per litre.

NC30 gives 20km per litre... and so much more.

I give my cousin / flatmate lots of shit about his RGV250 - it gets 10km per litre, then there's the oil and knowing that sooner or later, it'll blow up :dodge:

[pritch]

Some years ago a guy I know had a BMW K100RS, he sold that and bought a Ducati. Twelve months later he was so shocked to see what he had spent on the routine services for the Duc he immediately sold it and bought another BMW.

I'm sure that if I carefully recorded everything I spent on my bike it would add up to a sum that would worry me. Twenty dollars each and every week of the year on tyres just for a start... Accordingly I adopt a policy of ignorance is bliss.

If it becomes a problem I'll just have to get a bike that is more econmomical to run, even if it does take me a bit longer to get where I'm going...

[ManDownUnder]

What price do you put on the smile you have on your face when you get off your grizzler?


Good point - it's priceless, but if the wife ever finds out about her it'll get expensive.

[NighthawkNZ]

What price do you put on the smile you have on your face when you get off your grizzler?

Thats why you are wanting a new ride... you aren't old enough to own a BMW

[Ghost_Bullet]

I pay my fuel bill monthly, just hit me mail box today. $593 bucks to pay this month.
Mostly made up from 2 rallies $160ish. and the wife tripping the kids about.

I dont care about it at all, and never have done. I just record for the sake of it, and a couple of times doing so has let me know somthing is up with the vehicle before it has gone bang. Meaning that it did not go bang...

[avgas]

car was always cheaper than a bike. Then i owned a GB400. FXR is also cheaper than a car (had one for about 3 weeks).
GB used to cost me about $1200 for a year, running on average 200+ks a week.
Serviced every 5 months, tyres ever year.

[gijoe1313]

My fuel bills have gone up way more than when I used to drive the cage around! My love of riding means I put some k's under the rubber and spend the coin to keep my little ol'Hornet buzzing along. Having Daisy is just another bonus and I don't care about the running costs - if I did, I would be riding the most economical bike around!

Two wheels of freedom is exactly that - what price freedom? :oi-grrr:

If I broke it down, I'd probably find I spend more on the bikes than I ever did on the old cage!

[NighthawkNZ]

My fuel bills have gone up way more than when I used to drive the cage around!

Relatively speaking how many k's compared to the cage...?

[Ghost_Bullet]

If I broke it down, I'd probably find I spend more on the bikes than I ever did on the old cage!

I payed good money for me bike:innocent: , and I would not think of spending that same ammount on a car at all:no:

[gijoe1313]

Relatively speaking how many k's compared to the cage...?

I dunno, but my fuel card comes back with about $60 on the cage ... and the other $400-$600 on my bike each month! :lol:

All those pootling rides I guess! :whistle:

Cage <200km month now
Bike(s) >7500km a month (I've clocked up over 45,000km in six months riding two wheels of freedom now!)

Yeah, yeah - I'm mad and have no life apart from riding :innocent:

[disenfranchised]

Hmmm, my car gets about 600K's to it's 40L tank, so 15K/L
My bike gets about 300K's before the needle says empty after 12L, so 25K/L
Insurance is about the same
Rego is about the same
Maintenence...normally is about the same (except for that bloody cam belt I just had to do)

Most of the savings probably come from parking


But the really interesting thing I find......
My partners scooter, gets about 130K's before she fills up, about 5L
Which comes out at 26K/L

So why does anyone buy a scooter? Especially those expensive italian ones?

[Toaster]

gijoe, that is some serious km's dude.

[avgas]

My partners scooter, gets about 130K's before she fills up, about 5L
Which comes out at 26K/L
Really? I get like over 220k's out of 4L on the misses?

[NighthawkNZ]

Really? I get like over 220k's out of 4L on the misses?

errr i'm sure you need to add more words there :lol:

[gijoe1313]

gijoe, that is some serious km's dude.

I think I'm the equivalent of a biker monk or hermit :sweatdrop Just can't help myself - when I go for a ride, it's always an impromptu spur of the moment thing. Like a subway in Whangarei, a pizza in Kaitaia, ice cream in the 'Tron, a meal at Raglan or a visit to Matapouri to see the Pacific Ocean that side! :innocent:

If you follow my patented plan of pootling, you'll rack up the km's in no time at all! :scooter:

I've planned my 2000km+ pootle around the lower NI ... 'cause there's some roads I need to ride down! :sweatdrop

With that, I'll keep accurate figures just for statistics sake! :lol:

[Neville]

I have never held bike insurance before, never felt the need. So was punnished by having to pay $1758.00 for the first year, ($1200 for the new year).


Jeez, how much have you got it insured for and with who?

[Ghost_Bullet]

Jeez, how much have you got it insured for and with who?

Vero is the one. Full cover.
AMI was going to charge 2400 for the first year. It was due to me never hold motorccle insurance before, and I guess maybe the type of motorcycle. Vero was the cheapest at the time. Though that may well have changed now.

[BarBender]

Running cost of a cage is:


CAR = s + t^ + r^ / t = -(E*s) + -(E*w) + -(E*f) = F+A+R+K+E+D


Stress = s
Time = t
increased time = t^
increased road rage = r^
negative effect on self = -(E*s)
negative effect on work = -(E*w)
negative effect on family = -(E*f)

[beyond]

Well, I ride my bike mainly for fun, not for work.
But, I am lucky to get 3-4,000kms out of a rear and not much more out of a front and it depends on how I'm riding. $500-650 a set depending on brand.

Car tyres on the Maxima last 30-45,000kms depending on brand and driving styles. $1200-$1600 a full set.

Insurance is less on cars more on bikes, normally. Then you have the servicing which the bike shop does but same for the car etc.

Sprockets, chains, tyres, heavy right hand when riding and voila: the bike costs heaps more to run than the car :(


But then, I love riding the bike :) :) :)

[quickbuck]

never paid $300 for a car tyre yet

The other half does. So it makes keeping the bike very easy.
She also has to replace them as often (calender wise) too!

Not a girl racer by any stretch of the imagination, but 18" wheels look so good on the Mazda 6.

I have always said a bike is no cheaper.
BUT it is the price you pay for fun.
A man (and woman) has to have toys.
:rockon: