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Marius Elvenwood

4. Motorbikes and fuel. What is there to complain about?

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Marius Elvenwood
, 15th November 2012 at 08:58 (3328 Views)
I know people have said that motorbikes are fuel efficient. In fact they always say that. And i've never owned a car or a larger vehicle to compare it with. But i'm pretty sure that getting <300km on $14 certainly does fit the description.
It's been 3 weeks now, 3 weeks of riding. I've got 314 km under the belt, a petty amount I know, but it's a start.
My bike has given me the opportunity to work more hours, earning more cash. It outshines the Dunedin bus system by a mile, which costs about $2.40 to travel no more than 15 km from predetermined point A to predetermined point B. That's $48 to get the equivalent distance that my motorbike has given me. I suppose the price must include the benefits of waiting for the next bus to arrive, often up to an hour at a time, sharing the bus with strangers and, on rare occasions, morons. And that doesn't include the walking to the bus stop! Now my little Genie is getting me from home to work, when I want, where I want, how I want.
And to think I doubted buying this little beauty in the first place.

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  1. Gremlin's Avatar
    Dangerous to see a motorbike as pure cheap transport, as it isn't really, when you factor in the gear, servicing and maintenance and whether you run into any issues. More dangerous when the bug bites and you want more power... which strangely costs even more, but then, you don't care. Then you start riding more, which burns more gas, and suddenly you're addicted and the bus would be cheaper

    Still, enjoy, and we'll wait until you stop counting your distance! I stopped counting after about 10 hours, and I have no clue now... think I've done more that 250,000km in 7.5 years, so the bug has well and truly got me
  2. insomnia01's Avatar
    Your Blogs are tribute to that very thought I would suggest Gremlin May they long continue.....
  3. vifferman's Avatar
    When I started my current job in January, it was costing my wife and I $18/day and 90 minutes to travel to work and back on the bus - and then I had a 5-10 minute walk to work or from work to the bus. I know it's not the only cost, but petroleum distillates for the VFR wouldn't cost me $18 a fortnight, and it takes me from my garage to the one in the basement of the office, in less than 15 minutes, and it's good for my soul, as opposed to being soul-sapping.
  4. Marius Elvenwood's Avatar
    Quote Originally Posted by vifferman
    When I started my current job in January, it was costing my wife and I $18/day and 90 minutes to travel to work and back on the bus - and then I had a 5-10 minute walk to work or from work to the bus. I know it's not the only cost, but petroleum distillates for the VFR wouldn't cost me $18 a fortnight, and it takes me from my garage to the one in the basement of the office, in less than 15 minutes, and it's good for my soul, as opposed to being soul-sapping.
    Exactly. It would be hard for anyone here to disagree. The only problem is the walking to the bus stop, which i'll admit was probably my greatest exercise for the week.
  5. Marius Elvenwood's Avatar
    Quote Originally Posted by Gremlin
    Dangerous to see a motorbike as pure cheap transport, as it isn't really, when you factor in the gear, servicing and maintenance and whether you run into any issues. More dangerous when the bug bites and you want more power... which strangely costs even more, but then, you don't care. Then you start riding more, which burns more gas, and suddenly you're addicted and the bus would be cheaper

    Still, enjoy, and we'll wait until you stop counting your distance! I stopped counting after about 10 hours, and I have no clue now... think I've done more that 250,000km in 7.5 years, so the bug has well and truly got me
    I do dread the day when I can't put the servicing off any longer. And maintenance too for that matter...
    As for being addicted, I'm not sure how long that will take, or even if i'll get completely hooked at all! Here's hoping.
    It seems that nobody really stops counting, do they? But I will enjoy the time I spend on the road here and now, not how many kilometers are behind me, or ahead. Cheers Gremlin.
  6. caspernz's Avatar
    Public transport is way cheaper than a bike...if you're being realistic

    For the first 50,000 kms, my 2008 GSX750F has cost near enough to 50 cents a km to operate. That is taking into account minor modifications, all servicing, tyres, rego, insurance, plus fuel of course. Ironically, petrol works out to maybe around 10 cents per km.

    Compare that to my 2008 Ford Falcon XR6, now at 70,000 kms and so far at around 65 cents a km all inclusive.

    I like the car, but the bike is a more soulful experience...unless it's pissing down with rain, then the bike stays in the garage

    So when I hear someone saying that bikes are a cheap form of transport I just giggle to myself and let them dream their little dream!
  7. Rubberbands's Avatar
    Interesting Discussion. I used a GN250 for commuting for a few years. It would do 28km to a litre of gas, I changed the oil every 3000k & had it serviced as per the warrenty, the only mods were a bigger bulb in the headlight & a decent rear chain & rear tyre. The only issues were a lack of power on the motorway & staying dry in the rain.
    By comparision a toyota vitz does 16k/litre, is more expensive to buy & service, but has cheaper rego
    I hardly ever used buses or trains as they never seem to have a decent timetable or go where I want to go.
  8. Marius Elvenwood's Avatar
    So, would we say that it all depends on what vehicle we are using? A small bike (usually) consumes less petrol than a large bike. A car consumes more than a bike. A bus, meanwhile, would consume more petrol than a car and costs more in the end.
  9. Gremlin's Avatar
    Quote Originally Posted by Marius Elvenwood
    So, would we say that it all depends on what vehicle we are using? A small bike (usually) consumes less petrol than a large bike. A car consumes more than a bike. A bus, meanwhile, would consume more petrol than a car and costs more in the end.
    An economical car uses less than some bikes. They're getting damn economical, but there is no sense comparing some slug to a sportsbike...
  10. caspernz's Avatar
    Quote Originally Posted by Marius Elvenwood
    So, would we say that it all depends on what vehicle we are using? A small bike (usually) consumes less petrol than a large bike. A car consumes more than a bike. A bus, meanwhile, would consume more petrol than a car and costs more in the end.
    You're looking at it the wrong way...

    Put one person on a small bike and you might use 3 litres per person per 100 km.

    My Falcon 4 up uses 2.5 litres per person per 100 km.

    Take a decent sized bus and you're talking maybe 0.5 litres per person per 100 km.

    And once you work out that the fuel cost is only ever 30-40% of the total running cost...you're getting close.

    Anyway, most of us ride bikes because we want to, not because they are a cheap form of transport...
  11. Gremlin's Avatar
    Maybe I shouldn't have...

    In 2012 year to date, I've spent $3040 on gas (1366L) in just the BMW, which includes almost no commuting, which the CB900 does. Granted, it's given me about 24,000km but that's $3k I'm still missing (I'm not even digging up my costs for tyres and servicing... maybe if I want to feel suicidal)