I've thought long and hard and I've decided that one bike needs to go. Not completely a coincidence that this is the time of year that I get bills for both regos, 2 x $520 = $1040 and that stings a bit!
So, I've decided to keep the DR650 as my fun 'go anywhere' weekend bike and I'll be selling the ST1300. I'll definitely miss the big girl, tons of torque and capable of riding for a lot longer than I am.
I'm buying a Nissan Leaf to use primarily for the commute to work and back (70km total for the round trip) which will end up costing me >$2,000 less per year than using the ST1300. I added up the petrol, rego, tyres, oil & filters and compared that to $10-$15 worth of electricity per week + cheaper tyres that last longer. The total I worked out was between $2,000 and $2,300 per year. The rego alone is close to $450 dearer for a bike than a car that has good safety ratings. I guess I've been a little surprised about just how much cheaper I could be commuting.
If I was still commuting in Auckland there is no way I'd change from bike to car, no way in hell! But Morrinsville to Cambridge at 3am and then Cambridge to Morrinsville any time between 11am and 1pm (depending on how busy the day is) can't be compared to Auckland commuting. I've been away from Auckland for 4 1/2 years and hadn't driven a car since over 3 years before that - it has taken ~ 8 years of not driving a car in Auckland for the emotional scars to heal!
Of course there are a bunch of advantages to driving a car compared to riding a bike but I'll definitely be keeping one bike so I can enjoy my weekends and my holidays. If anything I'll probably enjoy riding a motorcycle more once I'm not having to do that every day to get to work.
I am thinking that I'll maybe trade in the DR650 on an African Twin, but that is probably around 3 years away. I'm thinking that an adventure/tourer would be just the right thing to travel around NZ. Until then I'll use my DR650 as an adventure bike.
I guess more of you guys own a car as well as the bike than those that just own a bike, but for me I sold my last car around 8 years ago when I was living in Auckland and I didn't regret that decision. But now with a run of rainy weather I'm kinda glad I'm getting a car again although I haven't regretted getting in lots of riding over the last few years. I guess now I'm getting bored of the run to work and back, it isn't the fun side of riding just going over the same roads every day for over 4 years. I do remember my first rego when I got the four hundy in '08, it cost $275 back then but after that the bastards really cranked up the ACC levy on bikes.
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