Who is a motorcyclist

[my2c+61]

There is plenty of talk about cheap cars and bicycles but very little on motorcycles.

For convenience and cost MC's are very under rated. I find I am not using my ute much lately as it's to much fun on the bike.
No I am not selling my underused ute as it is such a good load hauler plus when the weather goes to shit I get a bit soft and take the easy option.

[KMMK]

My SO uses his as much as he can. The downside is the weather conditions, obviously. He also wouldn't ride it to work on a night shift as didn't feel safe enough riding home then.

Insurance here is only expensive if you have a nice new bike and need high collision and comp coverage. Liability is cheap.

[Metric Mouse]

Love my motorcycles.  Running the numbers though, unless it's an only vehicle, is that having a motorcycle as a second vehicle generally works out to be budget neutral. Meaning that one can purchase a bike, insure, operate and maintain it for about the amount of money they save over driving their other vehicle.  It's definitely not a hard win mathematically (in most cases).

That being said, I get way more enjoyment out of my motorcycles than it costs to run them, so the budget wash is only secondary.


III. - Anyone else drooling over the new Triumph line?  They've really hit the mark with their new 1200 and 900 line up(imo). Checks a lot of boxes.

[my2c+61]

Love my motorcycles.  Running the numbers though, unless it's an only vehicle, is that having a motorcycle as a second vehicle generally works out to be budget neutral. Meaning that one can purchase a bike, insure, operate and maintain it for about the amount of money they save over driving their other vehicle.  It's definitely not a hard win mathematically (in most cases).

That being said, I get way more enjoyment out of my motorcycles than it costs to run them, so the budget wash is only secondary.


III. - Anyone else drooling over the new Triumph line?  They've really hit the mark with their new 1200 and 900 line up(imo). Checks a lot of boxes.

There is more to life than just numbers.

Having 2 vehicles is just one of my indulgences.

[sol]

I am a motorcyclist, in the same way that some people are lifelong alcoholics after decades of sobriety.

Once upon at time, I was riding a motorcycle when I turned four of my arm bones into approximately 28 new (smaller, more jagged) bones. 

Since then, I have only grown to feel more and more foolish about my decision to ride.  I would never drive a car with the airbags deactivated and the seat belt unfastened, but I felt totally safe on a motorcycle lacking all such safety features.  What was I thinking?

I don't ride anymore.  But I still miss it, especially on sunny spring days.  I imagine recovering alcoholics still hear the siren song, too.

[mustachepungoeshere]

Opened post.

Started reading.

... I find I am not using my ute much lately...

Australian!

Looked left to confirm. :)

[kendallf]

I have an FJR 1300, and I love it.  I'm also addicted to adrenaline and tend to speed heavily on it.  So far, I ride anyway. 

My best friend at work died a couple of weeks ago when he took a curve too wide in the NC mountains and hit a car head on.  I miss him, and I definitely think about it when I fire up the Yamaha.  So far, I ride anyway.

[Tdub]

I use a small dual sport motorcycle instead of a car.  There are no winters where I currently live, and I ride in the rain and cold (thanks to good gore-tex gear).

Details:
Cost of motorcycle: $2100
It's a 2008 yamaha motorcycle that I purchased in early 2015 (3rd owner)
I get 70-90mpg and live 3 miles from work.  I use it for all my errands, unless it's close enough to walk.
Insurance is <$200/year

I do all maintenance myself.

What about those rare times when I "need" a car?
- Towing or driving long distances on the highway: boyfriend's car
- Airport: uber/lyft
- Hauling boxes or lots of groceries: HA - my motorcycle can handle that!

The numbers work out pretty well.  I ride the speed limit, wear full safety gear, have reflectors all over, and always assume everyone is out to kill me.  5 years of riding and no collisions so far.

[Dexterous]

On 2 occasions in my life I've had a motorcycle as my only mode of transportation.  The first time I was 19 years old so the cost was insane, and the second time was last year.  The second time the insurance cost was super cheap due to my older age and having my wife's vehicle on the account.  The fuel consumption was also amazing (70+ mpg).

HOWEVER, the time spent putting on all of the gear every time I wanted to go somewhere was really frustrating.  That problem was especially bad for my job when I had to go to meetings each day.  Additionally, I had too many close calls where people could have easily killed me.  For those reasons, I sold the motorcycle.  I could have kept it for fun, but my brother was in the market for a bike so I sold it to him for cheap.

[Uturn]

Been riding since the mid 90's.  Put 85k miles on my an 01 Roadstar that I sold 5 years ago.  I stopped riding then due to some medical issues.  I've since got the medical issues resolved and started riding again this year.   I bought a Kawasaki Versys this spring, but realized that is not the right bike for me.  Two weeks ago, I swapped it for a used Softail.  My first non-shovlehead Harley.  It sure is nice to be riding again!

[Syonyk]

Used to be.  Currently more of a "motorcycle owner."  Working on getting back closer to "motorcyclist" but it's hard since I work from home...

We just picked up a Ural with sidecar so we can ride more with my daughter - my wife and I both ride, and that hasn't happened much since $kid was born.  $kid is now plenty old to ride in a sidecar, and we're comfortable with that, so we've been going out riding as a family again, and at some point here I'll get the harness installed in the sidecar and my wife can ride her own again.

[BlueMR2]

I am.  Works out to pay for itself if I can replace roughly 400-800 car miles (depending on my exact insurance bill, which jumps around a surprising amount, and gas costs) with bike miles.  That's typically right about the amount I'm actually able to ride...  Weather is tough here.  There just aren't a lot of days when I know that both ends of my commute will be good enough for me to ride the bike within my risk parameters.

What I like about the bike is how cheap it is (Katana 600).  I was able to buy it stupid cheap, insurance is much less than the cars, parts are cheaper than the cars (and there are a lot less of them too), and the labor of DIY is SOOOO much easier on a bike.

Unfortunately at the moment it's down.  Had a big gas leak a couple months ago.  Could not find an obvious cause so I started rebuilding the carbs.  Parts are cheap, but apparently backordered...  Been waiting for weeks on seals.  Sigh.

[markbike528CBX]

Reply to follow.

1978 KZ440
1981 Seca 528
1993 Honda 600F2
1998 GSXR 600 - racebike
2001 GSXR 600 - racebike
1980 CBX

[Syonyk]

Reply to follow.

1978 KZ440
1981 Seca 528
1993 Honda 600F2
1998 GSXR 600 - racebike
2001 GSXR 600 - racebike
1980 CBX

Total fleet value: $7k.  If you can find the right buyers. ;)

[Uturn]

My two scariest encounters on a bike were a bird strike to the head and a ladder that came off a truck on the interstate.  Couldn't get out of the way of either.  Even dumb drivers have a certain amount of predictability, but animals and object do their own thing. 

[markbike528CBX]

Reply to follow.

1978 KZ440
1981 Seca 528
1993 Honda 600F2
1998 GSXR 600 - racebike
2001 GSXR 600 - racebike
1980 CBX

Total fleet value: $7k.  If you can find the right buyers. ;)

Nope:
Only have the 1993 Honda 600F2 and CBX left.

Just sold DW's 2003? Ninja 500, not running, dent in tank to her ex-husband for $800.

[NESailor]

I am a motorcyclist, in the same way that some people are lifelong alcoholics after decades of sobriety.

Once upon at time, I was riding a motorcycle when I turned four of my arm bones into approximately 28 new (smaller, more jagged) bones. 

Since then, I have only grown to feel more and more foolish about my decision to ride.  I would never drive a car with the airbags deactivated and the seat belt unfastened, but I felt totally safe on a motorcycle lacking all such safety features.  What was I thinking?

I don't ride anymore.  But I still miss it, especially on sunny spring days.  I imagine recovering alcoholics still hear the siren song, too.

Ah yes...sold my last one 4 years ago and had 2 kids since.  I still get the urge to browse craigslist sometimes but I just can't rationalize getting another one.

[Late_Bloomer]

I ride as well. Save's money and wear/tear of my regular vehicle. IMO, 100% safer than a pedal bike on the same roadways. In Central Texas you can ride all year long.

[Grogounet]

For Aussies, if you go 250, buy second hand and do simple mechanics yourself, you will definitely gain. I would have done this if I didn't have 2 kids actually to carry to school every day...

You can grab a Ninja 250 or equivalent for $3 - $5k
Works out that rego etc will then be quite cheap, tyres etc too... Even insurance if you're not too young. Spare parts thousands around

And I always ear that they're not powerful enough, etc etc...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kz03sQeX02c

I have raced a number of years (in OZ and overseas) and I have lost one friend to it. I had many injured, with helicopter lifts, broken stuff, loosing partial functionality of members, etc...
I also have had guys riding / racing for 20 years, without anything serious happening to them.

So, as I have seen above in some comments, this risk factor needs to be taken into consideration. This is not if you will crash, this is when.

[Grogounet]

I ride as well. Save's money and wear/tear of my regular vehicle. IMO, 100% safer than a pedal bike on the same roadways. In Central Texas you can ride all year long.

I second that, ride a bicycle or a motorcycle, 100% the latter for security reasons

[Metric Mouse]

I am a motorcyclist, in the same way that some people are lifelong alcoholics after decades of sobriety.

Once upon at time, I was riding a motorcycle when I turned four of my arm bones into approximately 28 new (smaller, more jagged) bones. 

Since then, I have only grown to feel more and more foolish about my decision to ride.  I would never drive a car with the airbags deactivated and the seat belt unfastened, but I felt totally safe on a motorcycle lacking all such safety features.  What was I thinking?

I don't ride anymore.  But I still miss it, especially on sunny spring days.  I imagine recovering alcoholics still hear the siren song, too.

Ah yes...sold my last one 4 years ago and had 2 kids since.  I still get the urge to browse craigslist sometimes but I just can't rationalize getting another one.

I can't rationalize being without one!  I'm blessed with a partner who agrees; a 10 week old kid does put some strain on the riding time currently. We've been filling time with other activities - rock climbing, camping, etc.  Looking forward to getting back on the bike more when XS takes the squirt overseas in the next few weeks.

Also, browsing my local classifieds site is a sad hobby; there's always another 'perfect' bike out there...

[accolay]

Unfortunately there are maybe 6 months of good riding where I live in the GWN (Great White North). A motorcycle is a good value to me like Tdub said: depending on what you're riding, if you are able to maintain it yourself and you drive like everyone is out to kill you.

[markbike528CBX]

Here in E. Washington state, I've ridden at least once a month almost every year.

I am NOT as hard-core as two colleagues, who once road in at 13F (-10C).

[scapee]

My bike was the most unnecessary thing I have ever bought. I say this because there was nothing 'wrong' with my yamaha XT350, and I could have 'upgraded' with $2000 and my old bike to a KLR 650 similar to my riding mates... The KLR screamed ME in every way. Cheap, efficient, easy to fix, cheap parts.

But I have had enough of cheap smart efficient in my life that instead, I went FUN FUN FUN with a KTM 690 Enduro (used, private sale of course). And it is probably the (third) best thing I've ever done. (I have to admit my wife and daughter are more important to me than my bike...)

The shocker was insurance. my XT350 was $350 a year. This stupid (awesome) KTM is $1000-1800 depending on coverage... Needless to say it's not plated for the winter..

[Mattzlaff]

My bike is my favourite thing to do!

Too bad winter is so long here...

[Metric Mouse]

My bike is my favourite thing to do!

Too bad winter is so long here...

There is a very free, exciting country not that far away that has places where one can ride motorcycle year round!  The language barrier may be considerable, but it is doable.

[Uturn]

I love riding.  For me it's not about saving money, it's about being on two wheels, seeing the sights, feeling the elements, the thrill of coming out of a hard left hander floorboards scraping, having fun with friends.  One of the best vacations I've ever taken was on the bike.  A friend and I built trailers to pull behind our bikes, loaded up camping gear, and spent 2 weeks from Fort Worth to Roswell to Tombstone to Phoenix a few days in the Grand Canyon, Four Corners, a night in Durango, and back to Fort Worth.  We rode through light snow in Taos, NM, hail in Albuquerque, went 3 hours without seeing another living anything in Utah, learned that crows will take a bratwurst right off your grill, and there is something in the air in late spring in southern Arizona that my respiratory tract just does not like.  Great trip!

I was in a 3 piece ministry for a few years.  Although my club life is behind me, I still have fond memories thousands of miles logged with my brothers.  When you have ridden with someone enough miles that you can read each other and anticipate their moves, you can form a bond that requires no words. 

There have been some dark times too.  I've buried friends that left before their time, but died following their passion.  It sucks to be many miles from home and have to call someone with a trailer to come rescue you.  I've been on both sides of that phone call, but was happy to help and happy to have someone help me.  Then there was the '72 Shovelhead from Hell.  That's a story for another time, but I have never been so happy to sell a bike.   

[Silrossi46]

2010 Honda XR650L   Enduro
2014 BMW S1000RR
1978 Yamaha DT100 Enduro

Wouldn't trade this hobby for the world...............................

[Syonyk]

Sidecar... ;)

[beastykato]

I didn't read through everyone's post, but I love motorcycles too!  Unfortunately, I don't have one anymore because I had a spill at highway speed after a car cut into construction traffic causing everyone to come to screeching halt.  I avoided crashing into the car in front of me, but had to veer into the open lane and laid it down.  I made it out very lucky and only broke my clavicle in the incident and barely any road rash, luckily my Ninja had dual pipes so my leg didn't drag the ground.

I have a 6 year old son now and I got outta riding after that because I didn't think it was worth the risk of leaving him without a father.   I do REALLY want to buy a Ducati Monster and start riding again, but I think I'll wait until he's in his teens.  In the meantime, I'm introducing him to dirtbiking and he is about to graduate off his PW50 and I'm looking for a nice used 250 to ride with him. 

Biking is awesome!  Kudos to everyone on one!

[Syonyk]

I have a 6 year old son now and I got outta riding after that because I didn't think it was worth the risk of leaving him without a father.   I do REALLY want to buy a Ducati Monster and start riding again, but I think I'll wait until he's in his teens.  In the meantime, I'm introducing him to dirtbiking and he is about to graduate off his PW50 and I'm looking for a nice used 250 to ride with him.

Dirtbikes are a good option, especially if you don't get silly with the jumps & such.

We plan to get a few, though the Ural is half dirtbike anyway.

I certainly understand the risks, and I dress for the crash, but my wife & I don't feel that being paranoid about everything is a healthy way to raise kids - especially if we resent not being able to go out and do stuff we love doing.

... and, uh, I also fly small airplanes.  And intend to train my daughter on those.

[Metric Mouse]

I have a 6 year old son now and I got outta riding after that because I didn't think it was worth the risk of leaving him without a father.   I do REALLY want to buy a Ducati Monster and start riding again, but I think I'll wait until he's in his teens.  In the meantime, I'm introducing him to dirtbiking and he is about to graduate off his PW50 and I'm looking for a nice used 250 to ride with him.

Dirtbikes are a good option, especially if you don't get silly with the jumps & such.

We plan to get a few, though the Ural is half dirtbike anyway.

I certainly understand the risks, and I dress for the crash, but my wife & I don't feel that being paranoid about everything is a healthy way to raise kids - especially if we resent not being able to go out and do stuff we love doing.

... and, uh, I also fly small airplanes.  And intend to train my daughter on those.

Oh my! Talk about dangerous hobbies. Next you'll say you have a gun in the house. Or worse, a swimming pool!

[Syonyk]

No swimming pool...

The bulk statistics don't capture the nuance there.

[KarefulKactus15]

I used to love riding.   Recovering cycle-holic?     

I rode since I was 16-22 old.      Then one day I was riding home, looked down and thought that asphalts really gonna hurt one day....

Came home put it on craigslist and havent rode since...

But I will always want to ride, even if the fear of wiping out stops me lol. 

[GetItRight]

I ride and have a couple older bikes. It's one of my hobbies so I don't worry if it costs a little extra, but realistically it's about net neutral cost to slightly money saving since I've started tracking every penny a couple years ago. Insurance is cheap, bikes are cheap. I live where we have winter with snow and such so don't ride year round but I usually ride to work a few days a week when it's not frigid or wet. Every mile I ride instead of drive is money saved. Evening and weekend rides are great for smiles per gallon, I can have fun all day for a few bucks. If you could do without a four wheeled vehicle there are massive savings to be had.

Having been down from selfish liberal cage drivers who can't be bothered to use their eyes, I will say maxing out your uninsured/underinsured at a few hundred thousand is prudent and for a bike fairly cheap. I've found the type to not give a darn about anyone else on the road are usually typical consumer suckers with no assets, minimal income, and minimum liability insurance required by law.

[use2betrix]

Having been down from selfish liberal cage drivers who can't be bothered to use their eyes.

I'm just amazed that after being crashed into while on a motorcycle you were still able to find out the political leanings of the person that hit you!

[Syonyk]

Bumper stickers are the usual giveaway.

[GetItRight]

Bumper stickers are the usual giveaway.

Indeed, and the rest becomes obvious between interactions at the scene and legal proceedings afterwards. Bleeding heart liberal until it comes time to make someone whole for permanently damaging their body and altering their life forever. hence why I say maxing out uninsured/underinsured is important and honestly cheap by most measures for a motorcycle policy.

[DoubleDown]

I'm also a former motorcyclist. I find it too risky now, especially with having a responsibility towards children. I miss it, but not so much that I'm willing to risk death and dismemberment. In recent years three guys I know were killed or severely and permanently injured from motorcycle crashes.

[2Birds1Stone]

I have a 2005 Yamaha Royal Star Tour Deluxe that I ride primarily for leisure.

It costs $110/yr to insure $45/yr to register and gets 50 mpg on 87 octane.

Worth every penny to me =)

[sol]

It costs $110/yr to insure $45/yr to register and gets 50 mpg on 87 octane.

How much do you have invested in safety gear, aftermarket parts, and tires/maintenance?

My cost calculations on the bike made it clear that I was spending more on the tire differential costs than I was saving on the fuel differential costs, vs my car.

[Syonyk]

Cruisers tend to be easier on tires than sportbikes - and there's some pretty solid rubber out now that will do 10k+ miles without a problem.

[2Birds1Stone]

It costs $110/yr to insure $45/yr to register and gets 50 mpg on 87 octane.

How much do you have invested in safety gear, aftermarket parts, and tires/maintenance?

My cost calculations on the bike made it clear that I was spending more on the tire differential costs than I was saving on the fuel differential costs, vs my car.

Gosh, I bought all my gear so long ago I don't remember exactly what I paid. If I had to guess probably ~$500-750 for full face helmet, leather/kevlar gloves, jacket, and heavy duty riding pants.

Tires are not bad, I usually buy them on sale and spend ~$300 per set which lasts me ~3 seasons.

I have averaged ~5,000 miles per season in my 6 years of riding.

Here in the north east we have some great places to go on day trips. My dad and brother ride so we take 1-2 day trips all over the place a few times a year. I also do a lot of day trips with my SO to the north fork of Long Island, usually spending half a day while only riding ~120 miles round trip.

As far as commuting, it's not a huge savings vs driving.

I have a 25 mile round trip commute. I burn about 1.25 gallons of premium fuel in my car (shame on me I know) @ $2.60/gallon on that trip.

On my bike it costs me .5 gallon of 87 octane @ $2.20/gallon so I only save $1.50-$2 per day. The HOV lane access is nice on the bike though. That saves me a solid 10-15 minutes on my commute home during the summer.

[sol]

I have averaged ~5,000 miles per season in my 6 years of riding.

Part of my cost calculation on the bike vs the car was the fact that most of my bike miles were purely recreational.  I wouldn't have made the trip by car at all, so I wasn't saving money with a more efficient vehicle, I was spending extra money to drive around in circles.

The commute miles have to get done either way, so I think those are a fair trade, for cost comparisons.

But none of that spreadsheet work really mattered anymore after I incurred tens of thousands of dollars in medical bills.  Plus, who can really put a price on bitchin' scars?  Or a lifetime of early-onset arthritis?

[Syonyk]

Part of my cost calculation on the bike vs the car was the fact that most of my bike miles were purely recreational.  I wouldn't have made the trip by car at all, so I wasn't saving money with a more efficient vehicle, I was spending extra money to drive around in circles.

Quite true, and that's something a lot of people ignore in motorcycle cost calculations - people rarely take cars for fun 300 miles drives on the weekend (unless it's a fun little sports car).

Still fun.  And if one wants to spend one's money that way, it can be done reasonably inexpensively.

I'm taking one of mine out into a network of Jeep trails this weekend with a bunch of family. :)

[BlueMR2]

Cruisers tend to be easier on tires than sportbikes - and there's some pretty solid rubber out now that will do 10k+ miles without a problem.

Even commuter and sportbikes can get longer lasting tires and the comparison will depend on your car too.  I'm expecting to get 10k out of the $250 set on my 600cc machine.  And they only cost $250.  My car tires I get around 20k per set and they're $250 a piece...

My motorcycle is a pure commuter replacement.  I don't ride for no reason.  My fun comes out of riding on the commute.

[sol]

My fun comes out of riding on the commute.

Your life must be a living hellscape. 

There are very few things I would enjoy less than sitting in rush hour traffic on a motorcycle.

[TexasRunner]

Not everybody's commute is hellish...

SV650 here (First gen naked actually).  Love it.

Bought it for 1700$ and it paid itself off in gas and insurance savings in 13 months.  East Texas can be year-round with some decent gear.  :)

[Turnbull]

SV650 here (First gen naked actually).  Love it.

SV650s are great bikes. My best friend had one that I would borrow sometimes to get my fix after I sold my bike. I love that sportbike feel with the V-twin torque.

[Kevin S.]

Used to ride...almost daily

After watching 2 of my best friends die and then another friend just recently have a bad off and break his arm in several places. Plus people are so distracted anymore... I have driven next to a cager on their phone doing who knows what not paying attention to the road on the highway going 80 mph plus ! weaving into my lane. Got tired of constantly fearing for my life. Takes all of the fun right out of riding (for me at least)

Sold my last street bike - 2009 Yamaha vmax. Doubt I will ever get another street bike. Sure I miss it. Especially those early sunday morning rides with friends. Called wind therapy for a reason! I'm also addicted to speed, rush of adrenaline but as I've gotten older I realize I like having all my appendages attached at all times lol

I might buy a dirt bike...really want another drz 400. I keep hearing about how great these orange and blue Austrian and Swedish bikes are! Might have to try one out !