Should I downgrade my motorcycle

[krishnamba]

I have a 2010 Ninja 650r, I believe for 80% of the time a 2013 Ninja 300 is more than sufficient.

The 650r gets 45 mpg and 300 is rated at 70mpg.

I do use the vehicle to commute 33 miles on highway to work.

The riding has become a 1 year recent passion and dont believe face punches to just sell and move on
will work for me now.

I believe I can get 5k for my bike because of low mileage and extended warranty on it.
I also believe I can find a good deal for Ninja 300 for under 4k.

Any words of advice

[Roland of Gilead]

My Yamaha 250 fuel injected four stroke only gets about 65mpg, how sure are you on that 70mpg figure?  Of course I have knobby tires and take it up creeks and trails...

[BlueMR2]

My Yamaha 250 fuel injected four stroke only gets about 65mpg, how sure are you on that 70mpg figure?  Of course I have knobby tires and take it up creeks and trails...

The 300 is a more efficient design.  50cc more, a lot more pep, and does better on gas too.

[franklin w. dixon]

By your numbers you'd save 55 gallons of gas per year commuting or ~200 bucks. That's assuming 33 miles is round-trip; if it's one way double the numbers. My guess is that your other vehicle costs will be stable, although trading for a newer and presumably lower-mileage bike could save you some maintenance. It sounds worth it, and even more so if you can directly profit from the trade as you predict. I also think little bikes are incredibly fun, although they can feel wobbly around semis on the highway. But if you're commuting 33 miles one way your housing situation might deserve more attention than your choice of motorcycle!

Edit: do people really get 70 mpg on those bikes, though? Ratings from manufacturers are garbage since unlike cars the companies can pretty much make up whatever they please.

[Roland of Gilead]

Edit: do people really get 70 mpg on those bikes, though? Ratings from manufacturers are garbage since unlike cars the companies can pretty much make up whatever they please.

I truly get 65mpg on my 250 and if the 300 is more efficient I could believe 70mpg.

[wtjbatman]

It's probably not worth the downgrade. I haven't owned a 300 but I used to own a Ninja 250 and then a Ninja 650. The lower mpg going from a 250 to a 650 was more than made up for by increased stability, size/comfort, carrying capacity, and fun factor. Yes fun, it does enter the equation sometimes :) I know those new 300s are supposed to have much better performance than a 250, but those 650s are beasts for a twin.

I sold my 650 to pay off my CC debt. Damn I miss that bike.

[Ozstache]

I started out riding on a 60mpg+ Honda Rebel 250, but soon found its lack of performance and high vibration at freeway speeds unacceptable from a safety and comfort perspective respectively. To explain the safety aspect better, consider that braking or a squirt  of power are options to counter lane incursions. With my 250 needing full throttle to maintain 70mph with any sort of uphill slope meant that the squirt of power option was ruled out, and there were times I could have done with it. I upgraded to an 800cc bike and felt significantly more comfortable in freeway traffic. I guess what I am trying to say is that with great fuel economy comes other compromises that may not suit your regular riding style as much as you think.

[krishnamba]

Update: I sold the bike. No new bike I commute 7 miles in a civic.

[ApplePI]

I traded my GSXR1000 for a civic. The drop in insurance more than made up for the gas :) good call.

[Vorpal]

Update: I sold the bike. No new bike I commute 7 miles in a civic.

Congrats! You also increased your life expectancy ;)

[Roland of Gilead]

A nice mountain road on a sunny 70 degree day just isn't going to feel the same in a Civic.  I guess you can roll down the windows and lean into the door on curves and pretend you are having fun.

[neo von retorch]

I has a sad :'( - I like bikes ;)

So did you move?

[kendallf]

Update: I sold the bike. No new bike I commute 7 miles in a civic.

Congrats! You also increased your life expectancy ;)

LOL.. I know this is true but I rode my FJR in to work today with a big shit eating grin on my face.  The Prius just isn't the same..

[HairyUpperLip]

Update: I sold the bike. No new bike I commute 7 miles in a civic.

Congrats! You also increased your life expectancy ;)

LOL.. I know this is true but I rode my FJR in to work today with a big shit eating grin on my face.  The Prius just isn't the same..

Also agree. Loved every minute of riding. Even through the storms and freezing cold winter. Good times. I often think about getting another bike again...

[GetItRight]

Unfortunate, assuming 66 miles round trip for about 17,160 mi/yr the 300 would save you $.02/mi or $326.86/yr over the 600. Trivial expense in my opinion and you wouldn't catch me riding a 300cc bike every day on the highway for 66 miles.

The civic is probably costing you about $.02/mi more, not a Mustachian decision. For the tree huggers (I'm not one, but many here seem downright religious about it), it's a terrible environmental choice to drive a vehicle that burns a bunch more fuel and took a lot more toxic chemicals, plastics, and such to manufacture. Depending on climate and lifestyle a car may be more practical though.

[enigmaT120]

Update: I sold the bike. No new bike I commute 7 miles in a civic.

How did you shorten the commute so much?  That's probably a better move than changing to the civic.  Of course now we'll all have to tell you 7 miles is an easy bicycle commute, but you probably already know that.

[BlueMR2]

Edit: do people really get 70 mpg on those bikes, though? Ratings from manufacturers are garbage since unlike cars the companies can pretty much make up whatever they please.

I don't see why not.  I get 55 MPG on my (2/3 highway, 1/3 city street) commute on my old 600cc carb'd bike that needs a couple minutes warmup before I can even start moving.  A modern, smaller FI bike shouldn't have any issue hitting 70 MPG.