I was thinking what would happen if I depended on my motorcycle only instead of public transportation. And came to this conclusion for NYC.
If I use public transportation at an
AVG 4x a day 5 days a week or 80 rides a month
So I purchase a $108 unlimited ride plan. Which equates to $1296 a year and many hours spent wondering if there really is "train traffic ahead of us".
If I rode my motorcycle only at an
AVG 45 miles x 5 days a week or 900 miles a month at
AVG 40 MPG combined city/highway or 22.5 Gallons a Month at an
AVG $3.75 a gallon for 87 Octane or $84 gallons a month.
The current price of gas at this time is $3.35 a gallon for gas, but I like to be prepared for a higher price of gas (especially when it spikes in the summer months)
The difference in savings is $288.
With a motorcycle however, you end up spending money on various items. A breakdown of my own expenses per year assuming 900 miles a month or 10800miles a year...
Belts every 20,000 miles @ $50 a year
Valves @ $80 a year
oil @ $30 a year
tires @280 a year
Insurance @$360 a year
You end up spending $512 extra to operate a motorcycle. However you save a TON of time. My average commute saves me about 2 hours a day, or on a 5 day schedule, i get 520 hours a year saved. so you end investing in your own time by spending $1 an hour saved in commute time to do things like sleep and have that healthy breakfast that you otherwise would not be able to have cause you woke up late.
This would also assume you're a nutjob like me and ride in 15 degree weather.
It is debatable which is safer. On a motorcycle you could get into an accident regardless of what time you are on the bike.
At night you are likely (well i am at least because of the certain area i am on) to get stabbed or robbed which could easily factor in.
But by the same account, parking tickets come with the territory of operating a motorcycle, as well as moving violations such as speeding, running a red light camera, lane splitting or having a loud exhaust (which is why i have a stock exhaust).
And to counter point that, you could get a ticket on the train for something like sitting on an object that is not for sitting (read: Pregnant women Fined for sitting on stairs) or for having your book bag on an open seat, even if no one is on the train.
So there you have it. Public Transportation is cheaper in the long run, but time is money.
you get 40 MPG in Manhattan? wow. i only get 30 MPG but i've always told myself it's b/c i ride exclusively in LA city traffic, but the traffic's not as bad as NYC. good for you.
women are less likely to be impressed with you're train pass.
women are never impressed by motorcycles either, the only people that care about ducati's and exotic italian bikes are other dudes. well i guess that isn't a bad thing, assuming that you like that sort of thing. [laugh]
but good breakdown of the costs of commuting, moneywise public transportation almost always beats driving/motorcycles, unless the commute is short enough for riding a bicycle then the bicycle wins. when you factor in time savings well then time is money at points so its up to someone to decide which is more important.
Quote from: Turf on February 15, 2011, 08:15:36 PM
women are less likely to be impressed with you're train pass.
And there it is.
QuoteBut by the same account, parking tickets come with the territory of operating a motorcycle, as well as moving violations such as speeding, running a red light camera, lane splitting or having a loud exhaust (which is why i have a stock exhaust).
And to counter point that, you could get a ticket on the train for something like sitting on an object that is not for sitting (read: Pregnant women Fined for sitting on stairs) or for having your book bag on an open seat, even if no one is on the train.
I wouldn't really take that into consideration because all of these scenarios are preventable.
Finally, where are you getting belts for $50?
Quote from: Timmy Tucker on February 15, 2011, 08:38:12 PM
Finally, where are you getting belts for $50?
http://www.ca-cycleworks.com/exactfit/ (http://www.ca-cycleworks.com/exactfit/)
Edit: Though they say the price is for "each," so I guess the accuracy of $50 belts depends on what you mean when you say that.
Quote from: DucofWestwood on February 15, 2011, 07:27:42 PM
you get 40 MPG in Manhattan? wow. i only get 30 MPG but i've always told myself it's b/c i ride exclusively in LA city traffic, but the traffic's not as bad as NYC. good for you.
Manhattan is a broad term. You cant ride inside the city with all the no right turn past X street but only when theres no Bus there, however if its between so and so hours, then you have to spin a dice and then make a left turn based on the number factored by a 10, also if there is a lady crossing a street you cannot make a right, unless she is wearing red. no wait i think i got that one wrong.
My commute takes me from south brooklyn (local to the brooklyn bridge) to 140th street via FDR so its exclusively highway and that length of my trip is only 12minutes, 30 with traffic (yes ive timed myself!). my highway MPG is about 50mpg. If im doing local commuting, it drops down to about 30mpg avg.
Quote from: Timmy Tucker on February 15, 2011, 08:38:12 PM
I wouldn't really take that into consideration because all of these scenarios are preventable.
Finally, where are you getting belts for $50?
regarding tickets: That's debatable, live in NYC and anyone will tell you at least 1 ridiculous ticket story. Its the perspective of the cop vs your perspective and the truth. you will get bit eventually even if you did no wrong.
And the belt price is PER YEAR. belts are $100 for the set. Change em every 2 years based on 10,000 miles a year. so $50 a year. I run them for 2 years, not 12,000 miles.
Quote from: He Man on February 15, 2011, 08:49:48 PM
regarding tickets: That's debatable, live in NYC and anyone will tell you at least 1 ridiculous ticket story. Its the perspective of the cop vs your perspective and the truth. you will get bit eventually even if you did no wrong.
I see what you mean.
Quote from: He Man on February 15, 2011, 08:49:48 PMAnd the belt price is PER YEAR. belts are $100 for the set. Change em every 2 years based on 10,000 miles a year. so $50 a year. I run them for 2 years, not 12,000 miles.
Cool. I assumed you meant $50 a pair.
Quote from: Timmy Tucker on February 15, 2011, 08:55:29 PM
Cool. I assumed you meant $50 a pair.
i wish! first time i ordered them i thought, hey $50 a pair for genuine ducati OEM belts!!! awesome!!!
i got 2 of them in the mail and a note from candice @ CA-Cycleworks that said, belts are $50 a piece, charged you for 2!
doh! who buys em in singles anyway?
Quote from: sbrguy on February 15, 2011, 08:32:01 PM
women are never impressed by motorcycles either
go talk to a girl, ask her if she wants to learn to ride a motorcycle...best pickup line ever
If I were you I would do both. Ride when you can, and take the public transit when that makes more sense than taking the bike. Like when its 15 outside, or you have a bunch of stuff, or you have to wear a suit.
you forgot to factor in depreciation
other wear and tear
the fact that PT sucks badly
my answer if you are commuting all the time , buy a cheapo bike that is cheap to run and service yourself using real cheap tyres that last a long time
the wear and tear and depreciation saved on your nice bike pays for it easily
you then appreciate riding your nice bike on weekends or the odd sunny day
Quote from: Turf on February 15, 2011, 09:22:36 PM
go talk to a girl, ask her if she wants to learn to ride a motorcycle...best pickup line ever
Yea until she tries to hit you up on your offer and she is too weak to keep her hand on the dry clutch!
J5, I could care less about depreciation, I plan on running my S2R1000 until the motor blows up! the real truth is my S2R1000 is my sport touring bike, track bike, and commuting bike. I cant afford 2 bikes anyway. Id LOVE to sell my bike and pick up a ninja 250, but then its not powerful enough to tour on. Id love to pick up a Sport bike, but then it sucks to commute on. The monster is the jack of all trades. though i wish the MPG was better.
I would trade my Monster for a VFR400 though!
Quote from: He Man on February 15, 2011, 10:04:29 PM
Yea until she tries to hit you up on your offer and she is too weak to keep her hand on the dry clutch!
Thats why you have an 86 honda dirtbike off craigslist you traded for an old guitar, planning ahead
/threadjack
Quote from: He Man on February 15, 2011, 10:04:29 PM
Yea until she tries to hit you up on your offer and she is too weak to keep her hand on the dry clutch!
J5, I could care less about depreciation, I plan on running my S2R1000 until the motor blows up! the real truth is my S2R1000 is my sport touring bike, track bike, and commuting bike. I cant afford 2 bikes anyway. Id LOVE to sell my bike and pick up a ninja 250, but then its not powerful enough to tour on. Id love to pick up a Sport bike, but then it sucks to commute on. The monster is the jack of all trades. though i wish the MPG was better.
I would trade my Monster for a VFR400 though!
you forgot about clutch replacements ;)
everyone thinks that they cant afford another bike, buit you are paying for it anyway with your current one
with wear and tear , maintenance , fuel etc etc
Quote from: J5 on February 15, 2011, 09:57:52 PM
buy a cheapo bike that is cheap to run and service yourself using real cheap tyres that last a long time
something like a big single thumper of the DR650, XT600, XR650L, KLR650(or perhaps a DRZ400) variety where parts are cheap, mods are cheap, and fuel range and efficientcy it better...
Quote from: Turf on February 15, 2011, 10:09:23 PM
Thats why you have an 86 honda dirtbike off craigslist you traded for an old guitar, planning ahead
yarrrr!...CL and bartering....good things can come with relative ease if you have the time,patience, and wherewithall to keep the radar going....
maybe i should ask a Ducati rider( guy) if he wants to learn to change his own tires and do all his own service work as used to I do (before I sold my bike and my tools)..... best pick up line ever! hahahahahaha [laugh]
BGB.
250 gets wat, 60+ mpg? New ones don't look bad.. I use to go from Williamsburg to the end of the fdr in 15-20 min when I started at 1030. As long as someone didn't crash. With commuting you also have the fun factor. Rather be on a bike then a train. Taking the train once in a while isn't bad though considering all the chicks you can see on them..
here is the raw math.
If you spend $512 extra a year operating 1 motorcycle.
These are the prices that you can basicaly neglect
Tires -$280
belts -$50
vlaves -$40
so $512 -370 = -$142 deficit. but you only spend $736 assuming 55mpg. So you end up saving $272 a year operating a 2nd bike. Counting the deficit of the 1st bike, you end up saving $130 a year. Which is the maintence cost of something like a ninja 250 (no torque, so the tire wears out SLOWLLLYYY).
HOWEVER, id still be cranking out $360 a year for insurance (because im 23 in the city). so really, i save only $150 bucks on operating a 2nd bike. And it takes up space in my garage. And I dont always commute via motorcycle. so its a hit or miss. Not worth it for my personally because of the insane amount of snow fall across the states, i didnt log more than 300 miles between december and today.
If i had to go back and buy another motorcycle to do everything, id pick the SV650. The monster actually sucks pretty bad for carrying shit, comfort, and track duty.
Another factor, irrespective of the costs - are you happier riding your Monster or happier riding public transportation? X number of minutes more per day being happy is a big plus in my book.
life is short, ride a bike
Why not ride the Monster on the train tracks. Just watch out for oncoming trains and the rest of the traffic issue is not a problem [cheeky] [evil]
Suspension maintenance may factor in for that scenario...
JM
Quote from: the_Journeyman on February 16, 2011, 04:44:56 PM
Why not ride the Monster on the train tracks. Just watch out for oncoming trains and the rest of the traffic issue is not a problem [cheeky] [evil]
Suspension maintenance may factor in for that scenario...
JM
He Man--->BlankMan?
Quote from: Turf on February 16, 2011, 01:35:15 PM
life is short, ride a bike
bike will make life shorter, especially if i ride in the rails!
Quote from: zooom on February 16, 2011, 04:26:29 AM
something like a big single thumper of the DR650, XT600, XR650L, KLR650(or perhaps a DRZ400) variety where parts are cheap, mods are cheap, and fuel range and efficientcy it better...
Used Duke II. I ride it to work (8 mile round trip) in downtown SF everyday.
I hate the bus.
I'm wondering about the time saving of riding the bike. I ride to work sometime and love it. But it takes time to put on gear and then pack the things I'll need for work. The train takes longer in total time but while on the train you can do other things like prepare for work (ugh), read, listen to music, play games with the faces of strangers, and meet people. You could end up meeting your life partner on the train! How much would that be worth (damn expensive when ya have kids, send em to college, get divorced, pay a lawyer, pay child support). So, forget about the life partner.
I also think you are a little low on the cost of riding your bike. The more I ride the more my bike needs, like that carbon fiber clutch I just got. Okay, I didn't have to buy the clutch cover, but the bike just blew about a header and that cost almost $300.
I'm not sayin you give up riding to work. I think you should do whatever feels good on any given day. [moto] [thumbsup]
The wife might finally start working again just in time for good bicycle riding to arrive.. tht means ill have to drive the baby to sitters rather then saving money on transportation. She better get paid well...
Quote from: akmnstr on February 18, 2011, 08:46:47 AM
I'm wondering about the time saving of riding the bike. I ride to work sometime and love it. But it takes time to put on gear and then pack the things I'll need for work. The train takes longer in total time but while on the train you can do other things like prepare for work (ugh), read, listen to music, play games with the faces of strangers, and meet people. You could end up meeting your life partner on the train! How much would that be worth (damn expensive when ya have kids, send em to college, get divorced, pay a lawyer, pay child support). So, forget about the life partner.
I also think you are a little low on the cost of riding your bike. The more I ride the more my bike needs, like that carbon fiber clutch I just got. Okay, I didn't have to buy the clutch cover, but the bike just blew about a header and that cost almost $300.
I'm not sayin you give up riding to work. I think you should do whatever feels good on any given day. [moto] [thumbsup]
let me offer you the flip side...commuting home...on the train you stew and wallow in whatever sucked at work while you sit on the train...or you put on your helmet and you glide right into your zone and put those worries and cares away....worth the decompression IMHO!
Quote from: zooom on February 18, 2011, 01:26:24 PM
let me offer you the flip side...commuting home...on the train you stew and wallow in whatever sucked at work while you sit on the train...or you put on your helmet and you glide right into your zone and put those worries and cares away....worth the decompression IMHO!
Good point. But, I avoid riding when feeling high emotion. For me, that anger or frustration just doesn't go away because I put on my helmet. I find I need a cool head to ride. It may be a personal thing.