Gas!

[NitrouStang96]

well to be honest I really have no interest in hyper-miling, but rather the break even point. I still want to get there as soon as possible, but there is a point at which if I drive a bit slower, I'll actually get there at the exact same time as driving faster. I'm sure if I did an equation you'd end up with two curving graphs intersecting at some point...

I'm not sure it would have as much effect as you think unless you're driving a boxy, non-aerodynamic, low-torque, short geared car. Something that's running 3k-4k RPM when fast in the interstate.

I took it very easy once on a trip to LA and back - accelerating slowly, keeping low RPM, driving around 70mph. Best mileage I could get.
22-23 MPG

Up the 15, however, is a different story. On my way to West Covina and back, the whole trip is desolate and everyone is going pretty fast (90+ mph). I set my cruise to 105mph and had the windows down, going up and down the mountainous and hilly terrain in areas. Brief runs to 130mph. About the worst case scenario you can imagine. One the way back, I was up and down due to traffic, but averaged between 85mph and 100mph.
19-20 MPG

Not much difference at all, IMO, when you consider the drastically different circumstances. Only 40 miles difference between stops to fill up on a long trip (figuring 13.5 gallon fillup and 3 MPG difference).

--

That's with 3.55 gears and a supercharger, but I checked my mileage in 2001 on a 400 mile trip in the Carolinas back when the car had only exhaust mods and the stock 2.73 gears, driving 80mph @ 2k RPM.
32 MPG

Best bet for highway miles is a tall gear, evidently

 

[z987k]

yeah I was actually going to do the math on this earlier, but then I found out I forgot most of the math I learned in high school. lol.

I think it would have a greater impact when we're talking about 30mpg difference with a 35mph difference. Plus I have a 4 gallon tank, and when you stop on a bike there's no way your spending less than 10mins at the stop.

 

[Sir Humpsalot]

You make a very valid point. If you read up on hypermiling, that's one of the things they do to save fuel. As long as you stay in the left lane and stay at the minimum posted speed on the freeway it's totally legal. (You'll probably get honked at and flipped off all day long, but at least your saving gas).

Nope. Not totally legal. I think there's 42 states that have left-lane passing laws requiring slower traffic in the left lane to move right, regardless of whether the left lane blocker is obeying, or even exceeding, the speed limit.

 

[McKBrew]

Nope. Not totally legal. I think there's 42 states that have left-lane passing laws requiring slower traffic in the left lane to move right, regardless of whether the left lane blocker is obeying, or even exceeding, the speed limit.

Yes I am a dumbaxx, I meant stay in the right lane. Thanks for the correction.

 

[wihophead]

$70 to fill up this morning, and I do it with a smile. Driving my Corvette is worth paying a little extra for premium.

I had a 2000 vette and it ran fine on 87 Octane......

 

[BlindLemonLars]

I had a 2000 vette and it ran fine on 87 Octane......

Most modern cars detect pre-detonation (pinging) caused by low octane fuel, and they tweak the timing to compensate. So your car will still run fine, but you'll take a small ding in performance.

 

[wihophead]

eh only problem I have with scooters is for the same price you could have bought a 250 and had something useful. Plus even if you paid $1000 for that, and you get 100mpg you have to drive it like 18,000 miles to break even what you paid for it, not to mention insurance, tires etc.
It took me 2 years to put 18k on my bike and I drive it every day unless it's snowing.

I am going to say that those figures are a little off.

12,000 miles at 30 mpg = 400 gals. X 4$ a gal. = $1600
12,000 miles at 100 mpg = 120 gals. X 4$ a gal. = $480

$1600 - $480 = $120 towards tires and insurance

 

[wihophead]

Most modern cars detect pre-detonation (pinging) caused by low octane fuel, and they tweak the timing to compensate. So your car will still run fine, but you'll take a small ding in performance.

I never noticed any issues with performance...my tires could testify to that...lol

 

[NitrouStang96]

Sorry about the quality - even my phone shat a brick when it saw these prices.

 

[Jared311]

I drive an F150 with a 25 gallon gas tank that only gets about 14mpg. I also live in between Baltimore and Washington D.C. which are two ridiculously expensive cities in all manners. So I usually pay close to the highest price nation wide... Woohoo!

 

[Jonnio]

I am going to say that those figures are a little off.

12,000 miles at 30 mpg = 400 gals. X 4$ a gal. = $1600
12,000 miles at 100 mpg = 120 gals. X 4$ a gal. = $480

$1600 - $480 = $120 towards tires and insurance

Although the exact numbers are a little off the concept is sound. The scooters that you could put 18000 miles on in a reasonable amount of time are a lot more than 1k and the ones that get 100 mpg top out at city speeds, so you would have to ride them hours a day around town to get the miles you need.

My bike has no problem getting 50+ mpg, and can easily break 100 mph (before I shift out of second, so its capable of being an every day vehicle) and it would only be break even at 250 miles a week if gas were over $5 a gallon. Even still, for me, that would mean never driving my truck again and not missing a day or week on the bike.

Basically it boils down to, if you do the math there is no good reason to go out and buy a vehicle to save on gas. Now, if your going to buy a car anyway then the mileage is a valid concern, but if your driving a paid off vehicle that gets 10 mpg that new Prius is still going to cost you a ton of money.

 

[z987k]

Although the exact numbers are a little off the concept is sound. The scooters that you could put 18000 miles on in a reasonable amount of time are a lot more than 1k and the ones that get 100 mpg top out at city speeds, so you would have to ride them hours a day around town to get the miles you need.

My bike has no problem getting 50+ mpg, and can easily break 100 mph (before I shift out of second, so its capable of being an every day vehicle) and it would only be break even at 250 miles a week if gas were over $5 a gallon. Even still, for me, that would mean never driving my truck again and not missing a day or week on the bike.

Basically it boils down to, if you do the math there is no good reason to go out and buy a vehicle to save on gas. Now, if your going to buy a car anyway then the mileage is a valid concern, but if your driving a paid off vehicle that gets 10 mpg that new Prius is still going to cost you a ton of money.

exactly. Buy a car/bike/scooter isn't going to save you money on gas. That's another reason I don't understand the scooter craze. Now the bike I ride because I love it. The fact that it gets better gas millage is a plus, but I'd ride it even if it only got 20mpg.... which some actually do.

 

[MikeFlynn74]

exactly. Buy a car/bike/scooter isn't going to save you money on gas. That's another reason I don't understand the scooter craze. Now the bike I ride because I love it. The fact that it gets better gas millage is a plus, but I'd ride it even if it only got 20mpg.... which some actually do.

Um after insurance and gas and bike payment I am still saving money every time I ride my bike

 

[z987k]

well yes the operating cost is less than your car, but if you bought the bike solely with the intent to save money from just gas, well you wont. The break even point is more miles than I would be you do in a year, especially in AK. Figure it out how many miles would you have to ride to actually save money after insurance, gas, tires, payment/initial cost.

I think I saw a spreadsheet with all the math somewhere once, I'll see if I can go find it again.

For example:
Car: 20mpg
Bike: 40mpg

Car initial cost is 0 since you need it. Bike is $1200. At $4/gal, I need to ride 15k miles to save the $1200 I paid for it. That obviously includes not other operating costs (like insurance at $300 a year on the bike compared to 180 on the car.) Or the oil change at $60(diy) on bike vs $~15 on car. Or tires on the bike every 5k for $200 vs every 40-50k for $200 on the car. So in that same 15k miles I spend $45*5 on oil extra= $225 Insurance = $120 (really more because I only average about 10k a year on the bike. And $600 on tires. So there's an extra $945 in costs (more than what it cost to operate my car)to add on for that 15k miles.

Basically my point is I don't ride because it saves me money becasue it doesn't. Rather I ride because I love it.

 

[MikeFlynn74]

But Ypu cant put a price on being badass

 

[EdWort]

well yes the operating cost is less than your car, but if you bought the bike solely with the intent to save money from just gas, well you wont. The break even point is more miles than I would be you do in a year, especially in AK. Figure it out how many miles would you have to ride to actually save money after insurance, gas, tires, payment/initial cost.

I think I saw a spreadsheet with all the math somewhere once, I'll see if I can go find it again.

For example:
Car: 20mpg
Bike: 40mpg

Car initial cost is 0 since you need it. Bike is $1200. At $4/gal, I need to ride 15k miles to save the $1200 I paid for it. That obviously includes not other operating costs (like insurance at $300 a year on the bike compared to 180 on the car.) Or the oil change at $60(diy) on bike vs $~15 on car. Or tires on the bike every 5k for $200 vs every 40-50k for $200 on the car. So in that same 15k miles I spend $45*5 on oil extra= $225 Insurance = $120 (really more because I only average about 10k a year on the bike. And $600 on tires. So there's an extra $945 in costs (more than what it cost to operate my car)to add on for that 15k miles.

Basically my point is I don't ride because it saves me money becasue it doesn't. Rather I ride because I love it.

That works unless you sell your car to buy the bike. Then all the costs for the car are gone and the savings pile up.

 

[wihophead]

I don't understand why everyone thinks you have re coop on your investment the first year. Do you think the price of gas will be less next year?


$60 for an oil change??? I run synthetic and it costs me $26 for oil and filter and I change the oil every 5K. I also get 10K on a rear tire and 20K on a front tire....

But I obviously didn't buy a Street Glide just to save money on gas....I know I will never break even...lol

 

[Laurel]

I don't know what type of tires you're buying for $200 for a car, but a set of tires for my car costs around $1,000.

 

[Sir Humpsalot]

I don't know what type of tires you're buying for $200 for a car, but a set of tires for my car costs around $1,000.

Most of us aren't driving corvettes.

And if I weren't driving a rear/mid engined sportscar myself, I wouldn't be spending more than $200 on tires either. I mean, sure, I can buy tires with better grip, better wet weather performance, or whatever... but it wouldn't get me to the grocery store any faster or significantly safer. I don't think there's a tire on the market that's as bad as all tires were 30 years ago and folks seemed to survive just fine back then. So I don't think you really need to spend big bucks on tires unless you're an OCD gear head.

 

[EdWort]

It's actually pretty hard to get new tires, mounted, balanced, with new valve stems for under $400 out the door. I know as I have bought tires for several cars over the years. My Saturn SW2 cost about $600 for a set of Michilins.

 

[MikeFlynn74]

but a set of tires for my car costs around $1,000

Depends on the car an tire type-

New BFG ATs for my truck are about 500-600 for the set.

 

[tuckferrorists]

I don't understand why everyone thinks you have re coop on your investment the first year. Do you think the price of gas will be less next year?

Great point. Besides the fact that the cost of most bikes is way less than most cars. I have a paid off 03 Mazda Tribute that gets 20 mpg and I'm looking at getting a used Kawi Vulcan 900 for around 5500. It gets 50-60 mpg. Some get even more. The insurance i'm looking at is about 300 a year. The insurance on my car is about 1200 a year. I will get triple the fuel economy and I drive about 14000 a year. If I only spend half of the time on my bike, which I know would be way more, I would save about 900 a year just after insurance. Now then I have to include full gear for my wife and me ($2200). Motorcycle endorsement costs plus MSF class (600). Maintenance costs ($300). And of course we all know the obsession a hobby like biking can be. I'm already needing a sissy bar, saddlebags, probably a mustang seat, cobra pipes, scootworks pulley.

Point is....The part about saving money on gas is for the wife to believe....



p.s. buy a used ninja 250, only wear a cheap helmet, only have liability, and you can save money in about 2-3 years. That's if you don't get into an accident and have 10-15k in medical costs.

 

[Sir Humpsalot]

p.s. buy a used ninja 250, only wear a cheap helmet, only have liability, and you can save money in about 2-3 years. That's if you don't get into an accident and have 10-15k in medical costs.

You can save money within 3 months. In April, sell your car. No more car insurance, no more car payment. Bam, you're money ahead. Need to carry things around? Well, SWMBO has a car, right? Need to borrow a larger vehicle? Offer to buy a tank of gas- you're still money ahead.

In September/October, start looking for a good running convertible. Buy it. Drive it all winter. In April/May/June, sell it for $1,000 more than you paid for it.

As for medical issues, get health insurance. They'll cover you if you take a spill and you really should probably have coverage anyway because, well, being sick without insurance really sucks.

 

[NitrouStang96]

I don't know what type of tires you're buying for $200 for a car, but a set of tires for my car costs around $1,000.

Most people don't put a set of Michelin Pilot Sport PS2's or Goodyear Eagle F1's on their Toyota Camry, you troll.

 

[wihophead]

Another way to save money if you plan on riding your bike a lot is to put your car into "storage". That is how I insured my vette, insurance was only $20 a month to store it. I would just call my agent and tell him I was taking the car out and most of the time I never even got charged extra.....

 

[z987k]

That works unless you sell your car to buy the bike. Then all the costs for the car are gone and the savings pile up.

I would, but we get snow here in IL.

I don't understand why everyone thinks you have re coop on your investment the first year. Do you think the price of gas will be less next year?

$60 for an oil change??? I run synthetic and it costs me $26 for oil and filter and I change the oil every 5K. I also get 10K on a rear tire and 20K on a front tire....

But I obviously didn't buy a Street Glide just to save money on gas....I know I will never break even...lol

I run amsoil synthetic motorcycle oil in the bike. ~1gallon at the local shop plus a filter is about $60. Maybe I'm getting ripped off.

And I've never seen more than 8k out of a tire. Last one that went to 8k was incredibly bald and that's a sport touring tire, not an all out SS. If I were using some good sticky's, they'd only be good for 2 or 3.

 

[Laurel]

Most people don't put a set of Michelin Pilot Sport PS2's or Goodyear Eagle F1's on their Toyota Camry, you troll.

lol

Even when I had my old beater station wagon, getting a set of cheap tires mounted and balanced cost at least $400.

I'd be interested in seeing where people are getting $200 tires though! I may consider buying a car that uses them!

 

[c.n.budz]

lol

Even when I had my old beater station wagon, getting a set of cheap tires mounted and balanced cost at least $400.

I'd be interested in seeing where people are getting $200 tires though! I may consider buying a car that uses them!

Not in your neck of the woods, but Town Fair Tire has some great deals on tires. Before my Acura was stolen I put 4 new Yokohamas on it. Mounted and balanced it was about $215

 

[NitrouStang96]

I see deals for cars that take 13" tires for $99 for a set at Pep Boys and such now and then.

 

[McKBrew]

I dropped $750 a couple of weekends ago for light truck tires. (Granted I paid for the high end tires for a reason). My previous "AT" tires would slide in the rain, and sucked a$$ in the snow.

 

[MikeFlynn74]

Eagle F1s are garbage tires

 

[Laurel]

Eagle F1s are garbage tires

Eagle F1 GSD3's are excellent wet weather tires, and if I was certain that I wouldn't be taking my car to the track again, I'd be all over those like white on rice. They do well in summer, just not race track conditions, and are amazing summer performance tires for dealing with rain.

 

[MikeFlynn74]

Ive never been impressed with them- Ride bad and comparitive handeling with them is poor. As well as them being over priced.

Get Michelins or Falkens IMO

 

[Laurel]

Ive never been impressed with them- Ride bad and comparitive handeling with them is poor. As well as them being over priced.

Get Michelins or Falkens IMO

Unless you live in a state with huge annual rainfall, and more days that not, it's wet outside. IIRC, they raised the price recently, and a few years ago changed the compound.


The Falkens(I assume you're talking RT615) have almost half the tread depth of most other tires on the market, so while they handle better(less tread wiggle) and have a better compound and are cheaper(marginally), they wear faster and need to be replaced much sooner than others.

What Michelins are you referring to? Pilot Sport PS2? Great tires, but they cost over $1200 for a set for my car.

 

[MikeFlynn74]

I dont know- I know when I used to work at a tire store in FL the guys would bring back the eagles or have them replaced the min after they bought the car.
Michelin is worth the money IMO. Falkens do have less tread. In Fl we got an hour of rain a day but the road would be dry 15 min later too.

 

[Laurel]

I dont know- I know when I used to work at a tire store in FL the guys would bring back the eagles or have them replaced the min after they bought the car.
Michelin is worth the money IMO. Falkens do have less tread. In Fl we got an hour of rain a day but the road would be dry 15 min later too.

Well there's a huge difference between the Eagle F1 supercar and the Eagle F1GSD3. The Eagle F1 is just a line, like the Bridgestone Potenza(of which there are very good, and very bad tires).

What Michelin are you talking about?

 

[MikeFlynn74]

**** theyve changed so much- Pilot Sports were supposed to be the better all around tire and the PS2s were more fairweathers right? But I know from experience the Michelins are by far better overall quality than most anyhting out there. Even their truck tires are pretty good.

.

 

[wihophead]

I would, but we get snow here in IL.

I run amsoil synthetic motorcycle oil in the bike. ~1gallon at the local shop plus a filter is about $60. Maybe I'm getting ripped off.

And I've never seen more than 8k out of a tire. Last one that went to 8k was incredibly bald and that's a sport touring tire, not an all out SS. If I were using some good sticky's, they'd only be good for 2 or 3.

I run Amsoil 20W50 and I pay $75 for a case of 12 quarts.

10K on a tire is pretty standard, I have 7K on my tire right now and it still looks great but I am very easy on them.

 

[NitrouStang96]

Eagle F1s are garbage tires

But they are indeed expensive.

The Falkens(I assume you're talking RT615) have almost half the tread depth of most other tires on the market, so while they handle better(less tread wiggle) and have a better compound and are cheaper(marginally), they wear faster and need to be replaced much sooner than others.

That's not entirely true - if people are buying the shaved tires, they're doing so because they'll get more usable performance out of them than a full-tread tire. The last set of tires on my Mustang I got shaved because all of my full-tread sets are quite disappointing after I get them just a bit worn in. Due to all the wiggle and the compound breaking down and all that good stuff.

 

[Jonnio]

I don't understand why everyone thinks you have re coop on your investment the first year. Do you think the price of gas will be less next year?


$60 for an oil change??? I run synthetic and it costs me $26 for oil and filter and I change the oil every 5K. I also get 10K on a rear tire and 20K on a front tire....

But I obviously didn't buy a Street Glide just to save money on gas....I know I will never break even...lol

I never said anything about 1 year. I have a 5 year note on my bike at an extremely low interest rate and I can't break even unless I put the truck up on blocks regardless of 110 degree (or 10 degree) days and severe weather. If I still have this same bike after its paid off then I have a chance, but insurance, gear wear and tear etc... will still make it tough.