Your First Bike

[SAMBUSA]

but you're not saving until you've RECOUPED the cost of the bike.

you can't spend $7,000 on a motorcycle and then say, "yeah, i'm saving a ton of money on gas," until you've saved $7,000 on gas.

If you like riding a bike (I certainly do), then that's all the rationalization anyone should need. I just laugh when people buy a showroom new Ninja 250 because their Durango gets 16 mpg highway.

They'd have to ride like 60,000 miles to cover the cost of the bike. (that's BS math right there - I'm happy enough to do exact calculations if someone wants to give a specific car/truck and bike)

I agree. I love it when people just have to buy a car that's better on gas than their current vehicle thats paid for. Hmmm, a car thats paid for that gets 20 mpg or a new car with car payment that gets 30 mpg.

If you are in need of a new car, sure get one that gets better mileage. But if there is nothing wrong with you're current vehicle other than bad fuel mileage then its just we todd(43) did.

If you're in my situation where both the truck and the bike are paid for then during the nicer months of the year, the bike is the logical choice for transportation. It's a hell of a lot cheaper to commute on and a shit ton more fun.

[C-bus]

I don't understand how people rationalize the gas-saving logic. The cost of the bike itself makes this totally impractical.

even when gas was $4.80/gallon, my bike got roughly 2.5 times the gas mileage of my truck. I'll round to triple the mileage to make the math easier. (assume 20 for the truck, which is optimistic, and 60 for the bike, which is also optimistic)

The more you ride, the more you save, and according to Chevy's data on the Volt, the vast majority of Americans drive less than 40 miles a day.

so, on a typical 40-mile day, my truck would burn 2 gallons of gas. The bike would burn 2/3 of one gallon.

truck cost: $9.60/day. bike cost: $3.20

savings per day: $6.40

Cost of bike: ~$1500. Cost of insurance: ~$100 (mine is more like triple that, but I'm basing this on an ideal scenario)

$1600 in expenses, divided by $6.40 means you have to commute 240 days before you BREAK EVEN on the bike. If it takes you more than a year to get to those 240 days, then add on another $100, and another 15 days to break even.

I don't know about you, but I definitely don't ride often enough or far enough to break even, let alone save money. And I used the highest gas prices Ohio has ever seen, and probably the cheapest cost possible for a bike. this is an IDEAL situation for saving money. In reality, it will take multiple years of consistently riding the bike and parking the cage to even break-even.

Gas is a consumable product. A motorcycle is a durable good with a resale value.

The math was simple. I drove an F150 at the time. I got around 18 MPG. Gas went up to $4.00 per gallon. I purchased my bike for $1800. I commuted 3000 miles on it at around 65 miles per gallon. I saved $482 in gas. Then I sold my bike for $1800. So I saved $482.

If you want to make the case that I used that $1800 towards a new bike, then I would argue the benefits of having a durable, sellable item while at the same time conserving energy, reducing demand, and fucking the goberment out of gas-tax money. All the while, I've picked up a great new passion which allows me to cap my work day on both ends with a smile.

Ok, and I had to sell my wife on the gas thing in order to get permission.

[Radio Flyer]

07 sv650s

[2Wheeler]

1. 77 XL250

2. 68 CL350

3. 76 CB360t

4. 84 VF750

5. 82 GS550

6. 77 GL1000

7. 80 GL1100

8. 79 XS650

9. 79 XS1100

10.82 GS1100

11. 80 XS 1100

12. 86 VN750

13. 74 CB350

14. 96 VN1500

15. 08 YZFR1

16. 82 CB125

17. 80 GS450

18. 09 CBR600

19. 02 GSXR600

I feel old...

[cg2112]

Cost of bike: ~$1500. Cost of insurance: ~$100 (mine is more like triple that, but I'm basing this on an ideal scenario)

$1600 in expenses, divided by $6.40 means you have to commute 240 days before you BREAK EVEN on the bike. If it takes you more than a year to get to those 240 days, then add on another $100, and another 15 days to break even.

Yeah, but you've still got the bike. Breaking even (saving as much on gas as you've paid for the bike) is really profit, because you still have the value of the bike/

[jbot]

my first bike was a 2000 Kawi EX500. candy blue. sexy as fcuk.

bought it from a dealer for a good price, sold it a year later +5K miles for 700 moar than I paid for it. shouldn't have sold it though.

[Steve Butters]

Yeah, but you've still got the bike. Breaking even (saving as much on gas as you've paid for the bike) is really profit, because you still have the value of the bike/

yep...your net worth has gone up, bike is a liquid asset - especially after you have broken even on gas

[jblosser]

Gone, but not forgotten:

- 60's ? Honda Mini trail 50 - first two wheeled vehicle ridden that wasn't powered by pedals - age 10

- '70's Honda Elsinore 250 -first motorcycle ever ridden - tore up Turkey Run, where the McConnel Heart Health Center in C-Bus is now - age 13

- 79 Roadrunner (Canadian Motobecane) variable moped - did 45+/- on flat ground, 50+ down Henderson Road. - age 14

- 60's? Sears/Puch 100 or 125 - first street bike - put 1,500 miles on when I was 15 (I had a moped license - close enough). Seems like the shift pattern was 1 up, 3 down, iirc

- 76 Honda CB 400 F - 17

- 84 Interceptor 750 - 19

- 81 XS 850 Triple ("hey, you're missing an exhaust pipe") - 30

Still around:

- 03 CRF 450 F - Sumo wheels/tires and Elsinore plastics, plus stock red plastics and mounted knobbies for playing in the dirt

- '08 Half-a-Busa

[BMMW]

I started on a 1982 Yamaha KZ1000

...84 XR600L

...93 GSX-R750

...01 GSX-R1000

...96 GSX-R750

...03 GSX-R750

...00 TL1000R

...08 R6

and dirt...

...76 Trail 50

...78 XR75

...80 XR80

...76 TM100

...82 RM250

...87 LT250R

...92 LT250R

...96 XR250R

...86 TRX250R

...84 XR600R

...86 CR125

...90 KX125

Edited August 11, 2010 by BMMW

[jmwildi]

My bike is paid for, insurance is $300/year. Truck gets 15 mpg at best. Bike gets over 40 mpg while commuting. Pretty good savings for me.

+1 to this. My car and bike are both paid off but the car get's deplorable MPG ('90 trans am, 5.0 V8 ) but the bike gets great MPG. My bike insurance is only $150 a year though. So I ride the bike every day and save the car for the really cold and nasty weather or if I need to cart something / someone around that won't fit on the bike or in the saddle bags. It could just be my imagination but if feels like I stop for gas more often when I drive the car than when I ride the bike.

[wht_scorpion]

1983 Honda Nighthawk 550

[DGTL GRL]

umm a 2005 Shadow Aero 750.

yup.. first bike.

[SpeedTriple44444]

First bike: early 70's Honda QA50. 2 Speeds, no clutch. I rode it until a neighborhood dog grabbed hold of my leg and ran me into the ditch. It was fun. I wish I had one for my kids to putt around on.

First real bike:

1973 CB350. It was cheap. $200 cheap. I cleaned the carbs, charged the battery,and rode it all over the place. I still have it.

1971 CB350. It was also cheap. $150. Very nice condition. I still have it.

... and then I wanted something I could ride without wrenching on all the time...

1995 Magna 750. One of my favorites. My first "real" motorcycle. I tuned it to perfection. The only flaws were mediocre brakes, and no room for a tall guy.

... and then I thought "wouldn't it be cool if my wife would learn to ride...

1998 Shadow ACE 750. Bought it for my wife. She liked the green and cream two-tone. She scared me, so I told her maybe it wasn't her thing. I rode it until it was sold along with the Magna to buy a house.

...1 year later...

1995 ST1100. Hated this bike. It was a boring pig of a bike. The only thing it did well was cruise on the turnpike at 90mph. Got rid of it when my kids were born.

...1 year later... I started thinking "maybe a lighter bike would be more fun. I think I'll get something small displacement and light, but big enough for my height... a coworker suggested a...

2007 DL650 WeeStrom. This bike is everything the ST1100 promised to be, yet a whole lot more fun (and really just as fast). A great do-it-all motorcycle. I love this thing.

... but then I got the itch for something with a little more performance...

2009 Triumph Speed Triple. More fun than should be legal.

Future: A large thumper enduro for trail riding.

more distant future: a large touring bike of some sort

Edited September 1, 2011 by SpeedTriple44444

[LINK]

Not sure on the year, but a Kawasaki KZ440 was my first street bike, that has been a while ago.

A 1995 Kawasaki ZX-7 was my first brand new street bike.

[swingset]

Mid 80's DT175 was my first...looked just like this.

Lots of good times on that bike....took me everywhere, I took ZERO care of it and it never failed me, ever.

[Bruised]

My first was a Kawasaki 440ltd that an old neighbor guy had hidden in his garage. It only had 1500 miles on it and my Dad bought it for me for $700.00

My Mom wasn't very happy with him!!

My second bike was a Honda Hawk 650gt and it opened my eyes to sport bikes especially after riding that Ltd!!

Third I bought brand new and it was a 1997 Zx7 all black. Fun to ride but it was a pig, very heavy!

Traded that in for a 99 Vmax, that bike was my favorite and I should have never sold it! Kerker exhaust 4-1 and stage 2 jet kit. It sounded like a small block with a cam!

Fast forward 5yrs. without a bike and I have my 2007 z1000. I like it but I'm missing the Vmax and also want a 1050 Speed triple! my plan is to sell my Zed and get the Speed triple. Then save a few grand and pick up a Vmax for cruising!

[rusty]

1st-82 yamaha 650 v-max

2th-89 yamaha fzr 600

3th-2000 suzuki marauder 800

4th-86 honda shadow 1100

5th- 2002 suzuki katana

5th- 2006 suzuki v-strom 650

6th- 99 ducati 996

7th-2008 harley davidson electra glide

currently own 2009 ducati 848

[Dubguy85]

2004 Kawi 636

[starkmaster03]

I had two mini bikes that I started riding when I was about 6. Then I got a 2001 Honda 400EX when I was 22. I then bought my 99 R1 when I was 23 and still have. Everyone told me that it was to big for a first street bike but I think that it was great for the learning curve and I know that it caused me to respect the power.

[tecnomike1]

1973 honda xr75, then suzuki tm125

[Coyote]

First bike was a Honda MR50 at age 6.

First street bike was a Honda Rebel, as an early 16th Birthday present--early so I could get my permit, take the MSF and test as soon as I hit 16.

[jester3681]

1981 Honda GL500. Great bike to learn to ride, and to learn to tinker. 2000? 11 years ago.

[Beegreenstrings]

Good lord I would take a entire page to list them all...

My very first was a little red honda trail 50. I rode that thing just last week! Still at my mom and dads place. Then there was a XR75 and from there it went crazy with Yamaha 100's XR200 Cr80 Cr125's and CR250's. Then there was a Husq for a while and there was something else but I cant think of the name... First street was a CBR1000 Hurricane. Christmas present from dad. Learned to ride on his CB650SC which I still have. after the cane left when I got out of college. There was another nighthawk, another CR, a slew of ATV's 250R's and 400ex's, then another nighthawk. a GSX600, a GSXR750, CBR1000, honda hawk, a 400 interceptor... that I had no title for... then I stayed away for a while. The came the katana the VTX the XR and the Superhawk. in that order...

[undr_psi]

started with a 1987 husqvarna 500 (which was way to big for me to ride..the bars came to about my shoulders so i rode aroound with my dad)

then i picked up a 96 Honda XR100..small yes but a tank. i loved that bike (first one that i could ride solo)

had to sell that and just played around on some of my friends bikes then got my first street bike (traded a 91 talon tsi project for it) a 2006 cbr600f4i

[Kritz]

84 Nighthawk S like this... Bought it brand new for $2,899! Great all around bike (back then)

Edited September 1, 2011 by Kritz