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Im 57 years old and want to buy my first Motorcycle to save on gasoline expenses. It will be used almost every day for commuting , and mainly highway use. Im a fairly stocky guy (not fat) at 6'3" and 260 lbs. and dont mind getting a lower cc Bike for economy but i dont really want to look silly on it given my size. I want to buy a new one with a warranty, or slightly used and my budget is $5000 max. (the lower the cost the better) . I live in Florida.
Could i have some opinions as to the cc size Bike and Brand i should consider for reliability and reasonable comfort ? Not looking to break any land speed records and dont care about fitting in with any particular group of Bikers ... its purely for commuting and economy.
Lastly, can someone give me an idea what different cc Bikes get for gas mileage with mostly highway driving in warm weather ? Thanks much.
I am 51 years old. I would not go smaller than a 500cc bike. Good power and fuel mileage at 75mpg. You might want to look at a Goldwing, good power and comfortable.
My 2006 Kawasaki Vulcan 900 (bare bike, no Xtras) is very easy to handle. I am about 320# and it still has plenty of power. I get about 40 mpg tooling around town and under sixty MPH on the road I get close to 50 MPG. On the Interstate at 70+ it drops down to about 40 to 45 MPG. I have friends a hundred pounds less than me with 1200 Sportsters. They usually get two or three MPG better when we ride together. The 883cc Sportsters get better MPG around town but suffer at Interstate speeds. Some of the 250cc bikes MIGHT get 60 MPG around town and under 60 MPH but on the Interstate at 70 MPH they will be working very hard with a 200+ rider.
For your budget the Honda CRF230L dual sport $4999 new, 84mpg.
Quote:
It's hard knowing where to begin when describing the CRF230L. First and foremost, it's a dirtbike that happens to be street-legal, so it has the goods—torquey 223cc single-cylinder engine, six-speed gearbox, lightweight chassis, Pro-Link® rear suspension, head- and taillights and turn signals—to take you anywhere, on-road or off. Add to that a low, confidence-inspiring seat height, no-fuss electric start and great gas mileage, and you're looking at the perfect dual-sport machine for conquering your commute... or your favorite trail.
I'd recommend you crunch the numbers on this and see if a motorcycle is really going to save you the money you think it will. Motorcycles CAN get better MPGs than most vehicles, but the difference is not all that much. By the time you factor in the costs of motorcycling, you'd probably break even at best. To give you an idea, factor in all these costs:
The bike: $3000-$4000 for a good used one
The gear: $500-$1000 for helmet, jacket, gloves, pants, boots, etc
Insurance: That's all on you. Couldn't put a number on it
Motorcycle Safety Course: $200-$300. Absolutely necessary, IMO. Gets you halfway to your license.
Tires: $300/set minimum every 10K at best
Then factor in all the days you won't take the bike. Granted, FL probably has some of the better weather for riding year-round, but even then you won't want to do it everyday. It'll be too hot, too cold, raining, etc. and you won't ride. Then there's the days where maybe you need the utility of an automobile, so you won't ride then, either.
If all you're trying to do is get good MPG, I would look into a good used vehicle with high MPG. There are plenty out there that can get upper 30s or even 40s on the freeway which, depending on which motorcycle you're comparing it to, is just about the same.
Then again, if you're just looking to get into riding because you want to ride and good MPG seems like a decent justification (perhaps to the SO? heard that one before, lol), then by all means, do it. Riding is an absolute blast and something everyone should try at least once IMO.
To answer your question about CC correlating to MPG, that's a tough one. It can depend a lot on the intent of the bike. Small displacement bikes can still get relatively crappy MPG because they weren't designed with fuel economy in mind. Then again, 'Crappy' MPG for most bikes would still be somewhere in the 30s with mixed riding (freeway and city). At your size, the absolute smallest thing I could see you is something along the lines of a Ninja 500 (don't let the name fool you. It's a very tame, practical, and comfortable bike) and that SHOULD get upper 40s no problem. Single cylinder dual-sport dirtbikes may do a bit better, but do you really want to ride something made for dirt on the street 100% of the time? They may also struggle with holding freeway speeds with your size if you dip down below, say, 400cc.
Another category to look into would be large-displacement scooters such as the Suzuki Burgman or the Honda Silverwing.
Do the math if you are really doing this to save on gas. I'm in Michigan, so it works out differently for me than it would for you, but I figured that between the purchase costs, extra insurance, etc, etc, it would take about three years for me to come out ahead on gas. And that is considering riding every possible day. I do already drive a small car, so that affected the equation.
Not that that should entirely stop you. It didn't stop me, in reality I just wanted to ride again, after a hiatus while the kids were young.
I'd recommend you crunch the numbers on this and see if a motorcycle is really going to save you the money you think it will. Motorcycles CAN get better MPGs than most vehicles, but the difference is not all that much. By the time you factor in the costs of motorcycling, you'd probably break even at best. To give you an idea, factor in all these costs:
The bike: $3000-$4000 for a good used one
The gear: $500-$1000 for helmet, jacket, gloves, pants, boots, etc
Insurance: That's all on you. Couldn't put a number on it
Motorcycle Safety Course: $200-$300. Absolutely necessary, IMO. Gets you halfway to your license.
Tires: $300/set minimum every 10K at best
Then factor in all the days you won't take the bike. Granted, FL probably has some of the better weather for riding year-round, but even then you won't want to do it everyday. It'll be too hot, too cold, raining, etc. and you won't ride. Then there's the days where maybe you need the utility of an automobile, so you won't ride then, either.
If all you're trying to do is get good MPG, I would look into a good used vehicle with high MPG. There are plenty out there that can get upper 30s or even 40s on the freeway which, depending on which motorcycle you're comparing it to, is just about the same.
Then again, if you're just looking to get into riding because you want to ride and good MPG seems like a decent justification (perhaps to the SO? heard that one before, lol), then by all means, do it. Riding is an absolute blast and something everyone should try at least once IMO.
To answer your question about CC correlating to MPG, that's a tough one. It can depend a lot on the intent of the bike. Small displacement bikes can still get relatively crappy MPG because they weren't designed with fuel economy in mind. Then again, 'Crappy' MPG for most bikes would still be somewhere in the 30s with mixed riding (freeway and city). At your size, the absolute smallest thing I could see you is something along the lines of a Ninja 500 (don't let the name fool you. It's a very tame, practical, and comfortable bike) and that SHOULD get upper 40s no problem. Single cylinder dual-sport dirtbikes may do a bit better, but do you really want to ride something made for dirt on the street 100% of the time? They may also struggle with holding freeway speeds with your size if you dip down below, say, 400cc.
Another category to look into would be large-displacement scooters such as the Suzuki Burgman or the Honda Silverwing.
Good luck!
Mike
Thanks everyone for your tips. ANd Mike, youve given me some things to definetly consider here...I just might go with a small car which gets 40 mpg highway . Will have to think about HOW MUCH I want a Bike for other than fuel economy . Thanks.
I'd recommend you crunch the numbers on this and see if a motorcycle is really going to save you the money you think it will. Motorcycles CAN get better MPGs than most vehicles, but the difference is not all that much. By the time you factor in the costs of motorcycling, you'd probably break even at best. To give you an idea, factor in all these costs:
The bike: $3000-$4000 for a good used oneMy Honda XL650L was $1150, under $2K is prettyeasy.
The gear: $500-$1000 for helmet, jacket, gloves, pants, boots, etc Recomend $1,000
Insurance: That's all on you. Couldn't put a number on itMine's $20 a month
Motorcycle Safety Course: $200-$300. Absolutely necessary, IMO. Gets you halfway to your license.Motorcycle Safety Foundation, $100
Tires: $300/set minimum every 10K at best Bout right, little high.
Then factor in all the days you won't take the bike. Granted, FL probably has some of the better weather for riding year-round, but even then you won't want to do it everyday. It'll be too hot, too cold, raining, etc. and you won't ride. Then there's the days where maybe you need the utility of an automobile, so you won't ride then, either.
If all you're trying to do is get good MPG, I would look into a good used vehicle with high MPG. There are plenty out there that can get upper 30s or even 40s on the freeway which, depending on which motorcycle you're comparing it to, is just about the same.
Then again, if you're just looking to get into riding because you want to ride and good MPG seems like a decent justification (perhaps to the SO? heard that one before, lol), then by all means, do it. Riding is an absolute blast and something everyone should try at least once IMO.
To answer your question about CC correlating to MPG, that's a tough one. It can depend a lot on the intent of the bike. Small displacement bikes can still get relatively crappy MPG because they weren't designed with fuel economy in mind. Then again, 'Crappy' MPG for most bikes would still be somewhere in the 30s with mixed riding (freeway and city). At your size, the absolute smallest thing I could see you is something along the lines of a Ninja 500 (don't let the name fool you. It's a very tame, practical, and comfortable bike) and that SHOULD get upper 40s no problem. Single cylinder dual-sport dirtbikes may do a bit better, but do you really want to ride something made for dirt on the street 100% of the time? They may also struggle with holding freeway speeds with your size if you dip down below, say, 400cc.
Another category to look into would be large-displacement scooters such as the Suzuki Burgman or the Honda Silverwing.
Good luck!
Mike
Hope that helps.
Get a bike cause You want it AND it'll save you money.
WOn't save you enough by itself IMHO, but it'll be a toy that pays for itself!
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