Costs of biking?

[gypmaster]

Hi,

I've got my Theory Test this Saturday and then on Sept 1st I'm doing a five-dayer Direct Access course. I've never even sat on a bike before and I'm wondering if doing this 'biking' thing is a symptom of a profound Mental Health Issue due to my advancing years (46 now)!

Having said that though, I can't wait ... if I pass the test(s) and like the experience then I'll be looking for a bike to 'learn how to ride' on. I've been driving for years and know roughly how much my motor will cost per month to keep on the road, not including fuel, but including stuff like servicing, MOT, tyres and so on.

I know it will be difficult to answer but say, for example, I got meself a Bandit 600 with around 20k on the clock as my first bike ....

... anyone got any ideas as to how much I should budget, per month, for upkeep of the brute based on, say, 300 miles per week??

Cheers in advance...

[Itchy]

I wrote lots then deleted it,

tyres depends what you want sticky sports tyres £200 pair every 4000 miles
Harder BT45s which are semi sporty are £150 a pair every 9000 miles

fixed costs

MOT = £25 year
tax £62 year

also its your first bike so factor in damage costs EVERY body drops their bike
, such that you might want to spend £60 on some crash bars, the bandit is a fat
inline 4 with a tube frame which means dropping means the cylinder heads can
easily touch the road IMO.

Also £2 a month for some scott oil FS365 to stop it rusting and £2 for hamerite to
paint over where it does rust Suzis need FS365 they rust badly without it..


Oil £20 , filter £5 , airfilter £10 , bearings £10 (once every year or two)
chain oil £5-10 month,
chain cleaning £5 month ,
new chain every 18 months - 3 years (depending on how you look after it) £150

if you do it yourself that is if you need a mechanic £200 to do all that for you.
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