Bike and car running costs

[NSR125-Kid-UK]

I should probably state that I hate the idea of a nimbler faster more agile and more powerful machine being used for something as low as commuting. .
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https://www.bikepics.com/members/nsrandy/96rs250/ My Bike!

"I'm either going to teach andy to get his knee down, or I'm going to get him killed. One of the two" - Teaman

[Shade_BW]

[Scotty]

I actually worked out that it would have cost me the same roughly when all costs where included to have a car as it did a bike.

An althoguh the fun factor from bikes and traveling time are much better, other costs where higher.

Unless i got a very practical such as a smaller engined 4 stroke.

Its just the costs where very different in ways.

Such as i could spend £1000 on a bike, then £300 on insurence.

Or i could get a car thats £300 and then pay insurence of £1000 other costs are pretty negligable.
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Regards
Scott

[Bendy]

Mine work out roughly the same too.

The bike cost more than the car to buy in the first place. Fair enough, the bike's a lot newer.

The car costs twice what the bike does to insure. But that's cos I've got NCB on the bike and none on the car.

Tax on the car is roughly 3 times what it is on the bike.

Parking at home and at work is free for both bike and car.

I've spent about £500 on each this year so far - bike was a big service and some oil, car was a new clutch, shocks, front tyre and a towbar.

The car does around 450 miles to £37 of diesel. The bike does 130 miles to £10 unleaded. So mileage per £1 is about the same.

So, on paper, they cost me about the same. Until you look at distance travelled...

I use the car almost every day, piling mileage on it with the daily schlepp to work. I've done about 10,000 on it since I bought it in February. I use the bike when I feel like it, I've put under 2,000 on it since February.

The bike is more fun than the car. Usually. The ability to do trackdays scores a triple £ score on the fun rating.

In summary... mine cost me about the same. I do more miles in the car and don't care about racking them up, I'll drive it into the ground eventually. The bike's more fun and I don't begrudge its expensive tastes cos it makes me smile.

The car is a tool and the bike is a toy. I'm old enough that neither break the bank on insurance and thus I can have both.

[mchaggis]

From what I've seen, getting started riding/ driving is initially easier on a bike. CBT £100, insurance £300 (for me anyway), bike £1000, equipment £200-300. £16-1700.

Car, £400-500 lessons and test, car £1000, insurance £1000. £2500.

The car figures are only guesstimates, and I'll admit that you still have to spend up to £500 on lessons and test for the bike later, as the CBT is only the initial step, for which the car probably turns out cheaper in the end. A car bought for a grand is more likely to be more knackered than a bike for a grand, (or certainly used to be more likely, more modern cars last longer better).

Fuel and road tax savings probably don't really count, if I can get 90-100 mpg from my wee bike, and only 30 mpg from a car, 5000 miles in a car will cost c £650 and a bike for 5000 miles will cost c. £200? £400 is still a reasonable difference though (a month's rent maybe). It does cancel out the amiount you'd have to spend on DAS .

Anyway, on initial starting (1st years use) a bike might beat the car by £800 or more perhaps. That's what mattered to me when I needed to get mobile, and doesn't count the fun, convenience (or lack of with no boot and only one seat), filtering possibilities, and less general hassle.

I haven't taken into account consumables, as I've not had it long enough to had to pay for any yet, save for £20 for 5 litres of oil.

[Sadie]

[Bendy]

I got my Pirelli something-or-other for £25. Depends if you've got a mate who works in a garage...

[goony]

as said before in this thread it depends on what you compare and where you live, i have been riding and driving for twenty years and have found cars to be a lot cheaper at times thats why a lot of bikes have become toys, performance extreme and running costs stupid.

[Trunecka]

Is that a budget-rate something-or-other or a decent one? I wouldn't buy rubbish tyres for my bike anymore, even if they were cheap from a mate. After all they are 'your only contact with the road.' During normal riding anyway
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"I'm gonna get free, Ride into the sun..."
-The Vines

[Bendy]

No, it's a mid-range something or other. I don't put cheap nasty tyres on my car - for it was my car that I was talking about.

[M1ke]

[Kickstart]

[Trunecka]