My First Year in Numbers

[Fat Angry Scotsman]

Well, since the Kwak is in the garage getting the final things sorted on it I thought I would round-up my first year in motorcycling with some numbers and see how it compares with everyone else.

I am still undecided whether I will be putting her into storage (in my parents garage) for the winter and using the little cheap Zontes or whether to run both or run neither (and store the Zontes too).

Anyway onto the numbers, which is slightly longer than a year because I got the Zontes in November 2020.

Date of purchase (2020 Zontes ZT125-U): 29th October 2020
Date of purchase (2009 Kawasaki ER6-F): 03rd August 2021

Miles done since purchase (2020 Zontes ZT125-U): 5,111
Miles done since purchase (2009 Kawasaki ER6-F): 3,278

Cost of servicing since purchase (2020 Zontes ZT125-U): £208.18
Cost of servicing since purchase (2009 Kawasaki ER6-F): £0.00

Cost of repairs since purchase (2020 Zontes ZT125-U): £276.49
Cost of repairs since purchase (2009 Kawasaki ER6-F): £869.20

Cost of insurance since purchase (2020 Zontes ZT125-U): £344.55
Cost of insurance since purchase (2009 Kawasaki ER6-F): £503.08

Average fuel consumption (2020 Zontes ZT125-U): 103.5 mpg
Average fuel consumption (2009 Kawasaki ER6-F): 51.0 mpg

I haven't included the insurance renewal on the Zontes in the prices above, which is £293.75 (MCE). It's also worth noting that the repairs for the Zontes weren't actually repairs but me opting to put a new chain and sprockets on it pre-emptively. The fuel consumption figures are from my Fuelly data but the real figures are likely a little different as I haven't logged every fuel-up. There's no servicing cost to the Kawasaki yet but it will be getting serviced in January, but I did change the oil filter and oil when I was replacing the stator and rotor after I crashed it. I didn't include the costs of gear or training for DAS in this as they were covered in another thread recently.

Overall I will be honest, I love biking and where possible I've always took a bike instead of my car. When I first got the Kawasaki I was completely smitten with it and did huge miles and actively looked for reasons to go out on her, I think I did just over 700 miles in the first two weeks of owning her. In retrospect, I wish I hadn't bought the Zontes and listened to you guys on the forum first, but to be fair to her, she has done a job and cost fuck all on petrol compared to commuting in my shitbox car.

Ever since I got my big bike, it's got a couple people in my work interested in biking and they're waiting till better weather and doing their own CBTs.

Would appreciate it if anyone else who started this year or recently wants to chime in with their own story and how they found their first year. Also some of the longer-term riders, what's your advice going forward or how do you remember when you first got into riding?
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PRESENT: 2018 BMW S1000XR SE Sport.
PAST: 2009 Kawasaki ER-6F. 2021 Zontes ZT-125U.

[Easy-X]

I was out in the pissing rain on Sunday and it was still better than going by car

I think the thing that struck me in the first year month was riding round the City on the Superlight. Granted it wasn't great on the A3 but once you got to Wandsworth the world just opened up, filtering like a boss as I am wont to say.

Then I look on the Rebel - which definitely was more fun for medium trips but not so great for long hauls - and I wonder what would have been if I'd got a Vulcan instead. Probably still have it and been thoroughly miserable as I might not have pushed on to the XSR.
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Royal Enfield Continental GT 535, Husqvarna Vitpilen 401, Yamaha XSR700, Honda Rebel, Yamaha DT175, Suzuki SV650 (loan) Fazer 600, Keeway Superlight 125, 50cc turd scooter

[Evil Hans]

[Fat Angry Scotsman]

[UncleFester]

The caveat with cornering fast is being able to stop within the distance that you can see. So if you go chirping around a bend all lent over and committed, it leaves you little options to back out of that move.

If the road is an open one with good visibility then fairy's nuts but even then it takes in little account of what might be on your cornering line on the bit of the road you have yet to reach and cannot see.

Personally .. if you want to learn / practice / enjoy fast corners then do a track day where its good tarmac, open visibility and people are trying to go in the same direction as you. It will give you the skills to rely on should you ever need them out on the road.
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2017 Z1000SX

[Fat Angry Scotsman]

[Freddyfruitba...]

[chickenstrip]

[Fat Angry Scotsman]

[Freddyfruitba...]

[WD Forte]

Ahh bikes eh?
'cheap transport for the masses'

£2200 or so and counting as you haven't added the purchase costs fuel costs and training/tests costs plus kit to your list.
(lid, leathers boots gloves, POLITE vest etc)
plus consumables and gadgets

Training+tests what? another grand? I know it aint cheap
so lets say £3200
New zontes at 2.5K?
SH kwaker a grand? more?

I all adds up and can be a bit of shocker when you do the counting
Does 'er indoors' know what you've been squandering the dosh on?
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bikers smell of wee

[ThunderGuts]

It's still cheaper than car ownership, especially if you compare like for like. So a city car with a 125, or 500 twin with a mid-range hatchback. Comparing some exotic superbike with a smart car is a bit unfair. Insurance for those of us that come into biking at a later date is steeper than car insurance, but that's just because of the years under the belt of driving. It's not apples and apples. My bike insurance, now in it's 4th year, has dropped below my car insurance (which itself has been slightly declining, somehow).
____________________
TG.

[arry]

[Fat Angry Scotsman]

[ThunderGuts]

What you want as an aero-faired C125. The C125 can allegedly get silly mpg as they are, so put an aero bubble fairing on it (think speed record stylee) and you'll get weather protection, probably hit 75mph (on the flat, with modified gearing) and silly mpg.

You probably don't actually want such a contraption, but it'd be a masterpiece in fuel economy.

Back on topic, bike type makes a massive difference. My C90 averages 150mpg (despite being 27 years old and infrequent runs mean the float bowl is emptied before being put away - i.e. fuel lost for no miles), costs £21 a year to tax and about £140 to insure including breakdown cover (this will drop too as I build up a second set of bike NCD). I can't commute on it sadly as nowhere to put a bike at work (and if I left it on the street it WOULD get nicked, such is the nature of the area where I am). The VFR uses over twice as much fuel, costs over four times as much to tax and not far off twice as much to insure. As for servicing and upkeep . . . best not mention the comparables there, let's just say the C90 is cheaper to service than the lawnmower.
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TG.

[ThunderGuts]

Here you go - with an old Innova 125, this Dutch guy managed to squeeze 257mpg out of it! He doesn't mention top speed, but he did say in earlier trials of the concept it managed an increase from 56mph top speed to 69mph. Doubtless with the full fairing he could hit much higher speeds, probably over 80mph!

Quite an interesting read. Limited practicality in the real world, but it's still quite fun.

https://ecomodder.com/blog/diy-aero-fairings-honda-125cc-motorcycle-214-mpg/
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TG.

[Fat Angry Scotsman]

[arry]

[A100man]

[Fat Angry Scotsman]

[A100man]

[UncleFester]

By the time she's finished kicking you in the spuds you won't need one
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2017 Z1000SX

[ThunderGuts]

[Freddyfruitba...]

[Fat Angry Scotsman]