peacefuljeffrey
Interfector Viris Spurii
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Peace through superior slinging power!
Posts: 2700
West Palm Beach
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My motorcycle gets in the vicinity of 52 mpg or so. Far better than cars and trucks, and even better than most hybrids. But it isn't as practical as a car is. I can ride in the rain, yes, but don't care for doing so. I can ride in summer heat, but it's a bit of a drag. I can ride in winter cold -- fortunately it never gets that cold in Florida, and if it were to snow, I would not be able to ride the motorcycle. I can carry a moderate amount of groceries on my motorcycle, using some bungee netting I bought; but the capacity is limited.
The motorcycle is a LOT more fun to get around on than the car is. The car seems so ordinary.
You could probably get a decent used motorcycle for $5,000, but bear in mind that paying for maintenance is not a whole lot cheaper, if it's cheaper at all. You'd better learn to do your own oil changes, and spark plug and air filter replacement, etc. Learn to do as much of the maintenance as you can, because motorcycle mechanics charge an arm and a leg.
I use Mobil 1 synthetic oil in my bike now, and the last time I did my oil change (in July) the oil cost $12.99 per quart, and I used three quarts plus a $15 oil filter. That's $54 or so plus tax.
You don't get nearly the 30,000-50,000 miles out of a set of tires like on a car. You expect to get between 8,000-12,000 out of your tires, and then a new set will cost $200-$500 easily to have installed. (I pushed my tires to about 15,000 miles before getting them changed, and the change cost me about $250.)
I installed my own replacement air filter and spark plugs, after investing about $120 for a rear swingarm lift (a frame that lifts the rear wheel off the ground by supporting the axle). That saved me hundreds of dollars, I think, because on my bike, the operation involves removing most of the front fairing and the fuel tank!
Be aware of what you may be getting into.
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