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     Scottorious |
ok so reading that massive post about how the electric cars are really just shamming on their MPGe it made me start thinking. Why dont we get tax credits for riding motorcycles? Our MPGe may not be the most amazing but as far as the footprint of a motorcycle it is much smaller. My motorcycle takes up much less space in a parking lot, much less space on the road as well as causes much less wear and tear to the road surface. the amount of materials that go into a motorcycle are much less. Could it ever be possible to get a tax credit on riding a motorcycle? | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Kyrocket |
I doubt it, as long as they're still considered "recreational" we won't. I understand that they're the primary vehicle for some folks, heck there's a guy I can see out the window right now who rides a Versys 365 no matter what but he's the exception. I've had people come up to me at the gas station and get all giddy talking about the excellent gas mileage and all the money I'm saving but then I have to burst their bubble and say, "yeah, but I'm not really going anywhere, I'm just wasting this gas". Which is true to an extent, I'm just out enjoying the bike but we do tread very lightly on the asphalt. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Not_purple_s2 |
Froggy? You there? If anyone would have an opinion I think he would. He would probably have a very accurate tally of the cost opperating a motorcycle vs a car (fuel, tires, maintaince, ect.) Of course bear in mind he does "hyper-mileage" riding that somehow gets insane mpg and mileage out of tires. (I sometimes think he gets off and pushes his bike around to get those numbers.) (Message edited by not_purple_s2 on February 15, 2011) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Fahren |
Yeah, I couldn't do that on a Buell (hyper-miling). Not even on a Blast. Too much temptation! | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Not_purple_s2 |
+1 Kyrocket I'm pretty sure any gas I save by commuting to work on the bike is burnt up on pleasure rides and track days. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Fltwistygirl |
"I doubt it, as long as they're still considered "recreational" we won't."  Nail right on the head there, Kyrocket. Perhaps with gas prices continuing to be on the rise, we will get more people commuting on bikes. The flip side is the people that have no business on 2 wheels, probably no business driving a car for that matter, see it as a way to save money too. Both my hubby and I commute to work on two wheels 95+% of the time, because it's economical, and more fun. Living in FL has its advantages. My beef is paying the same toll $'s as a Ford F250. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Xl1200r |
Definitely agree they are pleasure-mobiles for 99% of owners, and with my work commute being too short to justify riding to work (about 1.5 miles), I'd guess that 70% of my riding is for fun and not to go somewhere I'd have gone had I not had a bike. Something else to consider is part of the pollution of a bike is tires - the rubber that you use up is left on the side of the road as it wears down, and then the carcass needs to be disposed of. Bikes are going to go through more rubber than a car does. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Sifo |
I've had a lot of folks where I work comment on how much money I must save by commuting on the bike all the time. I always try to explain it to them that if you are buying a MC to save money, you are going to be very disappointed. Personally I would rather see the tax credits for the EVs go away rather than add a new ridiculous class of tax complication. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Froggy |
Bingo. But there is also more to environmental footprint than just the construction of a bike and fuel economy. The EPA is very lenient when it comes to exhaust emissions, even a modern motorcycle will pollute more out the tailpipe than a 80's SUV.
A sportbike at least, cost of ownership is higher than a econo-sedan. Tires alone every 5,000 at $300 a pop, and quickly the sedan comes out ahead. Not factoring in the more frequent oil changes and other maintenance of a sportbike. I was able to get 55MPG on my 1125R coming back from Buelltoberfest, but it does not make up for the fact that I used up 80% of my rear tread in that one trip.
Look into electronic toll paying. In the North East with EZ-Pass, I get a good discount on most tolls, and half off on the NY Thruway. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Froggy |
They will eventually go away. The Prius had tax incentives on it, after a specified amount were sold, that was it. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Johnnymceldoo |
I ride my bike in the spring summer and fall primarily to and from work. 99% of my riding is task related and the impact on my wallet is a nice change going from the xterra to the buell. Spring can't come soon enough. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Doerman |
but then I have to burst their bubble and say, "yeah, but I'm not really going anywhere, I'm just wasting this gas" Don't be so clinical about it Kyrocket. I think of it this way... The people that sit in their cages driving a car they can't afford to a job they hate to make money they spend on things to impress neighbors and friends they don't like, is a huge waste of energy. Me, I think using fuel to power a great ride on a awesome motorcycle is the ultimate use of energy. Buell motorcycles do exceptionally well in the "fuel economy" category when this type of criteria is brought into the context. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Hootowl |
I don't know about the rest of you, but choosing to commute on my bike vs. my truck saved me tons of money. 120 mile round trip @ 10 MPG compared to 55 MPG. That more than makes up for tires etc. I did that for many years. Now I live 1.5 miles from work. Getting three hours back every day is a game changer. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Hootowl |
And yes, I could have driven a car that got better mileage, but if I could have afforded to buy a car, I could have afforded to put gas in my truck. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Fltwistygirl |
Froggy- "Look into electronic toll paying. In the North East with EZ-Pass, I get a good discount on most tolls, and half off on the NY Thruway." We've got e-passes on all our vehicles and take advantage of the toll roads that give us a discount. My argument is the toll should be less for a motorcycle versus a truck that is several times heavier. After all, when you have a truck pulling a trailer, you pay more, I presume, because of the additional gross weight. Should the reverse not be true? Unfortunately, given the current budget cutting environment in the sunshine state, the last thing that we can expect to happen is anything that DECREASES toll revenues. (Message edited by fltwistygirl on February 15, 2011) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Froggy |
I totally, agree, and so does NY state, thats why they have lower tolls for the motorcycle EZ Pass. It would be nice if it was more widespread though. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Not_purple_s2 |
I'm thinking of switching to the GF's Blast this year as my commuter bike. The cops are heavy on the route to the new job so I don't need to have the urge to speed. Plus I think it'll be better on tires and gets the best mpg. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Reepicheep |
They charge by the axle, right? What if you promise to ride a wheelie the whole way?  | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Guell |
I try to commute as much as possible on the bike, and it does make a difference. Plus I show up to work happy and get home in a good mood too | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Fltwistygirl |
"They charge by the axle, right? What if you promise to ride a wheelie the whole way?" Ya know, as much fun as that sounds, not in the market for a $1,000.00 wheely ticket. That's the minimum you'll get dinged for a first time offense of lofting the wheel here in FLA. And how silly is it that a year round riding state like FLA offers no cost savings to two wheelers yet a three season riding state (for most people anyway) like NY offers incentive to ride two wheels instead of four. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Sifo |
I don't know about the rest of you, but choosing to commute on my bike vs. my truck saved me tons of money. 120 mile round trip @ 10 MPG compared to 55 MPG. That more than makes up for tires etc. I try to commute as much as possible on the bike, and it does make a difference. Plus I show up to work happy and get home in a good mood too There are many hidden costs involved in the bike though. Insurance, expensive maintenance, riding gear, etc. Still for those that have already made the investments, you might save money depending on your specific maintenance costs. Most folks looking to save a buck will load their pants the first time they get their service done at the local HD shop. Those same folks that think I'm saving money on my commute also think my road trip vacations must be cheap doing it on a MC. I don't bother to explain the economics of also having my wife riding her bike. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Froggy |
I highly recommend it, but the tires on that thing don't last either. The best I can do was 8000 miles on Dunflops, which is not much better than my 1125's, and its half what my XB does. Good news is that the tires are cheaper though, so if you change them yourself it evens out.
I believe you can blame the Stuntas for that. They have less of a presence up here. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Scottorious |
what about resources used in the creation of the bike....and then the amount of final landfill waste at the end of the bikes life. Can I feel good about that? | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Froggy |
I made a chart showing my 1125R vs my recently re-aquired Monte Carlo in terms of annual expenses:
Assuming I drove both equally doing 20,000 miles a year on each, the savings on gas is killed by insurance and other fees to keep it running. If I throw in my Blast, it is more of a fair compairson due to the lower insurance and fuel consumption. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Fahren |
Froggy, Try calling Dairyland on your bike insurance. They do not do cars in NY, but they do bikes, and there was no appreciable difference between moving my policy from rural Maryland to the East End of Long Island, NY. I'm talking 3 bikes, a few hundred/year, total. Have a look. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Blake |
Froggy, Do yourself a favor and either drop the collision on your bike insurance or increase the deductible to $1,000. Your premium will plummet. I pay like $140 per year for the Uly. No collision, no comprehensive, no PIP. I have health insurance. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Blake |
I recently did some conservative driving to and from Dallas in the F250 4x4 and got 23 MPG (60 MPH almost all highway). Going 75 it gets 16 MPG. So an extra hour of travel time round trip saved me about $16 in fuel, and I feel good about limiting the funding for the islamists. Worst ever hot-rodding around town was 13 MPH. Yeah, diesel. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Blake |
Take that all you stem cell cheerleaders! | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Froggy |
Can't reduce coverage, as I got a lein, but even at $2500 a year I spent on bike insurance total, I still need to be claim free for 15 years before Progressive makes money off me.  I did some number crunching on my Blast using the above chart, here is it:
As you can see, it makes more sense as a daily driver than my 1125R, and puts it closer to the Monte Carlo in terms of overall cost, but it still falls short. Now, if I can find an older Geo Metro, do some basic aerodyanmic modifications to it, maybe even an electric conversion, the Blast stands no chance. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Fresnobuell |
The econo cars are beating the hell out of most bikes in a straight up MPG comparison so I don't know where bikes have a smaller carbon foorprint. |
