I ran across this earlier on anothe rforum, and it DEFINATELY MAKES SENSE!!!!!!!

Unless you work for a shop lol....

"I was thinking about how we all tout our bikes as being so much more efficient than cars as one of the reasons we ride them and began doing some math with some odd results. It turns out, this really isn't the case, once you factor in some other things. Now, outside of the United States where gas prices are TRULY ridiculous (seriously quit bitching... our gas is SO cheap) this math doesn't work and it truly is MUCH more economical to ride, but here... well...

Tires. We chew tires. Most of us ride on a stickier grade of tire. Most of us get between 3000 and 3500 miles on a set of $350 shoes. Easy math says that this is .10 cents per mile. Now take our rather high gas prices now... what the hell... let us arbitrarily set our gas price at something high, like $3.50 per gallon. That rounds to .08 cents per mile at 45mpg. If you include tire prices, that makes gas/tires for us $8.10 per gallon.... or conversly (since it is just money and we can arbitrarily assign it anywhere we want) that means we get 19.4 mpg. This does not include our oil which we change much more frequently, with much more expensive oil, and a more expensive filter. I did the math out to 100,000 miles (which I have never been able to bring a bike to achieve) with gas/tires/oil/filters and it costs a few thousand more to ride a bike. Plus the SUV is gonna be good for another 100k. Normal street tires we will say get about 7000 miles of use out of reducing our gas/tire price to $5.85 per gallon or conversly 26.9 mpg.

NOW... lets pretend gas is back at $2.25. While we pay $6.75 per gallon/tire our pretend mpg drops to 15. Insurance is not a factor here, nor are crashes, chains, etc etc... but the more I play with the numbers, the more I realize that I ride cause I like to damnit.

That sucks.!!!!!!!!!!"




MAKES SENSE EH?

 

Stop complaining about your Petrol (Gas) Prices, we pay 98.6p or $1.81 per litre = £3.94 or $7.25 Per US Gallon

Thats everyday not when the fuel prices rise like yours have recently.

 

You forgot to add in the fun factor, which is negative for cars. Also when I wail on my bike, my mileage goes up (true). When I wail on my Jeep, my mileage goes down drastically.

 

hey anubis, I think we have a right to complain... cost of living is going way the hell up, and wages are not... if it keeps rising and not moving respectably, how the hell are we supposed to survive? How are some of the families who were barely making it before doing now? I think we can complain a bit... it is unnecessary.....


this isnt to call you out or anything, just trying to put another perspective on it...


Chris

 

Well this comparison is bogus to start with, apples to oranges so to speak...if you seriously want to compare, you need to compare our bikes to something like a sports car of some type. Which by my math have 4 tires at $200+ a pop and gas mileage that will make you cringe. Not to mention most car afficianados run full synthetic oil and need more of it at that. So while I agree I ride cause I like to, it is an economical way to get my adrenaline and "fun factor" rush. And the tires on my 4 cyl car run me at least $160 a piece. Its a sport tire which is one of very few that will fit on the stock size rim (im hoping this changes in the near future). So while I still would ride regardless, and the figures you come up with are interesting, im not convinced. And if you add in chains etc, you might as well start adding in shocks and belts and hoses and everything else that fails on a car. And if your following manufacturers directions your replacing these things when your supposed to, you'll be doing it far more often than you think . Not to mention I could buy 4, used, low mile bikes (sportbikes at that) for what a car costs these days. Interesting yes, completely accurate? I'm a sceptic.

 

your a lucky one then, and its your fault you ride a sportscar...

I have my bike, and thats what I get my thrills out of... I have a protege and a 04 subaru WRX (non sti )
This was off another forum, and it was comparing it to an suv... so its not that far fetched... I mean, I spend 200$ on tires every 3000 miles which is almost close to once a month... If I daily ride. On our car.. my sister has a 94 accord with the STOCK tires on it im sure or 2nd pair, and she just changed them today cause they were completely bald... and we got falkens on it for 260 ALL AROUND.

I think this makes sense, and is pretty much ALMOST accurate.

but to all his own.


also, about gas prices... WE ALL KNOW YOUR STORY BOUT PETROL. But our cars here dont use fuel wisely lol... most of my friends cars and trucks get about 9-15 mpg... and thats their dailys... our other cars n trucks get like 5-7 mpg....

and jobs are dwindling here, and so are wages... good thing i have a moped lol and my girl dont care, cause when all else fails, ima be SCOOTIN downt he street.

 

you keep runnin your over sized engines ya just runnin ya self into the ground usin fuel wisley isnt dumb, i mean if the japs can get the same performance from a turbo`d 4 cyl 2 litre as a n/a v8 7 litre then why not? Leaves more fuel to use in future, i sure don`t want to be lookin for alternative fuels in my lifetime (i`m 24) the technology development is way to slow. oil aint gonna be here forever buddy.