Saving Gas Money with a Motorcycle: Does it Really Work?

So you are buying a motorcycle or scooter to try and save money at the pump. While the average motorcycle does get better gas mileage than the average car, there are other things to consider when purchasing that bike. Motorcycles come in a wide variety of styles, and the fuel economy of each varies. You might buy the bike of your dreams, only to find you aren't saving that much after all.

Let's say you have a 30 mile commute to work, and work 5 days a week. That is 300 miles, per week, just going to and from work. You drive a car that gets 26 mpg, so you use about 12 gallons of gas a week. At 4.25 a gallon, that is $51. That's over $200 a month just in fuel, ouch.

So you decide to buy a motorcycle, to save some of that $200. First you have to find a bike, let's say you buy a used bike for 2500, with luggage so you can carry stuff around. A helmet for 200, jacket and pants for 300 total, and you are behind $3000.

There are other expenses, such as insurance and any repairs or items needed for that used bike (New tires, hoses, etc), but since they can be from a lot to nothing at all I'm not going to include them, but you should be aware of them and plan accordingly.

So, since you were spending $200 a month in gas, you will need 15 months...but that is no including the gas you had to put in the bike. You still have your 300 mile work week, and lets say your bike gets 45mpg. That works out to about 7 gallons a week, at 4.25 a gallon means you are still paying almost $120 a month.

Since now you are saving only $80 a month, it will now take 37 months before you break even on your purchase, or more than 3 years of continuous riding. Here in North America, most of us don't enjoy weather conditions that allow for year-round riding.

If you decide to buy a nice, shiny new American or German machine for $15,000, things look even worse. And don't forget that motorcycles, while high on style, lack something in practicality. It is hard to take the kids to soccer practice, unless you just have one and he or she is old enough to ride on the back. There is also rain and snow to think about, which can be uncomfortable on two wheels.

Now that we have all this on the table, what should you be looking at for that fuel-saving motorcycle?

Well, there are ways to skew the numbers. Lets say, instead of your actually not-to bad 26mpg car, you bought that pick-up truck of your dreams, which gets around 15mpg. Your 300 miles a week are now looking much more painful, at $340 a month.

Since you already have the truck, you manage to purchase a small motorcycle, lets say only 250cc. This bike gets 80mpg, though it is a bit small for much more than urban commuting. That means your monthly fuel bill is less than $64, saving you $276 a month.

So, you can make switching to a motorcycle, or scooter, work as a way to safe money at the pump, but you have to willing to keep your costs down, and shop for a smaller, high-mpg vehicle to use. With planning, you can save hundreds a month, but without it you can end up spending almost as much as you were with your car, and have the additional expences of another vehicle.