With gas expected to hit $4 a gallon this spring/summer, I've been thinking about alternatives to the gas-guzzling hot-rod Ram.
Specifically, I've been looking at scooters - Honda Metropolitan, Yamaha Zuma (no link, they stupidly load up their site with add-ons that prevent loading, so scroom...), etc. I have little interest in the crappy Chinese Vespa knock-offs, as I'd rather spend a little more for a known quantity that I can have fixed if/when needed than save a little cash upfront and have it fall apart after the first year...
Basically, I want something under 50ccs, as that does not require taxes/tags in MA. It's also the best gas mileage, and these models typically top out between 35-40 MPH. My commute is all backroads, with 40 MPH being the top speed of any road traveled. This small size (these scooters typically weigh under 200 pounds even fueled) also means that I can, if needed, hoist them into the bed of my truck for transport.
So, the math...
Truck gets ~ 13 MPG around town (stop-and-go). My daily commute is 30 miles. That's $9.23 a day at $4 a gallon.
Most scooters of this size get between 80 and 100 MPG. Using a 90 MPG average, that's $1.33 a day at the same $4/gal. gas price.
Daily savings: $7.90 per day.
Average MSRP for these scooters is ~ $2K. This means that the ROI at MSRP would be 253.2 days. Riding the scooter three days a week (rain/take truck once a week to keep it running/Harley), that's 84.4 weeks before I'd break even. Given ~ 30 week riding season, that's a hair under three years. I'd have to invest in a better rainsuit, but that's something I've been meaning to get anyways.
That's not that bad... There's also the not-inconsequential benefit of putting less miles on the truck...
Hmmm. This may bear more research...
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7 comments:
I'm looking into that, myself. Of course, I get 50-55 MPG from my Shadow, so I might scrape by.
Add insurance for the extra vehicle & the cost of a tag, too. Not huge but also not throwaway. I considered something similar for my 12 mile commute to work but the company laptop and my gym bag - not to mention my wife's piece of mind since her parents were almost killed on their motorcycle 4 years ago & her father is going to be partially impaired for the rest of his life due to it - are obstacles that I cannot overcome. :)
At this time....
Posted by Mr. 20 MPG Acura Legend who lives in the most bike friendly weather in the country.
rustmeister,
Y'see, that's the thing... The Harley only gets 35-40 MPG around town, and that's on premium gas, so it's really not a heck of a lot better. I've thought about the Buell Blast, as it gets more like 65-70 MPG, but that involves insurance and tags.
ricky,
In MA, under 50ccs doesn't need tags and insurance - it's considered a moped. All you need is a $20/year sticker from the registry and you're good-to-go.
Hence why I want to keep it under 50 cc rather than going for a Honda Helix 250 or somesuch...
Course, then you've got to live with the stigma that YOUR ON A FRIGGIN SCOOTER!
(Sorry, couldn't resist.)
I would absolutely love to get to work on something with two wheels. I had to get rid of mine a couple years back.
/sad
tweaker
What was that you said, "Boots"?
*g*
Doooood. Get a bike. I've had one in some guise for 13 years now...
(Damn, I am old...)
The only drawback to my "new" bike is that my mileage went from 40-45 on the R65 to 35 on the R80. :-( I'm thinking that a new windshield may help the problem as it currently has a shorty, and the R80 was designed for a full-height one...
My only concern about riding a bike of any kind is the latte-swilling, cell-phone-yakking jerkface who is drifting back and forth across the road in his big-ass SUV. Even if the turdlet is sorry, that would do me no good as they use ten pounds of titanium to put me back together.
So I'll stick with my Honda Accord; it gets close to 30mpg and that's good enough for now.
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