Motorcyle Total Cost of Ownership

[Occ]

I get about 4-5k miles out of a set of tires on my bike. Michelin Pilot Powers, I have over 12k miles on the bike and I'm on my 3rd set of tires. At $350+ a pop installed that's not cheap.

I'm not arguing tires aren't going to be a serious expense, but I think you guys are overstating the case. First of all the bikes most of us have are not good in terms of efficiency. Touring tires for a touring bike ought to last longer and and be less expensive. Assuming more of a beater bike / work horse instead of a performance toy, you can also get free tires with holes and patch them yourself. I know some older guys that do this quite a bit. Second of all, who sold you those tires? I got the same tires for $158 shipped and $70 to install on my gsxr. $230 ain't exactly cheap either, but it beats "$350+" handily.

In comparison, I have 90,000 miles on my car and it is on its 3rd set of tires. If I rode the bike 90k miles I'd have spent over $6000 in tires alone. Also, the bike is coming up on its first valve check at 14,000 miles and that is NOT an easy job. It will cost me a few hundred to have that service performed.

Yeah, valve checks will probably be the biggest problem. I'm guessing the change interval is longer for touring bikes though.

Also, shouldn't you factor in the price to purchase your bike vs the car?

 

[madeuce]

Insurance and registration added in bring your Maxima over the bike?

 

[JulesMaximus]

dp

 

[JulesMaximus]

I'm not arguing tires aren't going to be a serious expense, but I think you guys are overstating the case. First of all the bikes most of us have are not good in terms of efficiency. Touring tires for a touring bike ought to last longer and and be less expensive. Assuming more of a beater bike / work horse instead of a performance toy, you can also get free tires with holes and patch them yourself. I know some older guys that do this quite a bit. Second of all, who sold you those tires? I got the same tires for $158 shipped and $70 to install on my gsxr. $230 ain't exactly cheap either, but it beats "$350+" handily.



Yeah, valve checks will probably be the biggest problem. I'm guessing the change interval is longer for touring bikes though.

Also, shouldn't you factor in the price to purchase your bike vs the car?

The OP said 600cc bike...I assumed super sport.

It is cheaper if you remove the wheels yourself and bring them in to have a shop do the work but then you have to drive them over there and then drive back over to pick them up when they're done...not exactly convenient or easy (you'll need front and rear stands plus tools). I used the price I paid for them installed at a local garage...actually, I think they were around $330 installed the first time I did them. The second time I took the wheels off myself and drove them over to the shop.

Not sure how the OP would do it without a car though...I guess he'd have to ride the bike to the shop and pay them to do the work.

If I factor in the original purchase price of both (including gear for the bike) less their current retail value it favors the bike by about $8000 or about another 9 cents a mile. Again, see my comments about living with a bike as your ONLY means of transportation though.

 

[Greenman]

Uh huh. And what bike and tires are these?

The bike is a V-Rod, the tires are Avon Cobras.

 

[Zargon]

I just calculated the basic maintenance and fuel costs of both my car and bike over 90,000 miles (which I have on my Maxima presently) and it's pretty close. I used the city mileage of both vehicles (19mpg for the Maxima and 45mpg for my SV650). If the car got better mileage it would beat the bike easily...Maximas aren't known for their stellar fuel economy. Oh, and most sport bikes get around 35mpg or worse if you start messing with aftermarket pipes and mapping. 😉

I also figured the cost of having all services done at the dealership for both vehicles. The 3000 mile service on the bike is $125. In all fairness I should probably add in the 30/60/90k service cost on the Maxima so that would add $1800 to the bill for the car. This would push the car $420 higher than the motorcycle.

So, $0.21/mile for the car vs $0.208/mile for the motorcycle...not a whole hell of a lot cheaper to operate a bike than the car now is it? Even if I did all the oil changes on the bike myself it would only bring the bike down to $0.178/mile.

I didn't factor in brakes because I'm not sure how long my brakes will go on the bike. I replaced the front calipers about a year ago and put new pads on then...it was $90 for a set of front pads for the bike which is a good bit more expensive than a set of front brake pads for my car and I'd bet money the car needs brake overhauls less frequently than the bike. Brake rotors for a bike are ridiculously expensive.

I've never had to replace rotors on a bike, they last a pretty darn long time. 30k+ on one of my bikes and they were still well within specs

you use expensive tires that dont last as long, most people dont need to daily ride on PP's, also 350 is waaaay overpriced anyways.

valve checks, esp on a sv650 are childs play....

 

[Greenman]

you use expensive tires that dont last as long, most people dont need to daily ride on PP's, also 350 is waaaay overpriced anyways.

When you have a traction patch of only 5 square inches, I'd argue that everyone needs the best tires that money can buy. There simply isn't very much rubber on the road, so the little bit that is down there needs to stick.

 

[eBauer]

I've never had to replace rotors on a bike, they last a pretty darn long time. 30k+ on one of my bikes and they were still well within specs

you use expensive tires that dont last as long, most people dont need to daily ride on PP's, also 350 is waaaay overpriced anyways.

valve checks, esp on a sv650 are childs play....

I agree that most people don't need Pilot Powers. A good middle ground is take a softer front such as a BT016/PP2ct, and use a BT021/23 / Pilot Road 2ct for a rear. This way you'll be ready to change both the front and back at around 7,000-10,000 miles depending on the bike. (literbikes chew up rear tires faster, naturally)

Let's be realistic here - if you are finding the edge of grip with a PR 2ct / BT023, you are definitely riding too fast for the street. Bring it to the track instead.

 

[Occ]

Not sure how the OP would do it without a car though...I guess he'd have to ride the bike to the shop and pay them to do the work.

Ride to the shop with a backpack containing the tools necessary to dismantle/reassemble it right there. 😀 You can also get breaker tools so you can do the whole thing yourself, but I would freak out about bending a rim or something.

 

[JulesMaximus]

I agree that most people don't need Pilot Powers. A good middle ground is take a softer front such as a BT016/PP2ct, and use a BT021/23 / Pilot Road 2ct for a rear. This way you'll be ready to change both the front and back at around 7,000-10,000 miles depending on the bike. (literbikes chew up rear tires faster, naturally)

Let's be realistic here - if you are finding the edge of grip with a PR 2ct / BT023, you are definitely riding too fast for the street. Bring it to the track instead.

I will never put anything but Pilot Powers on my bike. I love the grip and feel of these tires.

 

[JulesMaximus]

Ride to the shop with a backpack containing the tools necessary to dismantle/reassemble it right there. 😀 You can also get breaker tools so you can do the whole thing yourself, but I would freak out about bending a rim or something.

You can fit a front and rear stand in a backpack? I'd like to see that. 😀

 

[eBauer]

I will never put anything but Pilot Powers on my bike. I love the grip and feel of these tires.

You should try out the Pilot Pures if you like the Powers. They weigh 2 pounds less and the softer edges now are much bigger (38% on each side)
Right now on the Suzuki I'm running a Pilot Pure front + Pure rear for the track, and a BT021 rear for the street. I have two rear wheels, so I simply swap them out for the specific application.

That being said, dual compound touring tires still provide more than enough grip for street riding. If you don't think so, it's all in the head 😉 Proof: here's a photo on the track using the the Bridgestone BT021's when I took the school to apply for my race license.

 

[Zargon]

When you have a traction patch of only 5 square inches, I'd argue that everyone needs the best tires that money can buy. There simply isn't very much rubber on the road, so the little bit that is down there needs to stick.

'best' is subjective.

a pilot road will be much better in cooler and or wet weather, as its made for it. PP's get loose when the temps get into the lower 50's.

you can take pilot roads, and bt-020/1's to trackdays unless you running the high end of intermediate without smoking the tire.

especially now that they dual compound like ebauer is pointing out.

nice gsx-r btw ebauer, looking good!

 

[JulesMaximus]

You should try out the Pilot Pures if you like the Powers. They weigh 2 pounds less and the softer edges now are much bigger (38% on each side)
Right now on the Suzuki I'm running a Pilot Pure front + Pure rear for the track, and a BT021 rear for the street. I have two rear wheels, so I simply swap them out for the specific application.

That being said, dual compound touring tires still provide more than enough grip for street riding. If you don't think so, it's all in the head 😉 Proof: here's a photo on the track using the the Bridgestone BT021's when I took the school to apply for my race license.

Yeah, I'd like to try those next actually. They didn't have them in stock when I bought my last set though so I went with the Pilot Powers again.

I don't care about longevity. I want the tire with the best grip.

 

[eBauer]

Yeah, I'd like to try those next actually. They didn't have them in stock when I bought my last set though so I went with the Pilot Powers again.

I don't care about longevity. I want the tire with the best grip.

I'm merely saying that the added grip isn't needed on the street. So, getting back on topic on the cost of ownership, I would figure on a rear tire every 7,000 - 10,000 miles for the majority of riders out there, not 5,000. (If I can get 7,000 miles on a BT021/PR2ct on a 170whp literbike, close to 10,000 would definitely be possible on a sv650)

 

[JulesMaximus]

I'm merely saying that the added grip isn't needed on the street. So, getting back on topic on the cost of ownership, I would figure on a rear tire every 7,000 - 10,000 miles for the majority of riders out there, not 5,000. (If I can get 7,000 miles on a BT021/PR2ct on a 170whp literbike, close to 10,000 would definitely be possible on a sv650)

Maybe not but I like the way these tires feel. Much better than the crappy OEM rubber that was on the bike when it was new. Why mess with it since I've found a tire I like?

 

[Occ]

You can fit a front and rear stand in a backpack? I'd like to see that. 😀

So you might need to supplement with some bungee cords... :hmm:

 

[Zargon]

Yeah, I'd like to try those next actually. They didn't have them in stock when I bought my last set though so I went with the Pilot Powers again.

I don't care about longevity. I want the tire with the best grip.

don't take this the wrong way, but if you aren't going to the track, thats ignorant.

like ebauer said, if you are actually using a decent sport/touring tire like a PR2 or 021 to its limit on the street, you are insane, dangerous, and shouldnt be allowed back on the street.

especially now with dual compounds.

'best grip' isnt a concrete thing either, you should want a tire that handles all potential riding situations the best, not just a sunny day on perfect pavement

where do you live and ride?