How economical are small bikes?

**bigdave1701** · 27th February 2013, 22:19

I've just got a new job on the other side of York (approx 20miles) and am looking at the most cost effective way of getting there without leaving the wife without a car. Public transport would take 2 hours and cost a small fortune and I'm not sure I can finance a second car at the moment, which has lead me to looking at mopeds/small bikes as a possible alternative. Does anyone have such a thing (I know there's a few proper bike riders on here) they use daily? How economical are they? What about other running costs such as insurance & tax? Oh and at 17stone am I a bit too hefty for one?

Ta

**Phil881** · 27th February 2013, 23:52

can't comment on the mpg but this might help.
http://hallicino.hubpages.com/hub/MP...lling-Scooters

Insurance and tax are very cheap but you will need to do you CBT if you don't already have a bike licence and if you only get your CBT without going on to get your full bike licence you'll need to renew it every two years.

I used to borrow my sons vespa 125 which was great fun around town but too slow for 60 or 70mph roads so it will depend on your route, at 17st you're prob best to avoid anything less than 125.

If you go on to get a big bike you'll get to work much quicker but it will only return a similar MPG to a car (my Ducati only did 35 mpg)

**hairymark** · 28th February 2013, 01:56

My 1st bike was a Suzuki GS125 & it did about 200mpg I seem to remember. I proper bike like this eg with manual gears will be more economical than a 2 stroke, automatic scooter. A 125cc bike will do about 65mph but runs out of steam going up a hill. There's many commuter bikes around the 400cc-500cc mark build with economy & being easy to ride in mind.

Bear in mind riding in the winter isn't fun & it's an unfortunate inevitability that a car driving will knock you off in the fullness of time & say "sorry mate, I didn't see you"

Don't get me wrong, biking is great fun but from bitter personal experience, I want to say that commuting on a bike in rush hour is the most dangerous riding you'll ever do

**stevoxsi** · 28th February 2013, 02:31

I had a 50cc pug scooter for a while. £15 tax, £200 insurance, over 100 mpg, 55mph derestricted and I was round 15 stone. 2 up it still did 50.

**jazzisri** · 28th February 2013, 03:44

tax and insurance are usually much lower than that of a car, however there are upfront costs, first and most importantly a helmet, a moderately good one will usually cost a minimum of £80-£100 and they are worth every penny its an unfortunate fact that you will at some point almost certainly fall off or be knocked off the bike IT WILL SAVE YOUR LIFE!!!!, you will need some sort of protective gear, dont get me wrong full leathers on a 125 will look a bit odd, but you will need something as jeans n a jacket are as much use a choccy fireguard. There is also atleast a CBT thats £70 -£100 depending where you go. and more tests n theory tests if you decide you want something bigger than a 125. You will want a set of waterproofs if you dont have leathers, if you dont buy them straight away you will shortly after you start riding as you will only get caught in the rain once before you invest I garuantee it. MPG wise tbh most people buy a bike to enjoy it not monitor the consumption but to a degree they are similar to a car, if you ride everywhere at full tilt you will use more fuel than if you change gear earlier etc, the difference will just be less noticable due to the much smaller engine capacity.

that covers most of the stuff, I haven't mentioned buying a bike ofcourse but im pretty sure that was a given,
hope this helps, and ride safe if you do invest, and ALWAYS check before changing lanes!

**big tee** · 28th February 2013, 07:13

i have riden bikes for 28 yrs now passed my test when i was 17 and always had 600cc upwards i recently took my R1 in for mot and rear tyre the dealer was good enough to lend me a loan bike it turned out to be a 100cc small wheeled scooter,i have never felt so vunrelable and unsafe in all my days, car drivers ,buses lorrys just dont give a toss when your on one of those little things

**bigdave1701** · 28th February 2013, 08:47

Cheers guys.

I had a quick look into the bikes available and the tests required last night and because I passed my test in 2002 I missed out on the benefit of just being able to hop straight on a moped and go so would have to do a CBT. Some of the 125's look absolutely stunning but would be waaay out of my price range!.. Having totted up the costs, am now wondering if it'd be cheaper just to buy an old car and scrap it/sell it at MOT time and see where I am finance wise then.

**Lostie** · 28th February 2013, 13:28

Personally I wouldnt comute on a bike, Like others have said you have more chance of being knocked off by someone texting. reading the paper putting makeup on (Or all three) whilst they are running late for work. A couple of times I came close to lying closer to the ground than I would have wanted too.

Just my 2p

**Craig1985** · 28th February 2013, 13:32

What about a smart car? Lol

**Teapot** · 28th February 2013, 13:45

I've had a little Yamaha Townmate 80 (shaft-drive step thru thing) for a few years now. They don't make them any more but like the Honda C90 it has decent sized wheels so fairly stable. I've ridden a couple of 'trendy modern' scooters and they are frighteningly unstable and harsh ride due to t the tiny wheels.

It does about 55mph on full chat, so maybe not fast enough for you, you might want to get a 125cc commuter bike instead. The townmate does about 120mpg, despite me using full throttle most of the time. If I ride slowly (under 40mph and gentle accelleration), I've had up to 200mpg.