Cost of Riding a Motorcycle in My First Season

[BrownBrady]

I wanted to know how much my first riding season was going to cost if I were to spread the total cost evenly per month. So I did a little math and added up (most) of the expenses. And this was what I came up with:

License - $74.00
Riding Gear - $500.00
Motorcycle Safety Course - $420.00
Motorcycle (CBR250) - $3,000.00
Registration - $42.00
Insurance - $724.00
Fuel & Maintenance - $440.00
Modifications - $800.00
================
Total: $6,000

Divided by 8 riding months, that is $750/month.

Anyway, I thought this might be useful to future riders who would like to create their budget. This calculation is based on my experience and my type of motorcycle. Obviously, if you get a bigger bike, the cost will also go up. Cheers.

[video=youtube;i0yMngTLk8c]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i0yMngTLk8c[/video]

 

[Boots]

Just to add, young riders 16-21 should add about 1500 give or take to that total cost because insurance for us is different.

 

[Touchit]

Nice video! Really puts things into perspective when you look at the overall costs involved to get started. Hope more new riders get to see your video and see there's more to the cost of a bike than just a helmet and bike.

Also great tip on buying rubbers! Looks like I'll just stick to using plastic wrap.

 

[nfq]

Don't forget the costs after you crash/repairs and speeding tickets.

 

[ZX600]

Riding Gear - $500.00

$500 for a helmet, boots a jacket and gloves?

Where is this magical place you shop at?

...and I don't remember condoms being so damn expensive in Venezuela when I was there as a teenager !?!

 

[black_CG2]

Good thread. You might want to add the savings due to riding a motorcycle. It happened to me at least. I rode both of my bikes to work and saved huge amount of money due to great gas mileage, free parking and cheaper insurance than my car.


At the end of the day, you cannot justify the cost because you enjoy this hobby.

 

[BrownBrady]

Just to add, young riders 16-21 should add about 1500 give or take to that total cost because insurance for us is different.

True, younger riders pay a premium.

Nice video! Really puts things into perspective when you look at the overall costs involved to get started. Hope more new riders get to see your video and see there's more to the cost of a bike than just a helmet and bike. Also great tip on buying rubbers! Looks like I'll just stick to using plastic wrap.

Yes, this hobby is quickly catching up in costs to my other hobby (astronomy).

Don't forget the costs after you crash/repairs and speeding tickets.

True (and ouch).

$500 for a helmet, boots a jacket and gloves? Where is this magical place you shop at? ...and I don't remember condoms being so damn expensive in Venezuela when I was there as a teenager !?!

I got my gear at GP Bikes in Whitby when they were on sale. Condoms in Venezuela are so expensive due to inflation (no pun intended).

Good thread. You might want to add the savings due to riding a motorcycle. It happened to me at least. I rode both of my bikes to work and saved huge amount of money due to great gas mileage, free parking and cheaper insurance than my car. At the end of the day, you cannot justify the cost because you enjoy this hobby.

I thought about doing this but I still needed to transport people and things so I had to hang on to my cage. Good point though.

 

[Riceburner]

Cost of the bike and gear and mods don't apply to just one year. They get spread over the years owned. Unless you are gonna get new gear and scrap the bike every year.

 

[XenoVibe]

Technically only the insurance should be divided by 8 months. The license plate can last you forever, The gear should last you years if you don't go down. The bike has resale value which you will probably sell in 1-2 years for a bigger bike or a different type of bike as most do. Mods you probably wont recuperate spent money, though. Don't think of it was an investment.

 

[Hardwrkr13]

$500 for a helmet, boots a jacket and gloves?

Where is this magical place you shop at?

...and I don't remember condoms being so damn expensive in Venezuela when I was there as a teenager !?!

OP lives in Oshawa. He'll die of an std well before a motorcycle accident gets him

 

[PLau]

$500 for a helmet, boots a jacket and gloves?

Where is this magical place you shop at?

...and I don't remember condoms being so damn expensive in Venezuela when I was there as a teenager !?!

Motorcycle show dealszzszzzz!

$10 gloves
$40 helmet
$50 "boots"
$80 mesh jacket
$30 jeans

$210! Done!

I'm kidding OP, get proper gear - especially being your first season.

 

[suzuki2000]

Cost of the bike and gear and mods don't apply to just one year. They get spread over the years owned. Unless you are gonna get new gear and scrap the bike every year.

+1 trying to justify costs is futile the reality is the cost of riding typical do not end in net savings to anyone.

 

[BrownBrady]

Cost of the bike and gear and mods don't apply to just one year. They get spread over the years owned. Unless you are gonna get new gear and scrap the bike every year.

In the video, I pointed out that in season two, the cost of the one-time costs in year two would be zero. But you make a good point, and yours is another way of looking at it. Thanks for the contribution.

Technically only the insurance should be divided by 8 months. The license plate can last you forever, The gear should last you years if you don't go down. The bike has resale value which you will probably sell in 1-2 years for a bigger bike or a different type of bike as most do. Mods you probably wont recuperate spent money, though. Don't think of it was an investment.

Yes, it's another way of looking at it. Thanks for the comments.

Motorcycle show dealszzszzzz! $10 gloves $40 helmet $50 "boots" $80 mesh jacket $30 jeans $210! Done! I'm kidding OP, get proper gear - especially being your first season.

Hi PLau, I purchased the following gear under the advice of one of the reps at GP Bikes: HJC FG-17 helmet, Joe Rocket Pheonix 11.0 jacket, Speed & Strength shoes, and Icon Pursuit gloves. I was under the impression that these were proper. Please advise what is proper? Thanks for your help.

+1 trying to justify costs is futile the reality is the cost of riding typical do not end in net savings to anyone.

Good point and thanks for your contribution.

 

[Riceburner]

After a few decades the costs work out a lot lower for the capital items.

 

[veteq]

Very useful information for a new rider but one must keep in mind that most of those costs will not factor in after the 1st year (bike, gear, license,etc) so the cost of riding will come down greatly.

Last year, I didn't spend any money on gear or bike repairs so my total cost of ownership was less than $300/month (including gas, one oil change and insurance)

 

[deejizzle]

I like to buy a peice of gear every year. Last season it was gloves, this season its a new lid. bike parts and consumables are not the only things that wear down.

For newbies reading this thread, dont forget
- bags (saddle, tank, or whatever suits your needs)
- caa - not needed but great to have peace of mind when your stranded
- non-direct costs - i have a group i ride with and the few times i do go out we usually have lunch, do something, etc

 

[ReSTored]

I wanted to know how much my first riding season was going to cost if I were to spread the total cost evenly per month. So I did a little math and added up (most) of the expenses. And this was what I came up with:

License - $74.00
Riding Gear - $500.00
Motorcycle Safety Course - $420.00
Motorcycle (CBR250) - $3,000.00
Registration - $42.00
Insurance - $724.00
Fuel & Maintenance - $440.00
Modifications - $800.00
================
Total: $6,000

Divided by 8 riding months, that is $750/month.

Good exercise. Once you remove initial costs you're down to about $1,500 - $2,000/year.

We were comparing costs on another forum and here are mine...........

=================
12 seasons, 2002 ST1100 I purchased a year old from a dealer @$14,300, 76,000km and following......... (all numbers rounded and taxes in)

Clothing and Bike Accessories = $5,000
Fuel = 4,500
Insurance = $10,600
Parts = $3,500
Dealer Service = $1,150 (which included some parts)
Registration = $500

Grand total = $39,550 or about $3,300 per annum. This total does not include hotel and meals on bike trips.
=================

My annual km is low, not a lot of time to ride. Owning a bike is an expensive hobby.

 

[PLau]

Hi PLau, I purchased the following gear under the advice of one of the reps at GP Bikes: HJC FG-17 helmet, Joe Rocket Pheonix 11.0 jacket, Speed & Strength shoes, and Icon Pursuit gloves. I was under the impression that these were proper. Please advise what is proper? Thanks for your help.

I was just screwing around point out that many of the side stands at the show selling $10 gloves are so thin, they'd rip through if you take your hand and scrape it on the ground a foot.

If you want to continue being a geared up rider after gaining some experience, I'd suggest boots over shoes as I've never seen shoes hold up well (or stay on peoples feet) in the event of a crash.

In the end, wear what you feel comfortable wearing. Just know that the chances of going down are greatly increased being a new rider and its better to be prepared wearing something you *hope* will save some skin.

 

[BrownBrady]

If you want to continue being a geared up rider after gaining some experience, I'd suggest boots over shoes as I've never seen shoes hold up well (or stay on peoples feet) in the event of a crash. In the end, wear what you feel comfortable wearing. Just know that the chances of going down are greatly increased being a new rider and its better to be prepared wearing something you *hope* will save some skin.

I've been lucky that I've only gone down while the bike isn't moving lol. Yes, boots provide better protection than shoes. Thanks for the suggestion!

Good exercise. Once you remove initial costs you're down to about $1,500 - $2,000/year. We were comparing costs on another forum and here are mine........... Grand total = $39,550 or about $3,300 per annum. This total does not include hotel and meals on bike trips. My annual km is low, not a lot of time to ride. Owning a bike is an expensive hobby.

Damn, that's a lot of money (for me). Thanks for your contribution.

I like to buy a peice of gear every year. Last season it was gloves, this season its a new lid. bike parts and consumables are not the only things that wear down. For newbies reading this thread, dont forget - bags (saddle, tank, or whatever suits your needs) - caa - not needed but great to have peace of mind when your stranded - non-direct costs - i have a group i ride with and the few times i do go out we usually have lunch, do something, etc

Thanks for your responding. I forgot about these other on-going costs that can quickly add up.

Very useful information for a new rider but one must keep in mind that most of those costs will not factor in after the 1st year (bike, gear, license,etc) so the cost of riding will come down greatly. Last year, I didn't spend any money on gear or bike repairs so my total cost of ownership was less than $300/month (including gas, one oil change and insurance)

Yes, the second year promises to be a lot more affordable. Thanks for commenting.

After a few decades the costs work out a lot lower for the capital items.

True, and more apparent if you were to finance the motorcycle instead of paying in cash. Thanks.

 

[JustinRR]

It's great to know someone is doing the same too, it keeps track of how much I spent in the bike, especially useful when I sell it so I know how much I lose.