I have a 33 mile one way commute to work on rural roads with hardly any traffic. The speed limit on these roads is 50 or 55. I only have to stop 3 or 4 times for stop signs so most of the trip will be around 60. Here are the questions:
1. Is this bike capable of going 60-65 for the trip?
2. What are the rpms at 60?
3. Can I expect to get at least 50 mpg?
4. Are the maintenance costs going to make up for any mpg benefit?
Thank you one and all.
Quote1. Is this bike capable of going 60-65 for the trip?
its not much fun with the wind blast so i would consider a sheild of some sort
Quote2. What are the rpms at 60?
about 5000 rpm depending on gearing
Quote3. Can I expect to get at least 50 mpg?
yes, if you dont accelerate like a bat outa hell. i got 65 once on a 120 mile trip up 35. no less than 80mph indicated the whole way and i got 65mpg :o
Quote4. Are the maintenance costs going to make up for any mpg benefit
hardly any maintance costs besides gas, oil, tires, and somtimes lubing the chain
hope this helps :thumb:
Yes. Yes. Yes. Depends. j/k ;) see above.
I ride for an hour or more (not on regular basis mind) at 80-90+ mph without problem. I have a tiny screen that helps a bit...tiny screen.
I usually get 50-60mpg on regular basis.
usual maintenance costs if you commute 5 days a week and dont ride on weekends (yeah, right) :
-you'll need an oil change every 9 weeks (3000 miles)
-you'll have to clean and lube your chain every 2 weeks. (600 miles)
-You'l likely burn through a quart of oil in about the same time, 2-4 weeks depending. 1qt/500-1000 miles
-you'll need new rear tire (assuming a bias ply sporty/sport-touring tire) every 3-4 months.(10,000 miles)
-new front every 6-8 months. (20,000, or usually changed every other new rear)
What Pablo said, with additional comments.
You need to change the oil every 3,000 miles, but you do that on your car too, right? The difference being that you might choose to put more expensive oil in the bike.
My '99 has never burned signifcant oil. With 25,000+ miles on the bike, I took a quart of oil along on last year's 3,400-mile trip (from Utah to British Columbia and back) and added maybe half a quart the whole time. In other words, oil usage will vary from bike to bike.
Right on about the tires. You can get some pretty inexpensive tires, but they may not last as long and they probably won't handle as well as Bridgestone BT45s or Metzeler ME330/ME550's or other tires in the $75-100 (each!) price range.
Figure a new chain ($80-$100) every ... 15 to 20 thousand miles?
Buy hey, at least you don't need to buy antifreeze! :thumb:
Along with other various and sundry expenses, I once figured out (in my head, not on paper) that the bike cost me nearly as much to operate as my Pontiac LeMans, which got 25 mpg in the city and near-40 on the highway. So OK - I use the car for hauling people and dogs and "big stuff", and the bike for solo transportation and FUN!
If it's just about saving money, don't do it. (Think rain, cold, bugs, no "safety cage", etc.)
But if it's about RIDING then ... by all means! :)
I kind of thought the money thing would work out about equal. I know tires don't last that long and air filter elements are ridiculously expensive. I live in the Phoenix area, so while the weather is perfect now, it will be a bit warm in the summer. I have done it before though.
I haven't ridden since '86 and have been thinking about it a lot lately. I previously owned a '77 Suzuki GS750, '77 Yamaha RD400 and '80 Honda 750 among others. I don't want to get something too big...and the 750s seem huge to me when I sit on them. I'm not interested in cruisers either. Also the bigger bikes don't get very good fuel mileage so that advantage goes away.
There is a used GS500 locally with less than 500 miles for $2900.
Thanks for all the input.
I ride to and from work most days (about 40-45 miles) on my '96 gs500. I got the bike in November, and I have put almost 3500 miles on it since then. I often carpool two or three times a week, so that keeps the mileage down a bit... and sometimes the roads were too icy to ride on. The heated grips made it so I could keep going riding even when it was down at 8 or 9 degrees (F) as long as the roads were dry.
After putting on my shoes, jacket, and other misc items I carry about my person (leatherman, swiss army knife, keys, kitchen sink, flashlight, etc), I weigh in between 240 and 250lbs. When I have my tank bag, it's usually got at least 10lbs in it, and my backpack with my laptop and accessories in it probably weighs, I dunno, 30 or 40lbs at least.
With all that, in the dead of winter (Gas mileage suffers in the cold, I've noticed), I have never done worse than 43mpg... and some of those rides I was fighting some serious headwinds.
I find that I need to check the oil periodically (didn't for almost too long, was a quart and a half low :o :x ), and lube the chain. You'll also want to make sure you keep an eye on traffic. Your main problem, however, will probably be keeping yourself within reasonable range of the speed limit... my bike seems to want to go closer to 75-80 than to 60, if I'm not watching it... but maybe that's just me.
I love riding. I've wanted a motorcycle all my life, and have never regretted my decision to purchase Kerry's '96, which I use mainly for commuting. With cost of helmet, various accessories, and the occasional modification, it's probably not really cheaper... but it sure is a lot more fun, and much more relaxing to and from work.
Quote from: vol245I know [...] air filter elements are ridiculously expensive.
This is the (only) reason that I bought a stock-airbox-replacement K&N filter. It didn't cost much more than the "ridiculously expensive" (Amen!) OEM filter, and it's cleanable / reusable. The manual would have you change the OEM paper filter every ... 4,000 miles? I started out to be conscientious about changing them, but before I bought my first replacement filter I discovered the reusable K&N alternative. (See
my webpage on the subject).
Before the back-ordered K&N came in (and I
finally installed it) I had put over 10,000 miles on my original paper filter. Not the best idea perhaps, but it worked out OK.
EDIT: Changed link from sisna.com to bbburma.net.
Quote from: KerryI had put over 10,000 miles on my original paper filter. Not the best idea perhaps, but it worked out OK.
I've heard that as paper-element filters clog-up, they filter "better and better" (and let less and less air through). So the main effect of an old dirty filter (assuming no tears) would be a richer mixture. Hey, maybe I'll keep my old clogged air filter for winter riding :) . But seriously, with a K&N filter, you only pay once.
Regarding tire costs, radials cost more, but will go farther per dollar. You might consider getting a pair of Metzler radials when your current tires lose too much tread.
Kerry's bike doesn't burn oil, and mine doesn't either; I added no oil in the 1k miles since my last oil change, and the level on the dipstick has dropped down by two "diamonds" (those little diamond-shaped cross-hatches), or about 1.5mm. But if it gets to be costing too much to run synthetic, then you could use something cheaper.
Your trip sounds exactly like the trip I've been doing every working day for the last 4 years. I wouldn't do it any other way. As far as motorcycles are concerned, the GS500 is the ONLY way to go- anything much smaller wil be a pain at those speeds and will wear faster, and anything much bigger will increase your running costs. The GS is the ultimate compromise. :thumb: