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SuzukiSavage.com
/cgi-bin/YaBB.pl General Category >> Rubber Side Down! >> Finances of Riding the Savage/S40 - My free bike! /cgi-bin/YaBB.pl?num=1205207120 Message started by stumusic on 03/10/08 at 20:45:16 |
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Title: Finances of Riding the Savage/S40 - My free bike! Post by stumusic on 03/10/08 at 20:45:16 Well, for the first time since buying my S40 (two weeks ago tomorrow... Also my first bike period,) I had to fill my Ford Explorer with gas. I only run 87 octane in the truck because of the cost, but run the highest available (usually 91) in my S40. I've been tracking the mpg and cost per mile of both vehicles and have calculated that in the last two weeks I've saved $71.95 by riding the bike instead of driving the truck anytime it was just me going somewhere. The payment on the bike is $99.00 per month, and includes insurance as well as 6 pre-paid scheduled maintenance services and extended warrantee. Let's see, in a month I'll save about $140.00... That means not only is the bike free, I'm getting an extra $50.00 a month to ride! 8-) |
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Title: Re: Finances of Riding the Savage/S40 - My free bi Post by Savage Chick on 03/10/08 at 21:05:01 That ROCKS!!!! |
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Title: Re: Finances of Riding the Savage/S40 - My free bi Post by JayScottComedy on 03/11/08 at 00:28:51 Very good deal you got goin there. Some of the others might chime in about what octane is best to run in the savage. I use 87 now after reading some of the guys on here talking about some kind of build up the premium gas causes. I donno, its running great with the 87 though. Anyway, congrats and maybe some of the more knowledgeable folks will chime in on the gas situation. -Jay |
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Title: Re: Finances of Riding the Savage/S40 - My free bi Post by FreeSpirit on 03/11/08 at 01:49:30 That's a awesome deal......and smart to figure it that way! :) But I have heard also its not good to run premium gas...... Nevertheless,good deal.....getting paid to ride!!! ;) |
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Title: Re: Finances of Riding the Savage/S40 - My free bi Post by Oldfeller on 03/11/08 at 03:00:45 The stock Savage engine is the most "moderate" compression and temperature motor you will ever bump into. It will never use the knock resistance of the package that exists in 81 octane regular gas. Never put anything but low octane regular in mine -- never had a spark knock, ever. ================= Some folks criticize our gas mileage, saying it could be better. This is not true, any similar displacement bike gets worse gas mileage if ridden to the same level as you ride your Savage. I've got a 535 now that gets worse gas mileage (and skids its tires) worse than my Savage does. Most of this has to do with the fact it has 14 more peak pony power and I keep twisting the right hand grip too far trying to make it get up and go like the Savage does (we have larger torque at low rpms and have good around town gear ratios). Stir a close ratio high rpm gearbox to "get up and go" like you are used to and your gas mileage will SUCK amazingly. So, the grass is not greener "over there". For an in-town commuter bike nothing beats your Savage. The better gas mileage bikes are 250's and you will not be happy with the "get up and go" factor of those motorcycles at all compared to your Savage. |
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Title: Re: Finances of Riding the Savage/S40 - My free bi Post by smokin_blue on 03/11/08 at 03:41:49 I have not been a part of the gas octane debates in the past but in the neighborhood there has been quite a discusson on a different aspect of gas. In Minnesota at some stations you can get gas that does not have all the additive of modern gas. It says right on the pump that it is only allowed in small engines, off road vehicles, classic cars (over X years old), snowmobiles, and motorcycles. (This is a gov leagal issue) It is usually 91 octane and the reason we like it so much is it lacks the additives that would tend to gum up the carb when the bike sits for 2-3 weeks. Not near as nasty on carbs as today's gas. I buy it when I can get to those stations. (this is awesome for lawn mowers, chain saws etc too!) The key is the stations that carry it are fewer than more. Great economic figures you have going!! great justification to buy some 2 wheeled fun! |
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Title: Re: Finances of Riding the Savage/S40 - My free bi Post by mornhm on 03/11/08 at 05:15:07 When I figured my costs of commuting with my full size PU truck vs my Savage, I came out money ahead (including maintenance and resale). With my Concours after three years I figure I am also money ahead even if I don't get any money from resale. Unfortunately, the Concours isn't as cheap to run as the Savage, but the price of gas has gone up enough to more than offset this. (Imagine what I would be saving with the Savage.) I know this doesn't work when comparing to econoboxes, but I wasn't driving one so for me that comparison wasn't valid. Good news is I keep the PU for when I really need it. |
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Title: Re: Finances of Riding the Savage/S40 - My free bi Post by skrapiron on 03/11/08 at 05:46:22 I know its real tempting to look at the gas pump and walk away smiling that you filled your tank for under $10.00. Yes, if you calculate based on fuel cost alone, the bike is going to smoke the explorer every time. But fuel costs are only part of the overall ownership costs. There is alot more to consider. Assuming that you are making payments for the explorer, then you only off setting the fuel costs of the truck. When you add everything together (fuel costs, monthly payments, maintenance costs) you are actually going to pay a little more per month owning both the bike and the explorer (and just riding the bike) than you would just owning the explorer. |
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Title: Re: Finances of Riding the Savage/S40 - My free bi Post by T Mack 1 on 03/11/08 at 06:31:21 3A223B2839203B2627490 wrote:
Ohhhh .... you edited you're big response to what I was going to say. Anyway....yes, It looks like fuel savings doesn't totally pay for the bike...... but it's fun ...... For me, it does pay since I have a "fixer-upper". Sold my old bike, and only had to come up with an additional $50 to pick up my '01 that only had one scratch. Have another $300 in engine parts and $300 goodies and periodic Maint. |
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Title: Re: Finances of Riding the Savage/S40 - My free bi Post by stumusic on 03/11/08 at 06:56:58 41594053425B405D5C320 wrote:
The explorer is in fact paid for, but I'm not certain I understand your math anyway. The only on-going expense for the explorer is my good year credit card payment that is exclusively used for work on the Explorer, (Payment is about $100/month), fuel, and insurance. From a budget point of view those expenses are fixed with or without the bike but I am spending (or will) $140 less each month on fuel and $99.00/month more on the bike payment, which for at least the next 24 months includes all the servicing for the bike. Additionally I'll be talking to my insurance company that hold the policy on the Explorer to reduce my annual mileage which will also save a couple dollars. Plus, the tires on the truck will last longer and are more expensive than the bike, and I'm sure other general maintenance items are more for the truck as well. (6 plugs instead of 1, 5 quarts of oil instead of 1.8, a radiator to flush vs. none, A/C to service instead of zippers to open, etc.) The bike looks like a better and better deal as I go, however I will not claim to have perfect logic, so feel free to elaborate. |
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Title: Re: Finances of Riding the Savage/S40 - My free bi Post by stumusic on 03/11/08 at 07:08:36 On the topic of octane: Many times I've been told higher octane just burns cleaner/ more completely, is better for engines etc. but never really knew if all this was true, so this could be a very interesting topic. (I'll bet a search in the tech forum would be useful.) The dealership advised me to always run the highest octane, as did the lawnmower guy when I bought my toro, and the Cesna 150 I did some flight training in used 101 octane avgas, (though the handbook claimed 87 unleaded was fine to run in it as well.) I'd love to know more about the octane issue as it does seem fraught with voodoo and misinformation. Would too high an octane damage the bike? (When I finally start flight training again it would be good to know because every pre-flight consumes about a half pint to a pint of fuel drained from inspection points that basically gets thrown away - I'd love to throw it away into my bike's tank since I can't put it back in the wings...) |
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Title: Re: Finances of Riding the Savage/S40 - My free bi Post by skrapiron on 03/11/08 at 07:28:40 Since you own the explorer, you're money ahead. No doubt about that. It is cheaper to make your monthly payments and operate the Savage, than it would be to continue to drive the Explorer full time. In your case, what you save in fuel alone vs. the Explorer more than makes up for the Savage payment. If you were making payments on the Explorer too, you wouldn't be anywhere near as well off as you are. |
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Title: Re: Finances of Riding the Savage/S40 - My free bi Post by verslagen1 on 03/11/08 at 07:38:09 The costs for the car are static unless you get rid of it. Only fuel and maitenance will vary. My commute is 15k a year. In the car that's $1600 (at $3 a gal) a year in gas alone, and about $500 a year in maintenance. $2100 total On the bike that's $800, maintenance (by me) $100 a year, insurance $500 max. $1400 total. Savings $700 on the commute. 2 years the bikes paid for itself. Year 3 I start saving for the next one. Of course, gas prices are higher, pay back is faster. And I have something no economics major can compute... a big fat grin as I ride by his cage in gridlock. [smiley=evil.gif] buhaha... buhahaha! etc. [smiley=evil.gif] |
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Title: Re: Finances of Riding the Savage/S40 - My free bi Post by thumperclone on 03/11/08 at 07:38:48 when i first got my 06 was running high test 9k later got her dialed in for my taste..3' hard crome ,de snorkel,k&n drop in,stock plug,amsoil,dyno jet kit (save your money!) had gone thru a few plugs during the tuning/peformance process...run regular unleaded get 50 mpg mostly in town mildly agressive riding.. plug chops perfect no ping and xtra dollar a tank savings.. |
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Title: Re: Finances of Riding the Savage/S40 - My free bi Post by vroom1776 on 03/11/08 at 07:46:23 6166677F67617B71120 wrote:
do a search for greg 650... he's got internal engine pics w/ running 85/87 vs 91. lots of carbon deposits w/ the 91, not so w/ the lower octane. |
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Title: Re: Finances of Riding the Savage/S40 - My free bi Post by drharveys on 03/11/08 at 07:52:50 Higher octane gas burns slower than the low octane stuff. That's why it'll "wait" for the spark and not ignite under compression diesel-style. That's why the other name for "knock" or "ping" is "pre-ignition". Higher compression engines need higher octane gas. A modern engine with a computerized ignition control system can get by on a lower octane gas, but there will be some loss of performance or mileage as a result. Our thumpers don't have all that electronic stuff, so it's moot for us. Since lower octane gas burns faster, it will give a crisper power pulse. It's also what our engines are designed for. If you feel that you're not getting all the additives you need, just add a little Techron to your tank every now and then. That'll keep those fuel injectors nice and clean -- oh wait, we have carbies! So I use the cheap stuff. I'll take the twenty or thirty cents a gallon I save and use it to offset the high cost of espresso! |
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Title: Re: Finances of Riding the Savage/S40 - My free bi Post by bill67 on 03/11/08 at 07:56:44 Isn't all gasoline unleaded today,and has been for many years? |
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Title: Re: Finances of Riding the Savage/S40 - My free bi Post by vtail on 03/11/08 at 08:56:38 I concur, High octane is a waste of money in the low compression Savage/S40. It burns much slower. Heck ,my car requires only regular with 10.5 compression, but of course it has a much more sophisticated ignition system including knock sensors. So save even more money with cleaner,better burning 87 octane. And yes the Cessna 150 and lots of other planes will run better on lower octane, but 80/87 is almost extinct so we have no choise but to run 100LL which is full of lead. You can put this in your bike (make sur there's no water) but NOT in your car or a catalist equipped motorcycle) I put it in my Interstate in winter since it gets ridden very little and Avgas doesn't age much;) Note; DO NOT run avgas exclusively when using synthetic oil since that oil does not keep lead in suspense and it WILL form a greyish slug and WILL ruin your engine. That's why Mobil pulled MObil1 Aviation oil of the market after it ruined many an aircraft engine ;) |
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Title: Re: Finances of Riding the Savage/S40 - My free bi Post by Paladin. on 03/11/08 at 17:44:18 7B687F7E616C6A68633C0D0 wrote:
My Savage pays me to ride! Helps that I can borrow one of the girls' cars if I need to. |
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Title: Re: Finances of Riding the Savage/S40 - My free bi Post by 1st2know on 03/11/08 at 19:10:33 I didn't just buy a motorcycle on impulse. First I did the math then I bought it on impulse :-) I was commuting about 20 miles per day durring the warm months in a Ford F150 with a v8. About 15 mpg if I took it easy. When it rained, I took public trans. How could I avoid a motorcycle? Here are some of the numbers I
All in all, I'm not far off from hitting the break even point this summer. The annual savings are pretty close to a grand. I used .52 per mile for the Ford F150, and .18 per mile for the Savage. I've since replaced the F150, but the cage that I replaced it with has a very high depreciation per mile figure, so I keep it at .52 until I get a better number. The more I use the LS650 for transportation, the faster it pays for itself and the more I extend the life of my cage. I usually keep a cage for about seven years. If this scheme adds just 2 more years to the life of the cage, the bike would have paid for itself even if gas were free. Oh, and it's fun too. |
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Title: Re: Finances of Riding the Savage/S40 - My free bi Post by forrest on 03/12/08 at 04:39:27 I definitely come out in the black riding the bike daily over driving. |
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