I want to get into motorcycles, but fear it’ll be absurdly expensive, especially for the first year. So I’m trying to estimate a ballpark figure for one year of ownership.
But first, some quick Info on my hypothetical first bike:
Budget: $4K
Bike Experience: Literally none. I sat on a Ducati once.
Daily Driver: No, I walk to work. Weekend rides only.
Location: Live in NYC, but will probably get a storage locker in CT so it’s cheaper and closer to fun backroads.
Want: Something reliable, and cheap to run
Don’t Want: Something too slow for highway cruising (Grom)
So now the price of admission. Keep in mind, I’m starting with nothing, so the price of entry will also need to include the cost of training, registration and gear. As far as I can tell, I’d have to buy all of the following:
Bike: $4000
MSF Course: $250
DMV Registration Fees: $30
Insurance: $250/yr
Parking: $150/mo
Riding Gear: $1000 for a helmet, gloves, jacket, pants, boots, etc
Maintenance: $500/yr???
TOTAL: $7830+
Let’s call it $8000, and an additional $3000 for every subsequent year assuming I keep the same bike, but buy more gear/accessories
Does that seem like a reasonable ballpark figure?
My deal-breaker is reliability. I won’t enjoy biking if I have to spend all my time doing maintenance. I completely realize that I don’t know what I’m talking about, but I’m always hearing about how bikes require weekly/monthly maintenance. For that reason, I’m afraid to get a used bike. But the factory warranty on a brand new bike only lasts 12 months, even from legendarily reliable brands like Honda. How can I trust a cheap used bike if Honda doesn’t even have faith in their own product after the first year? I’m used to cars that require zero maintenance (just gas n’ go).
Do me an educate, Oppo.