You make alot of assumptions. Not all bikes need valve adjustments and not all bikes have belts-- and some bikes have belts that last far longer than 15k miles.
However...even so, the extra mileage would overshadow those costs unless you're paying alot of money for them.
For a Motorcycle:
$3.50/Gallon for 65 miles equals 5.3 cents per mile in fuel costs.
$200 for tires that last 10k miles (which your average 250 should get as it shouldn't have the torque to burn through them), is 2 cents per mile.
A $300 Valve Adjustment every 7500 miles works out to 4 cents per mile.
A $75 belt every 15,000 miles is about .5 cents per mile.
The total operating cost per mile for a bike is about 12 cents per mile. Right under with all the rounding I left off in my post.
Gas for a car alone...3.50 a gallon, at 20 miles per gallon even, would be 17.5 cents per mile. Throw in that it also needs tires, and will also need maintenance that a motorcycle won't. That you are more likely to have to pay someone to change your oil/brakes/filters/etc because its alot easier on a bike than a car.
Per mile its cheaper to ride a bike.
But...like anything, you can make it more expensive. Installing new exhaust, new handlebar grips, etc..can be expensive. I think this is the rabbit hole most bikers fall into which makes it more expensive for them than a car in the long run.
There's also the fact that you need to overshadow your investment at 5-10 cents per mile, depending on your car vs your motorcycle. For a $4500 motorcycle that won't happen for 45,000 to 90,000 miles. Of course you only need to overshadow the bike's value minus depreciation, plus insurance costs.
On your ducati, you're probably paying way more than $200 for a set of tires...and your belts are probably more expensive, but these costs are pretty accurate for a 250cc starter bike if you are diligent. You can buy tires online and have them mounted at cyclegear or a local shop usually for $25/tire or so.
Signed,
Your Friendly Neighborhood Analytics Geek
Damn, here I am getting sucked back into this...
Let's compare my last bike (which was much cheaper to operate than my current bike) to my current car.
Annual miles driven last year: 20,000
Cost in maintenance: $0 (4 oil changes with full synthetic would have cost me about $75 each but 2 years maint was included in the price of the car). Tell you what, I'll add the cost of oil changes into my total below just to keep it fair.
Cost in fuel: $2200 (estimate based on average of 38mpg and gas price of $4.09/gallon for regular unleaded)
I haven't had to replace tires yet with just under 30,000 miles on the car now but I've priced out a set at around $500 for Michelins. I figure when I get close to 40,000 miles it will be time for tires. I'd be on my 8th set on the bike by then and pushing $2500 just in rubber.
If I had ridden my old SV650 the same number of miles it would have cost me as follows:
Fuel Cost: $1700 this is an estimate based on average of 50mpg (real world was around 47-48 average but we'll use 50 because that's not out of the realm of possibility) and gas price of $4.29/gallon for premium.
Valve adjustment: $250
Tires: $900 ($300/set mounted and balanced x 3 = $900 - this is with me removing the wheels and taking them to a shop to have tires installed does not include tax or disposal fees, 1st set of tires came with the bike so I won't count that set). I went through 3 sets in 16,000 miles so would have definitely been on the 4th set by 20k miles.
5 oil changes/safety inspections: $500 ($100/ea x 5 = $500 - garage prices)
I never replaced the chain or sprockets but by 20k they probably would have needed to be changed. Figure another $300 for that.
So, let's add it up.
Car: $2500 annual operating cost or 12.5 cents per mile
Bike: $3650 annual operating cost or roughly 18 cents per mile
Really, he would be better off getting a more fuel efficient car. And, speaking as someone who recently got clipped by a car on his ride home from work while riding his Ducati, he would be a lot safer too.
But, if he wants to get a bike it's cool with me. Just don't kid yourself that you're going to save much money riding vs driving. I used that line on my wife when I bought my SV but after riding it for a few years I know it is not really the case. Even in SoCal where you can ride year round it is quite a commitment to take the bike every day both physically and mentally (with the amount of miles I do anyway).
You will be hot and miserable during the summer and you will freeze your ass off during the winter. Add in rain and snow and distracted drivers... yeah, you pretty much have to be a masochist to do this all the time. :twisted:
Damn, sounds like I'm trying to talk the OP out of it again. It's not true I tells ya! :biggrin:
Still don't believe me?
http://www.torquenews.com/1062/how-not-save-money-true-cost-motorcycle-ownership