That is a factor, but a lot depends on what you are driving compared to what you ride, the type of tire you use and how you ride. But yes, much or more of what you save in gas can very well be offset.
My 97 Triumph triple gets high 40s commuting. I've got a buddy that swears his BMW F800ST gets mid 60s.
Good reliable bike will offset the cost of gas. Example: Michelin pilot road 2 tires 11k mile on a set My last oring chain went 25k miles Oil changes same interval as my truck 3-5k miles Pick the right bike and what you save in gas can be put toward bike needs and you still have cash in your pocket. My ins. Is cheap, tag is cheap, bike is old and reliable as a swiss watch. Gas and go and very little of that will be needed, tires once a year, mounted myself I own a No-mar, chain and sprockets every other year and I do that myself. Invest in GOOD riding gear that will last, I recommend Aerostitch. Park the big truck and enjoy the ride to and from work and count your savings and enjoy it. I know I do.
I have heard the 650 V-Stroms do really well on mileage, are reasonably fun to ride, easy on tires and reliable. Too bad they are ugly. A used SV650S would probably work too. I think the S gets better mileage on the highway than the naked version because of the fairing. It should be plenty of bike for a commute even though it isn't a 750 or larger. Also very reliable. The 250 might be a bit buzzy on a freeway commute.
My FZ1 wouldn't do it even when it was stock, city/highway or anyway. Now that I went down 1 in the front and installed a PCIII it's really not going to happen.
Gas is going to skyrocket in the not too distant future. I predict it could be $5/gallon as early as March 2011. I know when it hit $4/gallon the mileage on my ST1100 at 44 mpg versus 19mpg in my van more than offset the cost of tires by a wide margin. The ST has been stone reliable. Last year I only put 5k miles on my van and about half of that was to and from race tracks. This will prolong the life of the van greatly since it's only seeing highway miles and no stop and go commuting miles.
`94 R1100RSA 48~50 day in and day out. In town or cross continent. Drops into the mid 30's at track days. `06 Triumph Scrambler 900 48 miles per gallon, 96 smiles per gallon.
not to mention the cost of the bike itself, plus insurance. it takes a LOT of miles to save enough on gas to really warrant even a $3500 bike... Of course the more gas prices go up, the lower that threshold gets, but do the math before buying. at $2.50/gallon, I have to burn at least one full tank of gas a month in my street bike just to break even on the insurance costs. When gas was up over $4/gallon, it was a lot easier to rationalize. that said, my commute is probably 25 miles a day round-trip. 100/day changes the game a bit, but definitely do the math. A $2500 ford Escort with a manual transmission gets damn near 40mpg and keeps you out of the rain, while you listen to the radio.
FJR1300 will get mid-high 40s and low 50s if you really try. Throw on a good set of sport touring tires like the Pilot Road 2, keep an eye on your tire pressure and, if you behave, you'll get 10K out of a set, but, 7-8K is probably more realistic.
if you do the math considering the purchase of the bike to be additional...then yes, it would be hard to justify purchasing a bike to save gas money. but i think most here already have the bike and just consider commuting on it more....or are considering a bike instead of their next car.
My ZRX1100 gets about 43, and it has a pipe, rejetted carbs, cams and pod filters, so it sounds good. Tires = take-offs = free (get a stack in the garage, know of anybody who needs some?)
We have a gas price oracle! Did you also think we'd never see gas under $3 a gallon again when it got up to 4?
a buddy of mine has one of those (in blue). though it gives up quite a bit of power to my st4s, it is a great looking bike and i'm looking forward to the day he's foolish enough to let me ride it! btw....the st4s with it's typical astronomically tall italian stock gearing averaged 53mpg overall on my epic trip a few weeks ago.
