Poll: Are you ditching the car for the bike to save on pricey petrol?

Motor Cycle News (@MCNNews) are running a poll today. I wondered what the consensus was from the forum. I’ll cast that as our vote online but if you’re on twitter you can as well. Poll closes at midnight tonight.

  • Yes
  • No

0 voters

Bike economy is a myth. I average 55mpg going to jobs in my car. Could barely match that with a bike, and need to carry less gear and be exposed to the weather…:slightly_smiling_face:

Unless you ride something like a Himalayan. :slight_smile:

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…but l like to arrive at my job on the same day as l leave home :smile:

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I’m not ditching for fuel (though it is better by some mpg) but for the head space it gives me atm

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It depends on what you’re comparing.

My race bike was far more thirsty than my car, however my Tiger 800 is far better on fuel than my car.
(Not that I’m about to change my usage because of petrol prices though…)

Admittedly the race bike is an extreme example :grin:, but the Tiger is much cheaper to run fuel wise than the car

Hayabusa Turbo 10mpg
Sorento 45mpg
Tiger 65mpg

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Don’t work any more so I use the car for visiting family the shops etc. I ride my bikes for pleasure so cost is not really a consideration.

Bike is purely for fun as I need a car for my mrs and our dog.
The bike could never get close to the mileage I get from my car, it is a 1.6 Diesel and on a run to France and back I managed just over 800 miles on a full tank.

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I get 60 mpg from my T900 petrol.

I get 54 mpg from my Citroen diesel.

Diesel is more expensive, but the difference is in the cost of tyres and servicing. The bike is WAY more expensive to run.

I used to go to lots of calls on my ZZR1200. Furthest one was Amsterdam :grinning: Where it really scored was cities, I wouldn’t have gone into London any other way, frankly. But I was always compromised on what I could carry and never bothered updating it. I did consider a Tiger 800 but couldn’t bring myself to spend the money. :slightly_smiling_face:

Yes,
Landcruiser 24mpg
Duster 45mpg
Bike 48 mpg + more fun

Ask me again in January

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Got a gas guzzling SUV but strangely spend much more on fuel for the bikes.
So that’s not working then.
Save the planet - drive SUV’s :laughing:

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Mines chipped for economy to, otherwise 17-18 mpg

Helmut and I were discussing exactly this today. My bike and my car do pretty much the same mpg so there wouldn’t be any petrol saving as it stands - although I do commute on my bike quite a bit when the weather’s OK. If my commute were less lengthy or the road less prone to flooding (often to the point of closure) and being covered in debris in poor weather then a second economical bike might perhaps be an option.

It’s more of a weather thing for me or a how much stuff can I carry thing. When I’m nipping out it’s usually to the shops to get “stuff” so the car is easier. Also, it’s usually pissing it down so the car is drier. However, if I’m just going to the chemist for my drugs and it’s not too cold and it’s not raining then it’s the bike. However, I wouldn’t dream of going for a “ride” in the car, that’s what motorcycles were made for.

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I only ride my bike for pleasure. If I need to go anywhere local by the time I’ve moved the cars to get the bike out of the garage and put all my clobber on I’d be there in the car. Bikes are for this reason impractical if you have a car too.

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