comparing Prius to scooters and motorcycles

Not quite... the first year's savings covered the class and all of the required gear. But my helmet and gloves, while reasonably good quality, are undoubtedly on a lower tier compared to yours. Of course, I'm almost certainly traveling significantly slower than yourself as well.

Insurance savings for the second year (this year) are where the break-even point materializes, with respect to the consumables and maintenance.

I tend to keep my cars until they're pretty well out of service, so the possibility of resale wasn't a significant factor in this case.

Yes to both, but it only requires 1 quart of each so the overall cost is still quite manageable.

8k miles so far, and both tires are still in excellent shape. No doubt they won't have the longevity of our car's tires, but it appears that they're still less than halfway into their useable life at this point... my best estimate at this point would be 15-20K miles.

When the time comes, a replacement rear tire runs $40. I don't recall the cost for the front tire offhand, but it wasn't very much higher IIRC.

The standard maintenance interval for this model is 2.5K miles. So yes, it does come up more frequently. Oh well... you win some, 'ya lose some.

I don't call any oddities, such as fork oil flushes, but don't have the repair manual handy at the moment. There might well be one or two quirky items in the mix, although I don't recall any standing out back when I checked it.


At the end of the day, tho, it simply fits my requirements pretty well (and is quite a bit of fun, to boot). Plus, we also have the Prius to cover all of the the scenarios where the scooter simply isn't practical... despite my fondness for the beastie, I'll readily admit that it's no panacea.

I've got no illusions that mine is a typical case, of course.

 

That maintenance appears much cheaper than either of my motorcycles. As for gear, it's really personal preference. Neither of my helmets was over $200, gloves under $50, and leather jacket was about $200. The maintenance on the motorcycles are higher price wise. Tires on the Harley alone are > $100 each, oil changes run around $50 w/ filter for me using Amsoil. My Suzuki is close to the same, but I think a little cheaper. Larger engines also mean higher insurance. I'm paying just under $100/month for both bikes combined.

I would have to say you made a pretty good decision based upon your circumstances. You seem to have weighed pros/cons pretty well. You also seem quite happy with your decision, and that really makes a big difference.

 

We touched on aerodynamics, but in fact there is more to it. The state of the art in automotive engine design is far higher than in MC design, due in large part to tightening fuel economy regulations which force innovation. Technologies that push power and efficiency in cars - direct injection for example - are not found in the MC world. Some non-hybrid cars can now deliver better MPGs than heavy motorcycles. Some can argue that it's because MC MPGs are not regulated. Others can argue that the cost of spreading new tech out over the meager MC sales would be cost prohibitive vs. the vast scale of car sales. Others still can correctly argue that in the USA, MCs are leisure vehicles and the owners by and large don't care about economy. All of these are true.

My Prius delivers 1-4 MPGs more than my 2009 BMW R1200RT on the same commute loop. The Prius costs $50 every $5k for maintenance - the BMW about $350 every 6k (assuming dealer services both, for apples to apples comparo). The Prius tires last about 12x as long as the bike's and cost LESS (motorcycle tires are quite expensive). And so on, and so forth. Here in NJ - highest insurance rates in the country - there's not much difference in insurance either. The Prius carries my wife, 3 kids, and luggage. The bike cannot.

So why ride a bike? Simply because, there is no feeling on earth that brings you in the moment like a bike does. This is not some cold quantifiable subject, but a feeling you get. My Prius is a gutless, soulless transportation appliance - so is yours, and if you don't think so, you don't know what it is to drive a car with personality. My bike is moving meditation. And it costs more to run. And yes, it's well worth it.

-MKL

2008 Prius Touring Package 6
2009 BMW R1200RT
2007 Buell Blast
1977 BMW R100S
1973 BMW R75/5

 

well you shouldn't ride your viffer then

MPG-wise I get low-mid 70s on ninjette, and low 60s on GenIII. Still even with tires lasting 18-20K bike is more expensive to run per mile. Where it gets back is with depreciation, with bike being 1/8 of the Prius to buy.

With respect to other costs, there are plenty descent helmets ~100$, you shouldn't have bought your Shoei.

 

I enjoy my Prius for its comfort and it's very practical. But I'll always get excited when I ride my Ducati Monster and the dual compound tires on it. I average 58 mpg with fairly aggressive riding. I've only managed to get it to drop below 50 mpg a few times. Maybe I'm getting older, but I'm thinking about giving up the Monster someday and getting another sports car. We'll probably have a kid in 3-4 years and that is probably the time I'll say goodbye to the Ducati. I've planted the seed for a used normally aspirated Carrera so we'll see... The only sports car I've driven that gave me as much excitement as my Ducati was my 2002 Porsche Boxster. The Audi S4 was too heavy to corner and Nissan 350Z didn't handle as well...maybe another Boxster is my backup plan if my wife says no to the Carrera.

You can't really compare a Prius to a motorcycle or sports car. So why not have both?

 

I no longer ride but agree with you completely.

 

insurance doesn't always run with dicplacement, when I had my CBR600 and my K1200RS, the K12RS was actually cheaper to insure. Despite it being newer, worth more (a little over twice as much), having twice the displacement, and higher annual mileage. They had very different customer bases, and thus very different insurance claims.

$100 for a tire? I struggle to get that rear one for anything under like $120

I don't know about the state of engine tune/design playing into it; I mean look at the roughly 1,000 cc bikes that are getting in to the high 100's for hp output. You don't get that in the car world too much. True no direct injection on bikes yet. But the engines are clearly tuned/developed to the umteenth level.

I think a lot of it comes down to the demands of the car public versus the bike public in terms of power. You have such a lack of people buying economy bikes versus an economy car. How many 250cc bikes are sold as a percentage of bike sales? Versus the number of say Fits, Aveos, Fiestas, Corollas? Most bikes sold for the street are above 800ccs, and make a power ratio that only the top level of cars can approach. You can buy a 600cc bike for less than $10k brand new, that will just spank 98% of cars out there in a straight line.
Our measuring stick for motorcycle performance is not the same as our measuring stick for acceptable car performance.
What is the slowest real mass market bike out there that can go on the freeway? A 250 Ninja or CBR? I don't actually know, but I would strongly guess both 0-60 times beat the Prius pretty handily.

And that is what I am saying, overall, with all costs, it looks like mile for mile the RT is more expensive to operate for you.

and like you, although I acknowledge this, i still keep the bike. Life isn't all about numbers, I certainly also enjoy taking the bike for a run more than the Prius. That wasn't my argument. All I try to convey to people is that to buy a bike strictly for gas savings usually doesn't make sense - as much as people think it would and in many cases may end up costing you more overall. Now if you get the bike because it is part of who you are and you enjoy it, that is different and can't be quatified as dollars and cents. I ride a mc because it is part of who I am and what I enjoy, but strictly financially it doesn't make sense.

I ride it for different reasons, see above, not because I think I am spending less on gas. People are always surprised that when gas goes up greatly, and they approach me about buying a bike to save on gas, I usually don't recommend it to them and tell them to really look at their situation.

See and your are closer to comparing apples to apples than most, using a Ninja 250 means it is sort of an economy bike as much as there are economy cars. But that is a small slice of bike sales out there. As for depreciation, yes the car cost more when new, but you can likely sell it for more. Plus for most, the bike is an add on, meaning they still keep the car, as opposed to selling the car and only keeping the bike/scooter. So you have to really look at the cost of car only compared to car and bike together with same total mileage, just split up.

actually, don't currently run a Shoei, although I have in the way way past. Currently run a Schuberth that was like $750 plus tax. It is just about to hit it's 5 year mark, so looking to replace it, maybe with an Arai maybe with a Schuberth again. I don't know how many helmets under $100 really offer the features and such of a high end helmet. They may pass DOT and SNELL, but their build quality typically isn't near the same.

 

Wow 58 MPG! Which Monster? My son has a toy ride on of the older Monster 600, which he loves. I can't approach that mileage with the VFR, not sure why it is a gas hog. Can't remember what I got with the K1200RS or the myriad of otehr bikes in my past, in general, I just don't keep track, since they are for "fun".

And I agree, and have both. I would even advocate for all 3 if you can, they all have different places in my life.

 

Spike, I used > $100 for the tire - I honestly think they're closer to double that by the time all is said and done with the installation with regard to the HD Street Glide.

I agree that displacement isn't solely and specifically tied to insurance costs. There's several other factors that go into that, which no one probably has a clue how it is determined. However, if you stay within the same class of bike and rider class, then the larger engine will be more expensive.

I have 2 motorcycles and the Prius. Each motorcycle serves me a different purpose and gives me a different ride. I like each for its strengths and try to determine which to ride based upon where I anticipate my ride going that day.

 

I don't think I could get all my groceries hauled home on a scooter... :blink:

I have hauled a chest freezer in the Prius. And several bags of compost, some cement blocks, a few posts...

Oh, and while I'm smiling while I'm driving, I'm NOT getting bugs in my teeth...

 

I have owned far more cars with personality than with horsepower.
Mazda C engine - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
At least 3 had half the HP of my Prius, and the AWD of my last Toyota made it's 102 HP seem like half that. If driving what sounds like a baritone sewing machine is souless, I am loving it!

My motorcycles had way less than half the HP of the Prius, the RD400 had 44 HP and a top speed of 88 MPH, but got there in the first quarter mile in 14.4 seconds. the front tire touched down near 77. Yes, the engine had a dead loss lubrication system, it was supposed to smoke that much!

 

I owned gen5 with B6.. gave to nephew/got totaled at 234K.
the Z5 Gen7 is still in driveway with 381K on odo, no rebuilds.

 

You might be surprised at how much some of them hold, especially with a top case. If it is a regular shopping trip for 1 or 2 people, it might be possible.

I have hauled a ton of stuff in the Prius, far far more than people in the parking lot or store seem to think I can get in there. I have had people comment before. And I got in a piece of furniture once that wouldn't fit in a Ford Exploder.

I wear a full face helmet at all times now, so no bugs in my teeth either. Don't know how people do it when I look at my faceshield and see all the dead bugs...
Although when I was young and indestructible, and lived in a no helmet law state, I did have a large beetle (june bug) hit me in the forehead at about 40-45 MPH, near knocked me off the bike and left a bruise.

my mistake, I thought you said "< $100" not "> $100"

 

geez, eat a few extra chips at lunch and the guy calls me fat!

 

He's my hero and even he stuck out.

 

I know where you're coming from, and agree to some point. The Prius is more of a video game, and a motorcycle is a contact sport. But they're both entertaining in their own way, and some prefer one version to another. Football is not for everybody.

But it's not just about HP. The VW bug has a 0-60 time of 20+ seconds, yet I don't think people would call it gutless and soulless. Scooters, especially <150cc as covered in this thread are also pretty weak relatively speaking, but you still feel the wind in your face. I like riding my bicycle for the same reason, even though I average 12.5 mph.

 

I consistently get 60 mpg and better on my 10 Prius. I get 50 mpg on my 10 Ultra on 87 octane going across the US and Canada. Much more fun on the HD.