Is the cost of fuel impacting your bike fun?

[MadDogMcQ]

Before the recession came along, I didn't even know the price of petrol. But boy, I do now! I've become one of those sad price-watchers. It's ridiculous!
 
At weekends (weather permitting) I tank up 2 or 3 times and that now means £40 - £60! PER WEEK!! The other night, I pulled into a petrol station, stuck the nozzle in the tank, squeezed the trigger and turned around to look at the pump display - it was already at £2.30 and I had barely blinked! FFS

[Lawrence]

I tend to notice the price of petrol since I stick half a tank in every day, it's gone up 5p/l (nearly 4%) in the last two weeks     Prior to my current car I had a Land Rover Discovery, that'd swallow over £130 of diesel 

[Rusty]

Car and bike combined cost around £60.00 a week in fuel. Not so if it's pissing down though as the bike gets used less. I'm considering using premium petrol in the bike in future as although the cost is higher I believe there's less harmful ethanol in it.  I don't think the cost of fuel impacts on my biking as it's purely recreational so I ride as much or as little as I want, but with the car it sure puts an additional strain on the finances that wasn't there before.

[ghostbiker]

I use the bike for work now, and just for my trip to work i use £55-60 a week depending on throtle use. i get paid a little over min wage and rubber is not cheap either.
the really sad thing is i was actualy better off on the dole but took a poor paying job in the hope that once in work i can find something better.
this meens i only now fill up at supermarket stations if possable and a lot of the charity rides and pleasure rides i used to do i now dont do.
so i try to take more interesting routes to work just to get some enjoyment out of my ride.

[MadDogMcQ]

....the really sad thing is i was actualy better off on the dole but took a poor paying job in the hope that once in work i can find something better....

Good on you! I hope you find something better. I'm sure that as a working man, you'll be better placed to secure something than you would if you were on the dole.
 
Now don't even mention the cost of rubber! 
 

[Rusty]

Now don't even mention the cost of rubber! 

Maxxi's. 

[ghostbiker]

Maxxis seem to be a good budget choice. heard some ok reviews but even those aint "cheap". tyres are worn out in about 3-4k for a rear when doing 60 miles a day just for work i am going to be throwing a new trye on every 9-10 weeks with just a small amount of pleasure rides.

have to admit i am thinking about getting another bike to use for the commute. or even a small car.
just because it will be cheaper on fuel/tyres/consumables

[MadDogMcQ]

On a pretty heavy and powerful bike, I chose Metzeler Z8's because of their longevity more than anything else (like their wet weather fame).  I'm hoping that the extra cost will see me riding past your tyre centre on my groovy Z8's as you are having your second pair of Maxxi's fitted 
 
That's the theory! 

[Rusty]

This is my second pair of Maxxis.    I really rate them for the money, plus the £70 or so saved over your Z8's I can spend on petrol and actually ride the bloody thing.

Ghostbiker I read an article that said the cost of second hand Honda 125's and the like has rocketed recently due to a demand for frugal commuters. Everyone's feeling the pinch to some extent so a small commuter bike has become quite desirable.  Although the fazer will happily commute there are plenty of cheaper ways to get around if money's tight.

[Rusty]

I'm hoping that the extra cost will see me riding past your tyre centre on my groovy Z8's as you are having your second pair of Maxxi's fitted

I've just thought. Shouldn't you have bought some tyres that last about 1500 miles? That way they'll almost be due for replacing when you come to sell it. 

[Grahamm]

When I started biking five years ago it used to cost me less than £15 for a full tank, it's now over £20

Admittedly I only ride maybe a couple of times a month on average (I own the bike for fun, not for commuting), so it's not a major cost for me, but it's still a PITA.

I use http://www.petrolprices.com/ although the garage that's just around the corner from me is usually within 1-2p per litre of the cheapest prices in the area anyway.

[Raymy]

Admittedly I only ride maybe a couple of times a month on average

Wow, how's that for a perspective?

but I agree with the cost issue. my first fazer used to be about 16 quid odd to fill, well past a score now. the cheeky garages now have a minimum delivery of 5 litres, some of them. rascals.

[MadDogMcQ]

I've just thought. Shouldn't you have bought some tyres that last about 1500 miles? That way they'll almost be due for replacing when you come to sell it. 

Hahaha - YOU should talk! 

[Grahamm]

Admittedly I only ride maybe a couple of times a month on average

Wow, how's that for a perspective?

Yes, it's not the same who commutes every day, but I've averaged about 6,000 miles a year for the last couple of years and most of my rides tend to be 100 miles plus. So it's not the same perspective as others may have, but it's still valid.

[rustyrider]

I'm afraid that for me the cost of fuel is about a tenner.  That's what I put in the bike whenever I fill it up.  How many litres that is I have no idea but when the gauge gets near the bottom, I put another tenners worth in.  Car is different.  A 4.0 litre V8 is a bit thirsty so it's been converted to LPG and I can tell you exactly how much that costs and where the cheapest places are to buy it.  But as for the cost of petrol or diesel, I've no idea how much it is these days.

If we are talking solely about bike fun rather than commuting, fuel is a necessity irrespective of cost.  A bike with no fuel isn't much fun at all.....

[locksmith]

How much is petrol then? 

Tyres, change em when they're worn out

[69oldskool]

http://www.offshore-technology.com/projects/liberty-project/
 
Looks like there's a few tankfuls left in the ground yet. Someone's making a fast buck on your biking fuel costs.

[VNA - BMW Wank]

Hold on to your hats, it's possible it might start going up again.

Iran tensions push up oil price - http://www.independent.co.uk/news/business/news/iran-tensions-push-up-oil-price-8038674.htmlIt's just speculation.  But if Israel attacks, and Iran attempts to close the Strait of Hormuz, well all hell could break loose. 

Looks like there's a few tankfuls left in the ground yet. Someone's making a fast buck on your biking fuel costs.

Sure the price is crazy.  I think it cost about a fiver to fill up my CBR600 in the early 90's!  But then again we've got face up to the fact that we are burning up a valuable limited resource, not to mention the impact it's now having on our environment.

[69oldskool]

Do they spend the fuel tax on the environment?
 
Do they spend the road tax on the roads?
 
& Would i bitch about it if they did?

[Rusty]

not to mention the impact it's now having on our environment.

I hate that excuse it's a con job - screw the environment!  If pollution was such a priority they wouldn't still be making 8mpg V12 Bentleys and suchlike. Or is it Ok to pollute the earth and waste it's resources just so long as you can afford to?

It's all hypocrisy. Fuel costs are artificially inflated likewise so it only hurts the masses not those comfortably insulated from reality - who happen to be the very people telling us how bad we are for driving our own vehicles.

[Ben Diesel]

Is the cost of fuel impacting on my bike fun?
 
Yes - because the species of car driver who believes that pootling along dual carriageways at 49 MPH will save fuel, thereby forcing lines of 44 tonners to overtake and effectively rolling road block for miles, is doing my foccin' swede.
 
And no - because apart from the above, it hasn't slowed me down at all.
 
And with effect from yesterday, for the first time in 35 years, I am without a car. So all the money it was costing me each month to keep the cage standing outside my house, not being used, will now be diverted into the bikes.
 
 

[AdieR]

Thing is, for commuters anyway, fuel prices are a headache compounded by the fact that there isn't always public transport available (and when / where there is, it's expensive and not always that efficient); particularly so in rural and remote areas.

There was a story elsewhere that prices of economical bikes (in particular 125s) are going up due to next-to-nothing running costs.

One factor that hasn't helped is the focus on high-revving sportsbikes in recent years - they're not exactly renowned for frugality.

Must admit that whilst I don't constantly monitor fuel prices, I am wary of riding style and how I use the bike these days.

Those that use the bike mostly for fun will find a way to afford it - a bit like smokers who will find a way to afford tobacco.

[Raymy]

Admittedly I only ride maybe a couple of times a month on average

Wow, how's that for a perspective?

Yes, it's not the same who commutes every day, but I've averaged about 6,000 miles a year for the last couple of years and most of my rides tend to be 100 miles plus. So it's not the same perspective as others may have, but it's still valid.

Not quite what i was meaning but you're perfectly correct in what you say. I just find it a bit bewildering when it looks like you try to invalidate the perspectives of others who cover that mileage in weeks or months and have been doing it for decades, that's all. That's how it looks, not saying its actually the case.

[Grahamm]

I just find it a bit bewildering when it looks like you try to invalidate the perspectives of others who cover that mileage in weeks or months and have been doing it for decades, that's all. That's how it looks, not saying its actually the case.

Well I have to say I find it a bit bewildering how it looks to you, because as far as I can tell I haven't tried to invalidate anyone's perspective, I just commented from my own.

By my calculations I would have been spending roughly £1800 a year on fuel, now it's more like £2400, so in percentage terms, my fuel costs have increased by 33% and that sort of rise is going to affect pretty much everyone.

[Raymy]

I don't necessarily mean in this thread.