The true cost of getting a first bike.

[SlowSteve]

I was talking to a friend today about how he wanted to start learning to ride. We sat down and worked out how much it will cost him to getup and running with an nc700x. I was actually pretty shocked By the costs.

Remember that I'm a Brit, so costs are a bit different over here, and also things like gear, lids etc are selected by what is highest safety, ratherthan what's cheapest -we're both working guys with kids, and getting home in one piece is more important than money. I've put prices in dollars coz this is an American forum.

Training, 5 sets of tests, revision books etc etc. $1,200
Enhanced rider courses (not compulsory) $500
Helmet, boots, leathers or textiles + armour. $1,500
Nc700x - assume new as not much 2nd hand around. $9,000 - DCT model from Atlanta.
Insurance for a new rider. $600
Misc. bits... Water proofs, toolkit etc. $300

Result - if my maths is right.... $13,100.

For someone who is already a car driver, that's a huge amount of cash to justify to be less safe but grin more.


I'm not sure why I'm surprised, I'd just never thought of it that way.


Steve

 

[frozenpoet]

That's a lot to shell out for test. I think over here to take the MSF class is only around $130ish, sometimes free depending on if you are in an organization that will pay for it.

 

[robnpat]

Wow, that's quite a bit. At least in Missouri, classes are not required (although I took both the MSF BRC and BRC2 class, $200 and $110 respectively). My helmet was $130 or so, jacket $99, and gloves $35. My insurance is about $30/month. If I had to pay all of that from the OP, my wife definetely would not let me have one.

 

[L.B.S.]

this is an American forum.

Oi!



Oh and PS, I shouldn't need to say this, but I will juuuuust to make sure; please no American friends take any kind of insult intent to my post, it is abso-red white and blue-lutely non snarky or jingoistic in intent! I :heart: youse peeps across the invisible dotted line

 

[Red NC]

A state sponsored MSF Basic Rider Course here in Ohio is only Fifty bucks.

 

[duk2n]

Oi!

View attachment 7862

+1

 

[AdamW]

In my experience, you can spend a lot less on helmet, gloves, etc and not compromise safety at all.

The DCT is MSRP US$8400. Depending on the state, add taxes, license, fees, etc. 9K is possibly a low estimate.

I live in California. I got the free DMV motorcycle handbook, memorized it, and paid $20 to take the test for a learner's permit. I practiced on a 50cc scooter, paid another $20 and took the riding test. MSF courses are not mandatory, just recommended. And in California, they cost $250.00 for riders who are 21 years old and older and $150 for under 18 years old.

Insurance is very complicated in the US. Regulations vary not only from state to state, but companies can set rates according to what neighborhood you live in, your income & employment, education, driving history, age, gender, what size engine the bike is, how they happen to classify the bike type, and seemingly, whatever else strikes their fancy. If I lived in a so-called lower crime neighborhood, like the one that's just one mile away, my rate would be significantly cheaper.

 

[Craig92DA9]

Wow, I want to say my riding course was $250 and another $40-ish for the license itself, I spent about $1000 on gear including Kevlar jeans with knee armor, armored leather jacket, fiberglass helmet, leather gloves and boots. So I'm at around $1300 plus the bike, which I financed with $800 down and maybe $150 to get my insurance started so now I'm at $2250 up front. Of course I'll be paying for my bike over the next 4 years (one down, yay!).

 

[ziggie]

I paid 25.00 for course a few years ago.

 

[Craig92DA9]

I'm finding the wide range of costs across the US for the MSF basic rider course very interesting.

 

[anglachel]

I'm finding the wide range of costs across the US for the MSF basic rider course very interesting.

States subsidize the training in different ways, in MN they provide bikes, but the rest (location and trainers) is praised for by the students.

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[netizen]

You can save at least 1/3 buying used but low use gear...maybe as much as 1/2 but it takes time checking eBay and other sites for the deals.
He should save at least 50 percent on fuel costs when riding rather than driving. This will add up if he rides allot and begin to offset the cost of getting the bike.
The training he gets will help him become a better car driver as well so he will benefit from that even if he decides not to keep the bike.
Worst case scenario, he sells the bike and all the gear a year down the road and his cost for the experience is around $3,000 at most for a years worth of riding and the training and certifications he received.

If he keeps the bike he continues to save on fuel costs and enjoys the experience of riding...Which in my opinion is priceless....


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[kevicon]

I'm finding the wide range of costs across the US for the MSF basic rider course very interesting.

Down here in Florida it was $225 for MSF BRC1 and another $30 at DMV to get endorsement added to my license





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[kevicon]

I'm finding the wide range of costs across the US for the MSF basic rider course very interesting.

Down here in Florida it was $225 for MSF BRC1 and another $30 at DMV to get endorsement added to my license





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[MZ5]

Steve, those are some hideous training & testing fees! I'm sorry for you that you have to pay like that to ride!

With the rest, though, you're right on the money; bikes are EXPENSIVE. Plus, their running costs per mile are dramatically higher than cars for everything other than fuel, and IME fuel savings rarely or never make up for it. Plus, at least where I live, riding gear (helmet, jacket & pants or suit, gloves, boots of whatever sort, etc.) don't last anywhere near as long as the bike, so those to me are part of per-mile running costs.

It's very sad, honestly, but bikes are simply not economical from any semi-broad perspective. Only when we focus on _one_ thing (like mpg, and like I do every single day! ) are the thrifty. At least that's my experience and calculations.

 

[SergeantChuck]

It's good to do a cost analysis and determine whether you can afford something or not. I agree with that. I skydive. I have had many friends tell me they are interested. I always tell them the costs associated before they try the sport. Just like riding a bike, once you try it, your pretty much hooked. So it is better to have the money or know you can afford it before you start.

Me on the other hand, I just jump right in and don't look back. If I know I want to do something I usually do it regardless the circumstances. I don't practice what I preach. LOL

 

[Fuzzy]

Steve, those are some hideous training & testing fees! I'm sorry for you that you have to pay like that to ride!

Fees are steep the other side of the pond but I'm not sure we are better off to allow riding with no training and no test beyond 2nd gear in a parking lot. As others have stated long term riders forced to take an MSF class all admit they gained useful knowledge to make them safer riders. IMHO we need to have higher standards for an M license in the U.S.

5 years ago I bought a bike and taught myself to ride it on my residential street. A week later I got an M license for a test in a parking lot that had a max speed of 15 mph where I demonstrated I could start, stop and stay inside the lines in 2nd gear. I was legal but had no business riding on the street and in fact it was another month before I felt comfortable riding into town.

3 months later I took the MSF class. A young man although marginal, passed all the course and received his certificate good for an M license. The instructor while handing him his certificate told him to spend a lot of time practicing in parking lots and empty streets before venturing into traffic. He was obviously reluctant to hand him the certificate but had no choice.

The next summer I sold my first bike to a 19 year old. I offered to deliver the bike to his home 100 miles away but he insisted he had enough experience to ride it. 1/2 mile down my street he went into the ditch on a slight downhill turn.

Bottom line we allow people full priviledges to ride any size bike on the street with inadequate skills. We are lucky to survive learning with these standards. Proper training has a cost that has to be paid somehow.

 

[SlowSteve]

Mz5.

The costs are definitely a lot higher, and it IS much harder to get a bike ( but then again, it's nothing compared to what it took me to own a rifle!) but from what I can see the training is higher.

As far as I can tell, the MSF class that you guys have is less strict than the CBT that we make 16 year olds do to be allowed a 50cc scooter. We then have 4 examsoverthat (if your over 24......if your under 24 there are 6 more!) stuff like counter-steering, lightening the bike, riding in aggressive traffic etc is all part of the basic training.

The other thing is that there is both easy access and also a big discount on your insurance for attending other courses as well, so, just as an example, I have night riding, highway riding and adverse weather courses as well, which the insurance man likes a lot. I think most of the guys I ride with have at least some enhanced qualifications, it's something a lot of UK riders do on a fairly regular basis, and there are schools in every big city.

In short, getting to be on the road with a bike can be a real drag. The police can also be tough on riders- you get get pulled for not wearing armour or gloves, but its a talking to rather than a conviction.

The flip side though is that a 30 year old is 7 times more likely to be killed on a bike in the US than they are in the UK, and a 20 year o,d is 9x more likely. From what i can see though, if everyone in the US drives like they do in Atlanta, where i go every few weeks, the craziness of the car, and especially truck drivers and BMW drivers, suggests that no matter how much training a rider has, its more luck than skill that any given rider stays on. i feel far more comfortable driving and riding in Russia and India than i do around Atlanta, which is pretty depressing to say.

I'm getting ready to emigrate to the US at the moment (going to live in Atlanta) and won't be riding....it's a big SUV for me. I'll get my bike fix doing Enduro and riding on dirt. Gonna get a husqavana and pretend to be Steve McQueen!

 

[MZ5]

I'm afraid I don't support the concept of compulsory-everything, 'we' don't think that 'you' are safe at all until you've paid thousands for this, that, and the other which 'we' can revoke at any time if 'we' don't like what 'you' are doing, etc. I understand the good intentions, and I'm aboard with them as intentions, but I've enough experience with life to know what the road to hell is paved with...

Cheers!

 

[jelo]

A state sponsored MSF Basic Rider Course here in Ohio is only Fifty bucks.

Ditto - same here