Gas rant:
With 87 octane going for $4.19, times are tough. They’re bound to get tougher yet, as the price of gas is certainly bound to reach $5 and maybe beyond before it stabilizes.
At present, I get 11MPG city. Yes, traffic is that bad here. Yes, my maintenance is immaculate. Yes, I’m moving to Upstate NY, where there’s a lot less traffic and most of my miles will be highway. Even then, if Bob98SR5, fuster, slosurfer (hi Chris) MLT or any member here can perform miracles over the web and agrees to grant my truck the holy grail of 4Runner mileage: 22MPG…it’s still not going to be any easier on my wallet, not really. A few dollars here, a few there, it’s a trivial difference when I gas up at the pump. Ok, so, I don’t eat one day a week (Mondays suck anyway), so what.
My issue:
As of July ’08, I’m living off student loans and am therefore on a student loan budget. My apartment is threadbare and I don’t mind at all. I like the Rochester area. I’ll have to drive about a total of 60 miles daily, this being to and from campus. From mid-November to late January, I’ll be working at a Toyota dealership. 120 miles daily. Hopefully full-time. Then again, all summer I’ll be working, same deal. Come Fall, again with the 11 week semester routine. (I’m doing the T-TEN program, if anyone is curious)
This accumulation of miles burns a serious hole in my wallet. I feel ridiculous spending a huge portion of my student loans on gas. I love my truck and it’s great for winter weather…think lake effect snow. Tons of it. But for all the other seasons….
Proposed solution:
I think I’ll buy a motorcycle for commuting. 250cc. Honda Nighthawk/Rebel, Kawasaki Ninja 250, Suzuki GZ250, Yamaha Virago. Maybe a KLR 650. Great gas mileage for all of them, 60+ MPG possible. I ride easy. Insurance will be dirt cheap for me (cheers for USAA). I’m a beginner rider and engine size will be sufficient for me. Spare parts all over the place for them and they’re all pretty reliable machines to begin with.
I’m a responsible driver. I have no points on my license and I’ve never gotten as much as a parking ticket. I drive 55-65 whenever possible. I think racing is great fun and should be kept on the track or similar. I LOVE to drive fast but I think in most highway conditions, or at least the ones that I see around here, it’s pretty unsafe. The motorcycle will be supplemented by a full plethora of leathers. I don’t care how I look and I’m not about do to wheelies or throw it around corners, I’m cautious. I realize I’m still at the mercy of others but from what I’ve seen and from the people I know, most bike accidents happen because people do dumb things intentionally.
I figure I’ll have to cough up money initially, but, it’ll pay off in the long run. It’ll also be cheaper then buying a used Tercel or whatever and paying for repairs on a high-mileage vehicle. Since getting my '96 4Runner with 57k on it last November (67k now) I've had to replace the following: alternator, starter, front sway bar links, rusted out muffler, front 02 sensor, one cracked rim, and last but not least broken door handle. Now, routine stuff since I got it; new tires, new battery, rotors, brake pads, engine gaskets, all new belts and hoses and other small stuff. I also had it undercoated. I'm also sure that there's more that I don't remember. I figure, if I had to do all this on my truck, I'll probably wind up dumping a significant amount of money into a heavily used gas miser as well. I could just buy a brand new motorcycle outright. never mind used.
Any thoughts or suggestions? I think I have it worked out well enough but certainly there are caveats or things I haven't thought of.
EDIT: Should have mentioned two things (thanks scottiac!):
a) I'm 5 foot 9 , weighing in at 180 lbs.
b) freeway vs street: in the area I'm considering, it's relatively easy to stick to the streets/back-roads and make good time/mileage as well. I'll hit the freeway if I can, though.