Short commute vehicle

[pebu]

Ok, so I have a truck and a 6 mile drive to the park and ride where I get a ride to work. I'm seriously considering getting a moped (as stupid as they are). State law says a "moped" is less than 50ccs and can't go more than 30mph on level ground, plus other little things. I'd imagine I could get away with one that goes faster, but I think that a larger engine would give me troubles when trying to register it. Anybody have any suggestions/ideas on a cheap moped that would fit the bill?

[Dr D]

lots of scooter options out there. Here the local gendarmes etc seem to be overlooking violations in favor of people saving on gas.

I just bought a small cruiser motorcycle. 50 mpg makes a difference and it pays its own payment on gas savings alone!

[KingCrimson]

Mind if I ask why you've ruled out a bike? Sweat?

Electric assist would be nice, there's something on one in the Commuter Bike thread.

[Allee]

I'd go the whole hog and get my bike licence. Then I could drive a reasonably powered and trendy scooter rather than a lame moped, and upgrade to a sport bike later if I felt like it.

King Crimson has a point. 6 miles is a pretty short bike ride. Maybe not so much in the winter, though.

[pebu]

Sweat?

Prettymuch. That and it should take half the time since though I could reach 30mph on my bike, I think I could only sustain an average of 15mph or so for 6 miles. I have considered it, though. For sure it'd be good for me.

And as for a full fledged motorcycle, I'm kinda considering that as well, but to get a motorcycle, I need to get my motorcycle endorsement, then I'd need to have it registered every year, and insurance on top of that. Not to mention, I'm as comfortable on 4 wheels as I am snowboarding, but on 2, the simpler the better. When I have to concentrate on driving, balance, then throw in clutch and shifting, I start to get a little wobbly. A moped is cheaper, no new license, no insurance and registration is $15 for 3 years.

So that's kinda my reasoning for that.

[KingCrimson]

I'd go the whole hog and get my bike licence. Then I could drive a reasonably powered and trendy scooter rather than a lame moped, and upgrade to a sport bike later if I felt like it.

King Crimson has a point. 6 miles is a pretty short bike ride. Maybe not so much in the winter, though.

Hey, at least in the winter, he can just chip the sweat off instead of being stinky!

It would be nice to work for a company where everyone else rides their bike to work, then there's no shame in stepping in and dripping sweat on the floor.

6 miles shouldn't get you terribly sweaty though, especially if you go early and take it easy. I rode 4 miles on road today, and wasn't done, so I sprinted for a half mile (single speed, 32x20 with 29er wheels, so it was a spin-fest sprint) and attacked some steep stuff..Good and sweaty and burning at the top, but prior to the sprinting I was in pretty good shape, after holding 120+ RPM for the 4 onroad miles. It's a hot day today too, a rough 75F. :lol: Anyway, 4 miles feels way longer than it should after doing quadricep super set (say that 5 times fast) last night, and with the low gearing and knobbies at 20 PSI.

[queequeg]

Is a bicycle out of the question?? Unless you have to carry lots of stuff to work of wear a suit and tie, your commute is short enough that riding a bike should be no problem. I ride a bike to work, and my commute is about the same as yours, probably a teensy bit longer. Feels great.

[KingCrimson]

It would be hard to resist commuting your Cannondale, queeg.

[trailertrash]

A moped is cheaper, no new license, no insurance and registration is $15 for 3 years.

How many days do you have to ride the moped at $4 /gallon to recoup the costs to buy it? At 12 miles a day you have to keep your purchase price pretty low, as in bicycle low, to make it worth it.

Sell the truck and get a car.

[KingCrimson]

Sell the truck

Good luck, I've got 2 words.

Flooded Market.

No clue what it's like elsewhere, but 32k SUVs are listed at sub 10 for an 08 with low miles.

[trailertrash]

Good luck, I've got 2 words.

Flooded Market.

No clue what it's like elsewhere, but 32k SUVs are listed at sub 10 for an 08 with low miles.

Wow really? Thanks for stating the obvious. Some how I doubt Pebu is rocking a 32k SUV. Whatever truck he rolls in it is worth trying downsize.

[KingCrimson]

Well, he can throw boards and bikes and buddies in the back of a truck...No matter what he has, it isn't gonna sell.

Bottom line, simplest thing is a bike.

[pebu]

Not so much a suit, but they do like to see me in a tie and all that junk. And I'm not nearly in as good of shape as other bike riders in this forum.

I am NOT selling the truck. It's still very useful to me. I live in the sticks, I'm always pulling trailers and moving stuff. Not to mention it's 10 years old now and starting to go downhill so I can't imagine getting much money for it. ('99 Silverado z71 Ext. Cab, 5.3L, Oh roughly around 16 mpg for me)

Another car would be cool, but some issues are: initial capitol, insurance, registration, room for it, etc...

Question:

How are the insurance rates for a (full-sized) motorcycle compared to a car? I'd imagine they have to be MUCH higher, are they not?

[pebu]

How many days do you have to ride the moped at $4 /gallon to recoup the costs to buy it? At 12 miles a day you have to keep your purchase price pretty low, as in bicycle low, to make it worth it.

Sell the truck and get a car.

Oh, yeah, just figured that out about an hour ago. Turns out it'd be about 70 weeks, which seems like a long time. But it's approximately $2.50/day savings, which seems huge, so I'm kind of torn on whether I should do it or not..

[GeoffV]

We're only talking 6 miles here right? Am I missing something:confused:

Get a bicycle

Insurance will be up there for a motorcycle for someone your age. You're only 24 bike to work it's only 6 miles, it will take you a week of doing it and youl be in shape. For a commute for 6 miles it's not even worth it get a moped/scooter/moto bike. My dad is 60 and bikes 8 miles to work every day. Shower at work, you can't work up that much of a sweat if you take it easy.

Now if you are really using this as an excuse to buy a motorcycle, well that's a different story then. And I'd say go for it:D

I commute on mine as much as I can from April to Dec and usually run in the 50mph's. TrailerTrash is more hardcore and does it year round and gets in the 60's mpg with his dualsport.

[trailertrash]

Oh, yeah, just figured that out about an hour ago. Turns out it'd be about 70 weeks, which seems like a long time. But it's approximately $2.50/day savings, which seems huge, so I'm kind of torn on whether I should do it or not..

are you going to invest in decent gear so you can ride through the winter? in the rain? otherwise you are talking many years to pay it off.

i think a cheap honda civic or bicycle is your best bet.

[queequeg]

Wow really? Thanks for stating the obvious. Some how I doubt Pebu is rocking a 32k SUV. Whatever truck he rolls in it is worth trying downsize.

Why the sarcasm?

It's not the price of the vehicle that is causing this, its cost of ownership/fuel-inefficiency of the vehicle. Most trucks are not fuel efficient, regardless of how much they cost (in fact, you'll pay a premium for a hybrid). Regardless of what his SUV cost in the first place it will be hard to sell if it sucks up a lot of fuel (and I think the existence of this thread pretty much indicates that to be the case unless pebu has suddenly decided that mopeds are sexy and that is what is motivating his decision to abandon the truck). Inexpensive trucks that suck gas are losing value just as fast as the expensive ones, in fact, I would wager that they are losing value faster because people who are wealthy and can afford to drive a more expensive vehicle are less likely to be fazed by high gas prices. So the more price-conscious but otherwise gas-sucking vehicles will lose value faster than gas-sucking vehicles at a higher price point. If pebu's truck/suv is inexpensive as well as gas guzzling, that is not going to make it any easier to move.

[pebu]

Oh, I forgot to mention the fun-itudeness factor of having a moped around.

Bicycle cons

No shower at work.

I don't want to wake up any earlyer than I already do just so I can get there on time.

My bike badly needs a tune (which I'm going to do anyway, despite not *needing* it.)

[trailertrash]

my point was that it is irrelevant what $32k SUV's are doing on the resale market as I doubt Pebu has one. Also, the obviousness of the statement that big vehicles aren't selling.

I have a V8 depreciating rather quickly in my driveway right now. A better solution for the long term would be a more efficient vehicle Pebu can use all year. That is if he is not willing to bike it. If I had a 6 mile commute I would be all over biking it.

[KingCrimson]

Autotrader

Click it.

Cheapest Civic in SD County is older than me and has so many miles they didn't bother listing them. Of course, SoCal with the demand for anything such as that being so high skews that figure..

Regardless, that 4 grand would buy the nicest roadbike you would ever want.

TT- I was simply stating the extent of depreciation of something I've seen first hand..Despite the fact that something like a 99 Silverado obviously isn't going to be any better.

[queequeg]

We're only talking 6 miles here right? Am I missing something:confused:

Get a bicycle

Insurance will be up there for a motorcycle for someone your age. You're only 24 bike to work it's only 6 miles, it will take you a week of doing it and youl be in shape. For a commute for 6 miles it's not even worth it get a moped/scooter/moto bike. My dad is 60 and bikes 8 miles to work every day. Shower at work, you can't work up that much of a sweat if you take it easy.

Now if you are really using this as an excuse to buy a motorcycle, well that's a different story then. And I'd say go for it:D

I commute on mine as much as I can from April to Dec and usually run in the 50mph's. TrailerTrash is more hardcore and does it year round and gets in the 60's mpg with his dualsport.

I've gotta say (and I don't mean to be pushy), but I think Geoff is right (though I am obviously biased). Six miles is *seriously* no big deal on a bike, you can do it without breaking a sweat and the benefits are multiple. I do seven on the way to work, from queens to times square in some very heavy traffic and over bridges, etc ... it takes me about 20 minutes.

If I rode slower, I could probably do it without breaking a sweat but I like having fun on the way, either way, I have a towel and some deo at work, and a change of clothes in my messenger bag ... works out fine despite not having a shower at work.

You won't have to get up any earlier to do it on a bike, and you get into the office feeling awesome. Biking home is the best part, it just totally clears your head of the entire office - regardless of what has happened at work that day my head is in a great place when I walk in the door. It's a very positive way to begin and end your day.

Ok ... I promise I won't do any more bicycle prosthelytizing ... just had to preach the word ... couldn't resist.

[Allee]

No shower at work is not a good excuse. You can do wonders with a pack of wet wipes and some antistink.

[KingCrimson]

No shower at work is not a good excuse. You can do wonders with a pack of wet wipes and some antistink.

Not if you've got locks like mine! Think..Sebastion Bach from Skid Row.

Yeah. Too bad they don't make brushes that spray carb cleaner..that would be kickass.

[bobdea]

be it a dual sport or a cruiser or even a trainer crotch rocket like the ninja 250 will be your best bet IMHO

despite what the sport bike guys here are gonna say, you don't need any thing more than a 500 unless you want to literally do 190 MPH. What's best is those same guys with the big bikes often get out turned by 16 year olds on motards on turny tracks.

My bike is getting about 70 miles to the gallon and best of all it will go anywhere. scooters and mopeds offer too many disadvantages. Since you live in a rural area I suggest a dual sport. I'm sure you can find a DRZ 200 or 400 used somewhere for less than 2k. Be anal about oil changes, buy the service manual and do as much of the periodic service as you dare other than the complicated engine work and you're set. If you want to rip a track with your sport bike buddies motard the thing and give them a run for their money in the turns.

mopeds will do 50ish if you do some work but they are not all that fun to ride and if I were gonna go with something like that I'd constantly be trying to get more out of it.

if you're not interested in dirt and bent on getting a scooter/ped I'd suggest really looking into getting the smallest cruiser motorcycle you can get your hands on, if you mod a 50cc ped the mileage ends up around 75/80 miles to the gallon so it holds no real advantage. between the better brakes and a couple more inches of suspension travel, the features of a actual motorcycle could save your life or at least keep some of your skin on.

The other bonus about a motorcycle over a ped is you can take it on the highway, even my KLX will do 70 where as a ped won't and a scooter at 70 is fine until you hit a pebble any minute object.

[Jon Dahl]

I'd bicycle it during the good months. 6 miles is nothing, even for a outa shape 51 yo guy like me. You, in a week, would feel the same. Mopeds are cute, do you want that tag?? A 250-400 cc dual purpose motorcycle would do everything you need, a 250 Ninja will kick some serious butt in good hands in the tight stuff. Now, in the mini-bike department, if I could find a Yamaha YSR50 in any sort of condition that wasn't overpriced, I'd stuff a 200 Blaster motor in it and have a 100 mph wolf in sheeps clothing! A little off the topic, I know, but my mind is twisted that way...imagine passing a Corvette on the freeway while you sit at eye level on a minibike..... at 80 plus mph....