MPG Monsters

TripleT · 23 Jun 2018 at 14:06

Boring subject I know sorry...

I'm currently doing 54miles a day which is 270miles a week or 1170 a month or just over 14,000 a year. So quite a bit.

My current bike is a 13 year old 750 naked with about 30k on the clock so I'd like and want somthsome newer and more comfotable.

Due to a new born baby and paying £800 a month in fee however I have to be sensible. Boo...

What would you go for in my situation? Any other bikes to look at baring in mind the mpg quest?

I've looked and tested a nc750x which I actually liked. Only revs to 6.5k but I rarely manage much more on my commute.

Looking at £4-5k (although the nc750x new PCP with 12k miles a year comes out doable)

TripleT · 23 Jun 2018 at 17:16

Kreeeee said:
Duke 390. Light, small and frugal but still a lot of fun.

Gonna be worse than my 750 nake on the motorway though.

As said fun isn't the top priority sadly. Comfort, mpg, reliability.

Give me 2 or 3 years and I'll buy something big and silly but for now the only way to change is to use man maths to massage the figures

TripleT · 23 Jun 2018 at 21:43

BUDFORCE said:
Just ride your bike slower.

On my sv650 I normally get 100-120 mileson a tank cus I crank it pretty hard to work and back.

But when I go touring I ride slow like 50mph I can get 180 on a tank, possibly more.

I'm already at the limit of what's possible on my bike mpg wise. I'm riding for an hour each way (27miles) and riding sensilibily, best I can in M60 traffic. It's an old 750cc so 50-55mpg is all I'm going to get.

Jumping up to 70-80mpg takes a chunk of the upgrade cost out and puts me on a shiny new modern bike.

I've been weighing up 2year old v PCP on a new one. And selling on a 5 year bike with close to 40k on it won't be easy or get much. Option of just handing it back appeals and won't be much more overall. Plus warranty etc etc

TripleT · 25 Jun 2018 at 12:33

BUDFORCE said:
Watch the milage limits on a PCP.

Yer I've had quotes of the usual 4,000miles and then again with 12,000miles. Difference wasn't too bad both monthly and final value. Even excess miles were only 3p so tiny.

TripleT · 25 Jun 2018 at 15:21

The_Abyss said:
Scrimping on fuel to save money and buying via PCP? Are the two things not contradictory?

No, I'm just using the fuel saving to offset some of the cost of getting a new bike to justify it in my head (and also to the Mrs!).

As said I've got 2 or 3 years of mental £800p/m nursery fee's to pay for. After that I can get something silly. So I have to be sensible to any cost saving is good. (yes I know keeping my bike is the cheapest way but if I can get a new bike for not much more overall then why not).

I want a newer bike and I'm slowly killing mine with the milage. We've got two cars but I still consider the bike as my primary transport as my commute is rubbish by car so need it to be reliable and being more comfortable on long motorway trips is a bonus. Keep throwing money at mine for another year and let it melt from another winter and another 14k miles, or basically get a new bike now and enjoy it.

TripleT · 26 Jun 2018 at 12:03

Kreeeee said:
I wouldn't bother with a new bike if you're going to be putting it through that.

Get one a couple of years old and run it into the ground.

2 year old for £5k is very much the probably out-come here. New PCP was better than I thought that's all, I thought I'd get laughed out with my mileage needs.

EVH said:
work from home
save on nursery fees
????
profit

I love my kids, but spending all day withe a 1year old and trying to work... Nah!

Bug One said:
I got a Kawasaki Versys for a similar commute. Very comfortable on a long journey.

That's the other bike I'd looked at briefly but no-where near as economical as the nc. Doubt much will be really bar a 125, which I don't fancy doing

TripleT · 9 Jan 2019 at 21:39

Dogbreath said:
I could understand the man maths if you were trying to justify something special, but as worthy as the NC750X is for a practical commuter bike it isn't exactly a fun or exciting machine. It just doesn't make sense to spend more and get less, certainly not on a new machine anyway.

Thread got semi-nerco'd randomly. In short I bought a year old one last June and smashing miles on it ever since.

Man maths has worked as I'm getting 80mpg instead of 50mpg which when doing 1,000 miles a month is a decent saving so "paying" for most of the upgrade and I'm riding a year old bike instead of 13year old with no mechanical problems.

As a sole commuter the NC is perfect, in 6months I've not ridden it once on the weekend so not missed speed and revs. DCT is awesome for everthing bar weekend blasts (which I don't do so all good )