5 Ways to Save Money Riding Your Motorcycle

Everything you need to know to save money riding your motorcycle. No one said it would be cheap, but who says it has to be expensive?

Motorcycles aren’t the safest investment. In fact, while motorcycles could save you a pile of money versus a car, they can also be a huge money pit. Given that we love our machines, we tend to forgive them with every twist of the throttle. But it doesn’t have to be an expensive sport/habit/lifestyle. Here are 5 ways to save some money riding and keep your relationship with your machine healthy.

1) Spread every dollar further.

Motorcycles get great gas mileage, especially compared to cars, but motorcyclists have a lot of bad habits that cost them much more gas than necessary.

• Who hasn’t hit the gas hard and shifted up, just to touch the brakes before the stop sign at the end of the road?
• Who hasn’t revved their engine at a red light to hear the bliss of their motorcycle’s exhausts singing?

We have plenty of bad fuel-consuming habits, here are 10 ways to raise your MPGs and reduce the number of visits to the pump.

2) There’s no time like labor time.

Let’s face it, if you’re reading an article about 5 Ways to Save Money Riding Your Motorcycle, you probably don’t make $90/hour, do you? Lucky for you, you can save $90/hour by keeping your bike out of a motorcycle shop.

Mondo Lulu

You don’t need to tear apart your motorcycle for a complete overhaul, but you should know what the 5 most common reasons motorcycles end up in the shop are, as told by your mechanic. Read this and figure out what not to do!

3) Save money on motorcycle gear.

Let’s look at two fun facts:

• A human body is more than 50% water.
• A brick wall is over 90% brick.

Imagine what would happen should your unstoppable force hits that unmoveable object. A lot of research and development goes into the making of motorcycle gear, and as a result, gear isn’t cheap, but that doesn’t mean it can’t be affordable.

Keep your eyes open for sales, look for online coupons, and don’t forget to look at the pros and cons of buying used motorcycle gear.

4) A warranty is only good if something goes wrong, then it’s really good.

Whether its your first motorcycle or your fifth motorcycle, you need to consider whether a new or used motorcycle is better for you.

• Do you want to save a few dollars for the extra risk?
• What should you be looking out for if you do buy used? If you choose to buy new do you know how to negotiate for the best price?

Be sure to read the buying new vs. used motorcycles comparison, and the strategies for bargaining with the dealer to save a few bucks!

5) Be the wolf, not the sheep.

A sucker is someone who will believe whatever they hear and won’t think to worry about whatever they don’t hear.

• Check out the Four Golden Options for making money with your motorcycle.
• Want to know who gives the best motorcycle insurance rate? You do!
• When you stop being afraid to pick up the phone and call a list of people.
• Wondering about licensing? Here’s an online beginner motorcycle (M1) test you can practice on YouMotorcycle for free until you get it perfect so you’ll save yourself the re-test fee.
• Lastly, here’s a comparison of getting your intermediate motorcycle license (M2) by taking a course (several hundred dollars), vs. being tested (less than $100).

Remember, I’m not saying that your motorcycle isn’t going to cost you. It is. This season alone I’ve spent roughly $800 on new Metzeler ME880, a new air filter, and a valve adjustment. After 22,000 km it was time to put some money into the bike, but having a grippy set of tires and my machine’s maintenance up to date saves me some money down the road so I don’t mind. Next year I’ll only need to buy oil and filters.

How do you keep costs down? Share your tips in the comments.

PS: Motorcycles don’t have to cost you money, in fact, they might make you money like they do for me. If you’re interested, check out these four ways you can make money in the motorcycle world.