Start Up Costs
Feb 3rd, 2009 by Leo
A Confederate “Fighter”, that sells for around $110,000
Everyone is thinking about money these days, and lots of folks are considering the cost benefits of riding a motorcycle or scooter. So how much does it really cost to START riding in the city? If you were hoping I’d say “dirt cheap”, this is not your day. But on the other hand the cost is probably within reach.
These are just general estimates for someone on a budget, the cost of helmets, gloves, can easily be several times the number I put here… Let me know if there’s something I missed or under estimated:
Basic Must-Have Items: $680-$1150
- $350 – Training, Basic Riders Course (MSF)
- $50-$150 – Good full face helmet (HJC or KBC on sale)
- $50-$100 – Heavy duty chain and lock (for example)
- $50-$100 – Good Disc Lock, or Disc Lock with Alarm
- $30-$100 – Motorcycle Gloves
- $50-$150 – Motorcycle Boots
- $100-$200 – Warm weather textile jacket
A 600RR I sold a couple of years ago for $4000
Tools and Maintenance Items: $120-$225
- $60 – Ratchet, sockets, wrenches
- $15-$30 – Oil and filter for one do-it-yourself oil change
- $15 – Oil filter wrench and pan
- $30-$120 – Rear stand for bikes without center stands
The Motorcycle, taxes and insurance: $1600-$6500
- $1000 – $4500 – Good first bike
- $200-$600 – New tire, tires and or chain
- $200-$600 – DMV fees and taxes
- $200-$800 – Liability Insurance
Basic Startup Cost: $2400-$7875.
Your actual startup costs can be much higher, even double what we have here, even while riding an economical starter bike; but it’s possible to spend near the low end of this estimate too. I didn’t factor in parking costs or winter storage. Also, if you’re thinking of a scooter instead of a motorcycle you’ll probably want to buy a new one, and that will be on the higher end of the $1000-$4500 estimate. But after the first couple of years, when you have a reliable bike and all the gear you need to ride year round, you can easily find yourself spending under $100 a month on gas, maintenance, insurance, while living and riding in NY.
Anything I missed? Let me know.
Some Related Posts:
- So You’re Thinking of Getting a Motorcycle
- How to Buy a Used Motorcycle
- How to Park your Motorcycle on the Street
- What makes a good starter Bike?
Related posts:
Its very conceivable that you can start up for much less. A lot of dealers will throw in helmets if you buy a new bike. You can find great used moto jackets at thrift stores. Tools and maintenace? You might as well put the cost of having a garage then, which I don’t. I just bug my moto buddies to let me work on it at their house. hehe. Most moto addicts want nothing more than to convert their friends, so they will probably offer you their old gloves and help you out in the beginning. Don’t let a big number scare you off. If you aren’t overly concerned with reliability (lol), safety (you ought to be) and image (all bikes look good), you can get rolling on the cheap.
My start up costs:
Permit $12
MSF (CA) $250
Crummy Yamaha XS 650 (first bike) $300
Insurance (cheap) & Registration $150 (work it!)
Helmet & Gloves (Gift) free.
$712.
I rode without a proper jacket on a crummy bike for a few months. I sold that bike to a friend for the same price. He spent less registering it, but bought a helmet putting him at about $800. But we are talking start-up costs right? Of course we both had to dump $ into that heap to keep it running (brakes, electrical, crack heads stealing spark plugs) but it was an economical way to break into riding and see if it was a good fit.
Upon upgrading the bike, I then, of course, bought a proper leather moto jacket, an Arai Quantum, new boots, plenty of bells and whistles (yay neck warmer). The costs can really sky rocket once you catch the bug. Hell, now I have a friggin track suit and two bikes. I’m also poor but so so happy. But it still doesn’t have to cost more than $1000 just to get licensed and on a bike to cut your teeth.
Ha! that’s true! Freebies and a dirt cheap bike (or cheap dirt-bike) can get you started in under 1 thousand… My favorite episode of Entourage is when Vince takes the guys to a Ducati dealership in the Valley and say “we’ll take four of them.”
Although the cost of fixing the bike to keep it running for the year should probably go in with the startup costs… For new riders in NY, where dealerships charge $90/hour for labor, those things can really get you!
Even at the high end of the scale, its still cheaper than just insurance on even the crappiest beater car according to my high risk age and being a male.
Being quoted about 5 grand for insuring a 91 corolla was not fun, that car is gone and I’m waiting for MSF to confirm my registration, Already have my helmet and gear, and looking at a cheap dirt bike or DS and i’ll be happy there.
If you like dirt bikes and have a lighter build (under 200 or so), the Ninja 250 is a fun bike too. You can get 3-4 yr old models, never been dropped, for under 2k… Low cost, fun, reliable.
Confederate makes some damn nice bikes. But what happened to a nice bike for the average Joe?
Boss Hawg
You suggest a chain lock and a disc lock? I am moving from VT to New Orleans and would like to avoid having my bike stolen so I got a Xena Disc lock but now I am thinking I need a chain lock too?
hey subaruzi, the Kryptonite NY Noose chain is a good choice for a chain. It has a wide loop at one end, which you can snake the rest of the chain through. It’s convenient, because the design increases the effective length of the chain, so it’s easier to find a structure to chain your bike to.
My first year riding in NYC my insurance came to over $1200 for the year. That’s on a 2002 SV650s, so you can imagine what the insurance on some of the sportier or higher end bikes comes to. Granted, my second year it was half that.