Ho ho ho. Your Christmas present from Ben Bernanke — $3 per
gallon gas — is coming a couple of weeks early. “Qualitative
Easing” — printing money, lots and lots of it — is
beginning to show itself in the form of less buying power for the
money you’ve got right now. Gas hasn’t really gotten more
expensive; your dollahs have simply been discounted.
But there’s something you can do, for once. And it’s
something good, too.
If you’ve ever wanted to get a motorcycle, here’s your
excuse.
Motorcycles — even the big/fast ones — get as good or
even better mileage than a hybrid car. Some of the smaller ones can
deliver 60-70 MPGs. They also cost much less to buy (and maintain)
than a hybrid — or can, at any rate.
I’ve got several bikes and been a rider for years, almost
entirely for pleasure. But now it’s becoming a great way to hedge
against inflation. The recent upsurge in the cost of fuel gave me
just the push I needed to make what I think is a savvy investment
— a new (to me) motorcycle.
Here’s the math:
My everyday driver is a Nissan compact pick-up. Even
though it has a four-cylinder engine and a manual transmission, it
averages high teens/low twenties. If gas goes up to $4 per gallon
again, it will cost me appx. $60 to fill the truck’s 15 gallon tank
—which will take me maybe 250-300 miles, assuming an average 20
MPGs.
If gas goes up to $5 or $6 per gallon — and with the
printing presses running 24 hour shifts, that is not an unlikely
scenario — filling up Buttercup (my wife’s name for our truck)
will be our new Mini-Me Mortgage payment.
I had this prospect rattling around in my head when, while
surfing the classifieds online, I came across a very nice, low
mileage used touring/cruising bike. I have always wanted one of
these, not just because I own or have owned every other type of
bike — but because all my other bikes (sport bikes, antique bikes,
dirt bikes) are not the hot ticket for long-haul trips. The other
bikes I have are either not comfortable for long-haul rides (sport
bike) too nice to risk being rained on (restored antique bike) or
just too small for the highway (dirt/dual-sport bike). Also none of
them can carry more than me and my wallet. But I had restrained
myself before — because adding another bike to my growing ensemble
seemed like a sure-fire way to annoy my wife. Which anyone who is
married knows is not sound policy.
But now I had an excuse. A legitimate,
responsible reason for buying this bike.
The '80s-era Honda Silverwing (a slightly smaller version
of the better-known and still-being-made Goldwing) only cost me
$2,000 — which is not unusual for an older Japanese-brand bike,
even if it’s in excellent condition. Nice used bikes — ready to
ride, with no Big Ticket problems — are readily available in the
$2,000-$5,000 price range. By car standards, that is chump change.
But even better than the affordable cost of entry, the ‘Wing gets
45 MPGs. Its 4.5 something-gallon tank only costs about $12 to fill
up at current prices.
If the price of gas doubles, riding this bike
rather than driving my truck will keep my effective gas
costs about the same as they are at current prices. That will
amortize the $2,000 cost of the bike in a matter of months — and
after that, it’s gravy.
This bike is a fully-faired road trip bike, with a large
windscreen to protect the rider and multiple storage cases that can
carry enough stuff to comfortably take you 1,000 miles down the
road — or take home groceries from the store. It even has a
stereo, if you’re into such things. The point being, it is
a bike that could sub in for a car (or truck) as an almost everyday
vehicle. So long as it’s not snowing, you can ride. If it does snow
— or you need to cart home some 2x4s — you can fall back on your
four-wheeled conveyance.
But if you can ride the bike even 50 percent of the time,
your gas savings will be Not Small. Even at the current $3 per
gallon. If it goes to $4 or more, and you have a bike, you have an
investment in your financial security and a hedge against
the ravages of the Fed.
In a worst-case scenario — hyperinflation, with the cost
of fuel soaring to $10 or more — having a bike could be the only
financially viable means of powered transportation left to
us.
That’s what I told my wife. And this time, she
agreed with me!
