Bandit Turns 100

I got my '01 Bandit used in '04 with only 4000 miles, for a reasonable $5k OTD. After nearly 12 years of daily commuting it finally rolled 100k!

Not bad for an old air-cooled dinosaur. But it hasn't been without effort. In addition to the usual tires, oil, and chains here are a few of the various services I've done:

• 15k - replace head gasket due to slow oil leak
• 80k - replace brake lines, rebuild brake & clutch master cylinders
• 90k - replace carb float needles & seats
• 98k - replace cam chain tensioner due to excessive cam chain noise (write-up coming soon!)

And I've replaced the fuel petcock at least 3 times and the suspension and brakes are completely worn out at this point. But overall I've been very happy with this bike. It's reliably taken me to to work & back 55 miles a day, every day, Alaska, 2 Canadian provinces, and numerous trips back home to the California Central Coast to visit my folks. A lot of people have told me "Jap crap" isn't durable or reliable but this proves them wrong. I'm hoping for another 100k out of it!

Cycle World: FZ-07 First Ride Review

Check out Cycle World's FZ-07 first ride review!  Short version:  under 400lbs wet, under $7k, and a claimed 58MPG highway.  Pretty clear it's meant to compete with Honda's well-reviewed NC700X commuter.  The FZ-07 sounds like another great mid-sized commute bike, hopefully coming to the U.S. in 2015!

Bring It On, BART Strike

This morning's BART strike brought mayhem and gridlock to hundreds of thousands of cagers in the Bay Area.  Fortunately this gave me 30 miles of opportunity to practice my legal lanesplitting privileges.  Got to work early in just under an hour.  Lanesplitting is awesome.  Bring it on, BART strike!

Ride to Work Day Turnout

Knowing Ride to Work Day isn't a well-publicized event I didn't expect a great turnout, but even allowing for that I was a bit disappointed.  Below is the company motorcycle parking area with reserved space for 8 - 10 motos, around 8:30 this morning.  Leave it to bikers to not ride to work the one day they're supposed to.

21st Annual Ride to Work Day June 17, 2013

Just a quick note that tomorrow is official "ride your motorcycle to work" day according to ridetowork.org.  According to the Riding is a Social Good document on the web site:

Riding is a social good.  Motorcycles and scooters offer the convenience, range and speed of cars, with a minimal eco/energy footprint and a broad range of personal health benefits.  They are more than toys for those with interest and discretionary funds.

I have often wondered why Ride to Work Day has never taken off in the Bay Area like Bike to Work Day.  In fact when I tell people about Ride to Work Day they often assume I mean the bicycle commute event.  Maybe motorcycle commuting is so commonplace in the Bay Area that there's no need for a special day for it.  Or maybe RTWD is just a thinly veiled Aerostich marketing tool.  In any case I've never seen any organized events or publicity for motorcycle commuting.  That is unfortunate because I think widespread motorcycle commuting would solve a lot of our traffic congestion and parking issues both here and elsewhere.

So do your part to show that your motorcycle is more than just a toy.  Ride to work!

Lane Sharing in the News

In the wake of CHP Lane Splitting Guidelines published online earlier this year amid cautiously optimistic comments in motorcycle forums, we now have SB 350 introduced by CA Senator Jim Beall with the intent of restricting, or at least codifying, said privileges.  An excerpt from the bill is as follows:

SECTION 1.  Section 21658.5 is added to the Vehicle Code, to read:
   21658.5.  (a) Notwithstanding any other law, and except as
provided in subdivision (b), when a highway has been divided into
three or more clearly marked lanes for traffic traveling in the same
direction, a person operating a motorcycle shall not pass another
vehicle in a portion of a lane occupied by that vehicle unless the
following conditions are met:
   (1) The passing occurs during traffic congestion.
   (2) The passing occurs at a safe speed.
   (b) This section does not apply to a peace officer in the
performance of official duties.

According to brief articles in this month's City Bike and the AMA News site, no action will be taken in 2013 until the results of a U.C. Berkeley lane sharing safety study are completed.  For more information search for sb-350 on the LaneSplittingIsLegal.com web site.  There is also a BARF thread and information on the ABATE web site.

The High Cost of Commuting, Part II: WageWorks

Since my previous commute cost analysis a few additional public transit options and an employee incentive program have caught my attention.  To recap, I figured out that taking public transit from my location costs $14.60 a day (plus 0.52 for BikeLink bicycle storage at 0.05/hr), vs. $8.75 a day to ride in on the Bandit, which includes gas ($4.50), bridge toll ($2.50), and maintenance ($1.75 estimated), but not the cost of the bike, insurance, or riding gear.

The biggest change in my cost analysis was the discovery that my employer offers WageWorks, an incentive program that lets us purchase up to $125 a month in transit passes using pre-tax income.  That makes for some complicated math since the round trip on public transit from Vallejo to Oakland costs more than that, and determining the tax rate for combined federal, state, and local taxes is tricky.  WageWorks claims pre-tax savings is about 40% (on the first $125).  That got me to revisit public transit options to see if I could finally answer the question, are there any better commute alternatives to riding a motorcycle?

By checking the Vallejo Transit fares page I found that there is a $118 unlimited monthly pass.  That can be a substantial savings over the cash fare but requires a commitment of 13 commute days (about 2 1/2 weeks) of bus commuting to break even with the cash fare.  Of course more than that equals more savings per ride.  Riding the bus every day using a monthly pass saves about $82 over the cash fare.  With the WageWorks pre-tax discount the $118 becomes $70.80.

I also found the Contra Costa WestCAT operates a park & ride out of Hercules that has BikeLink lockers.  Round trip from WestCAT to BART is dirt cheap--$2.75 with a BART transfer.  But, the return-trip transfer discount is cash-only, so the WageWorks pre-tax discount only applies to the $1.75 debited from the transit pass.  More math.  The BikeLink lockers in Hercules are cheaper than the ones in Vallejo at 0.03 per hour.  The WestCAT stop is 11.5 miles by bicycle, about 45 minutes on a good day.  There would be bridge and parking fees to drive or ride a motorcycle there.  Pedaling is the only cost-effective way to get from my place to WestCAT.

So the question is, how do these additional transit options compare in time and cost to riding the Bandit?  With WageWorks discounts figured in here are monthly estimates:

• Vallejo Transit to BART with monthly pass*, bike locker, bicycle maintenance:  $181.60, 1 hour 10 minutes each way
• Motorcycle, FasTrak, maintenance: $175, 35 minutes each way**
• WestCAT to BART, bike locker: $114, 90 minutes each way plus a shower
• BART/bicycle only, bike locker:  $70, 1 hour 55 minutes each way plus a shower

Vallejo Route 80

Happily (or sadly), motorcycle commuting still comes in slightly ahead of Vallejo transit in terms of cost, and is still way ahead in terms of time.  It adds over an additional hour a day to commute by bus.  Even the time spent maintaining the bike and gearing up doesn't come close to the extra 5 hours a week it takes to ride the bus.  Additionally, the main problem with making Vallejo Transit cost-effective is that one has to trade in motorcycle riding for a monthly bus pass.  Another problem is that time on public transit is dead time.  There's no Internet connection so I can't get work done, and transit time doesn't count toward time spent in the office. Finally, timing the bus/BART connection to minimize waiting puts restrictions on when is the best time to leave the office.  My job isn't the type that lets me leave the office at a predictable time every day.  Some days I have to stay later than others so coordinating with the transit schedules isn't always possible. That can burn a lot of extra time in the evening when I want to get home.

Cycling Options

The other two transit options, WestCAT to BART and cycling all the way to BART, vary inversely by time and cost (more time equals less cost).  While substantially cheaper than riding in they're simply not realistic on a regular basis due to the amount of time involved.  For serious cyclists who might pedal 90 minutes a day anyway the WestCAT option isn't awful.  Actual transit time is only 40 - 45 minutes.  But as a means of commuting, realistically no one wants to spend 3 hours a day going back and forth to work if not absolutely necessary.

11.5 mile cycling route to Hercules Transit Center

You have to decide how much your time is worth and what you're missing by spending optional free time on the bus.  As a means of occasionally reducing commute costs and mileage on the motorcycles, getting in shape, or introducing some variety these two options make some sense, but not on a daily basis.

19 mile cycling route to El Cerrito Del Norte BART

CPM vs. TCO

For commute cost comparisons I decided to compare cost per mile (CPM) instead of total cost of ownership (TCO) of the motorcycle.  TCO would also include the one-time costs of the motorcycle, riding gear, and commute-related gear and accessories, as well as insurance and registration.  Public transit on the other hand has no TCO since passengers don't own the vehicles.  Should the cost of commuting by motorcycle include the cost of the bike and the riding suit?  Should the cost of driving a Prius to work include the price of the car?  Under certain circumstances, maybe.  If the vehicle was an optional purchase for the sole purpose commuting I could see adding it as a cost.  If the purchase is being made to replace a less fuel-efficient vehicle it would make sense to do a cost analysis to see if the amount of gas savings justifies the price of the new vehicle.  For a vehicle that's already bought and paid for I don't think analysis based on TCO makes sense, but I suppose there's room to argue either point.

A final note, safely commuting on a motorcycle takes some luck and a lot of skill.  The skill, and some would argue the luck, as well as the defensive mindset and degree of mental focus, come with constant practice.  Last year I pedaled to WestCAT up to three times a week and found that I felt slow and clumsy the two days a week I rode in on the Bandit.  Public transit can save money and is arguably better for the environment, but it doesn't help improve riding skills.  That's really the biggest problem I have with it, feeling like I'm putting myself at risk by letting myself get out of practice.

Better, Faster, Cheaper?

While there are cheaper commute options than riding a motorcycle there is no faster way.  As far as which is better, I think it's a matter of personal preference.  Not everyone can or should ride a motorcycle.  For me time savings is key.  On days when I take public transit all I do is work, commute, and sleep.  If the dead time spent on transit could be put to use it would be a lot more appealing.  I haven't found anything better to do than reading motorcycle magazines on the bus, but if I could solve that problem it might be a worthwhile alternative, at least on an occasional basis.

The other issue is high cost of Vallejo Transit.  I don't understand why it costs six times as much to ride the bus to BART from Vallejo as it does to ride from Hercules.  Without cost or time savings there's not much incentive to take public transit.

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* Monthly pass discount precludes motorcycle commuting--no more riding with option 1.
**  Not including time to maintain the motorcycle. Nothing is free.

Ride to Work Day is June 18th

Not to be confused with bike to work day for cyclists, which happens May 10th this year, Ride to Work Day happens every third Monday in June. The event started in 1992 to encourage the use of motorcycles as transportation. For those who don't already ride to work every day it's a good excuse to dust off the motorcycle and take it to work. Riding a motorcycle (or bicycle, if you live close enough) eases traffic and parking congestion, saves time and gas, and raises public awareness of motorcycling. Additionally, in many places it's legal for motorcycles to use the HOV (carpool) lane, and in California "lane-sharing" (sharing a lane with a car, i.e. going between cars) is permitted* if done safely and cautiously. That can add up to a lot of time savings in congested urban areas.



As someone who got around exclusively by motorcycle for 8 years, the idea of not riding to work sometimes seems refreshing and novel. The only days I don't ride to work are the occasional days when I pedal to public transit. I like cycling but riding a bicycle to work involves the rare coincidence of a ton of spare time and lack of interest in fighting traffic for 60 miles. The latter happens frequently, the former almost never. So, since almost every day is Ride to Work Day for me I often forget when the official day arrives. But I do endorse the message. Ride to work!

In addition to the information on the Ride to Work site there is also a lot of cool Ride to Work merchandise on the Aerostich site.

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* The subtle linguistic difference between "permitted" and "legal" is the subject of endless debate in motorcycle forums.

The High Cost of Commuting

Every day I commute from Vallejo to Oakland, a round trip of about 55 miles. From my informal survey that seems to be about an average distance among my coworkers. Some are walking distance to work, some a short bicycle ride away, and others come in from as far as San Jose, Oakley, and even Tracy.

Anyway... when the carpool toll jumped up from zero to $2.50 a day in July I started to wonder if there was a cheaper way to get to work than riding one's Bandit. As daily costs go, I spend $4.50 on gas and $2.50 for bridge toll, a total of $7.00. Thankfully work provides parking. If that $7.00 was the only expense, the motorcycle would easily beat public transit by itself, or even a combination of bicycle and pub trans. The only cheaper way to get to work would be to bicycle all the way there, which would take about 2.5 hours each way (google maps says 3 hours by bicycle).

Unfortunately however, motorcycles require maintenance. It's a bit tricky to figure out the daily cost of maintenance. I do my own work with the occasional exception of tire changes so labor only costs time. Parts cost money, but there are some parts I don't replace more often than every two or three years such as air filters, spark plugs, and valve cover gaskets. So it's hard to say. My best guesses for the most frequent services are:

• oil/filter: 4 times/yr at $16 per oil change


• chain/sprocket set: $200 every 18 months


• tires: $250 every 18 months


• valve cover gasket set: $64 every 36 months

These numbers may look low, but if you look around it is entirely possible to find a chain and sprocket set for $200 or a set of tires for $250.

By my math that's $418.91 per year, call it $420, if I add another 50 bucks to have the shop change my tires. I haven't figured in the cost of insurance which I'd pay anyway, vehicle cost and depreciation, the cost of my riding suit and helmet, or incidentals like chain lube or kerosene. I don't want to get too picky. $420 per year is an extra $35 a month, which works out to roughly an additional $1.75 per day. So my best guess is it costs about $8.75 per day to commute by motorcycle. Notwithstanding the high mental costs, that amounts to something in the neighborhood of $2000 per year* to get to work.

By contrast, public transit by itself is $5.00 for the bus to El Cerrito Del Norte BART, then another $2.30 for the BART ride to Oakland. $14.60 per day. And it takes 90 minutes each way, plus whatever time to get to the bus stop.

To drive the pickup to work would be $6.60 in gas, $5.00 for bridge toll, and $12 - $20 for parking. I don't know what the yearly maintenance would be, I suspect comparable or higher than the bike maintenance. But at $23.60 with parking figured in, even the daily costs are prohibitive.

Finally there is the bicycle and pub trans combo option. I don't really know how much it costs to maintain a commute bicycle. My guess is about $100 per year for a trip to the shop for a tune-up, plus whatever incidentals like tires and brake pads. That's about 42 cents a day. The round trip cost of BART from North Concord/Martinez is $7.70. That is the easiest BART station to ride to from here. The El Cerrito Del Norte station is about the same distance and much cheaper at $4.60 round trip, but it's a challenging ride with all the hills. So the round trip would be $8.12, or $5.02 for a person in very good shape with a light road racing bicycle.

So here's my best estimate:

• Pickup: $23.60 plus maintenance, 60 min one way


• Public Transit: $14.60, 90+ min one way


• Motorcycle: $8.75**, 35 min one way


• Bicycle/pub trans: $8.12, 2 hours one way

Ride your motorcycles to work people.



* One work-from-home day per week would save an estimated $437.50 yearly at that rate.
** Note that the Bandit, at 38 - 42 MPG, is terrible on gas for a motorcycle. A GS500F, at 59+ MPG, could cut $1.34 or more from the daily cost of gas, bringing the daily total to $7.41, a lower total cost*** than riding a bicycle to North Martinez BART.
*** To justify the $1.34 daily savings provided by a new GS500F, it would take approximately 13 years for the savings to add up to the $4,400 MSRP (excluding tax, assembly fee, etc.). At the break-even point the bike would have 179,000 miles on it.