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It’s a bad idea to blow your savings on a big bike, here’s why

Are you ready to enter this bottomless pit?

EJ Punsalang EJ Punsalang on Oct 27, 2021
It’s a bad idea to blow your savings on a big bike, here’s why

Owning a big bike is something many Pinoy two-wheeler enthusiasts dream of. The thought of having a shiny big bike sitting in your garage, and the notion of hitting the open road on weekends are truly desirable. However, big bike ownership isn’t all peaches and cream. There are, in fact, quite a few financial ramifications to consider when treading into the big bike lifestyle. 

It’s a common misconception for people to think that you’d be saving money on a big bike. While, yes, purchasing a big bike is more affordable than some cars, there are elements in which costs make themselves so much more apparent, especially when compared to smaller scooters and commuter bikes. When it comes to big bikes, the case usually is that bigger tends to be more expensive. Having said that, if you find yourself pinching pennies, then you may want to hold off that big bike purchase for another time. Here are a few reasons why. 

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They're expensive

It’s a bad idea to blow your savings on a big bike, here’s why

Yes, big bikes are expensive, with the cheapest of which fetching around the P300,000 mark—money that could very well be spent on a more practical used four-wheeler. Bigger, more powerful motorcycles such as a Kawasaki Ninja 650 fetch in excess of P400,000. If you’re eyeing to play in the big leagues, then liter-class machines like the Ducati Streetfighter V4 can cost upward of P1.5M—nearly the same money as an executive sedan. 

Expenses don’t stop at the bike’s themselves, either. Accessories and necessary equipment for storing and maintaining your big bike are also very, very expensive. For instance, you definitely need a paddock stand, crash protection, as well as various specialty equipment in order to maintain your machine. To top it all off, riding gear can set you back hundreds of thousands of pesos, especially if you opt to get the best of the best in the market. 

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Maintenance is more frequent, and more expensive

It’s a bad idea to blow your savings on a big bike, here’s why

While big bikes undoubtedly use less oil, coolant, and consumables as cars, a lot of them require specialty oils and fluids in order to maintain their high-performance motors. As such, using bottom-dollar oils and fluids just won’t cut it. Oftentimes, if you choose to be stingy about your big bike’s maintenance, it’ll come to haunt you in the future. 

When compared to small bikes, big bikes tend to have service intervals which are a lot shorter. If your standard scooter would have oil change intervals of around 5,000 kilometers, big bikes tend to have a lot shorter intervals at around 3,000 to 4,000 klicks. This oil change frequency undoubtedly adds up in terms of cost in the long run. Tires, too, tend to be very, very expensive. With top-shelf rubber being even more expensive than car tires—think around P25,000 for a pair of really good, performance-oriented tires. 

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Big bikes tend to be gas guzzlers

It’s a bad idea to blow your savings on a big bike, here’s why

Last but not least, we have to talk about something you’ll be spending money on every time you ride your motorbike—fuel. With gas prices skyrocketing in recent months due to surging global demand, and OPEC refusing to bump up production, there’s no doubt that we can expect gas prices to go well beyond P70, maybe even P80 per liter. Having said that, most big bikes require premium unleaded gasoline—Petron Blaze or Shell V-Power—in order to keep their high-performance motors running smoothly. Fuel efficiency is often thrown out the window in favor of performance. Performance machines like the Yamaha MT-10 are extremely thirsty, and can be little more, if at all, efficient than your compact hatchback. 

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