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Is your Ninja 300 more expensive to maintain than a car?

12K views 21 replies 17 participants last post by  CleverRiver6 
#1 ·
I ride a lot and my Ninja 300 is my daily commuter, I put 26,000km/year (approx 16,250 miles/year) and I found that my bike is so expensive to maintain.

Tires, oils, chain, sprockets, valves, shocks, bearings, brake rotors, brake pads, filters, etc.
and helmets and riding gears get old so I had to replace them.

all these things add up really quickly and it's much more expensive than Corolla or Civic.

And Ninja 300 is considered to be one of the cheapest bike you can buy in terms of maintenance.
I can't imagine how much people are paying for Hayabusa, R1, Panigale, etc.
 
#2 ·
The 300 and corolla are not really comparable. The corolla is a low maintenance machine while the 300 is a medium performance sportbike (in my eyes). Cars generally will cost more in gas, oil, tires and if you try to compare to a medium performance sporty car the brakes will cost way more, there are way more parts that have to be maintaned. Add on wipers, replacing the windshield when you take a rock to it, way more lights that burn out.
One thing I find with the corolla is that people buy it for cheap, do absolutely anything they can to avoid maintenance/replacing parts, end up driving around a rust bucket til it falls apart.

If you want to compare having to buy gear you can probably offset it with insurance. I pay 3x as much for my car's insurance. Not to mention starting purchase price.

The reality of things is, any vehicle is expensive and is a money black hole but we choose to have them for convenience or fun
 
#4 ·
Mine isn't. Uses less oil than a car, half as many tires, less brake pads, $16 a month to insure versus $70 for my car, 57mpg with the 300 vs 37mpg for my Fiesta, initial cost was much lower. Not to mention the bike looks better, is quicker, and a lot more fun to drive.
 
#5 ·
I guess it really depends on the car. My co-worker has a Porsche Cayman. An oil change cost him $329.99. No joke. He never took the car back to the dealership after that.

That car takes 8 quarts of oil. Tires are at least $250 each.

Oh.....and spark plugs? He hasn't done them yet because you pretty much have to drop the motor to change them. If not, you better know how to take parts of the motor apart to get to them.
 
#6 ·
mile for mile, the Ninja and my Camaro are about even in maintenance costs due to the Camaro having really high intervals compared to the bike. The only problem is, when an interval comes up on the Camaro, it's going to hurt like hell compared to the Ninja which I can do pretty much entirely myself for around $200. I don't have the tools or workspace for a full on car maintenance nor the patience for some of the major tear downs that can be required of a car. The top end stuff like plugs and filters aren't bad, but some of the servicing required for the shit that's deeper down in there looks like it's going to be a pain in the ass without a hoist or a lift and a free weekend or two.
 
#7 · (Edited)
For me any motorcycle is cheaper than my truck. I have a 2014 Silverado 1500 with a 6 lift kit. My tires alone are $1600, an oil change is around $75 (DIY price) and insurance is $70 a month. The bike would be about $450 for new tires, around $30 for an oil change and $35 for insurance a month. Not to mention my truck only gets 13-14mpg on my commute to work. But hey we all pay to play at the end of the day.
 
#9 ·
With that mileage on a 300 you are paying about $840 a year in gas, compared to a corolla you would pay about $1648. This is assuming gas prices are $3 and that you would average 58mph on the 300 and and 32 mpg on the corolla.

Not to mention insurance savings, cost of a new corolla to begin with, as well as tax. Depreciation of a corolla compared to a 300.

I bought both a 2014 ninja 300 and a 2013 mazda 3 two months within each other.
The 300 was $7700 with a few aftermarket parts and the mazda was $17k
Insurance on the 300 was $35 a month and my car was $220 a month
I did 10k miles on my bike and car both in the first year of ownership.
I did 3 oil changes on the 300 and 2 on the car.
Changed both tires on the 300 for $320. Changed 2 tires on my car for about $450.
Windshield on my car cracked and needs replacing and that will be super expensive.

At the end of the day I wish I didn't buy a new car because I would have so much extra money.
 
#10 ·
The brakes on my bike are like $30.... Try $500 for my Porsche
 
#13 ·
I've found maintenance on the bike to be cheaper than on my car. However, a wise man once said to me, "whoever thinks motorcycles and the hobby of motorcycling is cheap is in for a rude awakening". I agree with some of what OP said. Gear isn't cheap. Tires for the bike are more expensive for me than they are for my car because on the car I can go with used tires and on the bike I wouldn't do that. I can plug a car tire without too much worry, bike tires not so much. Fuel economy for me is better on the bike, but not the numbers I've seen posted on this forum. As to reggae's point, I can do most of the work on my car myself, but on the bike I haven't experimented too much aside from oil changes and some other miscellaneous projects.
 
#14 ·
Not in my case, I have a 2000 F-150 4X4 with a 5.4L engine.... get about 16mpg, it has a 25 gal. tank. I spend more in gas in a year than the blue book price of the ninja (2013). I'm due 4 new tires on the truck, gonna cost about $900, and that's the cheap tires. I recently replaced the radiator, altenator, idle control valve and all the vacuum lines. Next up... the coils (8 of them) and plugs, that will be another couple hundred bucks. All I have to say.... I will not complain about the amount I spend on my bike, I enjoy it more than riding in my truck :) But I have to have the truck.... I use it to haul stuff and tow stuff, so it stays (unless money is tight). The Ninja? I HAVE to have it to keep my soul balanced and to sooth my mind. If it comes down to it, i'll RENT a truck to do stuff :) The Ninja STAYS!
 
#15 ·
Excellent question, in my case I had a 2007 Hyundai Sonata which I got rid of in favor of a 2016 Ninja 300. In the short overlap where I owned both vehicles I found the following: the ninja needed more frequent maintenance trips but the trips where 5* cheaper, $167 in San Jose California for the Ninja compared to ~$800 for the Hyundai, unless you need tires. As a daily commuter and weekend fun toy, I was taking the bike in for servicing about once a quarter, having a decade old car I was getting that serviced about once a year so the ninja saved ~$100. Ninja parts wore out more quickly but they cost about 90% less. In addition to this the Hyundai got ~30mpg, good for a car, the Ninja, which I got as a commuter and 'rode like an old lady' (direct quote from my brother), got ~60mpg. Having said that, I also used the bike as a weekend fun toy and rode much hard, something I never did with the car, we'll call the gasoline a wash. As a new rider insurance was about the same, however, California registration was less than half for the bike and as a green vehicle I gained free access to HOV/toll lanes (easily saved $500 a year). Since California, might be an anomaly, although many other states are following suit, we can ignore that. One thing I won't ignore is the cost of repairs. My girlfriend who is both an inexperienced rider and inexperienced driver managed to drive my car into pole and drop the bike. Luckily the pole only damaged the cars fender, unluckily I can't repair a car's fender. What I can do is replace a bikes fairings, thanks to some good advice from our friend CycleCruzer, I had already swapped out my OEM fairings for a $400 pair of Chinese fairings, cost of repairing the body damage to the car $1700. Cost to repair the bike, a Saturday afternoon buffing out cheap aftermarket fairings. Even if I had to replace the fairings I just checked on bike bandit and an entire set of new fairings is $1000, I don't even want to think about how expensive it would be to redo the entire cars body!

Bottom Line: If you compare a $4000 car to a $4000 bike (sold the car for about $4000 bought the bike for about $4000) and you ride a lot there is a very small chance it might be a wash. However, when something goes wrong on a car it's orders of magnitude more expensive, if you have a $4000 car something IS going to go wrong.

Comparing new to new: The best deal I have seen anyone get on a brand new car is $15,000+taxes and fees, and that was NOT this decade. Even if you buy a ninja300 at MSRP, after taxes and fees you're still looking at less than $6000. That's a minimum savings of $9000. If you have to pay $200 to service your bike AND you service your bike 4 times a year, it's going to take you 11.25 years to spend $9000 servicing your bike.
 
#17 · (Edited)
Interesting (but old) discussion.
Don't think it really can be compared easily. Too many variables.



I think what's killing the current vehicle, car, motorcycle maintenance costs these days is taking it to "the dealer".
They charge up to around $100/hour labor, and the parts are overcharged, and then they add little things like consumables that add up quickly.

In the end, a brake job that if done yourself with cheaply sourced parts costs $200, vs. $800+ taking it to the dealer (or stealer as some like to call them).


Comparing new to new: The best deal I have seen anyone get on a brand new car is $15,000+taxes and fees, and that was NOT this decade. Even if you buy a ninja300 at MSRP, after taxes and fees you're still looking at less than $6000. That's a minimum savings of $9000. If you have to pay $200 to service your bike AND you service your bike 4 times a year, it's going to take you 11.25 years to spend $9000 servicing your bike.
Just for reference, we bought a Daewoo Nubira CDX station wagon when Daewoo was already bankrupt (assets eventually acquired by Chevrolet) back in 2001 for US$9'780.00 brand new.

And the thing is still going (!!!), BUT it now is only worth fixing if I can do it myself and cheaply. Just changed the camshaft positioning sensor (as it wouldn't start), which cost ~US$8.00 off Amazon!
Once any major issue arises with transmission or engine, it will sadly go to the wreckers...
 
#16 ·
Excellent question, in my case I had a 2007 Hyundai Sonata which I got rid of in favor of a 2016 Ninja 300. In the short overlap where I owned both vehicles I found the following: the ninja needed more frequent maintenance trips but the trips where 5* cheaper, $167 in San Jose California for the Ninja compared to ~$800 for the Hyundai, unless you need tires. As a daily commuter and weekend fun toy, I was taking the bike in for servicing about once a quarter, having a decade old car I was getting that serviced about once a year so the ninja saved ~$100. Ninja parts wore out more quickly but they cost about 90% less. In addition to this the Hyundai got ~30mpg, good for a car, the Ninja, which I got as a commuter and 'rode like an old lady' (direct quote from my brother), got ~60mpg. Having said that, I also used the bike as a weekend fun toy and rode much hard, something I never did with the car, we'll call the gasoline a wash. As a new rider insurance was about the same, however, California registration was less than half for the bike and as a green vehicle I gained free access to HOV/toll lanes (easily saved $500 a year). Since California, might be an anomaly, although many other states are following suit, we can ignore that. One thing I won't ignore is the cost of repairs. My girlfriend who is both an inexperienced rider and inexperienced driver managed to drive my car into pole and drop the bike. Luckily the pole only damaged the cars fender, unluckily I can't repair a car's fender. What I can do is replace a bikes fairings, thanks to some good advice from our friend CycleCruzer, I had already swapped out my OEM fairings for a $400 pair of Chinese fairings, cost of repairing the body damage to the car $1700. Cost to repair the bike, a Saturday afternoon buffing out cheap aftermarket fairings. Even if I had to replace the fairings I just checked on bike bandit and an entire set of new fairings is $1000, I don't even want to think about how expensive it would be to redo the entire cars body!

Bottom Line: If you compare a $4000 car to a $4000 bike (sold the car for about $4000 bought the bike for about $4000) and you ride a lot there is a very small chance it might be a wash. However, when something goes wrong on a car it's orders of magnitude more expensive, if you have a $4000 car something IS going to go wrong.

Comparing new to new: The best deal I have seen anyone get on a brand new car is $15,000+taxes and fees, and that was NOT this decade. Even if you buy a ninja300 at MSRP, after taxes and fees you're still looking at less than $6000. That's a minimum savings of $9000. If you have to pay $200 to service your bike AND you service your bike 4 times a year, it's going to take you 11.25 years to spend $9000 servicing your bike.




...how much people are paying for Hayabusa, R1, Panigale: Much, much less than owners of Lexus, Porche and Feraris ;)
 
#18 ·
Personally, I have a Corvette and a 124 Fiat Spider. My wife has a Honda Accord and a Hyundai Tucson.

Do you really think a Ninja 300 is more expensive to maintain than the above mentioned vehicles. :question:

NOT :excl: :signlol:

But as somebody previously stated, it all depends on who is maintaining your vehicles. If you can do some of the work yourself, you will drastically cut maintenance costs. Also, if you can find a decent repair shop, besides a name brand dealer, you may be able to save costs there.

Example given, is Chevrolet dealership wanted over $600.00 to replace AC compressor on Trail Blazer I once owned. Found an AC shop that did the same work with same parts for $250.00 .

First Hyundai Tucson my wife owned had an electrical problem. Dealer wanted $700.00 to replace circuit board. Had the circuit board REPAIRED else where for $90.00 .

On the same Tucson, dealership stated that it looked like their was a coolant leak and water pump needed replacing. I asked .......... did you not just drain flush and refill coolant system ????? And perhaps your service technician spilled a little fluid ????? Well guess what ??? Nooooooooooooo water pump was leaking. Only thing leaking was Service Managers mouth with lies coming out of it. :frown2:

Needless to say, I don't trust anybody that works on my vehicles and question everything they say requires repair.
 
#20 ·
:iagree: Its like everything else that you purchase. Get a good reliable one and its less costly to maintain. Purchase a " LEMON " and all you will be doing is paying to maintain it. :shrug.001:
 
#21 ·
I feel like its kinda the luck of the draw when you buy the bike. My 300 has been reliable as heck but yea, it does need work much more often than my car, but as most others have said, working on it yourself makes it quite affordable. My 300 is 27k miles now though, so certain maintenance items are becoming quite crucial to watch, especially oil changes. I have found im reaching that kind of part in its life where most normal parts start to wear out together, on the tail end of the "bathtub curve" for any of you aviation nerds. So lots of big jobs coming up for my bike, and lots of jobs I was able to do in my garage in a day or so.

Personally I used conventional oil in my 300, since my CCT didn't fair well with synth. Suuper cheap oil changes, like less than 30 for a gallon of oil and a filter from my local kawi dealer. Coolant and brake fluid changes at 20k miles, less than 50 bucks all in all I believe. Brake pad full replacement, cheap. Chain and sprockets, maybe 150 bucks or something for DID Xring and jt sprockets? Maybe 200 or so for that job. Not too bad. 2 sets of tires as well since the beginning of the year when I got it, not terrible given Ive put 15,000 miles on it since.

The more painful jobs are on the horizon though, I think my clutch has a worn basket (which is like 200 something for the basket alone from kawi, ouch) and my valves are gonna need adjusting, which sucks to do as a self acclaimed mechanic, since you need a lot of shims to get it right, and a lot of time. Or, pay someone to do that one if its too much, since a shop would probably waste less time finding the right shim than I would.


Depends what car you have, and how valuable you think your time is. My time is cheap to me, so I'll gladly learn to do as many jobs as I can in my spare time, but maybe not for you. Probably saved well over a thousand bucks in the jobs I've done myself in labor alone. Feels really good to have done em, and my bike is running better than it ever has.

-Mike
 
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