Never Summer

Hey guys, sorry for the borderline misleading title. Today, for the second time in exactly one month, the expansion tank blew on my 330xi, and at this point it seems like it may be time to put this car out to pasture. Anyways, one of the ideas I had as far as replacing it goes was to get a Harley-Davidson Nightster, with the intent of riding it year-round. Granted we do get snow in Colorado, it has been so sparse the last few years that I am not terribly worried about that, or even the cold for that matter.

So, the question for you guys is, would riding a motorcycle year-round as a primary form of transportation be practical in Colorado? I work about 8 miles from my house, and my boss lives literally half a mile from me, so in the event I absolutely couldn't ride I would always have the option of getting a ride to work from him. The only real downside I see is how well a motorcycle may handle in the extreme cold, we do tend to get one or two weeks a year where the temperature doesn't get above 10F.

Thoughts?

pttl

Well, as a former rider I can say, my gut reaction to your question was "wtf are you kidding?" Although the idea has a certain appeal I believe it is not practical to ride year round in Co. Even if you got NO snow which is highly unlikely even if the past 2 winters you got none. Riding in an ambient temp of 10 degrees would be most unpleasant with a 45 mph wind blast. ....hmmm. But as always it is up to you.

How much would an expansion tank cost to replace?

justnspace

iTrader: (1)

we really do need a new way of introducing new vehicles.

at least you didnt create your own birthday thread

Jakes_tl

Why would you want to go threw all that torcher? I seriously wouldn't recommend that. Just think about driving in the winter time with all your windows down and no heat that right there would be bad enough but on a bike i think that is extremely crazy.

1StGenCL

As a former rider in FLORIDA,I think you are insane.

te3point5

get a motorcycle AND a cheap beater to drive when it's extremely cold and/or snowing.

Carraway

I know about the internet and UPS, but don't you have to get groceries or occasionally buy things that won't fit on the back of a motorcycle? What about the possibility of having a different job or living somewhere else? Or packing a suitcase and taking a trip without renting a car?

And for the price of one, you could probably find a pretty decent used Civic/Accord/Mazda3/etc and maybe even just use a bicycle for the short commute on nice days.

Neither is as cool as a Harley, but you won't freeze and will be able to do things like go buy that wickedly cool vintage accordion without having to worry about how you're going to get it home.

NwTSXmt

As a Boss...I would prefer my employees not call me for a ride to work...but hey your Boss may be different....My vote is to get a vehicle thats usable in all weather conditions..

Costco

Plastic cooling system components.... German engineering at work!

Not sure how your boss is but I would find being in your shoes or your boss's with the whole transportation thing a bit awkward. A coworker, sure... but your boss?

Is this your first motorcycle? At least from the looks of it, it is. Do you want such a relatively new and nice bike as your first? Most people I know drop their first bike or get it dinged up somehow. It is also a huge inconvenience to have a motorcycle as your sole means of transportation.... as mentioned, there is a degree of planning involved for even simple trips.

SuperTrooper169

iTrader: (2)

Not all bosses are awkward to hang out with guys, come on. I was friends with my last boss and we practiacally were in each others car on a daily basis going to lunch or happy hour, etc. But regardless I think you're all missing the point, attempting to drive a motorcycle year round in Denver is just ridiculous. You're 21 years old, you have plenty of time to have a toy down the road, so get yourself a nice car and work toward getting a weekend bike or get the bike you want and a beater to drive on those days that it's sh*tty weather.

wackjum

In the US, a motorcycle as your only transportation just isn't practical. You won't really save any money either. When I did the math, my sport bikes cost more in maintenance per mile traveled than something like a Honda Accord. A BMW might be closer to parity, but don't expect huge savings from a bike.

It is possible in other countries because they are riding little mopeds that are practically disposable. Bikes are very much luxury items here in the US.

Aman

I wouldn't do it. Consider the fact that every time you use your A/C, your heater, your windshield wipers, and every time you open your trunk, you're doing things that would be impossible on a motorcycle.

phee

iTrader: (5)

sell the car, buy a brain.

StreetKA

iTrader: (8)

vas25tl

Not practical, very difficult to live without a car when you're not in the major cities.

cM3go

Get a used E9x 328 or 335 and call it a day.

Mr Marco

fixed

Never Summer

I ended up buying a 2012 Volkswagen Jetta SEL with navigation and everything. Quite frankly the idea of having a car under warranty that would get decent gas mileage. So far I'm loving the car, it might not have the power of a lot of other things but that's not a bad thing as far as I am concerned. Will post pictures once I have some better lighting.

SpiderX1016

Get an exhaust! I love the way that engine sounds.

I had an 06 w/ a CAI and Magnaflow muffler. Slow as hell but it sounded awesome for what it was.

MR1

Congratulations, good choice, nice car.

Aman

Nice buy

MTEAZY

Think of it as an A4 without the lipstick.

Never Summer

I got off work too late to get a decent picture or two today, I'll do my best tomorrow though.

Never Summer

My 330xi is officially sold, and I can finally be done with that money pit. Here are a few quick pictures I snapped with my iPhone today, I have to say I'm really enjoying this car so far, it's my first new car ever.





I've done about 90 miles in the car since Tuesday night when I bought it, and am averaging 28.5, much better than the 16-17 mpg I was getting in my 330xi. It's also surprisingly fun to drive, especially with the transmission in "Sport" mode, and I really can't complain about anything major.

CLtotheTL32

iTrader: (3)

congrats!

NwTSXmt

I thought that was a "Bland button" on the console pic...Enjoy the ride

terdonal

Congrats!

Never Summer

So I've had the car for a little over a month now, done 1,549 miles so far at an average of 28.7 MPG with a 70/30 City/Highway mix. Only a few small things here and there that annoy me, mainly a rattle in the driver side door panel but that is very intermittent, as well as the dealership messing up all of the paperwork.. My corgi loves the car, he likes to think the entire back seat is his.

I've got another 20 or so days until the tags are up, at which point I will be getting tint. It's probably about time I wash the car, 36 days is probably long enough.

leedogg

i'm surprised you went from one german money pit to another potential german money pit. Best of luck with it though.

Never Summer

I've got seven years of warranty on it, I figure worst case scenario I get rid of the car once the warranty runs out. That said, I've had several family members with 2.5L Jetta's (two MkV and one MkIV) that have been nothing but reliable.

pttl

Congrats! Very nice. Don't worry about the "money pit" comments. This car is of the new gen. and will more than likely be a very reliable ride.

NWSTL

Congrats on getting a new car! Then there's this...

Jetta on Jalopnik

The comments are sometimes the best part: "Generic styling, legendary Volkswagen unreliability and customer disservice as well as uninspiring performance. What is there to want?"

ttribe

Quite the ray of sunshine.

Costco

congrats, I'm sure the mileage is only going to improve as well.

I don't live in a below-freezing climate and I still can't imagine riding a motorcycle in the dead of winter. I know people do it, I just can't.