The Cost of Being Good

[biodsl]

In order to delve into this question, a little explanation of endurance motorcycling is probably in order. An endurance rally is like a scavenger hunt on wheels. You are given a list of locations and points associated with them. To be awarded points, you have to prove you actually visited the location. This might be by answering a question about the location or taking a photograph of your bike and an identifying article (usually a towel or flag with your rider number on it) or some combination of both. The rider who collects the most points wins. Usually this is the one who figures out the most efficient route (the most points with least miles) though not always. It might be won through sheer miles or speed, but usually winning a rally is about finding the right time/distance/point combination. Oh, and don’t be late: that will disqualify you. Most rallies are at least 24 hours, but they can be two, three or even 11 days in length. It is common ride at least 1,000 miles a day.

Besides the physical aspect of riding these distances, it’s an equipment intensive hobby. Your bike has to be as comfortable as possible and you have to ride in all kinds of conditions, day or night. This requires the right bike set-up and equipment. Driving lights, custom seats, extra fuel cells (minimizing stops), and GPS’s are common. As with firearms, sometimes you buy gear and it doesn’t work to your liking. More money is spent trying the find the elusive ‘perfect’ set up. The same goes for riding gear.

With all of this said, the stage is set to answer LR1955’s question; what has it cost me? As I mentioned in my previous post, I’ve intentionally not tracked my rallying expenses. Literally, I thought that if I tracked it I might be tempted to quite the hobby. So what follows is a quick estimate and I assure you I’m UNDER estimating the numbers.

First, the fixed costs. I figure I have about $15,000 in my bike, custom seat, lights, auxiliary fuel tank, GPS’s and riding gear and smaller incidentals. I spent $900 on a tire changer so I could save money on tires by purchasing on-line and mounting/balancing myself. I’ve ridden about 90K miles with this set-up so my cost per mile is about $.165 or $165 for every day (thousand miles) I’ve ridden. I forgot to add insurance to this which is around $400 a year.

Now rally costs. This includes entrance fees, tire wear, fuel and lodging. I excluded food since I would have to eat anyway, but it is more expensive on the road. Fuel for 1,000 miles would be around $87.50. Tires will go about 8,000 miles on my big Yamaha FJR and run around $280 a set. Tires are often replaced early though so you don’t find yourself at the wear bars in the middle of an event. Entry fees probably average $150 for a one day ride and the 11 day Iron Butt Rally is now up to $1800, a little more than $150 a day. I tend to go cheap on lodging since I’m sleeping only 2 or 4 hours a night. Let’s call it $60 average. This brings us to $328.5 per event or $.32 per mile.

Adding this all up, I might have spent over $44,000 over the last seven years. I’ve had fun, enjoyed the competition and made some good friends. However, there’s a second part to LR1955’s question: am I any good? What’s the cost in time to be competitive? That will be another post.

So there you go Horde. Build that $2000 rifle, buy that $1200 scope and $1800 rangefinder. Spend a grand on reloading equipment supplies. It's a bargain!