MOTOR CYCLING

Hawera Star, Volume XLVIII, 22 January 1925, Page 3

MOTOR CYCLING

A CANTERBURY ESTIMATE. As an exercise in estimating costs, a class of students collected the necessary figures regarding th© motorbicycles belonging to students now at the college (writes E.W.H. in the Canterbury Agricultural College Magazine). Their total number is 19, and they represent 11 makes. They range in age (from the date of their manufacture) from new to. 13 years, the average being 3.V years. Their cost to their present owners varied from £l3 to £155, and averaged £BS, so. that the annual, interest on captial computed at 6 per cent, is £5 2s. Each owner made his separate estimate of flic time he expected his machine to last, and the number of years so arrived at, divided into the machine’s first cost to its present owner, gave its annual depreciation. The expectation of Ufa varied from two years to nine, and averaged SU. The average estimated depreciation worked out. at £ls 18s a year, making the tofal standing charges for keeping a motor-bike £2l a year, whether it is used or not. The running costs were separately computed. The distance run in a year varied from 1500 miles to 6000, and averaged 2,816 mites. The various items of running costs averaged per bicycle:—Oil and petrol £7 14s; repairs, £4 5.s : tyres, £1 3s; carbide, 3s: linos 3s. the last item being distributed among three owners. Owners’ time spent on repairs was not charged for. The total running costs then averaged £l3 7s 9d for bicycle per annum, or 1.3 pence per mile.