Its getting tough out there! The recent Coniston trip cost us £100 in diesel alone, let alone the coffee and cake.

Lets hope things sort themselves out and theres no more rumours of exploding pipelines.

there was a time when fuel costs never came into making plans, like you say Mark its a massive factor now. at least you will save on round two!! Nearly the same for me

I reckon I racked up 2000 miles going to just the Nationals last year, then another 400 to Mayhem

Car sharing is the way forward (along with driving at 50-60mph to keep decent fuel economy)

Probably spent £300+ on fuel alone

You only live once eh! Can't take it with you so may as well enjoy it and use it whilst you can

Was talking to my boss today about a friend of his who's got a Rover SD1 with a Spitfire engine. Gets about 17 to the gallon on the motorway. Cruises at 600rpm though.

i spend £400-£500 a month on fuel just seeing my girlfriend, she lives 132 miles away, its shocking.

just sold my car this week, using a scooter for now around here as i have 4 months to knuckle down at work, where its her turn to visit me.....scary that i will save £2,000 in that time though!

i must admit i am being alot more picky about what rides i go to now because of the fuel costs. i try and make the longer trips more worthwhile by making a 2/3/4 day road trip out of it.

for example when i did the cannock ride which is 3 hours away i then drive to coed y brenin for example which is about another 1 1/2 from cannock then stay there for 2 days riding then drive home which is 4 hours. so in total i drive for 8 1/2 hours over 3 days as opposed to 6 hours in one day but i get 3 good rides in, although there is the accommodation cost on top of about £80 in a b+b (or you could camp). but overall i feel more justified in the cost because of the extended amount of riding.

Petrol prices have increased by around 12% over the last 3 years, diesel about 5%. This is (tops) a tenner on a full tank. I don't see how this is a big deal for people spending reasonable sums on top end retro rides and having stables of decent bikes. I'll get flamed for posting this, but i just don't get it.

i think it's just about getting a bit more value for the out lay of a couple of tanks of fuel.

i had to pay the prices. as do others, and thats why folk will never rule out there cars no matter what.

my works transit goes through about £1,300 of diesel per month too!

I'm interested in the source for those figures.

The BBC says unleaded is now at 137p/litre, on average. In March 2009 it was 91p, according to http://www.petrolprices.com/the-price-of-fuel.html, which is a 50% rise or thereabouts. Of course there are some wild variations in the meantime.

Being a truck driver time & distance doesn't bother me at all any more (I've done about 4000miles in the last fortnight), but I look at all journey's as a cost these days and it is putting me off the further Nationals this year.

But like folks have said, drive steady (I get TWICE the mileage at 60mph that I get at 75! ), squeeze others in the car and just bite it (if you can) because the riding, the bikes and the people of RB are always well worth it!

Just to clarify I certainly am not questioning if retrobike rides are worth the fuel and travelling, This is something I was thinking and chuckling about on the way home last weekend . 450 miles trip on my own staying in a dodgy B&B meeting like minded for a 18 mile bike ride ...Ha,ha we are bonkers !! Love it

not my fault you got no friends

Driving is undeniably expensive, but it should be pointed out that you don't have to attend all the National Series rides to get a good Retrobike ride.
The idea behind the series was to get some great rides spaced out across the country.
Look, here is a map to illustrate my point:



Now we don't want to be accused of encouraging lengthy and expensive car journeys just for the sake of a few rides. But by having rides all across the UK increases the chances of a ride being within striking distance for lots of people. It's entirely down to the individual as to whether they can justify the time and cost of making potentially very long journeys.
Car sharing is definitely to be encouraged though.

Along with the National Series, we also have a thriving regional riding set up, with Area Event Coordinators (AECs) and Deputies organising rides throughout the year and throughout their local areas.

So if you haven't been on a Retrobike ride yet, and you can't make any of the Nationals then make your way over to your regional sub forum to see what's happening near to you.


You could also get a Smart ForTwo with a bike rack and keep below 65mph all the way...

the petrol price issue is an issue, i agree......i just feel that the effort will create a memory that will last long after the petrol reciept is filed!....