Jay
Before I took my kids on I brought a brand spanking new Honda CBF125 (still for sale... lol)
I ran that alongside the ZS180 and for me, 28, on a learner plate (for the bike) it cost ?198 a year Fully comp insurance, ?15 a year tax and the bike does 300 - 400 miles to a tank of fuel (?8 max from empt to full... probably ?10 now) oh and ?46 a month finance...
So thats the equivalent of about ?26 a week to run the bike (incuding purchase cost of the bike) plus ?40 to service it once a year...
The ZS180 costs me ?50 a week in fuel just for the commute!
So, I was actually SAVING money to have the Bike alongside the car!
Down sides... Obviously the weather, but that didn't put me off... the amount of gear you have to put on for a 10 second trip (helmet, boots, trousers, jacket - on top of your normal clothes!)
Oh and the safety gear is not cheap either! (Although I could probably do you a deal on that if you happen to be my size!) - however that is a one off purchase, and can almost be brought as normal clothes (apparently normal designer jeans are ?150 these days? fek that Tesco Value all the way for me
)
Best Pro... Well the moment you open that bike up (yes even from the 125! although the bigger bikes are better) on a nice clear stretch of road.. you'll know the pros then! And skipping traffic is a bonus too