http://www.totalmotorcycle.com/MotorcycleFuelEconomyGuide/ is a guide for MPG per retailer by owners and they also have guides on maintenance.
Source(s):
http://www.totalmotorcycle.com/MotorcycleFuelEconomyGuide/

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Generally, bike manufacturers list 50mpg on most bikes, and say that is the average that you will get.

But for a much much more detailed look, i would suggest these sites:

Bikes:
http://hubpages.com/hub/MPG-Guide-The-700-Top-Selling-Motorcycles

Scooters:
http://hubpages.com/hub/MPG-Guide-The-Fuel-Economy-Of-250TopSelling-Scooters

Hundreds of the most popular bikes and scooters rated by MPG, very useful when your looking through brands.

Since you sound like someone new to the idea of a bike, here is a site where someone has compiled their own cost of ownership from the first bike they bought, it could be considered useful as well:

http://germz.org/motorcycle/first-bike/cost.html


Also for a general gist of what you would need to be maintaining and how often, this site may be of use:

http://www.timberwoof.com/motorcycle/faq/maintaining.html

Overall that should give you a good idea of the positives and negatives of going the bike/scooter route. My personal advice would be to try to compile your own list of what your currently spending on your car (if you own one) and make a fast comparison.
Source(s):
http://hubpages.com/hub/MPG-Guide-The-700-Top-Selling-Motorcycles
http://hubpages.com/hub/MPG-Guide-The-Fuel-Economy-Of-250-Top-Selling-Scoot...
http://www.timberwoof.com/motorcycle/faq/maintaining.html
http://germz.org/motorcycle/first-bike/cost.html

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I drive a 1982 kawasaki KZ440 and get around 55-60 MPG. MPG for bikes greatly depends on cc's. My girlfriend and i are about 330 LB's together and we took my Bike to Tennessee from Maryland around a 16 HR drive and we were going 65-70 the whole way. Ii would not imagine you would need anything over 440cc's for solo riding or even group if you are around our weight
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I have a 2001 Harley Davidson Sportster 1200XL its a pretty good sized bike. Picked it up used for $5700 and it gets 40-60MPG depending on how it's ridden. You should also figure oil changes and tires into the cost of ownership. To have a Harley dealer change my oil is like $80, but I can do it for like $35. Tires are expensive, and I haven't had to buy those yet, but you woudn't want to ride a bike on bad tires... you only have two, one goes, and you're hurtin.
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An average mid-size Motorcycle 35-40 mpg, though exact miles per gallon would depend on the make and model.
A scooter can get as much as 85 miles per gallon, though admittedly they go alot slower.
The real cost of ownership of a lightweight, fuel-efficient, easy-to-service $4800 motorcycle for a period of one year was $8678. This is assuming a 4,800 dollar motorcycle, 800 for taxes and fees, 100 for licensing, 1,000 for the appropriate gear, and such including insurance, fuel and maintenance.
Source(s):
http://www.ridetowork.org/files/docs/Trans_Facts.html
http://germz.org/motorcycle/first-bike/cost.html
http://motorscootermuse.com/economy.php

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There are so many bikes/options/experiences, but it boils down to this; if you can stand to go a moderate speed, drive something not in vogue, and be safe about it, it is the most awesome solution to so many commuting problems. Hate filling up your suburban for $140.00? My Honda costs $10 for a tank. Hate being stuck in a traffic jam every Friday? My Honda zips between stalled traffic, and allows me to bypass many traffic stalls. Hate paying big insurance? My Honda costs $125.00 per YEAR to insure! Yes, I would ride even if it cost more, but my tattoo says it best; Live to Ride, Ride to Live.
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I work with several people who ride a variety of motorcycles. Both foreign and domestic. They all claim to get in the 30-40 mpg range. Most of my co-workers also have about a 100-250 mi range on a full tank. It is interesting to note, that although I am a flight instructor, and get paid to correct people's mistakes while landing at speeds of nearly 90 mph, I refuse to straddle a moving motorcycle.
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