cycle, scooter or banger?

paddedjohn

Go for the scooter option, insurance £75ish, tax £15, 90/100 mpg and the gear needent cost you hundreds as someone said above, you can get a decent helmet for £30 and the coat and trousers are always on offer at aldi or lidl. If you bought a Vespa 125 then you are more or less guaranteed your cash back when you come to sell and you get to travel in style.

Billy-no-Money

Startup costs for a 125 are quite high (CBT, Helmet, Clothing, Gloves etc), but insurance is lower, fuel costs are low, and maintenance is dirt cheap - a decent 125 might need a service every 4000 miles, but it won't cost much.

On any single-carriageway road a 125 will hold its own - they'll all cruise at 60mph.

Cycling is an option in daylight and good weather - but at that mileage you'll always be fixing something - as you'll already know cycle commuting involves tinkering at weekends to keep the bike sweet. I wouldn't fancy that journey in the dark, simply because so many car drivers are clueless.

However - I'm a big fan of two wheels, but even I have to admit that they're hopeless when there's ice on the roads - if there's no public transport and you're commuting all year round there will be days when it's simply not safe to ride a bike of any kind. That means you need a car or somebody who'll give you a lift.

So on balance - and it saddens me as a motorcyclist (and cyclist) to say this - I'd go for cycling now the mornings and evenings are getting lighter, and put the money you'd have spent on a scooter etc to driving lessons!!

darich

paddedjohn wrote: »

Go for the scooter option, insurance £75ish, tax £15, 90/100 mpg and the gear needent cost you hundreds as someone said above, you can get a decent helmet for £30 and the coat and trousers are always on offer at aldi or lidl. If you bought a Vespa 125 then you are more or less guaranteed your cash back when you come to sell and you get to travel in style.

It's possible to pay as little as £200 or so for all the gear...or as much as you like.
But getting the cheapest of the cheap isn't necessarily a good idea.
I just got an Aldi helmet - £30.
They were selling jackets for £40, gloves for £14, I think the trousers were around £30 and the boots similar.
That's £150 and you're buying the cheapest of the cheap.

It's also worth remembering that the only legal requirement in the UK is a helmet so that's the only item that must comply with certain standards.
It's possible to buy a "motorcycle jacket" that's no better than a normal one. So you pay a bit more but don't get the protection.....so defeats the purpose of a cheap jacket.

victor2

Also appreciate that you almost certainly will come off a scooter or motorbike, especially as a new rider.
Assuming you survive, you will have to replace most or all of the protective gear you bought. Helmets in particular are only good for one impact, no matter what they cost. It's just that a more expensive one is likely to protect your head better than a cheap one.

joolsybools

Cycle and scooter as backup for tiredy days. My bro did a 12 mile cycle commute in the Lake District with no probs.

poontang

Billy-no-Money wrote: »

Cycling is an option in daylight and good weather - but at that mileage you'll always be fixing something - as you'll already know cycle commuting involves tinkering at weekends to keep the bike sweet. I wouldn't fancy that journey in the dark, simply because so many car drivers are clueless.

You need one of these:

http://www.roadcyclinguk.com/bike-reviews/altura-night-vision-windproof-jacket-tested/2995.html

and one of these

http://forums.mtbr.com/showthread.php?t=621283

davemorton

No experience of them, and thinking outside of the box, what about a road legal quad. I THINK these can be driven on a CBT, and you can get them now with all round weather protection. Not sure how safe they are though.

Empty_pockets

darich wrote: »

If you passed your driving test prior to 2001 then you could get a 50cc scooter and ride it on your car licence - no L plates,

I'm not sure this is the case.

I believe you must do CBT regardless of when you got your licence.

davemorton

Empty_pockets wrote: »

I'm not sure this is the case.

I believe you must do CBT regardless of when you got your licence.

No, can just drive it, no CBT required.
http://www.direct.gov.uk/en/Motoring/DriverLicensing/WhatCanYouDriveAndYourObligations/DG_180694

davemorton

Oppps, a better quote, taken from the DVLA website...
If you have a car licence...

If you obtained your full car licence before 1 February 2001 you are automatically entitled to ride a moped without L-plates (D-plates in Wales).
If you obtained a full car licence after 1 February 2001 you must first complete a CBT course and obtain a DL 196 certificate to validate your entitlement.