Commuting on a motorbike?

Stooby2

I go into central London every day from the suburbs of south London.

I ride a Yamaha XJ900 that I picked up for £750 and whilst it's done 99500 miles still runs well. It's tatty but costs peanuts to insure and for a daily commuter is ideal. I do all my own servicing & repairs. Changing oil, filters and plugs should be easy enough for most people.

I also have a Fazer 600 for weekends that I occasionally take to work and it's equally good for commuting.

Tyes - if you look around there are places that will do tyres at reasonable prices - £220 for two Avon Storm 2 tyres fitted isn't too bad -they've done about 5,000 mile snow and still have a lot of life in them.

Kit - you don't need to get soaked. Decent kit will keep you dry. I don't recommend this :-

I wore a suit to work and had waterproof trousers, jacket and boots on top.

As you've got no protection at all if you come off. I have Spidi jacket & trousers that are fully waterproof and armoured in the right places and if properly looked after will do me for at least five years; they were about £450 for the lot. I paid a small fortune for my crash helmet - a Shoei, but I want the best protection and one that doesn't fog up in the winter and is well vented for the summer.

A decent pair of Gore Tex boots and gloves are a must. I also have a mesh jacket and armoured motorcycle jeans for summer and summer gloves. So I don't get cold in winter or too hot in summer.

A decent sized topbox will happily take a suit and trouser and if properly folded and put in a bag, will be fine when you get to work. The only problem is storing your motorcycle kit, especially when it's wet. Thankfully we have space for that where I work.

You may be fortunate and find your workplace has somewhere you can park a motorbike - there's often a basement corner you can use.

The XJ900 does about 50mpg and thats through all the back streets of London. On a run it pushes 60mpg. But it takes me 35 minutes to do the 12 miles to work. That would take me well over an hour in the car. And when something goes wrong, e.g. road closures for an accident, I'm down the outside of the queue and round it all far quicker than the queuing car drivers. More than once I've got off and pushed the bike past the closure on the pavement and been delayed no more than a few minutes. Although the XJ is not the ideal bike for that!

If you do pass your test you might find something like the Honda CB500 would be ideal for you. You can restrict them very simply to 33bhp until you've done the required time (or reach 21). Fairly basic, easy to maintain bike, but good on the motorway and in town. Lots of spares available. (Avoid the Chinese motorcycle co on Ebay though). The bikes aren't that expensive second hand and if you buy one that's around the ten year old mark, should have had any major issues sorted.

Even if I could drive the car in, the bike is far and away the fastest, cheapest way to get in. The only weather I don't ride in is snow & ice.

You don't need to spend a fortune on something you're going to commute on and learning some basic spannering and electrical knowledge will help keep it cheap.

SailorSam

Mr_Thrifty wrote: »

if you need to look smart when you arrive at work (rather than looking like a courier). I just wish there were some way that it's possible to use a motorbike AND arrive at work wearing a presentable

When i first started work at 16 i had a bike, no proper weather gear just a leather jacket.
All these years later i can still remember walking into my new office, i wasn't the most confident person coming from school and that morning was torrential rain. The dye had come out of my jacket all over my new white shirt. I had to go around getting introduced to everyone looking like a tramp.
Taught me quickly to get a good waterproof jacket when i got paid.
But it got better,

Arfa__

Well, when I last replied I was still umming and arring about this. In the mean time, I have gone through, passed my CBT, Theory and DAS (first time), picked up a Yamaha Fazer 600 and have been commuting everyday (from Dagenham to London Bridge). Loving it, no regrets!

Sure, there's been a few miserably wet days, but decent kits makes it doable. I've got leather trousers and water proof textile jacket. I just shove waterproof over trousers on when it's really wet. Just picked up some second hand winter Gore-tex gloves. Now the weather's gone a bit colder, thermal long johns and base layers are keeping me plenty warm.

The Fazer is doing a little over 50mpg, which I work out should cost me around £600 in fuel. Factor in tax (£55), insurance (£360 TPFT), tyres, chain, lube/oil etc and it should still come in less than a yearly 1-5 tube pass (~£2k). Of course initial outlay for bike/clothing/security gear isn't cheap (£2-£2.5k).

Parking wise, check with your Uni. I seriously doubt if parking in cycle racks is really allowed. Check council, there will probably be on street motorcycle bays, which tend to be free (except in Westminster/Camden):- http://www.parkingforbikes.com/. Otherwise, local car packs/multi-stories often do very cheap or free motorcycle parking. Consider where will be secure and what you can chain the bike to.

If you're over 21 now, I would recommend going for DAS before January. DAS age is going up to 25 and the A2 stepped license won't be an auto-upgrade after 2yrs, another test will be required. So step on!

forgotmyname

What will you do in the winter, Snow, Ice etc? 4 wheels much safer. What if its not safe to take the bike? Do you have alternative transport?

£220 for 2 tyres. 4 Tyres for a small hatchback are cheaper. Plenty of cars out there will give better fuel consumption than a bike or scooter.

You cant slip through the jams in a car though. Thats why i bought a scooter.

Decent jacket/helmet is a must. I tried heavy duty trousers also but they were too hot and took ages to put on.
Bought some over trousers from asda i think? ski selection? Bottoms zip open and very wide, Easy to slip on over boots etc.

Kept me warm even on cold dark nights, Maybe thicker trousers on a longer journey though..

Arfa__

Small hatchback? In London, traffic, parking and congestion charge knock that plan on the head.

Ice snow? Play it safe, catch the tube.

Agreed, decent clothing is a must. Not sure why you didn't get on with heavy trousers. I've got 2 pairs of leathers, one pair on the baggy side, other a more tight fit. Change in and out of these in loo's at work in couple of minutes no problem. Then just wear bike boot under jeans during day.

Don't skimp on gloves, nowt worse than cold, wet fingers!

Alias_Omega

Cold hands? Oxford heated grips...

Stooby2

It all depends on how seriously you want to take it. Biking is a way of life for me so I've built up good kit and riding in awful weather isn't an issue. As I said, snow and ice are a no-go, but there's been a handful of days that I couldn't ride and on most of those, it was only the 4x4 I own that got me about when all else was at a standstill anyway.

As for cold hands, heated grips and Oxford handlebar muffs keep me warm and dry. The muffs look naff but who cares on a 750 quid commuter?

Having said that I see commuters going into town on scooters with those covers that go over the front of the bike and round their legs up to the waist and a large gortex walking jacket on top - and step off with a suit on underneath. Sod all protection in a crash but they don't seem to worry!

morganedge

Do you fill up motorbikes at the pump like you do a car? Or do you have to put petrol in a can and then mix it with oil or something?

haha...I feel embarrassed to ask that, but that's what's good about teh internet!

I'm thinking about taking my CBT test at some point so that I can get to work myself rather than relying on buses which never arrive on time, and sometimes not at all!

I'd like something like this:

http://www.motorstown.com/images/cagiva-mito-125-04.jpg

edit: not sure that the pic has worked.
Its a Cagiva mito 125

skivenov

Depends if it's 2 stroke or 4 stroke. 4 stroke is the same as your car, just chuck petrol in it. 2 stroke needs 2-stroke oil added, either in the tank or a separate reservoir on s afew bikes.

Almost all new bikes are 4 stroke though to keep the tree huggers happy.

Mito's are a great ride, but tempremental. The main reason is the electrics weren't made with our rain in mind!

I'd say do your CBT first, check if you actually like riding. Then try a few different types of bikes before buying.

I used to ride all over, and the thing I will say if you're planning on the city centre is get good first, because in my opinion, that's the hardest sort of riding. Make siure you're good at your low speed manoveurs (there's no shame in finding a carpark and sending yourself back to school every now and then).

I'd reccomend getting a 125 for starters. My knocking about scooters a 50cc and you do feel the limitations of not being able to do any more than 30mph.... especially in a 50 limit!

forgotmyname

I had a 2 stroke, No mixing oil on modern stuff its got a separate tank and injected into the engine with the fuel.

2 stroke is dying out though, Not very green burning all that oil.