Will a motorcycle save me money.

richj

What sort of roads will you be on? 15miles isn't too far to commute by bike... get a tourer / road bike and give it a try...

Rich

epz_2

Wont save u anymoney

speaking as someone who moved from bikes to cars i can tell you i find bikes much more expensive, also bike instructors tend to be exmilitary/police and behave like utter d!cks.

i had a gsf400vv , a sv650 and a tl1000s. commuted on all of them, the sv was ok but in general a car is much better unless its very heavy traffic(basicly gridlock) and great weather. it cost a fortune to service bikes not to mention tyres etc and they still break down at random times for inexplicable electrical faults.

ever wonder why bikers are so good at car and bike repair, its not by choice.

your looking at £500 for das and probably another £300-£500 in gear, then anything over 125cc your probably talking about £1000 for a safe and decent bike.

so 2k+ to get you going plus you turn up at work all sweaty, stinking of oil and road fumes and have to get changed out your gear, ok so cycling you may be used to it but it still isnt much fun in the rain.

compair this to a car, my mate just got an astra 1.4 for £400, costs buttons to tax, insure and run while if someone crashes into them they dont lose a leg.

the will to power thing about bikes is great but i always found the sick thrills came from pushing the edge and getting away with it, i have close to the same level of fun with an old 190e which has rear wheel drive and some back roads (they also start about £600+).


anyone who ever recons how great bikes are at going fast but hassnt actually got on one, i always tell them to drive at 120 and stick their head out the window and see how much fun it is, bike are a good laugh but not cheap and not really that smart.

mallard

Having commuted 40 miles a day for last seven years on fazer 600 will agree with what others have advised you. Bikes will work out more expensive in the long run even allowing for getting to work quicker etc. You can pick up cheap motorcycle gear from aldi and it is good stuff....used mine for two years with no probs.

Pros...get through traffic quicker
dont have to pay for parking
cheaper road tax

Against: unless you are a mechanic then bike servicing etc more expensive
insurance pricy if you are a beginner
on the whole any NCB you get for bikes doesnt transfer to cars
tyres are bloody expensive (just had to renew both mine!!)
if you dont like the cold and rain then dont bother

Despite that it is has saved me sitting on the M6 for up to 90 mins to go 18 miles when i can do it in 30 mins by filtering past stationery cars. Only knocked off twice when i was stationery but as usual car drivers faults on both occasions.


Not trying to put you off as there is nothing like zooming round nice roads on a bike but it isnt a cheap option any more. Plus dependent on the bike its knackered age is often lower than cars...mines up to 70k and is dying...so looks like back to a car!

Anyway one need to buy a fazer for spares lol?

cm233lh

Wont save u anymoney

Try a Vectrix scooter. It runs on Electricity and costs 20p per day to run and doesn't need any servicing other than brakes and tyres. I test rode it and it's fantastic. I'd buy one except I do long distance motorway work every day and it wouldn't keep up. A bit pricey to buy, but the running costs would save you over the long term

http://www.vectrix.com

Don't worry about the safety aspect. We've all got to go one day. I knew a mad biker who was killed by a drunk driver - he was on foot at the time and the driver went up the mowed him down. You never know how he'll get you, but he'll get you in the end.