Commuting - Am I mad to even consider it???

ToxicPaddy · 21-01-2009 3:35pm #1

Going on what Ive been reading over the past few months on various biker forums, I've decided to take a big leap and look to start commuting on a bike in the not too distant future.

Ok, basically I plan on moving home to the south east in about two years at most but continue working in Dublin. Much lower cost of living, have a house there and my mortgage is lower than my rent in Dublin.

My intention is to get my full bike license, buy a decent commuter bike and commute on a daily basis.

The full round trip will is close to 200 miles currently but with new sections of motorway planning to be open in the next 18 months, this should reduce a fair bit, hopefully to around the 170 mile mark and also the quality of road improve greatly as a result, from bad main road (averaging approx 45mph depening on traffic) to 2 lane motorway.

So 2 questions..

Anyone doing anything even remotely like this distance when commuting???
Am I mad for even considering this???

Tox

Rainman1 · 21-01-2009 4:35pm

ToxicPaddy wrote: »

Am I mad for even considering this???

Tox

Not necessarily, but I think you need to ask yourself the question why do want to do it on a bike, if it were me I wouldn't think twice, as I much prefer to be on a bike than in a car, but for practical reasons, if you're going to spend most of your commute on a motorway, then you're going to need a fairly big bike, to a) keep up with fast moving traffic and b) have some form of comfort on the motorway. The first problem I see is with licensing, even if you past your test tomorrow, you will still have to spend two years on a restricted license, which means that you'll be limited to a 33bhp machine, not great on a motorway (altough certainly not impossible). The next question is Why a bike ?, if it's for fuel efficiency, forget it, a large bike (1,000 cc or more) will consume at 30-45 mpg, a mid size bike (400 - 800cc) will not be any more efficient as your engine will be under pressure at motorway speeds and tend to drink juice. A small diesel car will outperform any bike in terms of fuel efficency. The next thing to consider is our slightly moist weather, you will need to endure quite a bit of the wet stuff if you're on two wheels, having spent 25 years riding in this country, I still find riding in the rain a chore. So I think what it boils down to is, if you love motorcycling then the journey will be something you actually look forward to each day, otherwise it could get tired very fast. Just my opinion, I'm sure that others will have different points of view.

seamus · 21-01-2009 5:09pm

^^
What this guys says.

I think you'd be mad tbh. Bikes can be hard work. Driving a bike on a motorway or even a a good N road is physically demanding, because you have the wind constantly pushing against you and you need to be on top form for the whole journey. Add in some even slightly adverse conditions - a 20km/h headwind and a bit of freezing rain - and you will be in tatters by the time you get to work.

It would very quickly become a slog that you would dread each and every day. Riding on motorways is not fun - the rush of doing 120km/h with no cage to protect you, wears off awfully quick and it just becomes dull and painful.

Quint · 21-01-2009 6:33pm

Sorry OP, but i reckon i'll have to agree with the 2 others. If you had a bike for a while and some experience, i'd say go for it. But if you're new to bikes, it would be a pain. Get a cheap car. The big advantages of bikes is in heavy traffic, it's wasted on most of your commute.
Just to point out though, you'll be restricted if you pass your test tomorrow, but I had a bike under the max power allowed (400 virago) and it would easily do 80mph all day. I don't think that's a problem.
And a headwind isn't bad when you have a screen and some leg protection, it's the cross winds you need to watch! But they have to be more than 20kph to be a worry imho.
But rain at that distance is a pain. You'll need to spend a lot on waterproof gear, and if you have a few days of rain in a row it'll be soul destroying. And not just in winter. Remember the weather for the last 2 summers? Rain every fcuking day! My advice is to get cheap car and a bike. Take the bike in the odd day with good weather (check www.met.ie or teletext weather the night before so you'll know) and see how it goes.

paulieeye · 23-01-2009 3:40pm

A bike takes alot more concentration than driving a car. U have to be more attentive to cagers making mistakes that will get ya as well as ur own mistakes.

Riding that everyday means concentrating fully 1st thing in the morning for 90 miles and then after a full days work concentrating fully for another 90 miles.

I personally wud think that ur mad to do it and wud leave u open to making mistakes..and making mistakes on a motorway at high speed = death or serious injury. And thats not even taking into account that u have no experience and shiity conditions

ToxicPaddy · 23-01-2009 8:06pm

Its definitely not something I would be rushing into, like I said, its something I was considering in 2+ years time, so I would be making sure I knew what I was doing before doing anything..

Yeah by the sounds of it, its a crazy thing to even consider, guess I better start looking closer to home for work so..

Maybe Cork!!!!

Rainman1 · 23-01-2009 8:27pm

Good luck with that Paddy, things are pretty horrific down here in Cork at the moment as regards work, but you never know, I would imagine things will have improved in a couple of years time, if not I might be looking at that commute myself

LoveDucati2 · 25-01-2009 10:28am

I use to commute from Mullingar to Dublin daily and after a while it gets on your nerves. I am of the belief that you need to work your way up through the cc's, 400cc for year or 2 then to low power 600 for another before going any bigger.

You have to watch out for all the truck, bus, and car drivers that will try and kill you on a daily basis. And in traffic get out of the way of your more experienced rider friends. Talk to every biker you see at traffic lights as well.

Waterproof gear is not 100%, I have the best Dianese trousers and boots but in our torrential rains even that will leak slightly after 50 miles, and that is no fun.

Odysseus · 25-01-2009 11:21am

My own opinion would be that I did something similar nearly five years ago [160km round trip]. So it is doable, but it can take alot out of you. I now find that I spend half my time in Dublin and half up here. Apart for what everyone else has said others factors to consider is the cash you will spend on maintanence, I was doing 1000km per week thats a service every six weeks, thats without the price of tyres, chain and sprockets etc it can add up significantly; especially if like me you are crap with your hands like me. Alot of people consider biking to be a chape option, but when you add it all up its not the case.

Fabio · 25-01-2009 4:01pm

Add in the cost of gear for yourself and that could be another €300 to €1000 depending on what you want!

If I were you OP I'd go for it, even if it means that you end up storing the bike till weekend fun runs for yourself.

Buy a secondhand Deauville...dirt cheap for wha they are and they never break down, tires are supposedly cheap enough and it's shaft drive so no chain or sprocket work. They have all the fairing for weather protection and on top of that if you need to off load it it'll be ok to sell on.

If you do want to go for this commute thing and want it on two-wheels but have doubts so far then the Deauville is the only answer. Look it up, check the storage capacity and costs and stuff and for you it's about the only bike to make sense.

sutty · 27-01-2009 2:19pm

Odysseus wrote: »

My own opinion would be that I did something similar nearly five years ago [160km round trip]. So it is doable, but it can take alot out of you. I now find that I spend half my time in Dublin and half up here. Apart for what everyone else has said others factors to consider is the cash you will spend on maintanence, I was doing 1000km per week thats a service every six weeks, thats without the price of tyres, chain and sprockets etc it can add up significantly; especially if like me you are crap with your hands like me. Alot of people consider biking to be a chape option, but when you add it all up its not the case.

I'm doing a near 140mile round trip at the moment each day. I have to agree with this. The big issue isn't wind or rain or anything like that. Its the cost of doing the commute. I spend about 300 on petrol a month. Which when put in with my rent is pretty much a nil saving from Dublin (Living in Kilkenny now) Then you have to take into account Servicing costs. (I do what I can my self) I am also looking into getting a NT650. For someone starting out it is learner legal. For me it will just be cheap insurance with low Service costs (I can do most of it my self)

As for the gear, what ever bike you get, a good pair of hot gloves and lots of layers for the winter. Also look into upgrading the lights on what ever bike you get to HID ones. As it will make you more noticeable in the winter months on the low lit areas

colm_c · 27-01-2009 10:53pm

OP there's also the stress and time out of your day that commuting that kind of distance does to you. It will literally take years of your lifespan commuting that much (at least 4 hours a day) regardless of vehicle used.

So

a) it will be cold and wet during winter, as well as daunting for a newbie
b) the costs are high for servicing and petrol when doing so much mileage
c) the stress of commuting and dealing with traffic

This is why I can't understand people moving that far away from where they work

It doesn't really save any money IMO.

carsQhere · 28-01-2009 6:33pm

I'd say it's do-able, but you'd need a big tourer which is going to cost as much as a car anyway. Commuting that sort of distance is really only going to work as a short term thing. It'll cost a fortune in fuel, not to mention wear and tear on the bike, tyres, etc. It could be done, but personally, I'd find work closer to home, or a home closer to work.

ToxicPaddy · 29-01-2009 9:30am

I have a house back home where I plan to live and have a small mortgage on it, so by moving back home Im saving on rent, a set of bills..

All in all, I'm gonna save at least €1k a month by doing this so the plan would be to try and work from home maybe Mon and Fri and only commute on Tues - Thurs.. thats if it all goes to plan.

I may just end up finding somewhere to stay Tues - Thus in Dublin and forget about the whole commuter thing and keep my bike for weekends, but its an option and something to think about..

Cheers for the input guys, plenty to think about there and its always good to get a more experienced persons view on things.

Tox

Quint · 29-01-2009 1:02pm

Commute or no commute, get the bike!

faceman · 29-01-2009 2:34pm

I would not recommend doing this by bike or by car. Its alot of daily commuting and will eat up your personal time. Aside from the increased risk of an accident, the higher fuel and servicing costs, the loss of personal time is the highest cost of all.

I do alot of long distance biking and while its great in your personal time, getting up in the morning facing a 85 mile drive in the cold, bad rain and high winds is pretty soul destroying.

With all due respect, I think you're mad!

Quint · 29-01-2009 3:17pm

Yeah, even in on a nice day it's a pain if it's something you have to do

CourierCollie · 29-01-2009 11:50pm

faceman wrote: »

With all due respect, I think you're mad!

Ah cmon, he's not mad. Just thinking about possibilities.
If he could arrange to work from home 2 days a week, I think such a commute is reasonable for the other 3 days.
Yeah, it won't be pleasant or fun. But the way things are going most of us will be struggling to keep any type of job in the months ahead.
And yeah +1 on a Deauville as the bike for the trip.

View Profile · 30-01-2009 12:50am

I did a regular commute from Dublin to Mayo every few weeks, Limerick the odd time too. While it wasnt every day I did enjoy it. Much more fun than doing it in a bloody car! And this was in Winter.

Feckin loved taking the GS on long drives.!:D

P.S. I have been riding for 7 years though so for a newbie it could be daunting.

Good luck!

ToxicPaddy · 30-01-2009 2:23pm

Well I am seriously considering buying the bike anyway.. even if its only for weekend usage. But doing that journey in a car, even from Naas into Dublin would be a complete nightmare as I work in the IFSC.. so you can imagine trying to get in there in rush hour traffic!!! :eek:

As for being called mad, well you're not the first and probably wont be the last to call me it..

Ive driven that road most weekends for 10 years, so know it backwards in a car, on a bike will be different but like I said originally, with the new sections of motorways opening up, the journey can only get easier (I hope!!

)

So lets see what happens anyway, who knows, I could be unemployed in 6 months..

Tox

ifah · 30-01-2009 3:49pm

Paddy,

given that you're looking at reloacting to the south east - is the train an option ? get the bike out at weekends and for the odd spin to dublin but get a commuter ticket and sleep for an hour on train each way ?

Alkers · 30-01-2009 4:07pm

Get a moped and leave it somewhere on the outskirts of Dublin that you can commute to by car? Then use the bike to get to the IFSC. Get a real bike too and keep it at home for the weekends

ToxicPaddy · 02-02-2009 4:30pm

Ahh I have a moped already and great for getting into the city centre, but not something I think would be safe leaving it around dublin..

As for getting a decent bike, absolutely.. something I can maybe bring down through Europe would be the aim..

Now to start planning and saving..

Quint · 02-02-2009 6:15pm

ToxicPaddy wrote: »

Ahh I have a moped already and great for getting into the city centre, but not something I think would be safe leaving it around dublin..

As for getting a decent bike, absolutely.. something I can maybe bring down through Europe would be the aim..

Now to start planning and saving..

I like your thinking! A trip around europe is cool. Take a trip to Scotland for practice. €3.5k will get you this: http://www.bikebuyersguide.ie/Bikedetail.aspx?CBGID=904698&ID=2109180&NumPics=1&Make=Honda&Model=Pan%20European%20ST%201100&frmFilter=

ToxicPaddy · 04-02-2009 12:03pm

Well the bikes I was looking at are:

Honda Deauville / Pan European / ST1100
BMW R1150RT / R1200RT

Thats just a few but its really between the Pan European and the R1200RT.
Lots a saving required for both though..

Tox

View Profile · 04-02-2009 1:38pm

Did you have a look at the Yamaha FJR?
Has a fair bit more poke than the others.

ToxicPaddy · 04-02-2009 5:40pm

Yeah I was reading about em but they dont have a lot in the way of reviews where I was looking.. now I'm a complete n00b in relation to bikes so maybe I was looking in the wrong place..

Tox

View Profile · 04-02-2009 6:03pm

A review comparison with the St1100 from 2003:
http://www.riderreport.com/output.cfm?id=142849

Another review with the 03 model:
http://www.motorcycledaily.com/03may02yamaha2003fjr1300.html

A comparison with the ST1300 & ZZR1200R:
http://www.motorcycle-usa.com/12/662/Motorcycle-Article/2004-Sport-Touring-Shootout.aspx

And a review of the 04 model:
http://www.motorcycle-usa.com/272/543/Motorcycle-Article/2007-Yamaha-FJR1300-Comparison.aspx

Well worth considering IMHO. Lovely bikes. Even the Gardai have them now...:D

faceman · 04-02-2009 6:05pm

ToxicPaddy wrote: »

Well the bikes I was looking at are:

Honda Deauville / Pan European / ST1100
BMW R1150RT / R1200RT

Thats just a few but its really between the Pan European and the R1200RT.
Lots a saving required for both though..

Tox

Go with the Pan. Both bikes are reliable but i would give the edge to the Pan. Also it's cheaper to maintain.

colm_c · 04-02-2009 8:43pm

If you're a complete n00b, those bikes will be out of your league until you're 2 years past your full test

ToxicPaddy · 04-02-2009 11:15pm

oh i know that, like i said, its all a plan.. 2-3 years down the road..

Just need to be patient and save..

Commuting - Am I mad to even consider it???

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