Advice for a wannabe Motorbike commuter

TonyInch

I am 30 year old with an interest in bikes (as in "look a motorbike-nice!"), but know zero about them. I got a gift voucher for lessons and received my provisional before the 6th December deadline. I currently travel over an hour to work on shabby enough national secondary roads. The journey is roughly 33miles each way. I hit two towns on the way so I get held up in traffic in both places alot. The car I have costs a fortune to run with tax, diesel, insurance, wear and tear etc. so I’m just looking for some advice with regard to the suitability of a motorbike for this commute before I invest in gear and the bike itself.

Here are my initial concerns:
On my provisional will I be able to get a comfortable and sturdy enough bike for 66miles a day between 5 and 7 days a week?
Would I really save time and money or is it more the freedom of the motorbike?
I’ll get soaked.
The radio is the only thing keeps me sane on the commute and from reading older posts I believe ear phones are a safety concern.

Cuddlesworth

TonyInch wrote: »

On my provisional will I be able to get a comfortable and sturdy enough bike for 66miles a day between 5 and 7 days a week?

Yes. You are doing roughly double my mileage and mine is mostly city driving. I find it more then comfortable.

TonyInch wrote: »

Would I really save time and money or is it more the freedom of the motorbike?

Its really hard to say. Money will be saved, 50mpg, 75 a year tax, relatively cheap parts/servicing and no massive depreciation hit. But I can't honestly tell you how much time you would save without knowing the streets and traffic you are talking about.

TonyInch wrote: »

I’ll get soaked.

With decent gear you won't. With cheap or midrange gear you might.

TonyInch wrote: »

The radio is the only thing keeps me sane on the commute and from reading older posts I believe ear phones are a safety concern.

Not a issue. Honestly, I completely understand where you coming from but you don't "turn off" when driving a bike. Your so much more aware of the road surface, the weather, other drivers, the wind, your engine, that its impossible to just zone out.

Xios

TonyInch wrote: »

The radio is the only thing keeps me sane on the commute and from reading older posts I believe ear phones are a safety concern.

I sing inside my helmet. alotta head bopping too.

Cuddlesworth

Xios wrote: »

I sing inside my helmet. alotta head bopping too.

Lol, I do that too. Get some weird looks stopped at lights though.

Xios

Cuddlesworth wrote: »

Lol, I do that too. Get some weird looks stopped at lights though.

Nah i stop singing there, that's time for my fuel tank bongo solo

P.C.

TonyInch wrote: »

On my provisional will I be able to get a comfortable and sturdy enough bike for 66miles a day between 5 and 7 days a week?

Honda Deauville (restricted).
Try and get a 700cc one - the fuel injected ones.

TonyInch wrote: »

Would I really save time and money or is it more the freedom of the motorbike?

Time - yes, but I don't know how much.
Money - maybe, maybe not.
You will need to service a bike more often than a car, you replace tyres more often than a car.

The thing is that once you start to commute by bike, you won't worry about the cost.

TonyInch wrote: »

I’ll get soaked.

Not if you have good gear.

TonyInch wrote: »

The radio is the only thing keeps me sane on the commute and from reading older posts I believe ear phones are a safety concern.

I don't think that you will miss the radio, and in time, you can get ear phones, and even bluetooth for your helmet.

cantdecide

Defo don't do it to save money. IME, running a bike costs as much as running a car. If you managed to save, I don't see it being by much.

If you want one, get one. When you're more comfortable as a rider, try it out on the commute when the weather is starting to become a little more favourable.

TonyInch

Thanks for all the replies I'm feeling more positive about the whole thing now.I'm reaally looking forward to taking my lessons now hopefully start early in the new year when the weather and work settles down.

goodlad

Ive almost fallen asleep a few times on the bike, a good aul sing along to myself sometimes is all that keeps me awake. I did get a few funny looks though when i stopped at the traffic lights in kilcullen and had kinda forgotten i was bopping my head all around the place and singing kinda loud, hehehe! :o

KamiKazi

Earphones with some drum and bass is the only way to ride :cool:

Rosahane

TonyInch wrote: »

I am 30 year old with an interest in bikes (as in "look a motorbike-nice!"), but know zero about them. I got a gift voucher for lessons and received my provisional before the 6th December deadline. I currently travel over an hour to work on shabby enough national secondary roads. The journey is roughly 33miles each way. I hit two towns on the way so I get held up in traffic in both places alot. The car I have costs a fortune to run with tax, diesel, insurance, wear and tear etc. so I’m just looking for some advice with regard to the suitability of a motorbike for this commute before I invest in gear and the bike itself.

Here are my initial concerns:
On my provisional will I be able to get a comfortable and sturdy enough bike for 66miles a day between 5 and 7 days a week?
Would I really save time and money or is it more the freedom of the motorbike?
I’ll get soaked.
The radio is the only thing keeps me sane on the commute and from reading older posts I believe ear phones are a safety concern.

Right, opinions from a born again biker who returned to the fold after a 26 year gap - given the dramatic evolution in size, power and capability of bikes in the interim I may as well have just ridden a bicycle all those years ago

However, previous experience was important in one important aspect - I knew the importance of keeping warm and dry, a parka with newspaper liner, jeans and wellies are not sufficent;)

Firstly, get a bike with decent weather protection and luggage capability. This limits the choice to a lot of the BMW range, the bigger touring oriented Japs ...
... and the Honda Deauville

Forget about any cruisers or roadsters while most sports bikes will kill your back and wrists and aren't designed for luggage.

Buy top quality gear - the best you can afford, Goretex is best by far. Hein Gericke, BMW or Rukka will cost you about €1200 but worth it in the long run because it will keep you warm and dry whatever the conditions. Lots of inexpensive gear available but you get what you pay for. Same with boots!

You will save a lot of time on the commute especially if you travel anytime in peak periods. A commute on a bike during peak period probably won't be any more than 30% greater than the same trip offpeak. in a car it could be triple the time:eek:

Luggage capability is important for carrying the laptop, lunchbox, tools, spares, clothes, shoes, extra thermals and waterproofs etc. Great when you do some shopping - you would be amazed what you can cram in.

It's very important to do some training, both for the test and subsequent advanced training which makes a huge difference both to your capabilities and enjoyment.

Strangely enough you won't miss the radio. If you do it's easily sorted.:D

You will be amazed how much you will enjoy the experience and will soon find yourself looking for excuses to go on spins and the compulsion to head off somewhere for a fry up on Sunday mornings:cool:

Enjoy and remember - Shiny side up, Rubber side down

galwaytt

..and another thing: I brought the bike to work this week: if there's one thing you don't get on a bike: to work, tired !! Nothing like spin on the bike to get you bright-eyed in the morning !

OP, you're mileage is reasonable, really, but don't do it as a money thing. Do it as an enjoybable experience: and for your voucher's, do just that. Don't be thinking about which bike, or hom many miles, or what they'll say at home: just get in to, and enjoy the experience.

If, it works out that you like it, all the other stuff is readily available.

I say this as someone whose sibling tried it and it didn't work out. Twice ! :eek:

Hey, it all worked out well in the end........guess where all the lovely H-G gear ended up ! ?

Del2005

TonyInch wrote: »

Here are my initial concerns:
On my provisional will I be able to get a comfortable and sturdy enough bike for 66miles a day between 5 and 7 days a week?

Any bike can be made legal. Your best bet is to go to as many bike shops as possible and sit on as many different bikes as possible, due to no licence or insurance you can't test ride any, and find which ever bike fells most comfortable for you. Sit the bike with both your feet on the pegs and grab the handle bars, if it's not comfortable sitting in a shop it won't improve on the road. Then when sitting on the bike make sure that at least one foot can reach the ground and lie flat, don't want to drop it at a junction when the camber doesn't suit when you stop.

Would I really save time and money or is it more the freedom of the motorbike?

It all depends on the roads you travel and how long you are currently taking too get through the towns. On the open roads there won't be much of a difference. When you are queuing into the towns if there is no/little traffic coming out and if the roads are wide enough you should be able to skip these queues.

It takes about 10 min to get on and off a bike, with locks and gear to put on/off. So add about 20 min to the journey time for non riding activities.

The big plus is that your journey time will rarely change much when on the bike unlike a car where you could have 30min differences.

I’ll get soaked.

If you buy a faired bike and half decent water proofs you'll be OK or get an unfaired bike and good waterproofs. Rain isn't really an issue unless you're out it in all day.

The radio is the only thing keeps me sane on the commute and from reading older posts I believe ear phones are a safety concern.

You won't notice not having the radio it's a different mindset when on a bike.

professore

Agree with all of the above.

If you want to save some money, you could learn to do some servicing yourself. For the Deauville ( I have it's naked sister the NTV 650) for example, oil and air filters are easy, spark plugs too if you have the Honda tool.

I have also done valve clearances (look this up, every bike needs this on a regularish basis and mechanics charge a lot for it), actually fairly easy on a Deauville and fork seals but these are a bit trickier and not good for your marriage as they both involved a full weekend each. I reckon the next time will be a lot quicker now I know what I'm doing.

I enjoy the maintenance almost as much as the riding.

TonyInch

I know talking isn’t gonna get anything sorted and I just have to get into the lessons as galwaytt said and see if I enjoy it but I’ll just fill in some more info about my situation.

Traffic is a major delay and I suffer the most traffic in the town where I work (in the morning trying to get through it and in the evening again trying to get out of it!)

I do have some mechanical experience I have always driven older cars because I do most of the maintenance/repair work myself and get cheap used spare parts in breakers yards. So I’d theoretically (hope to) continue that on 2 wheels.


The Deauville seems very popular for commuting with so many recommendations but I was looking online and it seems reasonably big? Its a touring bike with loads of compartments and stuff. I appreciate the advice but I don’t need to bring anything to work only myself and it’s a dirty job so its not like I’m in a suit or anything. A decent sized pocket would hold my sambos! Also I’m a short enough guy only 5ft 8 and around 12st.I was looking for I smaller/cheaper run around that could handle the miles?

Del2005

TonyInch wrote: »

The Deauville seems very popular for commuting with so many recommendations but I was looking online and it seems reasonably big? Its a touring bike with loads of compartments and stuff.

Just because a bike can be used for touring and has loads of compartments doesn't mean you need to use them, is every compartment in your car full now?

TonyInch wrote: »

I appreciate the advice but I don’t need to bring anything to work only myself and it’s a dirty job so its not like I’m in a suit or anything. A decent sized pocket would hold my sambos!

No mater how dirty or clean your job is you will need to bring a change of clothes with you. You don't want bike gear getting unnecessarily dirty in work, you could also be damage the material depending on what you work with, and work gear isn't appropriate for riding. Bike gear won't be comfortable for all day wearing unless you work on the bike

TonyInch wrote: »

Also I’m a short enough guy only 5ft 8 and around 12st.I was looking for I smaller/cheaper run around that could handle the miles?

There are different styles of bikes to choose from and if you don't fancy the Deauville then there are others like Banditor Hornet both also come with fairings for better weather protection. The CB500 couriers mount or else you could try the traillies like the Transalp, KLE etc.

You'll be doing a 330 mile weekly(16k miles annual) commute on a bike you want something comfortable and able to handle high mileage, most bikes don't get anywhere near 16k in 5 years.

Cuddlesworth

Del2005 wrote: »

You'll be doing a 330 mile weekly(16k miles annual) commute on a bike you want something comfortable and able to handle high mileage, most bikes don't get anywhere near 16k in 5 years.

Bang on the money. Keep the bikes for two years and its effectively worthless outside of a touring model as nobody wants a bike with that mileage.