Considering a bike, am I mad

bemak

Hi all,

I commute from Maynooth everyday into town and it takes me about an hour. I don't mind it too much but I must say I get a bit jealous when I see people on bikes just coasting in.

I'm almost considering chucking the car altogether and getting a bike as a result. I've never had one before. The closest I've been to riding one was an ATV which I'd be very familar with. I'm aware therefore that I would have to get lessons which would be another cost factor!

Another side of it is that I wouldn't fancy any old bike, I'd like a roadster. Something with a bit more of a laidback riding style. For some reason I imagine these bikes being a bit 'safer' seeing as they seem fairly 'solid' to me. I'm sure I'll be corrected with this.

Would a bike like this though take years of experience in order to get to that level of competence?

I'd appreciate any thoughts on it. Maybe I'd be best sticking with the 4 wheels.

Quebec Delta Mike

Hi Bemak,

If you have never had a bike before, I assume you do not possess a bike licence? If not, you must do your training and pass the test. There are plenty of threads here on the subject, just search. Read this if you are serious, http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=2057065311

Do you know anyone with a bike, who uses it for commuting? If not, make it your business to visit a good bike shop, have a chat with staff and any visiting bike rider, and ask the obvious questions...how did you get in to biking, why do you ride the bike you do etc etc...? There are plenty of ways to research the subject, you don't sound too sure at the moment, so get out there and ask around.

Remember bike commuting is not for the feint hearted, as it's nearly always cold, mostly wet, and them dang car drivers are out to get you don't you know! On the upside, the sense of freedom, ease of commuting (never a queue), cheaper running costs, free and easy parking, and later on the fun times on holidays, make up for the commuting misery!!!

I'm sure plenty of others here will chime in with their thoughts!

QDM.

Pedro K

Go for it dude. You won't regret it.

minidazzler

You won't regret getting a bike.... but don't even think of what kind of bike you want til after you do IBT and can take one for a test ride.

Personally I hate cruisers, they feel awkward and I feel I have less control and too large a turning circle than a sports-tourer. But that's me. You might find them comfortable.

cantdecide

If you see that you have some kind of draw to bikes other than the sheer functionality of them, then what I always suggest to people like you is to get your theory test and complete IBT with a decent school with a variety of bikes who will provide gear. This will get you trained up with a few miles under your belt and give you a proper taste of what it's all about without any more commitment than the money for the training.

bemak wrote: »

I'm almost considering chucking the car altogether and getting a bike as a result.

Hold your horses! Be sure it's for you before you chuck the car entirely. We're getting away with murder this winter as far as the weather is concerned. Winter riding is no bed of roses.

bemak wrote: »

Another side of it is that I wouldn't fancy any old bike, I'd like a roadster. Something with a bit more of a laidback riding style. For some reason I imagine these bikes being a bit 'safer' seeing as they seem fairly 'solid' to me. I'm sure I'll be corrected with this.

Most of the safety aspect of motorcycling depends on your ability to handle your machine, how safety consciously you drive and sheer luck that you avoid the numpties. The structural integrity of a bike means little or nothing. In fact, most cruisers are pretty lacking in brakes, IMO. I also feel as if the only bikes that afford you any ability to jump clear and the trail type bikes and the naked/ retros. However, if you find you placing your phwoars toward the cruisers, I wouldn't encourage you to flajulate by pursuing bikes bikes your don't have as much interest in. Cruisers are pretty accessible for noobs. Thing is, cruisers tend to have wider bars and be lower so filtering in traffic can be a pain.

bemak wrote: »

Would a bike like this though take years of experience in order to get to that level of competence?

The can be cumbersome compared to others but as long as you're prepared to take a proactive approach to learning, such as regularly practising your slow speed maneuvers in a car park, then you should become pretty handy pretty quickly.

p_mac

Hiya,

" Roadster " now that could start it's own debate altogether!

I commute every day, 90 mile round trip and I love it... especially making a bit of time when traffic queing for lights etc. I find the beauty of biking is consistent commute timings, like unless a road is completely closed for some bizarre reason you should be able to squeeze through!

If you've never had a bike before, I'm guessing you don't have a licence... if you don't you're looking at theory test and IBT to get up and running. It can be a bit costly, but I wouldn't be put off... with no previous experience you'll learn plenty during the training... also you'll get a feel for riding on the road, it'll give you an idea if you want to continue down the road with the bike idea!

Like I said, I commute every day on the bike rain or shine and love it! Your defo not mad, get out and give it a go... see what you think

Cienciano

Definitely get one. I've commuted across town on them for years and the odd time I have to use the car, it's painfully slow. A lot of people start off on the cruiser style bikes.
One thing you need to do imho is to not skimp on gear. It makes all the difference if you're commuting. Don't want to scare you off, but i'd budget about a grand for gear.
Lid: €250
Jacket: €250
Trousers: €150
Boots: €200
Winter gloves: €70
Summer gloves: €50

bemak

guys thanks a mil for the replies, really appreciate the feed back. As suggested by pretty much everyone, I'll look into the training if I'm serious about it. At least that way I can see if it's for me.

Thanks again for the replies

B

M450

I was in a similar position to yourself a year ago, I think it was December when the idea of getting a bike popped into my mind out of absolutely nowhere. I decided to go for it so did the theory test in Jan, IBT in Feb and bought a Bandit 650 by the end of March. Quite the initial cost all in!

Delighted with it. Although not too sure about the winter riding, I was expecting to have wussied out by now and back on public transport but the weather's been grand!

unclebill98

You will not regret it. I'd keep the car though. I don't commute on a bike now, did years ago and its not nice in the bad weather. I'm a crusier man meself but recently had a little spin on a GSX. Had to say I thought I'd hate it but it was actually comfy and a lot easier to move about than my HD. So try a few styles before buying.

serious3

go for it! you will not regret a single moment of it!

minidazzler

serious3 wrote: »

go for it! you will not regret a single moment of it!

Well.... when it's 11 at night, you've been up all day, lashing raining and freezing cold and you're 100 km from home you might.... but you'll get past it

Wonda-Boy

If you are not committed to getting the very best training you can afford and willing to learn to ride a bike properly then stay in the comfort of a car. There is a huge difference in riding a bike and riding a bike properly. I am not trying to put you off, motorcycles are so rewarding when you put the effort in.

AgileMyth

Personally I think anyone who goes near a major city in a car on a daily basis by choice is absolutely mental. Give it a go.

kodak

Hi,

Just sharing my experience so far, started biking in late June

Costs:

Theory Test 45
Learner permit 35
IBT & Pretest 500
Test 85
Full License 35
Bike 2450 (05 fazer fz6, clean 17500km)
Gear 1250
Insurance 455
Tax - bike was taxed for year when bought
Lock & cover - came with bike (budget 100)
-
Tyres since purchase 295 euro
Service kit 55 euro
-

With regards to commuting , my route is mainly motorways N4, m50 etc, & find it not for the faint hearted in stop/start traffic, you have to constantly predict & watch other drivers who are on phones / lane changing excessively / make up etc.

I find by the time I get gear on/off, bike in/out of shed, I'd be quicker in the car.

However, it only takes me 20 mins with no traffic at a good average speed in the car. Witt Traffic it takes about 25-30 mins.

Cold ,wet & dark conditions are uncomfortable on the bike, especially after you drive a car and realise that it can be very difficult to see bikers in poor conditions.

If the weather wasn't as bad, I'd be on the bike every day, loved it during the end of the summer. Have lost all interest in cars! But i do like the comfort & safety of the car on the dark/wet/frosty days..

I'm lucky I can have both car & bike but I would find it tricky to give the car up completely with Irish weather / other drivers.

Biking is great but it is expensive to get into & just be sure it's for you. The IBT should tell you.

I only have the bike half a year with no previous experience , but just thought it might be helpful to share my experience so far.

Looking forward to a few Sunday spins next year!

Frigga_92

bemak wrote: »

Hi all,

I commute from Maynooth everyday into town and it takes me about an hour. I don't mind it too much but I must say I get a bit jealous when I see people on bikes just coasting in.

I'm almost considering chucking the car altogether and getting a bike as a result. I've never had one before. The closest I've been to riding one was an ATV which I'd be very familar with. I'm aware therefore that I would have to get lessons which would be another cost factor!

Another side of it is that I wouldn't fancy any old bike, I'd like a roadster. Something with a bit more of a laidback riding style. For some reason I imagine these bikes being a bit 'safer' seeing as they seem fairly 'solid' to me. I'm sure I'll be corrected with this.

Would a bike like this though take years of experience in order to get to that level of competence?

I'd appreciate any thoughts on it. Maybe I'd be best sticking with the 4 wheels.

Do it. Myself and my husband have 5 bikes between us and a car and a jeep off the road with the last 6 years that we never use. We live in the middle of nowhere, somewhere not serviced by public transport at all, and we have never found ourselves in a situation where a bike just wouldn't cut it and that has been the case for over 10 years now. We drive in all weather (obviously, as we have no choice) and honestly the weather in Ireland is actually fine if you have the right gear and you just kind of get over the moaning and whinging about a choice you made. The worst weather we have driven in has been the snow we've had the last few years and it was manageable, not ideal but when you're faced with that or a day's wages lost you tend to perfect your riding skills quickly and neither of us had any slides in it.

Wonda-Boy

For a start no man in their right mind should be paying 500 squids for IBT, and you can knock the bike because you have it locked up in an in-accessible place, that takes and age to get out (like myself buts needs to be done to keep the scum away. But like you said your experience, see you on the road soon.

Alkers

I would say give it a go, at the very least to an IBT stage and then re-asses from there. I would also suggest you should hold onto the car for the first while, and you can spread-out the cost of getting set up properly on the bike over a longer period.
Don't be put off about the comments above regarding training, you should be able to get your IBT from a trainer recommended by someone on here for under€400 including rental of all the equipment and that should see you more than confident on the road. If you want to get more lessons (maybe when buying your own bike), €120 will get you three hours of 1 on 1 lessons and you will be more than capable enough to tackle a daily commute.
The IBT is a new thing in this country, I would suggest that most of the riders who have a full license before the introduction of IBT only did a couple of lessons before passing the test and using their bikes regularly, so you will have significantly more training than most riders did when they were starting out.

Plopli

I commute everyday from around Maynooth to around Grand Canal.

I'm doing it till I moved to Ireland ~3 years ago.
Before that I was doing it for ~15 years in Belgium commuting to Brussels.

The best is that you get repeatable commute time that you probably won't get with the car.

But don't be fooled, commuting on a motorbike is much more tiring than in a car and even more so if you filter.
One mistake, and you're probably out.
I can assure you that when it's dark, cold and p***ing rain, I sometime wonder why I do it and I envy the guys in the cars for a few seconds (until the traffic start to pile up on the M/N4 and I can just keep going).

I don't want to put you off but think before you ditch the car.
Pass your test, take your training and then take time to get some experience driving around for fun.

I would definitely not start doing it in the winter.

kodak

Wonda-Boy wrote: »

For a start no man in their right mind should be paying 500 squids for IBT, and you can knock the bike because you have it locked up in an in-accessible place, that takes and age to get out (like myself buts needs to be done to keep the scum away. But like you said your experience, see you on the road soon.

Just to clarify my Ibt (include bike hire) was 500 & a Pretest (both 1 on 1). I was recommended to him and certainly wasn't going to go to someone unknown for the sake of 50 euro.. I passed the test first time & got excellent training.
Also got insurance training cert which saved me 150 euro on insurance.

P.C.

kodak wrote: »

Just to clarify my Ibt (include bike hire) was 500 & a Pretest (both 1 on 1). I was recommended to him and certainly wasn't going to go to someone unknown for the sake of 50 euro.. I passed the test first time & got excellent training.
Also got insurance training cert which saved me 150 euro on insurance.

Good man.
Well done.

Wonda-Boy

kodak wrote: »

Just to clarify my Ibt (include bike hire) was 500 & a Pretest (both 1 on 1). I was recommended to him and certainly wasn't going to go to someone unknown for the sake of 50 euro.. I passed the test first time & got excellent training.
Also got insurance training cert which saved me 150 euro on insurance.

I know IBT instructors doing the IBT for €300-350 for the same deal, so that is a big saving which you could offset against insurance, but the main thing is you passed with flying colours. Its important to let people know that there is a lot of instructors out there riding people (pun intended) for IBT which is not on. Shop around a d you will get a great deal.