bit of help for a clueless newbie please!

[colinthehamst...]

hi all i'm looking for a bit of advice if possible please!

i'm moving to london from newcastle in september and have been looking into the cheapest and most convenient ways of travelling home maybe once per month. what i was wondering was would it be feasible to ride a bike once per month on a 600 mile round trip? would it be cheaper than taking a car down with me (obviously parking a car may be another problem!)? what type of bike would i need? i have looked into trains etc but i am going to be based pretty far away from the stations and airports and coming home by train would involve travelling a couple of hours on the tube late at night and i'm not too sure how safe that would be! i will also be on a shoestring budget and i have read about some bikes getting 100 miles + per gallon, is this actually possible?

sorry for the essay guys!
thanks

[That_Hornet]

For a new biker to travel 600 mile a month, do able but not sure imo would be the best bet.

Motorways are boring.

100 mpg. Luck if mine makes 30.


Train is your best bet, or coach if not.

Trains are OK at night. You only get mugged once or twice a month.

[Bendy]

Tube at night isn't a biggie. But trains are expensive, inconvenient and would be my very last choice.

Biking it would be fine. Have you passed your test? Get something like a GPZ500 - 500 frugality with a bit of fairing for weather protection - piece of cake!

[colinthehamst...]

no i've never been on a motorbike in my life but it was suggested to me it may be cheapest and so i thought i'd do a bit of research with people who are in the know before i bothered spending any money!

would a 500 be cheaper than doing the same journey in say a 1.5/1.7 diesel car??

[Bendy]

[Mr White]

Some 125cc bikes have good economy (100mpg) but these are to slow and lightweight for motorways.

Bigger bikes (500-650cc) usualy do 35mpg to 45mpg (on average).

05 Ford Focus TDCI 1.6 disel does 58mpg on average and over 70mpg on a motorway.


Motorbikes uses more fuel than cars, have less luggage space, are more expensive to maintain - Magical

[bacon]

is it purely a financial decision?


In the long run trains/coaches are going to be your cheapest option, you will only be doing it 12 times a year

cbt, theory, training, test, gear (helmet, gloves, boots, jacket, trousers), bike security, insurance, tax, mot's, maintenance/consumables (tyres, pads, chains, sprockets, services) and fuel all add up, plus buying the bike to begin with. Also bike will be boring on motorways

train journeys etc arent fun and from a quick look at thetrainline.com £110 open return from padington to newcastle, £1320 a year. Prob be loads cheaper if you book in advance on one of the cheaper sites

coaches are slow, but could be cheaper as well?

for that sort of journey (all motorways) id prefer to choose car out of all the options, but then your stuck with parking it in london and with the costs of buying and running a car


if your looking for an excuse however to get a bike then do it

[metalangel]

[bacon]