Thinking of selling car & commuting to work on bike

[nomoregt4]

Evening guys & gals.
As title of topic says, I'm seriously thinking of selling my car & getting a bike to commute to work (shift work, not 9-5 Mon-Fri) as I recently filled my car up & it was £60.

My daily commute is only a 18 mile round trip & it takes me about 12 minutes in the car to get from my front door to staff carpark.

I've ridden to work in the summer months, but it takes me twice as long to go by bike than by car, as I have to get bike out of garage, get my leathers on, bag on tank etc, & then get changed into uniform when at work.

If I did get a bike to ride to work on, which type of bike would be best to start looking at? (I'm talking second hand bikes here, under 1k). Enduro style? Something with big screen?

I'd want/need good storage space, or room for decent sized side boxes or top box as I go to the gym on my way back from work.

I'd also get some textile gear, rather than wearing my leathers all the time, as I could then wear my uniform under my textiles.

So I guess what I'm asking is any advice from riders that commute to work on a daily basis. What you ride, how much it costs to fill up your tank, how many miles a full tank gets you, monthly/yearly running costs.

Thanks for any advice anyone can give me

Richard

[Blackwolf]

Commute on an sp1 and 18 quid to fill. It all comes down to what you find most comefy
____________________
Current: Ducati Multistrada 1200s

[Imonster]

For a second bike to be used as a commuter for a 9 mile journey, it'd be some sort of 125 four stroke scooter - Honda Dylan or similar. Good storage space, decent weather protection and cost pennies to run.
____________________
Those who make peaceful revolution impossible will make violent revolution inevitable.

[Rogerborg]

[nomoregt4]

Err, not sure I get you on this one.......

[Teflon-Mike]

Do the sums carefully.
Check the insurance loading for having "Plus Commuting" on the policy, and loss of and discount for bike being 'second' vehicle'.
That done, do the complete costs.
Cars cost more on petrol, but less on maintenence.
Bigger bikes dont use that much less fuel than cars, they do cost a LOT more on servicing.
Going from car to bike, could actually work out more expensive, long term.
Sub-grand bikes? You arent looking at anything all that new or that fancy, & for ecconomy travel, you'd be best of looking for an air-cooled single or twin.... despetch hack kind of thing.
Luggage can be added to almost anything. But expect to have to spend a couple of hundred quid or more for hard luggage, thats big enough to take a lid & kit and be secure enough to leave on bike. It dont come up 2nd hand that often or that cheap, unless you are lucky.
Best, on a tight budget, looking for bike that comes with it...
THAT nugget may make choice for you.... but things like GT550 or GT750, NTV600, that would fall in that bracket & come with boxes attached would be the sort of bike to get anyway.
But that notional budget, I suspect, 'all-in' sums wont work out favourable for you TBH.
100miles a week, at 50mpg on a bike, over 30mpg in a car, only saves you £5 or so in petrol. Over a year, 5,000+ miles, thats going to be at least one pair of tyres, that will tend to cost more and not last as long as on a car..... 50wks @ £5 = £250 a year towards servicing... take off £150 for tyres you are down to £100 to do three oil changes, and buy a new chain. Its 'tight' on the margins, & I suspect, it will be down to what the insurance does for you.
May be worth doing sums against more ecconomical car.....
Meanwhile, try some ecconomy measures.... service car, pump up the tyres, ditch excess clutter and weight from it, drive it like your granny was in the passenger seat, walking stick poised over your privates if you go over 30mph, or jolt her arthritic hip!
But, does ALWAYS make me chuckle seeing a car-park outside a health-club....
Want to get fit AND save money?
Get a fucking push-bike!
12min drive will become a 40 minute work out!
No petrol AT ALL
No tax. No Insurance. No MOT to worry about AND you can cancell the gym-fees!
I really dont understand the 'sence' behind drivining 8 miles or whatever, to go to an industrial; eastate and pedal a bike that dont move?!?!?!
____________________
My Webby'Tef's-tQ, loads of stuff about my bikes, my Land-Rovers, and the stuff I do with them!
Current Bikes:'Honda VF1000F' ;'CB750F2N' ;'CB125TD ( 6 3 of em!)'; 'Montesa Cota 248'. Learner FAQ's:= 'U want to Ride a Motorbike! Where Do U start?'

[nomoregt4]

Cheers for the advice & comments Mike, really helpful. I'm gonna take all you said on board & weigh up the pros & cons Didn't quite realise the amount of servicing needed on the bike would be quite that much. I only service the car once a year & do that myself.

A full tank @ £60 gets me 300 to 320 miles before the red light comes on & that's sticking to around 60mph @3k & I change gear @ 3k too. Driving with me is a hoot I tell ya & that's in a RWD MR2 which is pretty fun to drive with it's twitchy bum

I would cycle to work, but there are WAY too many long hills. I drive to the gym not to go on a stationary push bike, but to shift weights around:up:

When I lived closer to work I did actually cycle into work all year round.

[Matt06]

Last summer I bought myself an NTV650 to commute on in the winter months.

20 miles round trip to work for me too.

I got the NTV on ebay with 1 year MOT for £600. Was a pretty good deal I think, but there were others going cheap on there. This was summer too.

Should be able to fit whatever top box/tank bag things you need for storage and the bike is pretty cheap to run. Costs me about £8-10 a week in petrol if I use it every day.

The bike isn't much to look at, but gets the job done. Perfect commuter.
____________________
Current: MT-10, Bandit, Grom, GPZ500
Previous: YBR125, GSXR400, ZXR400, MT-03, NTV650, R6, z750, ZX6R, MT-09

[Maruchino]

I found that for a 75 mile round trip for a year was no more economical on a bike than in a car. This is not a spurious comment because I am about to tell you the secret..

..pick the bike carefully!

If your main concern is cash, then a dedicated commuter vehicle is much better suited than "a sports bike that does 50mpg".

My ZX6R chewed chains, sprockets, tyres and other consumables and required regular servicing to keep it in good nick.

Needless to say my next commuter bike is almost definitely going to be either a Kwak ER5, Honda CB500 or a Suzuki GS500.

Economy is far more than just a mpg figure!

[mr.kris]

i will have a CBR1000F for sale in a few weeks if ur intersted £999
____________________
TS50X---CM125---MZ150---Z250---RS125---ZXR250---BANDIT600---TRX850---TL1000S---CBF600---ZX6R---BANDIT1200S---CG125---VFR800---CBR1000F---CG125---CG125---CB900F---CB900F---CG125---TUONO1000R---KLR600---GSX1300R HAYABUSA---VFR400NC30---BANDIT1200---CG125

HAYABUSA now in use!

[owl10]

I hate to say it, but for that distance with the added advantages a car gives you, (assuing no access to anyone elses car) it'd make more sense to keep the car and sell the bike if you are looking at bikeing purley as a commuter.

how about a hornet 250 or something, 65mpg?

Old commute: 3 miles each way, ZX6R, textiles, suit underneath - still took car sometimes. MPG dont know, but was in city traffic so much quicker to ride.

New commute: 30 miles each way 3x per week, same bike.
____________________
DanceLikeAMonkey says: "An infinte amount of web pages available
Yet I still end up reading crap like that"

[fireyphoenix1...]

honda cb 500 s its what im doing after a lot of asking around advice ect seem to have the best balance of plus points and from a quick ride i can say the weather protections is decent to

1 bad point a good one is about 900/1200 as far as i can tell
____________________
2014 Aprillia dorsoduro 750 factory.

[J D]

Its around £11-12 quid to fill up my ybr and will do around 200 miles to a tank and im quite tall/heavy so smaller person should get few more miles outta it.
____________________
m0l0t0v wrote: Chris, just so you know, JD is a nutter

[herulach]

I do everyday on the bike, including long treks out to customers, bear in mind the amount of space textiles take up, I have 3 48l boxes on mine, which are taken up pretty much totally by gear if I can't take it in.

If you've not got anywhere to store your gear at work (at least boots jacket & trousers) then I wouldn't bother - 90% of the time i'm in home office so can get away with just topbox.

If parkings not a factor, you'll struggle to do it cheaper on a bike, and you'll have all the disadvantages. FOr me it makes sense, parking where I work would be £4/day, which adds up fast. I also do 15 miles on the M60, so save about an hour a day by being on the bike, you can't attach a value to an extra half hour in bed!

I get about 180 miles (probably 200 to bone dry, but I'm a wuss and try and fill up before the light) out of c.£15 of petrol, fill up about once a week.

By comparison, my 9 mile pushbike commute (old job) took about 45 minutes (into manchester city centre traffic, and without hopping lights) 2 chains & 1 set of rings/sprockets a year =£100, maybe same for brake pads, £20, tyres 1 set/year, about 25/end. would guess annual cost of about 200 including odd tubes, chain oil etc. Change 2 commutes a week and you'll have saved 6/7 quid in petrol.

Summary: For that journey, get a push bike, even if you only phase it in, you'll surprise yourself how quickly you can get fit enough to do it at a reasonable pace. You've then still got the car for when the snow comes.
____________________
YBR 125>FZS600

[Parp]

We have a Corsa 1.2. I have also taken into consideration what a similar budget will get bike vs car and subsequent depreciation.

Overall, I would expect a 125cc to be less than the car and something in the 600cc range to be the same.

The other big advantage is parking, at home and work.

[Al]

The main expense for my car seems to be the insurance £360 and tax £205.
For a bike the tax is £15-£50ish depending on bike and maybe an extra £50 to stick it on the multi bike insurance policy I already have.

So I'd make an instant saving of £400-£500 which can buy a lot of chains, sprockets and tyres. Thats without taking into consideration any difference in MPG.
One thing to remember when you're using a bike as your sole transport is that you will wear your gear(gloves, jackets,trousers ect) out a lot quicker. Replacing it with the decent stuff can get expensive.

My main reason for the car is things like going shopping, taking pets to the vet, social stuff ect.
I go through cycles where I buy a car because I'm fed up of making do using the bike for everything, then decide that I hardly use it and that its a waste of money, so think I'll sell it. Which is kind of where I'm at now (again. )
____________________
Yamaha FZR400RR 3tj
My Instagram Thingy

[Ingah]

[crowe]

A similar distance to my commute. 30s, 50s and 70s MPH roads.

I've done it on a cbr125r but its NOT that fun (underpowered mainly on busier carriageways). Fuel return is 80+MPG though !

I currently do it on my Kawa ER-5 (500cc).

I much prefer the ER-5 to the 125 as the extra power far outweighs the money saved on fuel IN MY OPINION (much safer in busy traffic). It also has a top-box which is ideal for putting luggage in. Fuel return is about 60+ MPG


MY ADVICE: if it's mainly 30mph roads then a 125 could be ok BUT if you need to go faster get a ER-5/GS500/CB500...you can probably find one in your budget too.

Crowe
____________________
Kawasaki ER-5

[tsmith]

i sold the car ages ago when petrol went above £1 a litre as it was getting stupidly expensive. Now it's ridiculous at £1.30 a litre, so i definitely made the right decision.

i do an 80 mile round trip to work every day. The bike is far, far cheaper than the car or the train. Maintenance isn't that bad - change the oil/filters/plugs yourself. The only thing i pay for is valve clearances and carb balancing every 20,000 miles.

[mistergixer]

[Yarri]

The ultimate riding machine!


https://www.gutshot.com/images/featurepics/honda90.jpg
____________________
Theory Passed: 23/10/2008 49/74 Bike Test Passed: 05/01/2009 1 minor
Theory Car Passed: 22/07/2009 48/74 Car Test Passed: 22/10/2009 2 minor
Few minutes of life of the biker could be more interesting then the whole lifes of many people