Advice me: Setting up for delivery work

[Ingah]

Just wanted some opinions and advice on a few things with regards to delivery work etc, as i know at least a couple on here have experience to share.

Anyway, i got a CG125 that's nearly roadworthy again (just need a steady afternoon or two in the garage with it), and am looking for a top box, which i'm sure i'll aquire and fit soon. Wondered if there's anything else that i should consider to make the bike more suitable for delivery work? (or whether bike + box + wind guards for the hands if doing longer distances = will do just fine). Got a CB500 too but it's my main bike that i've spent a lot of money on repairing and improving and so i'm very reluctant to use it for work purposes.

Anyway, been around a few local takeaways asking for jobs and been offered 2 so far - one where an old colleague offered to get me in (says he's treated well etc), for £3.50/hr + £1 a drop. He's a car driver and reckons he gets about 2.5-3 drops an hour on average and they're mainly close by, but that i'll be faster due to the nature of a bike. I've also been offered £4/hr + £1 or £2 a drop depending on location (some places they deliver to require motorway...) - doesn't sound so busy anyway - somewhere else. I've noted its pretty poor wages for both places (suspect i'd do better at the lower p/h place with my old colleague though, if i had to choose out of only those 2), especially poor considering i used to get £6/hour + 20p drop bonus at Pizza Hut, without even having to risk my own bike. Is this ridiculously low pay the norm, or are the 2 places so far both tightarses hoping to take the piss of a young guy, and i should go and ask some more places to get a better rate? (My number's been taken down by at least 20 places so i guess one of them might get back to me too....) But would i be perhaps be better off hunting for 125 courier work (if it exists in any sufficient quantity)? Kinda surprised at the poor offered rates considering the advantages of a bike delivery rider over a car driver (especially when it comes to paying people by the hour just to sit in traffic!)

Just to give appropriate context - i've done pizza delivery before, for Pizza Hut, for a year, on their 50cc scooters (terrible terrible machines, but i still enjoyed it - i imagine it'll be far better on my own 125). And no, they're not taking anyone on at the moment, even me (i tried ). Been riding about 3 and half years, of which i've had my full licence for 3 years. Am able to do most mechanical jobs myself to keep costs down. I'm a student, and so pretty much stuck to part time work so i can revise for my exams in a couple of months (my semester at uni is pretty much over otherwise). And between us on here, i'm pretty desperate for cash - i'm very short on remaining overdraft to see me through to my next lot of loan, let alone being "in the black"!
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-- Ingah

[Shaft]

I've been a courier and a minicab driver (when both jobs paid well) in my time and the best advice I can give is, know your bike, how to maintain it and where to get the best value parts from.

I would expect the money to be terrible, that's the nature of the job, so the more money you can save on running the bike, the better; forget running the 500, too dear on everything and you won't get there any quicker, so stick to the CG.

These days, times are tight, so get the best hourly rate you can, then work as many hours as possible, although only you can judge which place is likely to be the most busy.
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Things get better with age; I'm close to being magnificent........
20 RE Interceptor, 83 Z1100A3, 83 GS650 Katana
WooHoo, I'm a Man Point Millionaire! https://www.bikechatforums.com/viewtopic.php?t=234035

[Asimo]

Pizza hut paid more because they declared you as working for them. These two places you've tried won't be declaring you as an employee so they don't have to pay NI and whatnot. But even so can you not find a 16hr nmw job anywhere?

[calyx]

£6.50ish per hour is really poor.
Let's say you do 30 miles per hour on average. It makes 2 litres of petrol. = £2.60
Plus insurance and bike maintenance...
You'll end up with £3.20 per hour.
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Boris - London

[open]

I used to do a chinese on my old 50cc, £5 ph + £1 per drop. Was £4 at first w/ 50p drop, but raised my wage as I turned out to be a really good driver (knew the area like the back of my hand, had sat nav & turned up on time!)

[MinhDinh]

Are you guys illegal immigrants? Isn't the minimum wage 5 quid at least?
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Hit the G spot.

[Shaft]

^^^Any port in a storm.

If all you want to do is earn a few beer vouchers, without the tax man finding out, riding around delivering a number 38 or a meat feast with extra cheese is OK.
____________________
Things get better with age; I'm close to being magnificent........
20 RE Interceptor, 83 Z1100A3, 83 GS650 Katana
WooHoo, I'm a Man Point Millionaire! https://www.bikechatforums.com/viewtopic.php?t=234035

[deltron]

As I tend to have short term contracts I have done alot of courier work over the years when I was between contracts and have worked for many different companies (van not bike) most of the bike couriers I spoke to said they used to earn really well in the city but the pay is nowhere near what is was in the past. The best money I earnt was going self employed,with one company I regularly used to take home £500,have even doubled that on occasion but I think those days are over,I worked for one well known company on a fully employed basis and used to net about £210 a week on average,so minimum wage.

[open]

Its all just cash in hand, and after 2-3 drops an hour, even if its across the road and you walk it, the drop bonus adds a couple of quid n hour to your wage. On a 50cc was using about £2.50 petrol for a 6 h shift.

...so no, not an illegal, although whenever I do delivery work, people are always surprised that I am English!