Would you commute 80 miles each way to work on a bike?

[0l0dom0l0]

And which bike would you choose?

Situation is this.....

Just finished uni at the grand age of 20 and got myself a job at Ford in Dunton. I've moved into a house share about 5 mins from work but it's a nightmare and I need out ASAP. I'm paying £500 PCM for rent and all bills. I'm really struggling to find anywhere else and I was thinking about commuting from my parents house in Hampshire while I find what I want in Essex

From where I am in Hampshire to Dunton is approx an hour and 15 mins on a good clear run. The route I have to take is m3, m25 through the Dartford tunnel and down the a127. It's 80 miles each way.

My naked fz6 isn't really cut for the commute. It's good to ride but 160 motorway miles on a bike with no fairing isn't fun.

Was going to get a daytona 955i for the commute.
____________________
CBT Passed: 30/08/2009, Theory Passed: 31/08/2010, Mod 1 Passed: 6/9/2010, Mod 2 Passed: 13/09/2010. Restriction ended 13/09/2012.

Bikes: 2007 Derbi GPR 50, 1998 Yamaha Fazer 600 (written off), 2002 Yamaha Fazer 600, 1994 CBR 600F, 2003 Triumph Daytona 600, Kawasaki ZX6R J1.....Current: 2006 Yamaha FZ6, 1998 Suzuki TL1000R and a Honda VFR 400 NC30.

[sabian92]

Honda NC750?

You'll eat fuel doing 160 miles a day. It's a tank per day. 65mpg-ish is nothing to sniff at either.

[Northern Monkey]

Dullville? Buy one for £1500 and sell it for the same in a few months
____________________
Fisty: after polishing the tank with the glistenng beads of sweat from my full hot scrotum, I filled the headrace bearings with 10cc of my manmilk

[Eddie Hitler]

Wouldn't consider a 160 mile commute on a permanent basis, would knacker me out. As a temporary thing as you suggested, sure. Anything with a fairing and a big engine would do you fine.

[RhynoCZ]

I'd get the best mpg bike that can do at least solid 100mph.
____________________
'87 Honda XBR 500, '96 Kawasaki ZX7R P1, '90 Honda CB-1, '88 Kawasaki GPz550, MZ 150 ETZ
'95 Mercedes-Benz w202 C200 CGI, '98 Mercedes-Benz w210 E200 Kompressor

[Northern Monkey]

Probably looking at 12 - 15p per mile when you factor in tyres, chains, oil etc. 160 miles is £20 a day, £400 a month.

2 hrs each way is too long for any more than a week
____________________
Fisty: after polishing the tank with the glistenng beads of sweat from my full hot scrotum, I filled the headrace bearings with 10cc of my manmilk

[Beehive Bedlam]

Maximum I have done is sixty miles each way when I was working in Bolton for a week this was on my varadero 125 last year.

Constant maintenance and fiddling because it is a 125 and I had it pinned at full throttle for the 47 miles up the M62 was becoming stressful after three days and it was tiresome.

If my bike transformed into the varadero 1000 I will happily travel up to 200 miles a day. I thoroughly enjoy riding my bike though.

[Rogerborg]

Wouldn't do it. You'll be left with only a few hours a day to yourself, and what's your backup plan when the bike is off the road?

This looks more like a Dear Auntie BCF situation.

Kill your housemates Council homeless services, might as well be used by decent people as well as sponging pikeys. "You would face violence if you remain in your home" looks to be a winner.
____________________
Biking is 1/20th as dangerous as horse riding.
GONE: HN125-8, LF-250B, GPz 305, GPZ 500S, Burgman 400 // RIDING: F650GS (800 twin), Royal Enfield Bullet Electra 500 AVL, Ninja 250R because racebike

[Itchy]

I did once about oh 10 years ago on rat bikes (Penryn to Plympton).

I was younger, tougher and stupid, I did this for a few months in winter. I rode it on all sorts of bikes, GT550, XJ600, CB250, NTV, even with 50mpg it was costly on fuel and most importantly time...

Maybe I'm an old fart but money comes back time doesn't.

I eventually got to the end of my rental agreement and moved to Plymouth.
____________________
Spain 2008France 2007Big one 2009 We all die. The goal isn't to live forever, the goal is to create something that will. In the end, your life will flash before your eyes. Make sure it is worth watching.

[j.silvs]

I did it for 2 months... Never again.

I was on the motorway the whole way and it killed me. I was moody all the time, tired. Nearly ruined my relationship.

Honestly, don't do it!

[j00pY]

Sorry to hear about your shitty living situation. I don't have much to add other than to say I had a similar deal a few years ago. I moved in with some friends who I didn't realise lived like absolute animals and I had to stick it out for 18 months. I think I moved out of that house a different person to the one that moved in, and I don't talk to my friends any more.

If you have already got a bike, can you just not look for something slightly further away from work? There must be loads of places to rent on a wider radius.

[Itchy]

[P.]

I want to hang myself after a 80 mile round trip, I would not want to do that again the same day.

I could only suggest moving closer, I know you've probably looked everywhere for houses, but renting an annexe to a proper family house is likely to provide you with what you want for significantly less £££

Bike wise, can only thing a larger sports touring machine, ZZR6/11/12

[Andy_Pagin]

[0l0dom0l0]

My dad has an FZ1 sitting in the garage he doesn't use which is ideal for the commute. He's not interested in letting me use it though. Maybe I'll have to ask him again!

I don't want to rent somewhere that's a fair way from Ford (although I did consider it) as I'll have to pay rent and fuel which will cost me more than renting my own place in the surrounding area. I was just considering the commute on a temporary basis as my parents probably wouldn't charge me anything for the first month while I got on my feet. Hell I'd even stay in a travelodge if I could find one for £30 a night as I'm no worse off really.

Interesting the general consensus is don't do it though.

Ill bring it more back to general bike chat rather than dear auntie bcf by asking what doing serious miles is like on a daytona 955i?
____________________
CBT Passed: 30/08/2009, Theory Passed: 31/08/2010, Mod 1 Passed: 6/9/2010, Mod 2 Passed: 13/09/2010. Restriction ended 13/09/2012.

Bikes: 2007 Derbi GPR 50, 1998 Yamaha Fazer 600 (written off), 2002 Yamaha Fazer 600, 1994 CBR 600F, 2003 Triumph Daytona 600, Kawasaki ZX6R J1.....Current: 2006 Yamaha FZ6, 1998 Suzuki TL1000R and a Honda VFR 400 NC30.

[0l0dom0l0]

[instigator]

No. Just find another place, be patient ffs.

[Kickstart]

Hi

I have commuted 80 miles each way by car for about 8 months. That was mostly motorway, and would take 2 hours each way. Some of that was stuck in traffic jams so a bike would save a bit, but realistically remarkably little.

I also commuted ~95 miles each way once a week bike bike for quite a while. It did save time going by bike rather than car, but was still regularly a 2 hour journey (tended to be a bit quicker on the way home when I was late and traffic was light).

Once a week is not a problem, but once a day would be nasty.

Another minor point is tank range. With many bikes 160 miles is more than the safe range of a tank of petrol, hence you land up having to fill up every day (and potentially twice in a day) which is extra wasted time. You can ride slower to extend the range but that means the journey is longer.

All the best

Keith
____________________
Traxpics, track day and racing photographs - Bimota Forum - Bike performance / thrust graphs for choosing gearing

[BenR]

[Supermoto_Fan]

Try looking around the laindon/pitsea area! I'm 10 mins away from Dunton.
____________________
Yamaha MT-09 - Triple powerrrr

[Andy C]

If you had to for a period so you could get out of the not great house share but not ideal, and winter I can't see if happening.

A bike that could do 160miles to a tank. I want to tour and travel larger distances so large tank is needed. 01-05 Fazer seems like an ideal bike as an all-rounder (though upgrading your to a thou seems expensive if not permement commute).

https://www.motorcycle.com/images/content/Review/01fazertitlet.jpg
____________________
99 RS125 --> 02 SV650s --> 03 Speed Four --> 92 RXS100 --> 93 CB400sf --> 01 CB600f Hornet

[Rogerborg]

[Slacker24seve...]

I may soon be faced with commuting to different placements over the next three years where anything up to 90 minutes is considered fair game. Over that and the employer will subsidise part of my board and lodging.

I will probably buy a Deauville or CBF600, perhaps an old VFR or Triumph Trophy. Basically something relatively slim for filtering with some sort of hard luggage, reasonable economy and able to sit just below court appearance speeds will be a must.

The more I think about it, the more a Deauville makes sense.
____________________
Triumph Daytona 675 track bike + girlfriend's Honda Hornet 600
Selling a hack/winter bike for less than a grand? PM me.
Banger rallies are ace

[sabian92]

[lukamon]

if youre going to be sitting in top gear for mile after mile day after day, would rather do it sitting on an armchair than a plank I suppose
____________________
killa wrote: Im an ass man myself