Feasibility of Long Distance Commuting

[Renton]

Currently looking at the possibility of moving house which would make my daily commute a 150 mile round trip.

It's roughly 34k miles a year - is this too much to be putting on a bike more than a year or two?

What are the downsides to such a long journey?
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[MarJay]

You'll go mad in a week I think. Especially if it's a route that is subject to traffic and roadworks etc.
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Remember kids, bikes aren't like lego. You can't easily take a part from one bike and then fit it to another.

[c_dug]

I did 90 miles a day on an NTV600. It was too much.

Might be better on something like a K1600 but I still wouldn't fancy it.
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[Matt B]

I did near enough that - 120 miles round trip, but only 3 times a week.

It is doable, mine was on pretty good A roads and dual carriageways most of the way so overtaking and filtering meant I could make good time.

08 ZX6R stood up to the abuse pretty well considering, plenty of ACF helps if you ride all year. You will get sick of squared off rear tyres unless you go for something a bit more touring focused with dual compound. If you can't do all of your own maintenance then think again because paying a garage to do regular oil changes, pads etc will make it an expensive option.

Downsides - can get uncomfortable depending on the bike, after a long hard day getting on the bike can be depressing. I got to a point where I wasn't enjoying riding much and didn't go out at weekends for fun any more. Can be boring unless you sort some music/radio to listen to. It works out more expensive than you think.
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[Nyarlathotep]

Cost is certainly a big issue here. You're talking new tyres and a service of some sort every 3 months. That's before even considering the time taken commuting. It's doable, but also sounds pretty miserable.

[The Shaggy D.A.]

I did Northampton to Old Street, London round trip daily on the XJ900F. 60 miles of boredom, followed by 10 miles of people trying to kill you.

Still better than the Underground.
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[Rogerborg]

[BTTD]

What do you expect your average speed to be?
50mph (assuming minimal traffic and decent A roads) = 3 hours a day on the bike. You will also have to fill up every day.

You'll get used to it, but it won't be fun.

[Polarbear]

I would only consider it if it was nearly all motorway miles, and then I'd rather have a cheap car for the winter and rain days.

In fact I wouldn't. That must be at least 90 to 120 minutes each way on top of work. Fuck that.
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[B5234FT]

If there is no traffic, then assume it will take you three hours a day and there is no benefit to using a bike so Id choose to use a diesel car for 600 miles (4 days) between refils and 10k+ service intervals.

If there is traffic (therefore a need for a bike) then it will take you 4+ hours a day and I'd be looking for a new job.

To take a job like that, based on a 40 hour week, I'd be wanting a 50% raise from whatever the salary in my current post was to cover the ~20 hours commuting a week, plus the cost of running the vehicle on top. The ONLY way to compare jobs is door to door imho.

I currently do 36 miles each way which takes 45-50 minutes, so approximately half what you're proposing, it's in fairly light traffic and tbh, in winter its still a lot

[Kris]

Too far, but if you're reasonably young then try it.
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[MarJay]

I used to commute at least an hour either way from Reading to Farnborough and I think the pressure of this contributed to the breakdown of my relationship.

Admittedly there was a lot of other things going on at the time, but I think the commute didn't help. I then moved a couple of miles away from work and was continually late because I figured it was only a couple of miles... Now I have a pretty much dead on 30 minute commute and all is well. It's still a bit more than I'd like but it's not a stressful one by and large.

The hour commute was more bearable in the summer when I could take the bike, but I did it a couple of times in the winter and hated it. I didn't save a lot of time on the bike anyway.

I'm going to take the bike on my slightly shorter commute in the Summer, although I think that I'll probably make it longer by taking more interesting roads.
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British beauty: Triumph Street Triple R; Loony stroker: KR1S; Track fun: GSXR750 L1; Commuter Missile: GSX-S1000F
Remember kids, bikes aren't like lego. You can't easily take a part from one bike and then fit it to another.

[ZX-7R]

Fuck that in rain/winter.

Get the train or a new job closer to home.
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Current Bike - 2000 ZX-7R

[monkeybiker]

Screw having a massive commute for work. About 20 miles each way is about the most I would want to be doing.

Why are you looking to move anyway?

[pepperami]

If you like bikes and biking, that will soon disappear with a commute like that.

Everybody I know who has tried the long commute for whatever reason has ended up hating their commute.
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[Kris]

For the record my biggest was 140 miles per day commute. If I had to do it again I would get a shaft drive no question. You'll also be needing weather protection and low-cost maintenance.
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NSR125RR - ZXR750H1 - ZX9R E1 - GSF600S - GSF600SK3 - VFR400-NC30 - SV1000N - ST1100-R - CBR900RR-R - GSF1200SK5 - GSF600SK1 - VFR1200FA - GSXR1000K2 - ZZR1400 D8F
www.prisonplanet.com

[Undinist]

How tired are you when you finish work? I reckon your journey is doable on a Pan European or similar, but if I tried it I reckon I'd fall asleep and die.

[vespertinesta...]

Forget it, it's not worth it. I do a 50 mile round trip 6 days a week and even that gets old pretty fast. I still love my bike though and wouldn't trade it for anything and boy does it make you a better rider, especially with traffic. If you're considering doing it you're gonna need a really in depth knowledge of how to keep your own bike in top condition, plenty of decent gear and top notch roadside assistance so they don't just drag your bike to the nearest garage which might be many miles from home.

[Lord Percy]

Can't remember where because it was ages ago but there was some study on 'happiness' and one big factor was how close you live to work. Commuting is work too, but people forget that and decide to go and live at some faraway place because "it's nice".

Best job I've ever had was about 1 minute's commute from where I was living.

[BrownTrousers]

Never mind the relative merits or costs of various bikes or even cars,
that is flat out too much time to waste commuting unless you have your dream job and hate your family. Realistically 3 hours a day, which means in the first year you will have spent 700 hours (4 solid weeks) just commuting.

I would humbly suggest deciding which is more important to you, the new house or the job and if there was no avoiding it for a short period I would seriously consider public transport options so at least the time can be spent reading/watching a movie/sleeping.
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[Renton]

Hmm. My original optimism is starting to fade

I am currently doing the journey on a Friday evening 2 or 3 times a month, so I know the route well and am fully aware of the time it takes etc. But it's one thing to be doing it periodically than it is to be doing it 5 days a week.

I am on a GSXR K5 which is no issues at all. But I would have to get something more dedicated if I was to commit.

I guess I'm just weighing up my options at the moment.
____________________
This is my motorcycle. There are many others like it, but this one is mine.
Without me, my motorcycle is useless. Without my motorcycle, I am useless.

[doggone]

It might work if you could somehow make it only 2 or 3 times a week by stopping over or something?
In a car it would be not *that* unusual for a well paid job, but still far enough.

[rubyhorse2]

sod that, wouldnt even contemplate it.

[Polarbear]

[Brendan110_0]