New bike for gas engineer in London - much advice needed.

[sandhu40]

Hello everyone,

I have read alot of topics on here the past few days but couldnt find the specific answers I needed. Everyone seems very helpful on here and I was wondering you could answer me a few question.

Me: I'm 6'3 and 14 stone. I'm a gas and electrical engineer who travels to around 6 properties per day all over London. I normally cover one side of London one day and another the next day. Sometimes I have to cross London

I currently drive a Ford Focus estate and get around 44MPG in the crazy London traffic. I spend around 6 hours driving per day and around 2-3 hours actually doing work.

I spend around £65 diesel per week (doing around 350 miles) plus congestion charge maybe twice per week and around £15 per week parking. I also spend time looking for parking and then walking to customers properties. Insurance was around £650 last year but now I have 5 years NCB it might be less but I didn't check. Tax is £110.

I want to sell my car and buy a Honda CBF 125. I think I would save around 2-3 hours per day driving minimum. I would also save around 30 minutes per day looking for parking and walking to customers houses. Add to that the saving of fuel and parking charges. I plan on parking on customers driveways and front steps to save lots if time. I am only in the property for 30 minutes at a time average.

My concerns are as follows:

Will a bike like this do 60 miles per day for 6 days per week for a year?

How much does servicing cost if I do the work myself? I understand that oil changes will need to be done every 1000 miles? Seems alot. What about normal servicing? I read that its 3,500 miles for every service but what's the cost?

I am planning to buy a used bike but as new as possible. Lots of bikes on eBay with around a 1000 miles on them so I want opinions on them. Is it usual to sell a bike after 1000 miles? They drop in value like crazy.

Is the warranty transferable if I buy someone elses bike and what does the warranty cover?

I understand that driving around London in a small bike isn't ideal but in a car its madness and I have had enough. My car insurance runs out on Monday but I'm planning to take a week off. I have emailed geton.co.uk with a view to a free one hour bike trial. I am hoping the time saved every day will be worth it. Yes bike riding is tiring but sitting in a car in first gear for hours is also very tiring.

Im planning on getting a helmet, thin waterproof trousers and top but wear normal clothes underneath. Its important to be comfortable when im in the property as lots of moving around is sometimes required when I'm in the property.

One last question - the back box, can I put any reasonable size box on the back? Most if not all my stuff can go in a rucksack on my back but on the odd occasion I might need more gear. I have seen other plumbing companies and handymean use massive boxes. Pizze companies too.

Any help would be appreciated. Sorry for all the questions. I have alot of research to do and a long way to go and not much time to do it.

Regards,

[c clarke]

well yeah a bike can do 60 miles a day, but the amount of miles you'll be doing, you might need a service every month! service for my 125 is about £120 and its a gilera sc, so the cbf would be a bit cheaper i imagine.

the insurance for a 125 without no claims for me would be around 600-700, then with 1 years no claims i got it for £450, however i'm 17.

tax is £15 for a year.

for 125's selling bike after 1000 miles is common, because buy a bike and might decide its not for them, or other 17 years olds decide to sell it and get a car.
also people buy 125 just to do their test on then they get a bigger bike.

thats all i can really answer

but biking in winter can be horrible you need to wrap up warm and get all your gear on every time, and then get it all off again.
getting gear on and off is still a pain in the summer but for me its worth it
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cclarke

[sandhu40]

I though a service every 3500 miles? An oil change every 1000 miles?

I will be doing the service myself. I'm going to get a Haynes manual, cant be that hard can it?

I've checked insurance and its around £240. I'm 32 with no claims. Its with hastings and that was a new bike I think!

London weather is pretty good to be fair, it hardly rains in London but I will be waterproof all the time so not worried. Waterproof boots, gloves and clothes. Is there a way I can not wear heavy gear such as leathers and still be as safe? I want to be light weight so I dont have to take anything off inside the property. Jacket maybe and shoes I normally do anyway!

Thanks for your reply!

[Bendy]

Will a bike like this do 60 miles per day for 6 days per week for a year?

Yes. Just keep on top of your maintenance.

How much does servicing cost if I do the work myself? I understand that oil changes will need to be done every 1000 miles? Seems alot. What about normal servicing? I read that its 3,500 miles for every service but what's the cost?

You need to find a service manual that tells you what the service intervals are. Honda website says its 'virtually maintenance free' and another site suggests there's a service at 2500 and then nothing til 16000. Get you own info, do not take my word for this as I just did a brief google.

Either way, servicing a 125 will cost sod all.


Is the warranty transferable if I buy someone elses bike and what does the warranty cover?

Yes it is and it generally covers fuck all.


Im planning on getting a helmet, thin waterproof trousers and top but wear normal clothes underneath. Its important to be comfortable when im in the property as lots of moving around is sometimes required when I'm in the property.

You will need a decent textile jacket. It might have been warm recently but you'll freeze your bits off without one most days in London. Consider textile trousers too - safer than just waterproofs and absolutely fine to wear indoors.

I'm not gonna lecture on safety as I used to scooter around London in a t-shirt on a sunny day, but be *informed* when it comes to clothing choice. Also do not underestimate how being cold and miserable makes the day suck hard. Simple things like bar muffs and a decent jacket can make all the difference when the weather turns sucky.


One last question - the back box, can I put any reasonable size box on the back? Most if not all my stuff can go in a rucksack on my back but on the odd occasion I might need more gear. I have seen other plumbing companies and handymean use massive boxes. Pizze companies too.

Yes you can. Weight is more of a factor than size.
Be aware that carrying hard things in a rucksack isn't generally a great idea, if we're talking tools and stuff you'd probably be better with a bag that sits on the pillion seat. There are some nice ones around that you could just unclip and take inside with all your gubbins. A topbox is awesome for leaving your helmet in though, so is probably worth it just for that.

[Pete.]

As above but there are a few points you should be aware of:

1. You will spend a lot of time sevicing a small bike. Fortunately, it's cheap and easy.

2. You're already well-used to London traffic but filtering whilst getting you there very quickly presents some hazards you won't have encountered to quite the same degree, mainly pedestrians emerging from between parked cars/alightng buses and queueing traffic leaving a gap for cars emerging from the left. The first you see of these is the off-side wing followed by a close-up view of the bonnet

3. Insurance. You cannot use social,domestic and pleasure plus commuting for travelling to a different address on different days, for that you need 'business use 1'. However, you want to travel between adresses and that puts you in a higher risk category (I don't know what they call it coz I never needed it), so you either have to pay the extra or tell your insurer you only go to a single address on any day any get business use 1 insurance. If you have an accident outside of normal commuting hours, they WILL ask awkward questions.

4. Insurance normally excludes the carrying of your employers materials in the course of their business so think about that too.

That all said - you're right in the other things. YOu will get about a LOT faster, less stress parking, use of red-route bus lanes, much higher quality of life at work. Get a good top-box for your helmet and wet gear and go have a blast!
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a.k.a 'Geri'

132.9mph off and walked away. Gear is good, gear is good, gear is very very good

[Livefast123]

The YBR 125 takes around 1 litre of oil so that would cost around 3 - 4 quid if you bought a litre of supermarket 10w40. Changing it is dead easy and would involve getting the bike hot, removing the drain plug and waiting till the oil drains and then fill it back up with new stuff. You will need a new air filter and plug from time to time but thats it basically.

Probably most of the maintainence you need to do will be to the chain, lubing it and adjusting it when it becomes slack.

I would imagine that the extra work you get in will more than pay for the small amount of looking after the bike will take
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Current ride - Yamaha MT-07

[sandhu40]

Thank you all so much.

I can see why this forum was recommended by a biker on MSE.

My only concerns now are over clothing/safety wear now but off to watch the big game. Will get back here as soon as I can.

Cheers again.

[bikertomm]

If your going to get cheap gear then be sure to check out the sharp ratings for helmets.

Some cheap helmets are good value for money, the most important thing is the fit though!

I got a really nice jacket recently - textile, all the armour and waterproof with an inner layer that can be taken out, was half price.

I cannot reccommend this enough I was well impressed!


https://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=220734828335&ssPageName=STRK:MEWAX:IT


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07' Honda Hornet now full powaah! My guide on performing an oil change!

[Pete.]

I wouldn't buy an expensive helmet for work, especially this kind of work. Look for a cheap one with a fairly good rating. I wear a HJC CS12 which are about £40 on eBay. Dunno how they stack up on SHARP but they came out fairly high in a comparison test when they were first out.
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a.k.a 'Geri'

132.9mph off and walked away. Gear is good, gear is good, gear is very very good

[Pete.]

4-star sharp rated helmets listed by price:

https://sharp.direct.gov.uk/testhelmetlist?order=field_price_value&sort=asc&sharp-make=All&sharp-model=&sharp-type=2&sharp-rating=4&sharp-price-from=0&sharp-price-to=9999&discontinued=1
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a.k.a 'Geri'

132.9mph off and walked away. Gear is good, gear is good, gear is very very good

[Livefast123]

I got this set of textiles from Fowlers when I started back commuting :-

https://www.fowlersonlineshop.co.uk/ProductDetails.aspx?ProductLineID=84267&CatID=1017#ViewReview

I've had them over a year and I use them nearly everyday. They are comfortable, windproof and after numerous washes they are still waterproof. They can get a bit warm in hot weather though. Maybe armoured jeans and a textile jacket would be better for you.

I have a Laser LZ6 helmet which is Sharp 5 star rated and can be picked up for 55 quid.

https://cgi.ebay.co.uk/LAZER-LZ6-LX-BLACK-NEW-SHARP-5-BARGAIN-SMALL-/360336419240?pt=UK_Motorcycle_Helmets&hash=item53e5b969a8
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Current ride - Yamaha MT-07

[Andy_Pagin]

I commute in London on a Yamaha Vity scooter, getting up and running cost me less than 2,400 in total, that's a brand new bike, tax, insurance, RAC cover, CBT, helmet, jacket, overtrousers, boots, gloves and a Oxford security chain. I get an accurately calculated 98 mpg in the rush hour and best of all I bloody love riding!

[Al]

I work for a plumbing and heating company and commute to work on my Vespa, although I'm not based in London and I only commute to normally a site or ongoing job so don't have the same issues as you.

Here it is loaded up.
https://img.photobucket.com/albums/1003/big_al/715ecd12.jpg
(The copper pipe was just for the photo I don't carry that )
It has a glovebox but that is full of stuff for the scooter (chain,puncture repair gear, 2 stroke oil ect)
And I wear a backpack to carry my lunch and a folder of paperwork.

I normally just carry my hand tools though, not the drill,benders and blow torch.

I don't know what kind of work you will be doing, servicing? but will you not struggle to carry everything you need or might need in just a topbox.

I would have thought some form of maxi scooter might be better, the ones with the large underseat storage, a glovebox and then a large topbox.
The main problems I can see are that anything strapped to the bike will need to be removed every time you park up otherwise it may get stolen. Waterproof trousers, even thin ones will be very hot and sweaty to wear in a warm house whilst working and also dripping wet when its raining.
I'd probably go for some decent textile gear over the top of some lightweight work clothes and then just take the textile stuff off at every job. It will be a bit annoying but you're saving time with traffic, parking and walking so it wouldn't be that bad.
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Yamaha FZR400RR 3tj
My Instagram Thingy

[sandhu40]

[sandhu40]

[chris-red]

I wear kevlar jeans in and out of London every day, My favour pair are a set of 'Berik' Branded ones. They have armour in the knees that is also useful wear working on the bike as it provides a cushion when you are kneeling down. Maybe good for when you are working.
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Well, you know what they say. If you want to save the world, you have to push a few old ladies down the stairs.
Skudd:- Perhaps she just thinks you are a window licker and is being nice just in case she becomes another Jill Dando.
WANTED:- Fujinon (Fuji) M42 (Screw on) lenses, let me know if you have anything.

[sandhu40]

[chris-red]

Those look to be the same as mine, the one thing I will say about them is they have a 'popper' button which I found popped open all the time, I had it replaced with a generic Jeans button at a tailors for £12.


The jeans will be much more comfortable than the Textiles the textiles will rustle when you walk and be a lot bulkier than the jeans.
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Well, you know what they say. If you want to save the world, you have to push a few old ladies down the stairs.
Skudd:- Perhaps she just thinks you are a window licker and is being nice just in case she becomes another Jill Dando.
WANTED:- Fujinon (Fuji) M42 (Screw on) lenses, let me know if you have anything.