courier work need advice

MZ125 · Nova Slayer Joined: 05 Dec 2004 Karma :

alright guys I just need some advice Question

I want 2 do a courier
job Mad

& was wondering if there is any1 out there who knows how 2 get in 2 it Question

I phoned up my insurance company & 4 courier work it would cost £1300 Shocked

is that any good & is it worth it cheers guys Thumbs Up

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bandit 600 honest i dont brake the speedlimit I just dont stick 2 it

dibbster · Nearly there... Joined: 15 Apr 2004 Karma :

Make sure your life insurance is up to date first! Laughing

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Suzuki RF 600 - The two wheeled Testarossa (Deceased)
Suzuki GSXR - Now stops on a sixpence; SBK3's Thumbs Up

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theftvictim · Borekit Bruiser Joined: 03 Dec 2004 Karma :

If the courier company you choose supply the bikes, don't they also cover the insurance?

MZ125 · Nova Slayer Joined: 05 Dec 2004 Karma :

yeah but I have found a company that will take me on but they want me 2 get insurance is it worth £1300
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bandit 600 honest i dont brake the speedlimit I just dont stick 2 it

G · The Voice of Reason Joined: 02 Feb 2002 Karma :

First, what bike have you got?

Where are you going to be couriering?

How many years biking experience do you have?

How old are you?

Then, find out details of how much money they pay per mile, do you get return mileage? How much does petrol/maintenance on your bike cost? Do you have all the required gear?
So you can work out the costs involved and see how much money you will be making. Remember a lot of these places hire you as a contractor... so you will effectively be self employed; and have to pay tax yourself as well.

MarJay · But it's British! Joined: 15 Sep 2003 Karma :

Interesting fact:

The Top three high risk careers for personal life insurance:

1. Bomb disposal

2. Deep sea diver at oil rigs

3. Motorcycle courier.

Please bear in mind that coalminer, stuntman, circus performer and many many other high risk jobs do not appear in the top three...

How long have you been riding?

Many couriers have been riding for fifteen to twenty years before they start the job.

Its not something that you would want to start on a whim IMO.
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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.

dibbster · Nearly there... Joined: 15 Apr 2004 Karma :

Apologies for the unintentional thread hijack.

To be a courier you will need a fuel efficient bike capable of lots of mph to keep your fuel costs down.

Personally I think there are easier ways to earn a crust.
____________________
Suzuki RF 600 - The two wheeled Testarossa (Deceased)
Suzuki GSXR - Now stops on a sixpence; SBK3's Thumbs Up

www.bikepics.com/members/dibbster

MarJay · But it's British! Joined: 15 Sep 2003 Karma :

Did you post that in the right thread there dibbster??
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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.

instigator · Super Spammer Joined: 19 Oct 2004 Karma :

MZ125 · Nova Slayer Joined: 05 Dec 2004 Karma :

no I have wanted 2 do this 4 a couple of years but have only just started 2 look in 2 it Question

I have been riding 4 2 years on a cbt but hopefully I have got my full licence next week coz I have got my test friday & will b on a bandit or if it will b my mz sm 125 & I want 2 do it around london Twisted Evil

cheers guys Thumbs Up

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bandit 600 honest i dont brake the speedlimit I just dont stick 2 it

G · The Voice of Reason Joined: 02 Feb 2002 Karma :

Insurance will be nasty, did you ask for a quite without the full licence?

You want a bike that's cheap on fuel and cheap to crash. I don't think the bandit is either really. You do however want some power to get you out of trouble, the MZ won't have that.

Do you know the streets of london /very/ well? You will have to.

MZ125 · Nova Slayer Joined: 05 Dec 2004 Karma :

yes i know the streets of london Thumbs Up

& the mz yes i think it is not that good 4 the job Mad

but it is cheap 2 repair & cheap on petrol Thumbs Up

but 4 london what do u want cheap & reliable or fast & expensive 2 repair Question

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bandit 600 honest i dont brake the speedlimit I just dont stick 2 it

G · The Voice of Reason Joined: 02 Feb 2002 Karma :

You want both. You also want comfortable and ok to do longer distance if asked.
We're not talking 150hp quick, but about 50 would be sensible.

If you don't get your packages delivered quickly you don't make so much money.

MZ125 · Nova Slayer Joined: 05 Dec 2004 Karma :

oh ok then I think I would use the bandit Smile

if I pass my test Very Happy

but what do u think of the insurance cost is it cost effective the cost is £1300 and do u do courier work g Question

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bandit 600 honest i dont brake the speedlimit I just dont stick 2 it

G · The Voice of Reason Joined: 02 Feb 2002 Karma :

I do not do courier work, I've talked to a few people that have in the past.

I have no idea what the insurance would cost. I would not use the bandit. I would buy a more suitable bike; you should be able to find something ok from £500. Look for reliable midsized engines.
Something like a NTV650 is a common choice as shaft drive means less money spent on chains.

kasandrich · Trackday Trickster Joined: 20 Oct 2004 Karma :

kasandrich · Trackday Trickster Joined: 20 Oct 2004 Karma :

octane · Trackday Trickster Joined: 24 Aug 2004 Karma :

Don't even consider it.

I was a courier in london for about a year and a half and it has to be the shittiest job I've ever had.

First off is insurance; the £1300 you got quoted was reasonable if you're on a 125 (from the name i'm presuming you are), but balance that against the fact that you'll be the new guy until you prove your worth, which means most controllers will give you all the shittiest jobs to the most traffic congested parts of London (I'm presuming it's London?) which all the old hands have turned down, so your earnings are gonna be low until you've proved yourself as capable, which considering how much of an arsehole one of the contollers I had, that can mean 2/3 months of £40-70 per day which you'll be running your arse off for.

Also don't forget the other costs like the cost of keeping the bike running and ship shape, which will be high considering you'll be doing anything from 50 to 400 miles in a day; that's not to mention the inevitable parking tickets/bus lane fines, etc...

As others have mentioned the job lowers your life expectancy considerably; the amount of close calls I've had is ridiculous (hitting some iron in the road at the top of Shaftesbury ave and ending up on the wrong side of the road with a black cab screeching to a halt about 5 yards from my head being a memorable one). The thing is you WILL have to ride like a fuckin' lunatic to earn decent money; the amount of really stupid shit I've done just to make deadlines still freaks me out when I think back to it.

Last but not least is the weather: Know when you sit at home and decide to give the ride a miss because of the pouring rain? You don't get that choice when it's your job, you're out there 5 days a week come rain or shine. I got caught out in a snowstorm in '03 and my usual commute home went from a 45 minute drag in to a 3 hour ordeal and I was STILL expected to come in to work the next day and got fined £25 when I didn't (good luck finding a firm that's run by people that give a shit about you).

And if all that hasn't dissuaded you then go do it and you'll find out all about just how shit it is.

Seriously though man, if you have another option for work steer WELL clear.

dibbster · Nearly there... Joined: 15 Apr 2004 Karma :

instigator · Super Spammer Joined: 19 Oct 2004 Karma :

Speaking to another er-5 owner tomorrow who's coming over to mine as I'm selling him my old fairing.

I'll ask him how he liked it as he was a motorbike courier as a student.

If It was london, then I wouldn't even consider it, thats just plain silly.

Glasgow however - feckin easy. Mucho smaller and mucho easier to get anywhere (I imagine)

mattsmith95 · Traffic Copper Joined: 03 Oct 2004 Karma :

Tarmacsurfer · World Chat Champion Joined: 29 Jun 2004 Karma :

Use the search function, there are a few posts about dizzying on here.

In a word, don't. The distance circuit is dead, and companies that supply bikes and insurance are like rocking horse shit. Even if you do find one there will be such a long queue of experienced riders waiting that you'd have a snowballs chance in hell of getting a job with them anyway.

It's not just a case of being paid to ride all day and it's certainly not a job anyone with a bike license can do, but on the other hand there are some misfits who love the job and you'll never know until you try. To put it in perspective though, after dizzying for nearly 15 years I can barely walk now, and am due in for surgery on my spine sometime this year (that's if I go for it, not great odds of it doing much other than fucking up my back even more). Best bit about it is that it wasn't even a major get off, someone drove into the back of the bike at a roundabout at low speed.
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I'm immortal. Well, so far.

Robby · Dirty Old Man Joined: 16 May 2002 Karma :

I think that 17 year old biker on L plates wants to be a courier. It seems cool. I know I liked the idea of it just after I passed my test and I was riding around on my CB250.

Just a nice idea for a couple of weeks though, the reality is horrible. You'll just end up dead, poor, wounded or a bit of both.

If you want a rush and you want to ride bikes, join the army and go ride armstrong 350s and 500s in Iraq.

Rob W · World Chat Champion Joined: 09 Nov 2004 Karma :

Ask at the PA (Press Association). My old man was a courier there for about 12 years, he'd been riding for about 15 years before that mind. They paid for his bikes, an old XJ900, and a new XJ900 Diversion when that came out, and paid all his insurance. The money isn't really all that, and as others have said there's much easier ways of earning a crust.