do motorcycle couriers make ?500 a week

froggy128 · World Chat Champion Joined: 14 Mar 2005 Karma :

When you read adverts for motorcycle couriers (in the jobs section of mcn) it always has good wages stated, do people actually earn £500+ a weel doing it or is that if you work 24hrs a day?

tatters · Exxon Valdez Joined: 04 Jan 2004 Karma :

l bet that is,nt after bike runing cost and insurance.
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Rob W · World Chat Champion Joined: 09 Nov 2004 Karma :

My dad did it for 14 years and struggled to make £300. He worked for the PA, they bought the bikes (Divvy 900) paid for insurance and petrol and what not, and as I said the money isn't that brilliant.
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'23 XSR900

ZRX61 · Victor Meldrew Joined: 05 Nov 2003 Karma :

BenBray · Spanner Monkey Joined: 05 Aug 2005 Karma :

I thought how cool it would be to do that... rag the bike about, weave through traffic, not pay for the bike insurance and petrol costs.

Even the money is okay sometimes. Not great, like, but okay.

Your love of motorcycling will go right down the pan though, I reckon. 9-5 on a bike, then a bike to ride home? You'll soon lose your passion for it imo.
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Current Bike: nc30

froggy128 · World Chat Champion Joined: 14 Mar 2005 Karma :

i wouldnt do it - would get bored and stressed with the traffic

Funkmeister_Smith · Nova Slayer Joined: 03 Jun 2004 Karma :

Rookie · World Chat Champion Joined: 09 Feb 2005 Karma :

My CBT instructor did couriering on his Blackbird (what a beast.) but obviously doing either wasn't enough, as he was doing CBTs as well.

carvell · Scuttler Joined: 05 Sep 2003 Karma :

The life expectancy for a courier in London is something like 18 months.

Go for it. Thumbs Up

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

colin1 · Captain Safety Joined: 17 Feb 2005 Karma :

I know of a bloke who lives in north wales who enjoys being a bike courier as its longish runs through nice countryside.
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ZRX61 · Victor Meldrew Joined: 05 Nov 2003 Karma :

vfr800 · Spanner Monkey Joined: 28 Oct 2005 Karma :

If you want to find out what it's like try a pizza delivery job.
At least you can stick to the day job before taking the plunge, it's shit in winter but good in the summer.
I used to do it when the slogan on the back of MFI lorries was 'Have a nice day'. Not so good when its freezing cold and lashing it down with rain on the motorway.
Don't do it, get a quallification and a proper job, you can always do the pizza job for a laugh Laughing

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don't take it easy 'ride it like you stole it'

muddycoffee · Nitrous Nuisance Joined: 18 Aug 2005 Karma :

Froggy Girl,
I have a mate of a mate who used to be a motorcycle courier based in sheffield. He rode a CX500 with a massive grandad style windscreen on to keep him dry, and he mainly used to do 80-100mph to London and back once or twice a day.
He took either computer tapes or documents between solicitors, he was self employed, made lots of money, but aged about 10 years in the four he did it.
He changed the bike's oil once a fortnight. tyres lasted about 8 weeks the whole thing sounds like hell to me.
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carvell · Scuttler Joined: 05 Sep 2003 Karma :

freestyler_onli · World Chat Champion Joined: 08 Nov 2004 Karma :

I dont care how much they get paid, they're all moody cunts!

I pass about 10 per day and dont get a nod off 1 of them! Mad

numark1 · Scared of girls Joined: 09 May 2004 Karma :

I used to be a pizza delivery. It was soooooo much fun.

The hours were shit, Fri - Sun night 6-10 but it was quality. Rag the bikes about. Wheelie them a treat and scrape the fixed pegs until you fall off. Laughing

The only bad thing i saw was 16 accidents in 6 months (nearly being hit a few times) and also all the chavs because they are the most common types of people to order pizza.

I never used to get that much hassle when i actually got off the bike though because i was 6'4 and with all the gear looked like a tank. Cool

LUXY DJ · World Chat Champion Joined: 25 Sep 2005 Karma :

im actually looking in 2 doing bike courier work

im young:
i LOVE riding bikes:
i NEED money:

im in london tho which is mad! BUT on the + side there should be LOADS of jobs
only thing is not ALL supply a bike so id have to do it on my gixxer Surprised

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

Liono · Spanner Monkey Joined: 22 Jul 2004 Karma :

freestyler_onli · World Chat Champion Joined: 08 Nov 2004 Karma :

sickpup · Old Timer Joined: 21 Apr 2004 Karma :

8 years ago I worked for Securicor. I used to do work 5 hours a day and got paid £101.75 or just over £20 per hour.

I've just quit my job at the bike shop and gone back after a long break to work at City Sprint. I did £91 yesterday starting at 10.30 and finishing at 19.00 and I'm using an old CD250 so you don't need a big bike.

I know London well having lived here all my life and my old man was a black cabbie. I've also run courier companies. I wouldn't recommend anyone do the job, insurance is silly costing me £16.00 a week and about 10% of what I earn goes on petrol. If you're new the big companies won't touch you as you won't be ble to earn them a decet whack.

You might think it's a fun job, it isn't. I did 103 miles in the rain yesterday including Windsor wait and return so a bit of motorway work thrown in. Didn't help when our PDA system went up the shitter yesterday due to the weather.

If you go into it thinking it's a bit of fun you will make no money and end up another dissolusioned ex courier. Go into it thinking it's one of the hardest jobs you will ever do and if you're lucky you might earn a living after a year or so.

LUXY DJ · World Chat Champion Joined: 25 Sep 2005 Karma :

so how do ppl start if no 1 will touch you if your new then?

cause im looking in2 doing it but iv never done it before
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(FAR FAR from standard) www.gixerjunkies.net

ZRX61 · Victor Meldrew Joined: 05 Nov 2003 Karma :

For LD jobs I'd just park the bike up & take a train, must easier going to Glasgow, Manchester etc & back in a day when you sleep most of the time or spend half the time in the buffet car getting shitfaced. Then just jump in a can at the other end, W&Rm, back on the train & home in time for tea Smile

Of course, this was back when BR had trains that ran almost on time etc

Phoenix · Twisted Firestarter Joined: 01 Aug 2002 Karma :

It's not worth the hassle. I was interested and was offered a job at City Sprint working from Birmingham. But it was £400 gauranteed a week, but that was with your own bike, insurance, petrol and he reckoned you'd need to do over 1000miles a week to get more than £400. So takehome would be abismal, for a shit job that's very risky and will have you soaking wet and freezing for half of the year and probably kill your interest in bikes.