Has the time come for more comuter bikes

[Tramp]

Yup I ride daily 50miles round trip and its a revelation after years away from riding daily to work and back...

The roads are so congested a normal 30 mins journey takes 1 hrs and we ain't talking the big city's...

At 59 my bones feel the wet and cold but tried the car and we'll its warm but so frustrating..

Over to the other commuters.

[92kk k100lt 193214]

I put my car off the road for the summer in April 2017

In September 2017 I went to France and while I was there ended up adding a K1100LT to my bikes.....

Somehow I did not put the car back on the road for the 6 months of the winter.....its now October 2023 and I still haven't put it back on the road.

I have got so used to having the ability to fit a trolley load of shopping on the bike, good bike gear for all weathers, a traler and tow bar for bigger stuff the need has never really arisen.

I have bought 3 other bikes since then....they are all on the road so I am spoiled for choice.

I cant even contemplatre commuting in a car. The good thing is I moved my office to home 11 years ago.

[Godspeed]

Yup I ride daily 50miles round trip and its a revelation after years away from riding daily to work and back...

The roads are so congested a normal 30 mins journey takes 1 hrs and we ain't talking the big city's...

At 59 my bones feel the wet and cold but tried the car and we'll its warm but so frustrating..

Over to the other commuters.

Have you thought about something like the Honda Forza 350? Massive storage space, get one of the apron things and you’ll be cozy and warm even in the winter. Still nippy enough and pretty good on petrol

[Magnusson]

This was something I tried last year. Not by choice. Now that I have a car again I sort of miss it. I guess I'll get over it when the temperature drops more.
As nice as it was to use the bike for commuting, the low carrying capacity is undeniably a drawback. No bedside table, no large screen TV, no Argon mix for your welder. Even if that is something that can be overcome by paying extra for delivery, or renting a van for a day. And it even works out cheaper in the long run.
On those cold wet days of the month when the weather is something that rhymes with pit you ask yourself why you are doing this to yourself. The other two days you wouldn't trade it for all the kings horses.

[garyboy]

I was thinking about this (again) today.
I just bought a GP acrylic windscreen for my NC and took it for a test run. It was very windy but now it is great as the cold wind is off my chest. Much warmer ride (heated grips of course.
As it was very windy, I kept my speed down. A sports bike passed me very fast.
Envy .. but short lived.... I remember the pains from my Blade. shoulder blade,. while on the 954 lol.

I was thinking.. actually, this is fast enough for me anyway. When i wanted a bit more zip fun, I upped the speed a bit... and it was still plenty ... and just about legal too lol.

Nearing home, a ST1100 Pan slipped past me very easily .. and in close traffic too.
Envy again ... I used to have one and it was effortless everywhere ... except when i needed to park lol.

But ... the guy was speeding in a 40 limit. I nearly caught him up .. he was fast. But I was soon in a 30 zone, and thought ` sod it` Let Him get the nippy ticket, not me.

Then I thought again ...... Actually this little 750, low down torque is a great commuter ... even tho I 'm retired... and a great ride for real world riding.
And.... very economical.


I actually was wondering if I could do without a car ... Its old and a high road tax.
I only use it for shopping, these days. but would miss it of course, later.



screen is not as big as ait looks here ... but SOOO good .... after years of cold man boobs lol

1 by gary boy, on Flickr

[Magnusson]

BMW had a nifty commuter scooter with a windscreen, and wiper. Perfect for winter. I spotted scooter (based on the same idea) in Italy few years back.
As for which easily available scooter would be the best option for year round commuting, I change my mind more often than a tennis match spectator looks from left to right to left to right to left to right to left to right to left, etc, and so on, and so forth. From PCX 125, to NMAX 155, to Forza 125, to SuperCub, to various Vespas and Piaggios, to Forza 350 to NMAX 300, to ADV 350, to SYM Cruisym 300. Forza 125 tops the list at the moment, due to range on one tank. But the 350 is not that much more expensive. Cruisym is a great option that is only tiny bit more of the Queens pounds than the PCX, which tops the list when based on price and bang for bucks. That is only from what is available to me locally.

[Hall]

Commute all year everyday by bike and cannot think of of a useful comment apart from the good days are great the bad days are good and the shite days are shite

[Brenhden]

My round trip is about 60 miles mostly motorway. My only bike till recently was a DR200 and it was not enjoying the motorway at all.

The cycle/train ride is around 1hr 40mins each way and £16. Driving is not possible.

I will get a commuter bike like a CB500x at some point but the real concern is parking it outside all day in central Bristol.

What is frustrating is that we are forced to come to this office due to company policy but no one I work with is based here. I might as well be on the moon.

This isn't the time for commuter bikes, it's the time for WFH...

[catcitrus]

I'm retired and have had loads of bikes over the years--years ago even commuted on an MZ250 50 miles each way--40k in two years. I have recently tried a Burgman 400 for a year--even went to Spa, and camping in the UK of course. It did it well at 70 mpg BUT, despite the huge underseat storage and weather protection I just couldn't get on with the small wheels on our shit roads---too much jarring. I've gone back to an old R1100RS with luggage--and as I only do longish trips its much better. The downside is that its a heavy lump to manoeuvre around on gravel. If I go the scoot route again it will be with something with much bigger wheels, a 125 would probably suit. I do have a WR250R and use of a R80G/S--now that really does tick all the boxes at 168 kg dry, low seat, super smooth, easy to work on etc--BMW did get it right back in the early 80s!!!

[Richard Simpson Mark II]

I do have a WR250R and use of a R80G/S--now that really does tick all the boxes at 168 kg dry, low seat, super smooth, easy to work on etc--BMW did get it right back in the early 80s!!!

Indeed...see also the K75S, R100RS etc. Slim enough to filter through traffic, proper weather protection, easy to fit sensible luggage, reasonable mpg.
So many modern bikes has so much that is good spoiled by poor attention to detail...ie Triumphs don't have rear mudguards even though they are supposedly 'British'...perhaps the few people who still work for Triumph in Hinkley don't ride in the rain.

The press don't seem to challenge Triumph on this very obvious fault with most of their road bikes...a numberplate on a fragile stick of plastic isn't weather protection, you can't even say it's 'lazy design' because it's just a plastic stick someone picks out of a parts bin. It's not design at all.