I've been given the go ahead to remote work so i can move back to my homeland full time This does mean I'll need to return to the office twice a week (currently should go down to one) to attend meetings throughout the day. My car is a fuel hog and I'm lucky to get 35mpg out of it. I'm considering just ditching it for something small and unattractive to save my wallet when i was approached by a friend selling a Kawasaki Ninja 250. I have no experience with bikes so assume fisher price knowledge here ladys and gentleman! I've been driving for almost 6 years with no history of accidents... i do have 3 points for 57 in a 50 though... certainly not a speed demon in a 1.2 Corsa. I've always loved the idea of getting a motorcycle... my dad (previously a rider) always hated the idea of me doing it so would usually discourage it. My commute is 140 miles one way, I'll need to do the trip twice a week for the next few months. 560 miles which a quick calculator tells me could run me around £75-£80 a week in fuel alone! when i get to work car parking is borderline impossible but oodles of space in the motorcycle area 90 miles of my journey is M5, other part is roads I'm extremely familiar with, The guy selling the bike is a trained mechanic and i have his word any issues could be fixed at trade prices (even if i didn't buy his bike) like he's been doing with my car. Is this a completely bonkers idea, it sounds like i'm probably missing something here.
Well you need to do a CBT, theory, hazard awareness followed by whatever test allows you to ride a 250 nowadays. 100 quid minimum on a helmet 100 quid jacket Boots Gloves Over trousers Locks / chains security 90 miles on a motorway on a bike, each way? will son get tedious
That many miles on a bike on a motorway will test your sanity that regularly. A Ninja 250 is not a bike designed for mile munching either so will be even more testing. Depending on your age you'd need to sit a CBT, theory and Mod 1&2 practical tests. You'd then need insurance, and then the gear, and if you're planning on doing that kind of distance you'll want good stuff which doesn't come cheap. Ordinarily I'd fight the motorcycle's corner to the death, but in this instance you'd be much better off selling your current car and spending the cash on an efficient diesel. Bike's are only really better for commuting during rush hour traffic, especially in built up areas, for relatively short distances.
By the time you've gotten decent gear (riding in cheap gear is just miserable, particularly for the distances you're looking at), a comfortable bike you can sit on for a few hours without being sore, going through the training and testing, etc, you might not end up all that far ahead in total outlay of a car that will get you there much more comfortably. If you're considering doing some riding for fun outside of commuting, that swings things the other way. But for commuting alone, probably not.
Yup. I used to do 85 each way on the bike, it killed biking for me and I never used it for fun at the weekends, and once the bad weather sets in you better get used to being wet and covered in stinking diesel & road grime from so much motorway time. Glad I packed it in and kept the bike as a toy for fun
35mpg != fuel hog. That said, flog it and buy something small and super economical if it's an issue. I'd be tempted to hang the fuel cost and get something comfy for the 2h slog.
Listen to your Dad. Not on British roads in winter. Most bikers have 6-month road tax for a reason. It's a Spring/Summer pursuit. Look at the contrast in weather between yesterday and today. Being a competent driver does not make you a competent rider either. I am of the opinion that a competent rider makes a better driver though. So I'd get myself signed up for CBT and lessons for the bike and either keep your existing car or get a more fuel efficient replacement. I got my full bike license 10 years ago and I loved it. I never got around to buying a bike though. I might still in future but for enjoyment not commuting. No L plates on the motorway anyway, you'd need your full bike license anyway if you intend using the M5. You still need to display L plates on a 125cc even with full car licence.
I actually prefer riding in the non-icy parts of Winter to Summer. Winter, wear some heated gear and you're nice and comfortable for a small outlay. Summer, and when you start looking at active liquid cooling even with vented gear the cost rises precipitously with a lot more caveats (if the cooling system fails you're now wearing a big insulator, cold sink needs topping up or uses insane amounts of power to actively cool, etc).
I suppose I shouldn't generalise like that. Sounds great. We do get some mild days in winter and it would be nice to go out on those days. I would like to get a bike some day and make use of that license I got all those years ago.
Yes it can - sort of . I remember once, quite a few years ago, I was working in Farnborough and had to go back home to Essex in snow, after we'd had 3-4 inches overnight. Bearing in mind this was on a 125 on a CBT, so no motorways! Until I got into London I was going at 1st-gear idle speed with my feet on the ground for stabilisation. Very much the same on the A13 on the way out too. The best bit was the Honda CB90 rider who kept overtaking me in the fast lane and then every mile or two I'd go past him as he was picking himself and the bike up. He must have done 4-5 of those! I'd agree that that sort of distance is very tedious - I did a weekly commute down to Portsmouth for a few months, on a 125 that had a top speed of 63mph (65 if you tucked your head down). it gets old, fast, especially in the rain.
I have a 60 mile commute of witch 45 are motorway and it's effin boring on the bike. Also, my diesel has a better mpg than my bike (car around 50, bike around 45)
I looked into getting my bike stuff sorted out for commuting to work but once I had taken all the bits and pieces such as kit, tests, lessons, bike, insurance, and so on, it worked out so much easier for me to get a small car for the trips I make. For you, unless you really want to go the bike route, I'd look at getting a new-as-you-can-afford diesel car. We get 50+ easily on the motorway in our Mini Countryman Cooper SD (2.0l) and you could easily get something a lot lighter that'd get that if not a lot better.
