The Bikeshite Thread

[castros_bro]

13 hours ago, MrDuke said:

Slightly weird question - has anyone here gone for any length of time (several months plus) relying solely on one small bike for nearly all transport?

I ask because I'm seriously considering selling the car, buying a *cough* *spit* 125 and running it alone for the foreseeable. Partly because I've no idea when DAS courses will become widely available again, and partly because it will help me economise sufficiently to move out of my parents' house. I'm aware that long journeys will be off the cards, but is it realistic to rely on a (probably Chinese) beater to get me to work/shops/etc in all weathers, for an indefinite period?

I've always thought that 125s were a massive waste of time and money for anyone of my age, but seeing @sofarsogood's Scrambler has seriously tempted me.

Depends on your attitude and your commute, I've used small bikes to commute and do longer journeys,  things like wearing suits going for interviews or buying a sack of onions need a bit of planning. You could try it whilst putting car on furlough. Used to go from London to Brussels and back on a 90cc for Sunday lunch as it went as a "bicycle" on the ferry and along cycle paths in France and Belgium, once you start riding you'll probably have some bike ( think I maxed out at 11 stuffed in the garage)  for the rest of your life. 

 

 

[Fabergé Greggs]

12 hours ago, MrDuke said:

Slightly weird question - has anyone here gone for any length of time (several months plus) relying solely on one small bike for nearly all transport?

I ask because I'm seriously considering selling the car, buying a *cough* *spit* 125 and running it alone for the foreseeable. Partly because I've no idea when DAS courses will become widely available again, and partly because it will help me economise sufficiently to move out of my parents' house. I'm aware that long journeys will be off the cards, but is it realistic to rely on a (probably Chinese) beater to get me to work/shops/etc in all weathers, for an indefinite period?

I've always thought that 125s were a massive waste of time and money for anyone of my age, but seeing @sofarsogood's Scrambler has seriously tempted me.

My LML (Vespa PX clone) was  sole transport for a while. 125, Manual 2 stroke. 

They're very practical because being a scooter you're much more shielded from the weather- especially if you use a leg blanket. 

You can fit racks front and rear and even in the middle which makes them perfect for loading up with stuff, plus they have a lockable glovebox for valuables/bits and bobs/locks etc. 

The furthest I've done is 200 miles in a day, taking a mixture of B and small A roads- the app "scenic" is great for finding alternative routes more suited to circa 50mph cruising speed. If it wasn't for corona I'd be riding mine to Spain loaded with camping gear right now! 

Plus, I have a spare one I can sell you

 

 

[Jerzy Woking]

I sometimes commuted 120 miles a day on a 125cc Yamaha Vity scooter, which was 110 miles on dual carriageway and motorway into London. Would cruise at 65mph, and could eventually get past lorries doing 56.

I even rode it to Prague and back to visit some mates for a weekend. Only issues there was although it averaged 100 mpg, the tank only held enough for 85 miles, so fuel stops were all too frequent. Also on the way back I got pulled by a bike cop in Vienna who did not believe I had ridden it from the UK.

Advantages were the under seat storage, top box and pillion seat to strap a bag too.

Feet stayed dry when it rained, and fitting an aftermarket screen helped keep my chest drier than without it.

Was superb at filtering on the motorway and in town-narrow with a tiny turning circle. My commute was about 10 minutes longer on this than on the works 1250 BMW because of this.

Simple and so cheap to service and maintain,  and no chain to adjust. Took me 30 minutes to change the belt and rollers. Try changing a chain and sprockets in that time.

Also had a 400cc maxi scooter that I used for commuting in preference to anything else I had. I didnt care what my workmates thought,      twist' n go scooters are the bollocks for commuting, especially in winter. 

[hairnet]

not owned a car (not including visa) for more than 20 years

if you commute along anything more than 40 mph roads - 125 will get boring very quickly - 0-30 is fine but anything else youll lose - for all year round i wouldnt buy a chinese bike either = how people use 50s is a mystery

for a commute a scooter is better as has some weather protection

i bought a ybr 125 while i was waiting for a payout on cb500 - it lasted a fortnight before i bought a 600

[martc]

15 hours ago, MrDuke said:

Slightly weird question - has anyone here gone for any length of time (several months plus) relying solely on one small bike for nearly all transport?

I ask because I'm seriously considering selling the car, buying a *cough* *spit* 125 and running it alone for the foreseeable. Partly because I've no idea when DAS courses will become widely available again, and partly because it will help me economise sufficiently to move out of my parents' house. I'm aware that long journeys will be off the cards, but is it realistic to rely on a (probably Chinese) beater to get me to work/shops/etc in all weathers, for an indefinite period?

I've always thought that 125s were a massive waste of time and money for anyone of my age, but seeing @sofarsogood's Scrambler has seriously tempted me.

Millions of people used small bikes for their sole transport  for decades for in the UK (and in Asia they still do)  . When I was a lad the Honda C90 (and its smaller siblings) was ubiquitous as the working mans only transport (and pigeon and/or fishing basket carrier at the weekend).

So why not emulate your granddad* and get one of these, they're 125's nowadays -

* my granddad was a skinflint and had a series of Mobylettes. I got into bikes by riding on a cushion strapped to his home made top box on the back of his Moby. He used to wear a rubberised mack and the smell of it (plus the chaffing of my inner thighs on the box lid) are treasured memories of him. For the safety police - there wasn't any. No helmet, gloves, footrests or a proper seat (obviously, see above) , I wore a tee shirt and shorts and would cling to the belt loops of his mack. And this wasn't down the back garden or anything, this was long rides on public roads. The 70's were a different time.

[xtriple]

Back in the day (sic) I used to take my 'proper' bike off the road each winter (it then lived in the front room!) and commuted on a B120P. Did many many miles on that little bugger and better still we 'hot bedded' it with my next door neighbour - he came home at 8 in the moning and I went off to work on it. He then went to work on it at 10 at night, poor little sod barely ever cooled down!

[plasticvandan]

Yes,I've been using an MZ 250 as my only transport for the last 5 years,though ironically I've just bought a Rover as I've got to the point where I want a car again. Don't entertain anything Chinese if you plan to use it as your transport would be my first piece of advice,if you have a licence that allows a 250 will do everything you need. Costs are cheap if you can do your own maintenance,tyre changing etc.Winter is horrid as you would expect,I've come off twice in ice and hit a deer as well.A Honda 125 will do 100mpg,though if you do s lot of miles savings will be offset by replacing parts that wear out.You need to be pretty hardy once it gets to October.

[stereotype]

@TheMokrite has had multiple Chinese bikes, I shall perform the summoning ritual 

[hairnet]

summon mair youtube?

 

[TheMokrite]

22 hours ago, MrDuke said:

Slightly weird question - has anyone here gone for any length of time (several months plus) relying solely on one small bike for nearly all transport?

I ask because I'm seriously considering selling the car, buying a *cough* *spit* 125 and running it alone for the foreseeable. Partly because I've no idea when DAS courses will become widely available again, and partly because it will help me economise sufficiently to move out of my parents' house. I'm aware that long journeys will be off the cards, but is it realistic to rely on a (probably Chinese) beater to get me to work/shops/etc in all weathers, for an indefinite period?

I've always thought that 125s were a massive waste of time and money for anyone of my age, but seeing @sofarsogood's Scrambler has seriously tempted me.

I've been on 125's as my sole mode of transport since summer 2017 and am in the same boat waiting for DAS to open again as have a Divvy project in the works. 125s are great on economy, especially the modern fuel injected ones. My Assault averaged around 100mpg on a day when I dropped it and lost about 1.5 litres of fuel and that was a carb'd engine with alot of mods (making a whopping +1bhp). Tax is cheap (about £20 a year) and insurance super low even just on a CBT. 

 

To be honest I wouldn't rule out the long distance stuff entirely, as long as you manage your expectations of what's feasable in a day in terms of speed and mileage. When I had my assault I took it on yearly camping trips with my dad and we went up Glencoe, across the Cairgorms, up to Deeside. We covered about 400 miles in one weekend.

With regards to relying on a chinese bike I'm on my second Lexmoto (first a carb'd Assault and second an EFI Isca) and had no major issues in the 13/14,000 miles I've ridden between them including through winter and in any weather. Major things to keep an eye on is rust through the winter and if you plan on an early chinese bike the wiring can be a bit cheap. Also stay away from cheap amazon/ebay chains as the links for the master links tend to fly off when you're trying to accelerate at regular vehicle speeds. Also most of the Lexmotos (in my opinion) are geared a bit low but its easy enough to go up a tooth on the front sprocket so you get a nice (semi decent) cruise at 60. 
 

If you're looking for an all weather bike I'd seriously recommend the Assault (depending on budget as 1399+OTR brand new) as they come with a slightly dirt focused tyre and I rode mine home when we had the 'beast from the east' a few years back and it managed in snow up to the foot pegs. Though I wouldn't recommend riding through that, ever. 

A lot of people will immediately write off 125's and Chinese bikes in particular, but I think they're great. Cheap, fun, and if you're just looking to get from A to B as cheap as possible then they're a good way to go. As long as you service and clean a Chinese bike well it will last you plenty of time and do whatever you ask of it, as long as you're not asking it to do 120 down the autobahn or blow your socks off with performance. Even when I get my DAS done and the Divvy on the road I'm keeping at least 1 of my 125s going for pottering about. 

More food for thought can be found on youtube by the way of a bloke called spicey110, he rode on 125s for about 5 years before getting a 'big bike' and owned quite a few chinese ones too as well as reviewing a lot of lexmotos so might be worth a gander if you're considering a venture into the chinesium 125 world. 

[warch]

I have previously lived in two of the most congested places in the UK, Hereford and Bristol, so I habitually used a bike albeit a 600, even when it was cold and wet, simply because it was preferable to spending ages sitting in traffic. It is ok in cities and over short distances but can be a real grind in longer commutes. I have feared for my life riding in driving rain in the dark, trying to see my way via the pissy single bulb headlight Honda deemed suitable for their 90s supersport model, add in the cold and wet as well and it was a real grind sometimes. Of course it was all worth it on the occasions when I encountered seven miles of tailback on the M4, although I could barely fit my smug expression down the gap between two lanes of traffic. 

One benefit of using a bike as a main means of transport is that you really really appreciate the simple basic things a car has to offer. Like the roof for example, or a heater/demister, or even a radio.

[stereotype]

summon mair youtube?
 

I am bringing the YouTube this time! However it is Ben's video this time!

Sent from my Pixel 2 using Tapatalk

[Sir Chocolate Teapot]

In 1990 / 1992 i had the most miserable time thanks to relationship issues and negative house equity commuting between  basingstoke and reading ( 30 mile round trip) doing shift work on an ancient Honda c90 and a Suzuki gp100. 

Crap headlights,  no speed, freezing 5 am starts, 10 pm finishes, other commuters. Needed 2 bikes as was a rolling project keeping both heaps going. 

No decent bike clothing , probably ruined my knees for ever.

I think they called it character building.

My view, intercity small bike commuting , possible but miserable in winter.

Within a city, small bikes or scooters win.

I still love bikes.

[MrDuke]

Thanks for all the replies, people!!

To clarify, I'm currently working 5 mins drive away from home, and when I do move out I'll only be a maximum of 15 miles or so away, so I'm not too daunted by winter conditions; my start/finish times are nowhere near typical rush hours, either. Yes, I could just walk to work and use buses for shopping, but I need some degree of travel freedom for my mental health. I've already got half-decent gear (sans trousers) so I'll be fairly dry in the worst weather.

In an ideal world I'd get a baby Varadero for comfort/reliability, or possibly a Cagiva Planet for style/oomph, but my budget will be pretty tight, hence thinking about Chinese shite. I'm well aware of how awful the collective reputation is, but it seems some are less awful than others, and might be OK with sympathetic treatment. I'm certainly not intending to stay on small bikes for years, anyway.

Oh, and as much as I like scooters, I spent so much on my helmet that there's no way I'm forking out for an open-face as well. So that's a no-go ?

[sofarsogood]

My bike was second hand some rust was starting to form from not being cleaned but I managed to clean off most and repaint the exhaust and some brackets. The main concern for me if I was commuting would be rust and spares availability. I use mine for fun really and its kept in a garage and I keep it pretty clean. In all honesty I don't know how it would stand up to a salty winters road commute.

Saying that my mate has a full licence to keep the miles down on his Hayabusa he bought a grom 125 and commuted on that all weathers then he replaced it with the 125 Honda monkey bike that he did about 4k on commuting, he said it was perfect through the city traffic. He still has the bike and it is really tidy but he cleaned it DAILY!!! In fact I got in about an hour ago after a 2 hour long ride with him.

[Fat_Pirate]

9 hours ago, sofarsogood said:

Saying that my mate has a full licence to keep the miles down on his Hayabusa he bought a grom 125 and commuted on that all weathers then he replaced it with the 125 Honda monkey bike that he did about 4k on commuting, he said it was perfect through the city traffic. He still has the bike and it is really tidy but he cleaned it DAILY!!! In fact I got in about an hour ago after a 2 hour long ride with him.

Ooh, monkeybike - have you had a go on it?  I've got a real hankering for one but can't make a case for it (other than pottering about back lanes).

[sofarsogood]

3 hours ago, Fat_Pirate said:

Ooh, monkeybike - have you had a go on it?  I've got a real hankering for one but can't make a case for it (other than pottering about back lanes).

Yes, I have. I am about 5'10" and fit fine. The seat is like a big marshmallow! I would say it accelerates faster than mine and cruises best at about 55 although capable of 65 when really pushed. This is probably down to the 4 speed and smaller wheels giving lower gearing. Turning circle is amazing! My mate is shorter but a bigger build than me and it carries him no problem. He loves it and says he intends to keep forever, it lives in his front room!. His other steed is now a GSXR1000 and he always says how much fun he has on the monkey. He had the original 50cc version when we were teenagers. He uprated the rear shocks as this is said to be a bit of a weak point especially for heavier riders. Apparently a de-cat is supposed to open them up nicely.

[Fat_Pirate]

13 minutes ago, sofarsogood said:

Yes, I have. I am about 5'10" and fit fine. The seat is like a big marshmallow! I would say it accelerates faster than mine and cruises best at about 55 although capable of 65 when really pushed. This is probably down to the 4 speed and smaller wheels giving lower gearing. Turning circle is amazing! My mate is shorter but a bigger build than me and it carries him no problem. He loves it and says he intends to keep forever, it lives in his front room!. His other steed is now a GSXR1000 and he always says how much fun he has on the monkey. He had the original 50cc version when we were teenagers. He uprated the rear shocks as this is said to be a bit of a weak point especially for heavier riders. Apparently a de-cat is supposed to open them up nicely.

Well that didn't help at all - you were supposed to say "it's rubbish"

I've wanted a tiddler bike since the Grom first appeared, but my friends reckon the novelty will soon wear off.  I've tried to use my littlest bike (Superduke) on local back lanes but it's still the best part of 200Kg and runs like a bag of spanners at low speed, it's just wearing.  

[Jerzy Woking]

14 hours ago, MrDuke said:

Oh, and as much as I like scooters, I spent so much on my helmet that there's no way I'm forking out for an open-face as well. So that's a no-go ?

Two of the bikes I owned at the same time. Different ends of the biking spectrum, but wore the same bike gear when riding either.

It hurts as much falling off at 25 mph as it does  at 60 mph. In fact, worst injury I had was falling off at about 2 mph on black ice. Trying to keep the bike upright, I managed to do the splits. Ruptured muscles aplenty and within 24 hours I had a  bruise that ran from my ankle to lower back. On crutches for a couple of weeks too.

[Fat_Pirate]

Decided I'd give a Monkeybike a try (and probably buy), but the dealer '"doesn't do demos", so they can fuck off.

[hairnet]

14 minutes ago, Fat_Pirate said:

Decided I'd give a Monkeybike a try (and probably buy), but the dealer '"doesn't do demos", so they can fuck off.

prime riding season and its a fun bike not a commuter

thats just daft - theyve a queue out the door then

id swerve them also

 

[andyberg]

27 minutes ago, Fat_Pirate said:

Decided I'd give a Monkeybike a try (and probably buy), but the dealer '"doesn't do demos", so they can fuck off.

Is that Motts in Basingstoke? I never liked them years ago. Always thought they were looking down their nose at me because I didn't have a new bike. 

[Fat_Pirate]

1 hour ago, andyberg said:

Is that Motts in Basingstoke? I never liked them years ago. Always thought they were looking down their nose at me because I didn't have a new bike. 

No, Farnham Honda.  Might contact Honda direct, 

[xtriple]

They may not have a demo bike. Probably not seen as  a 'High sales' bike so not on the fleet. Dealers would have to pdi one and (to be legal) register it. Did they not have a 'pre owned' one in stock you could have tried?

[UltraWomble]

4 hours ago, Fat_Pirate said:

No, Farnham Honda.  Might contact Honda direct, 

Just phone around the dealers.

I sacked off Evans Halshaw last week as they were titting about with a test drive and wanted to charge me £10 sensitisation fee.

[Tenmil Socket]

Quick question to you bikers...

Is it worth getting a 50cc to get a flavour of motorbikes to see if I like it?

[andyberg]

In a word NO. My opinion of a modern 50 is that they are dangerous, far too slow. You will feel intimidated by other cars and HGVs desperate to get past you no matter what. Go for a 125 if you can at least you stand a chance over 20mph, and keep up with most traffic. Others may disagree but I couldn't think of anything worse than riding a 25mph snail in todays traffic. 

[Tenmil Socket]

17 minutes ago, andyberg said:

In a word NO. My opinion of a modern 50 is that they are dangerous, far too slow. You will feel intimidated by other cars and HGVs desperate to get past you no matter what. Go for a 125 if you can at least you stand a chance over 20mph, and keep up with most traffic. Others may disagree but I couldn't think of anything worse than riding a 25mph snail in todays traffic. 

That's what I was thinking. I can ride a 125 after a CBT. I've only ever ridden field bikes before as a child and then crossers as a teenager but never a road bike.

[andyberg]

If you have ridden crossers then you will be utterly underwhelmed by the power*of a modern 50. Do the CBT, find a place that will let you hire a bike to do it. That will give you a reasonable idea. I have had bikes for over 30 years, it's still the best stress reliever  there is. I'm sure once you get out on something decent you will love it. Good luck.

[sofarsogood]

1 hour ago, Tenmil Socket said:

That's what I was thinking. I can ride a 125 after a CBT. I've only ever ridden field bikes before as a child and then crossers as a teenager but never a road bike.

Mate I just did that in November after years of nagging from mates!. I have ridden crossers and field bikes before. CBT was about £120 with hire of everything. My exact thoughts were I can do a CBT to see if I like it. Put it this way I booked my first lesson for my full licence today!