Cheap commuting - Scooters etc.

RicardoSmith

I'll be starting a new job soon where I've no parking. So I'm thinking of getting either a scooter or one of those beginners bikes, a 50cc dirt bike thingy. As I obviously haven't a clue, I was wondering what sort of money and deals are out there and what would others recommend. Note: I don't have a bike licence but I'm on my second car licence. Lots of mates have switched to scooters too but they really hadn't much of a clue about them either. Probably won't do it till late Dec, early Jan though.

Victor

Not what you wanted, but a lot of cycling shops are having pre-Christmas sales - mountain bikes for €200.

RicardoSmith

Originally posted by Victor
Not what you wanted, but a lot of cycling shops are having pre-Christmas sales - mountain bikes for €200.

I already have a ddecent mountain bike and intend cycling when I can, and as old injuries allow : ). Might consider trading my bike in though, for a slightly better one. Mine has an arse cutter of a saddle. Any suggestions where to try?

SuprSi

There are loads of decent deals out there, it just depends on what you want. If it's just for work, you should stick to a standard 50cc bike. What style you go for is up to you. I have seen shops selling mopeds with 1 years free insurance, but you still pay well over 3 grand for it.

It might be worth your while going for a second-hand bike, like from the Buy & Sell. Plenty of bikes available there, and quite a bit cheaper than through the shops.

A few good sites are...

http://www.megabikes.ie

http://www.planetfun.org

http://www.bikeworld.ie

You should find almost everything you need on these sites.

Si.

RicardoSmith

Thanks I'll check those out.

Krusty_Clown

I run an admittedly larger bike (1000cc), but just wanted to point out that you shouldn't underestimate the running costs when buying a bike or a scooter...

Running costs:
Tyres:A pair of tyres costs me €400 (and I only get 5k miles on the rear) - although this cost would be substantially lower on a smaller bike / scooter, and you'd get much greater mileage.
Services - I pay about 80 quid for a minor service. - I'd do it myself, but want to maintain a full service history
Tax - €20-€65 anually
Speeding fines/Penalty points - Don't ask!
Petrol - Depends on the size of the bike (I spend ~€30 pm) - substantially lower on a small bike
Insurance - Depends on your category.
Oil - Depends on your regularity for oil changes.

Clothing:
Need a decent helmet - €300+
Protective clothing - €300+
Waterproofing gear - ~€40
Gloves - ~€30

Depreciation - Bigger on bigger bikes..

So, obviously the above depends on whether you go for a bike/scooter, size of engine, type of license etc.. Just wanted to point out that you should consider the additional costs when deciding what you want..

a_ominous

I'd echo Krusty's comments. Big bikes => bigger runnings costs. I went from a 125 to a 400 in the space of 2 months because the 125 was too light for crosswinds and too small for A driving test.

But then again a 50cc scooter's tyres are cheap. Petrol lasts forever

FYI you can ride a <50cc scooter on a full car (B) licence without having to do any extra test or applying for A1/A licence.

I did the bicycle thing for a while. 20 miles a day :eek: Was a healthy way apart from exhaust fumes. Lost 2 stone but motorbike gives me freedom to do other things after work. The cycle took about 1 hour each day and didn't really want to have to travel outside of my commuting route. PTW (power two wheelers) much better for me.

RicardoSmith

Umm I think I'll stick to a scooter, sounds the easiest. Not interested in the A licence for now. The bicycle wouldn't be suitable for every day for me. Be nice to do it when I can though.

fenris

get your A licence now, so that you will have served your restriction purgetory by the time you are ready to move to a bike. Give yourself the option.

RicardoSmith

Originally posted by fenris
get your A licence now, so that you will have served your restriction purgetory by the time you are ready to move to a bike. Give yourself the option.

I might do that though I doubt I'll move up to a bigger bike, as it has lost it appeal over the years, and absent friends.

a_ominous

Hi Ricardo,
I can understand your reluctance to go for a bigger bike if mates have been killed while riding. I'd recommend whatever bike you go for, take some lessons. This will help increase your awareness of the hazards and develop skills to avoid them.

Most collisions (I won't call them accidents, because they're usually down to poor skill or attention) involving bikes are caused by the car driver; Hibernian calculate this at about 75% of car drivers at fault. But by improving the rider's skills, you can help yourself.

And CBT (compulsory basic training) for bikes will introduced next year. The sooner the better for cars though...

For training, you can try
Irish Rider Training
Start rider (see end of page for contact details)

Also have a look at
So you want to drive for lots of starting off information.

-ao-

seamus

Originally posted by a_ominous
FYI you can ride a <50cc scooter on a full car (B) licence without having to do any extra test or applying for A1/A licence.

Yep, If you've a full B licence, you automagically have a full licence for any vehicles in categories M or W. So keep that in mind if you want to keep your insurance costs down.

Gmodified

scooter is not cheap to run! it's great fun and looks good but normal 50cc bike like Suzuki Katana is far from economical

Silent Bob

I got a weeks commuting from a tank of fuel on my old 49cc scoot. Cost less than a fiver to fill up

RicardoSmith

Originally posted by Gmodified
scooter is not cheap to run! it's great fun and looks good but normal 50cc bike like Suzuki Katana is far from economical

I'll only be doing a short 7 miles or so. At the moment I'm doing 100 miles a day and filling my car every 2.5 days. Thats gets real expensive. So I guess you have to put it all in perspective.

Gmodified

Silent Bob Will be handy if you post the make of the scooter.

Is it Honda 50?

Anyway

I had 2XSuzuki KAtana, 2XBWs,Yamaha SPY, Apr RS50, CP 50

and I would not describe them as economical. They were just about ok on petrol, not mentioning tyres, pads, stupid belts and rollers.
I was driving only few miles everyday without going mad and this translated to £2 a day which makes 10 a week. The other thing is that fuel tank is really small and you have to visit petrol station nearly everyday, specially if this is your main source of transport

Got NSR80 after all these grinders and was much better with proper gears. Fuel consumption was really good and very reliable bike.


Consider slightly bigger bike which may cost more to insure but will give you trouble free commuting and will be worth it in the long run.

RicardoSmith

Originally posted by Gmodified
...Got NSR80 after all these grinders and was much better with proper gears. Fuel consumption was really good and very reliable bike...Consider slightly bigger bike which may cost more to insure but will give you trouble free commuting and will be worth it in the long run.

Thats something to think about. How come you had so many scooters? Whats the difference approx in insurance. If its a lot it might outweight the savings in fuel etc. Of course I assume if you ride them like the clappers its going to hurt the economy.

Gmodified

It's my hobby and I do repair bikes from time to time, most of the scooters came from trade ins against bigger bikes.

They do look great and propably will do the trick if you are going to get your Sunday paper down the road but 50cc is not build to last.

Look at hiberniandirect .com to get idea about insurance

RicardoSmith

Originally posted by Gmodified


Look at hiberniandirect .com to get idea about insurance

..why don't you know?...:D

Gmodified

Are you suggesting I am driving with out insurance?:D

Well, except my brothers Suzuki katana I don't do 50 cc scooters anymore. Currently, my PX125 and Virago 400 are covered under the same Carole Nash policy for 723 yoyo's. I think this is was the same amount as my Bandit 400 last year which now according to Hibernian will cost me 1065. funny i have another year of no claim bonus and I am older


Anyway,
Fact: Insurance went up again and I will suggest Hibernian site for verification.

RicardoSmith

Nah I just having to do all the form filling on those insurance sites. Those figures aren't too bad.

Silent Bob

Originally posted by Gmodified
Silent Bob Will be handy if you post the make of the scooter.

Is it Honda 50?

Anyway

I had 2XSuzuki KAtana, 2XBWs,Yamaha SPY, Apr RS50, CP 50

It was an MBK Ovetto (rebadged Yamaha)

The crucial thing is that it was air-cooled and still had it's restrictor on. Yes it will only do about 35-40 (tops) but around town that's all you need.

All the ones you've mentioned were liquid-cooled and in a higher state of tune which uses more fuel. They also use more fuel when you take the restrictor off.

Gmodified

All these bikes were air cooled and only

later SR50 has watercooling together with Katana R (model with rear disk break)

Only Aprilla SR DITECH could be considered as very economical

Anyway, slightly bigger bike then 50cc will represent better value for money. It will not cost much more as you will think and will probably run for longer.

50cc is every shops nightmare and expect to pay mad money for any major surgery.

But if you think that you will feel that you don't need bigger bike then go for it. Also we are not talking about saving thousands on fuel

RicardoSmith

Well for example in the past I worked out for the annual mileage I was doing, having a diesel car over a petrol one would save me £500 over the year. However the diesel was a bigger engine so cost more tax and insurance and also was more epensive to buy initially. Utimately no saving. I'm sure with a bike the difference would be even smaller.