Bike for commuting in Ireland. Whats it like?

fitnessguy3381

I do about 250Km everyday to work and back (99% motorway) and its time to trade in the car for something new. Ive talked to 2 separate garages and I'm looking at about 7K for it and I have 3K cash.

Im thinking of getting a bike. After doing some reading the kawasaki ninja seems to be highly recommended. I was thinking 4-5K would get me a nice fairly new ninja. 1K for IBT and test. 1K for insurance and 1-2K for gear and still have 1K left for anything else.

Im just a tad concerned though would a bike stand up to that type of motorway milege? Or whats it like driving a bike on Irish motorways when wet etc Or am I better just getting another car.

Pugzilla

Which model ninja are you talking about?

There's multiple bikes with the ninja name. They range from a 250cc beginner bike to a 1000cc superbike.

I wouldn't look forward to commuting 250km everyday on a bike in winter if it's pouring rain or icy.

You would be far better off with a car at those distances.

gerrowadat

Yeah, 250km is a tough auld spin. I do 50km each way and the bike can be a slog at times.

For those miles you'd want something with a proper fairing and screen for this ****ty auld days when you don't feel like getting as soaked as usual. The ninja (and as another poster says, there are a lot of similar bikes with that name) will leave you walking funny doing that every day, depending on your build and fitness level.

Personally, I'd take 3 grand and change and try to find a nice DL650 for that kind of work and money. I'd consider a deauville or something workhorsey as well. But it's up to yourself what kind of bike you want to end up on.

listermint

For me thats too much, you wouldn't enjoy it. Stick with the car

GBX

Yeah, I agree with Listermin. As much as commuting is handy on a bike if you are based in around Dublin. That distance would be a tough slog on a bike.. especially coming out of the summer into the colder rain. More so on a Ninja - I'm assuming the 250? Wouldn't be ideal for protection from the elements.

If you did decide - depending on which license you go for and what age you are, it "may" be possible to get something like a Honda Deauville. Ideal for commuting. Couriers/Garda use these. Shaft drive, decent MPG and you get good protection from wind rain. Plus panniers standard.

Max Headroom

7K for your car..must be decent...get a smaller car and buy a bike for couple of grand for weekends..move on from there..;)

Cienciano

If you're getting a bike for that commute, forget about a ninja, a touring bike would be all I'd look at.
But to be honest, if it's almost all motorway, I'm with listermint, a car is what you need. I did an 80km commute (40 each way) on a bike but it was through the m50 with the barrier, so it saved a lot of time. 250km I'd recommend a car.

efanton

Do you have a full bike license?
If you think you are going to commute that distance on anything smaller than a 600cc motorbike (and 600cc would be pushing it on the low side imho) then you really do need to think this through.

For that sort of distance who ever told you about a ninja hasn't thought it through. You need a tourer or at least a bike with full fairings that are going to protect you from the worst of the weather and one with a comfortable riding position.

On Irish roads and in typical Irish weather one and half to two hours is about the most you can do on a motorbike without some sort of rest break, even if that's only for ten minutes. Beyond this you are tired, cramped, or losing concentration any one of which affect your safety, two of them together on a regular basis will almost certainly see you hurt within a year.
Two hours on a bike in full gear will probably mean a change of clothes when you arrive if you're in an office or somewhere where your appearance and personal hygiene matters.

Personally, I think you would be mad to give up the car for a journey like this and even more so if you are not an already very experienced motocyclist.

Alkers

Is there traffic on your commute? If you haven't got a licence already remember you can't ride on the motorway on learner permit. 125km is only just over an hour each way, well doable but if it's all motorway miles you will need good warm gear so I'd up the budget for that a bit. Leathers and gloves take an age to dry and putting them on wet is miserable. I don't think such a negative response as all the above posts is warranted but you do need to make sure you are setup properly or the winter will be miserable. How handy are you with a spanner? There's more maintenance on bikes than cars so if doing big mileage you're going to become friendly with your local mechanic and tyre place!

Pugzilla

If most of your commute is motorway then that's another reason not to commute by bike. It's going to boring with either vehicle. Atleast you can be bored and dry in the comfort of your car. Plus your bike tires will quickly become square if you're just riding in straight lines all day.

Hotblack Desiato

efanton wrote: »

Personally, I think you would be mad to give up the car for a journey like this and even more so if you are not an already very experienced motocyclist.

Commuting that distance by any means is mad. Life is short, don't spend an eighth of it going between work and home.

Pugzilla

Glad I don't live in Dublin. My commute is 5 minutes.

Couldn't imagine wasting several hours a day just coming to and from work. A sh*tty quality of life.

colm_c

That commute is very long regardless of a car or bike.

To do it on a bike you'd want a comfortable touring bike like a BMW RT or a Honda Pan with panniers and decent wind protection.

Any other type of bike will just be a pain for that commute.

Also be aware of the servicing. Most bikes have a much lower servicing interval than a car. Usually every 10k km, so with 250 per day, you'll be servicing every 40 days, or every 2 months.

That's a lot of servicing and with 60k per year expect whatever you buy (car or bike) to depreciate like a stone. Not to mention tyres, chain, and other consumables.

I have my touring bike 8 years, commute every day and would consider myself an experienced rider, yet I don't have 60k clocked up on it in that time!

Then there is the practicalities, if you're dealing with traffic in rush hour (m50 for example), then it's going to be a tough commute and not something for the faint hearted or the inexperienced. Change of clothes will be required as well as being able to cope with bad weather etc.

IMO the main reason to get a bike to commute is to reduce the time spent getting there. Normally this works well when you can skip some traffic but distance wise it's actually not far. My commute is 45mins to 1 hour in the car. It's less than 20 mins by bike.

If I was in your position, I'd keep the car (or change it for something with better mpg), and maybe get a bike to do the odd commute and for the weekend. Or seriously look at having a shorter commute (move or find a job closer).

CardinalJ

Pugzilla wrote: »

Glad I don't live in Dublin. My commute is 5 minutes.

Couldn't imagine wasting several hours a day just coming to and from work. A sh*tty quality of life.

I'f he's commuting that far he probably doesnt live in Dublin either...

Congrats on the great life all the same.

Pugzilla

Thanks man, I'm so f*cking happy.

fleet

250km on a bike everyday is not feasible in my opinion.

I do 50km, 25 each way and it's nothing. It used to be twice that and was OK, but no way would I do 125km each way.

95% of the time biking in Ireland is grand.
The other 5% it's:
- icy: you can forget a bike in the ice (I keep telling myself)
- extremely windy: very dangerous, very tiring (tense muscles, full concentration)
- torrentially wet: not as bad as it used to be, the clothes are better, but you'll need somewhere to dry them out each end of the journey

Hotblack Desiato

Pugzilla wrote: »

Glad I don't live in Dublin. My commute is 5 minutes.

You can get to the city centre from anywhere within the M50 in about 15 minutes by bike.

Hotblack Desiato

Hotblack Desiato wrote: »

You can get to the city centre from anywhere within the M50 in about 15 minutes by bike.

Yup. Getting a bike earlier this year is the best thing I ever did. Going between 2 jobs and home in Blanch/Harolds Cross/Sandyford. I literally can't imagine having to do it in a car.

@OP there's no way I'd be riding a Ninja for all those miles, without at least having a backup car.