Hi all,
I am in a bit of a dilemma, I need a form of transport to get to and from work, and a car is just way too expensive for an apprentice to run. I really want a bike (been looking at a honda CBR125) I have added everything up and its perfectly affordable however my parents seem convinced that I will not ride it in the winter because 1) ill be too cold (i dont care about that just wear some extra clothes)
2) its too dangerous
can anyone tell me what they think about riding in the winter?
Thanks
Your post doesn't tell us much about your experience. More information would help us to help you.
Taking your points in reverse order:
1. Yes, it's too dangerous. Riding a motorcycle is more or less the most dangerous thing you can do in peacetime. I wish this were not true (and it is as true in summer as it is in winter) but it doesn't stop those of us who like to do it from doing it. Last week I rode about 2,000 miles from Derbyshire to the south of France and back on my FJR, and I'd go again tomorrow if I could, but I have work to do. On that single trip my experience saved me from collisions (and probably serious injury) several times. How did I get into those situations? Well, I didn't. That's because I recognized that they might be developing and took avoiding action well before they had a chance to get me.
2. Robin is right that six miles in winter weather should be a doddle as far as your body temperature is concerned. I've ridden from Derbyshire to the Grampians in the middle of the night in winter and been warm as toast -- with the right gear. For a trip of six miles I wouldn't have thought you'd need to bother with technological fixes like heated grips or jacket. Decent motorcycle clothing should be all you need. The clothing could easily cost as much as the bike.
You're asking about riding in winter. I'm not sure you're asking the right questions.
You can write a bike off very easily if you hit a slippery patch just outside your house. This isn't just something that happens in winter. People spill huge amounts of diesel on the road for example. You need to watch out for surface problems all year round, and whereas the thermometer is a dead giveaway that there's a risk of ice, apart from a pile of motorcycles in the hedge bottom about the only thing that might warn you that the road ahead might be covered in diesel is that there's a bend in it (people overfill their tank, then half of it spills out on the next roundabout).
You say you think you can afford to run the bike. Perhaps the numbers tell you that you can if you don't factor in any adversity, but could you afford the repair bills after a spill? If you would ask the insurer to pay, would you then be able to afford the next premium? From that point of view, after a minor prang (like just dropping the thing while you're turning into the drive) a faired bike will be a lot more expensive to repair than something less sporty-looking, especially if you get something with crash bars already fitted. What happens if it just breaks down? My Hayabusa was off the road for three months after Suzuki fitted a faulty part during a product recall. The faulty part caused so much engine damage that the whole engine had to be rebuilt; one of the parts needed for the rebuild wasn't available anywhere in the world, so it was just a matter of waiting for the part to be made (in Japan) and shipped to England. Just to make sure that the dealer wasn't messing about I also ordered the part. Both arrived on the same day and I've still got the one I ordered. While the Hayabusa was off the road I just rode my Bandit. What would you do in those circumstances? Do you have a place and/or the means to keep the bike safe from thieves and other oiks who like to pull bits off any bikes they see?
Perhaps most of all, for a trip of six miles I'm not sure that I'd want to spend the time putting all the gear on, getting the bike out; making sure that it's safe to ride and that it has enough fuel, oil and water; somehow fastening on everything I want to take with me that day...
Have you considered cycling? When I worked six miles from home I used to run to work and back. When I worked ten miles from home I used to cycle. Unless there's some medical reason you can't do it, I promise you that after you've cycled to work for a few weeks you'll wonder why people think it's any kind of a deal at all. I've cycled in weather where frost has formed all over my track suit (and sometimes on Tumbledown Dick my back wheel used to go round without me going forward
). In winter, the only extra clothing I'd wear would be some woolly mittens. I was a lot fitter than I would have been if I'd driven, and financially, not that it ever mattered, I was a lot better off.
