Motorcycle for gas saving commutes?

[Varn]

I remember the late 70's motorcycle commuting the 20 miles through Chicago traffic. I think it was finals and I rode my Honda 400 four.

The snow had started early in the day. I remember going out once mid day and wondering. By late afternoon there was enough to make it very treacherous. i went to school on the south side and had no secure area to park it.

I did what I had to do and got on an rode it home. What a nightmare. The Dan Ryan was too fast for street tires. I went onto surface streets which had more snow but I could ride with my feet down for balance. My normal 40 minute commute became a 3 hour ordeal.

I rode today for the first time in 2 months I got on my wifes 125 Yamaha dirt bike and went back into the woods to get a chip from the game camera. Riding motorcycles is still fun.

Originally Posted by thomason2wheels

I like your approach to commuting. I will resume commuting on 2 wheels if and when i find another job. Meanwhile two wheels continue to be transport of choice unl3ss there is snow, ice, or freezing rain...then i turn chicken and ride the old subaru wagon.

[thomason2wheels]

Somehow the idea of trying to ride an inherently unstable device in slick road conditions borders on suicidal, i one remember trying to ride a bike in the snow....i gave up after 2 blocks.

[Varn]

We used to ride our mountain bikes on 50 mile rides in the snow on pavement. It wasn't that bad, although I do remember crashing my bicycle on the way to work in the snow on a down hill. I rode home and got the car.

Once finishing a century, I was a strong cross wind in the rain on my road bike running 20mm slicks. If I would go faster than 10 mph it would slide. The obvious choice was to stay below 10.

Basically it pays to keep it in the envelope.

[Grant-53]

The right tires make all the difference in snow or rain. A fairing will help with the wind chill factor and less torque from lower numerical gearing reduces wheel spin. In the winter, studded or spiked tires are used in ice races.

[Varn]

I can remember leaving in a snow storm on my FZ1000 to go camping a state away. I had the bike for a day or two and was wanting to ride. Tire quality had increased dramatically from 1975 to 1992. The full fairing helped. Was riding with a friend on an unfaired Harley who never warmed up all weekend.

Still sitting my Jetta with snow tires and having the heat on is comforting.

[sendler]

I get 90 mpgUS with my Honda CBR250R on my 80 mile divided highway commute at 65 mph. The rear tire is almost ready for replacement at 15,000 miles and the front will go for 25,000. I get 95 mpgUS on my 2013 Honda PCX150 scooter but I have to take the back country roads and ride at 50 mph as it only has a top speed of 65 mph. It is comfortable to ride and is of course a twist and go automatic and is very quick and handy for errands in town. The 150 is fast enough to jump on the expressway for a couple miles. The original 125cc version will only top out at 60 mph but can be found for sale used already for around $2300.
.
.

.
.
.

[renault_megane_dci]

To sum it all up, it depends very much on the commute profile.

The idea is to use the smallest capacity bike able to do the job and that one must resist the urge to ride it like it was meant to, there are dedicated places for that.

[alvaro84]

Originally Posted by thomason2wheels

...two wheels continue to be transport of choice unl3ss there is snow, ice, or freezing rain...then i turn chicken and ride the old subaru wagon.

Good to have a backup. This winter I may buy a car myself. As soon as the house rebuild/insulation works settle down. If we see that we still have a bit of money, I mean.

And good that I don't need that backup too much, probably a few weeks per year. A little frost in itself is not that bad. Thankfully we don't have much "snow, ice, or freezing rain". Usually.

[star_deceiver]

Well, I'm back at college for the next 8 weeks (3rd yr Millwright apprenticeship program). And being off work means two months of EI... yay... and I'm sure that everyone who's ever been to a post-secondary institution knows the staggering costs that add up! Fortunately I only live 5kms away so I have a few options in regarding getting there.

The course was paid for by my work ($907) but that's it. Books were $185 but by far the biggest expense will be parking. The cheapest car lot is $10 a day.... that's nearly $400 in parking fees over the course. Transit pass is $94 a month but I have no desire to waste an hour each day being packed into a sardine can! Bicycle is free, but considering how much I (and everybody else) despise the antics of local Calgarian cyclists I won't be choosing this option.

So, as I had surmised a long time ago, the KLR is the cheapest, best form of transport (as long as it doesn't snow)! $45/month parking, very close to my classes. Easy to access parking both entry and leaving. Gas is cheap, cargo is easily carried. Rush hour isn't too bad with the way/time I go to and from.

The truck is always there as a backup... the studded tires are by the door with tools and such. So I suppose I could install them should it snow and I can't find the KLR under the blanket of white!

[alvaro84]

Originally Posted by alvaro84

And good that I don't need that backup too much, probably a few weeks per year. A little frost in itself is not that bad. Thankfully we don't have much "snow, ice, or freezing rain". Usually.

This post of mine clearly falls in the "hilarious in hindsight" category... this was about the snowiest winter I've ever seen (though not unusually cold), I could hardly ride Teresa at all before April (we live along quite steep dirt/gravel road that are never cleaned at winter)

We really bought a car a month after this post, and 2 days before the first snow. But there were days when even having 4 wheels didn't help, not even on the paved roads.

star_deceiver, good to hear that the KLR does the job for you