Has anyone else "given up" commuting on their motorcycle?

[boooya]

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Yes, I also have a car, (2 actually) but I have friends who are less financially fortunate who does rely on their motorcycle as their primary mode of transport....are you suggesting poor folks shouldn't be riding at all?????

Cuz I really have trouble with your statement saying 'bike is a toy and nothing else' if its just your opinion, that's fine, what ever, but I sense that you are looking down on riders who may not have money, especially with you questioning me whether I have a car or not.

Wow slow down there fella lol.
You can sense whatever it is you like but don't put words in my mouth or manipulate my post.
Your friends use there bikes in the winter I'm guessing then.
Even the TTC is a cheaper option then a bike If they are that financially tight.
Bikes are not necessities.......
If they need it for transpiration because they are broke they could get a $500 '99 corolla and drive it all year round. I ride a bicycle.
You said it yourself that it an expensive "hobby".
Maybe your friends are broke because they make financial decisions like buying a bike over a car in a 4 season county .

 

[boooya]

Now tell your broke *** friends to get off the road there slowing me down I have dollars to go spend lol

 

[yammyr6]

I started riding 3 years ago and after this summer I've chosen to give up commuting with the bike for the following reasons

• Straight line riding is incredibly boring
• Rush hour is painful
• Parking in high foot traffic areas lead to paranoia of the bike being sat on, knocked, over, etc.
  • Bike might get stolen
• Backpack riding on a SS isn't bad but is restrictive on body position during corners
• Flat spots on tires occur MUCH faster
• ...I can't concentrate on work/school/whatever!

I've been riding the bike every night for a good 100km or so alone and still get huge kicks out of it but I have a feeling I'm going to end up "track only" in the future.

Anyone else been in this boat? What were your reasons?

Pretty much how I feel right now.

 

[N3WMAN]

I stopped riding to work when I got a bike worth stealing. Plus I'm lazy and the extra time to get my gear on in the morning usually made me late.

 

[Dilligaf0220]

I ride an ugly arse duct tape decorated bike. I commute on it every day, rain or shine. The rest of you need to buy Hardley Ablesons with matching trailers to hang at rally's with all the other posers.

And I don't lane split. I "filter"

 

[油井緋色]

Second year commuting to work every day, and won't stop. On a SS, love it. Everytime I take the car I meet a slow car and wish I was on my bike. I don't have to wear business wear so I'm good to go, I have a full a* rain suit now which is wicked awesome, and I just lug stuff in my backpack. Anytime I would take the car, the bike is just better. Straight riding? Less boring than in a car. Are you really having that much more fun in a car, and spending more $ on gas? Granted on a REALLY hot day, AC is quite nice (since I don't squid it). Cold I don't mind.

Saves a lot in gas money for me, even on a SS. Insurance is cheaper too lol

I bus and play some handheld system lol

Currently going to York U but will be looking for a downtown job for the summer term. As much as I hate to admit it, I've found my work life more productive when I don't ride. When I do, I end up in "fun zone" and all I'd rather do is talk about riding or ride.

My bike is a toy, I use it to play.
When I'm commuting I want my heat/ac radio and my coffee. Oh and my bumpers/air bags lol.

That's how I'm feeling now. Finish school/work, come on and take it on a rip. There's less traffic and the ramps are clear <________<

[/LIST]


Try going to the gym once in a while.

I squat, deadlift, military press, bench press and row every other day. I've broken pieces of my laptop from leaning in the past, I'd rather not again lol

 

[unL33T]

Didn't ride for most of the summer. Just started up again and I love it. Too bad I'm going to lose another week and a half going back to the Yukon for work. Part of the reason I didn't ride most of the summer was that I was out of town all the time so it just didn't make sense to dig out all the gear and prep the bike and whatnot. Kind of a bummer. Basically I'll only have a couple of weeks before the season is over for me. I'm not so sure I'll be able to get much more in once I return since it'll be near October. In the past I've ridden year round at least now and then but I'm not so sure the 2 stroke is going to like that.

 

[lator-illa]

For me, it's either:
1 Hour on the TTC vs 20 Mins on the bike

It's a no-brainer for me so I commute to downtown via bike as much as possible (as long as it's not thunderstorming). Taking the bike saves me at least 30-35 minutes of commute, so I can leave my house way later and still get to work earlier. Thank God I live in Scarborough, and my shifts are from 8-4, so no traffic in the morning, and I don't have to take DVP on the way home. Taking Lakeshore to Gerrard is still relatively quick to Scarborough. Now if I had lived somewhere else and was forced to endure 1 hour of stop and go traffic EVERY day, then perhaps I would consider giving up the commute. But with my current situation, there's way too many pros to give up on it and take transit.

One more major plus for me is I get free parking right across the street from my work, and not worry about a high traffic area

 

[unL33T]

For me, it's either:
1 Hour on the TTC vs 20 Mins on the bike

It's a no-brainer for me so I commute to downtown via bike as much as possible (as long as it's not thunderstorming). Taking the bike saves me at least 30-35 minutes of commute, so I can leave my house way later and still get to work earlier. Thank God I live in Scarborough, and my shifts are from 8-4, so no traffic in the morning, and I don't have to take DVP on the way home. Taking Lakeshore to Gerrard is still relatively quick to Scarborough. Now if I had lived somewhere else and was forced to endure 1 hour of stop and go traffic EVERY day, then perhaps I would consider giving up the commute. But with my current situation, there's way too many pros to give up on it and take transit.

One more major plus for me is I get free parking right across the street from my work, and not worry about a high traffic area

I was going to say you must either lane split or live in Scarborough because if I commute from my home (near Oakwood and St. Clair) to downtown during morning rush hour or back home during afternoon rush hour it usually takes at least twice the time. Half the time I'm stuck at one light for like 20-30 min and then the same thing happens at the next one. Almost no waiting on the subway.

My commute to work at the airport would be way longer on transit but it still takes longer because I ride safer than I drive (aka slower) and it can take awhile to get ready. Especially now that I need to wait for longer warm up on the 2 stroke.

 

[CafeRay]

This is why I don't bike commute in the GTA. Crackheads reading while driving.

 

[Kri$han]

Second year commuting to work every day, and won't stop. On a SS, love it. Everytime I take the car I meet a slow car and wish I was on my bike. I don't have to wear business wear so I'm good to go, I have a full a* rain suit now which is wicked awesome, and I just lug stuff in my backpack. Anytime I would take the car, the bike is just better. Straight riding? Less boring than in a car. Are you really having that much more fun in a car, and spending more $ on gas? Granted on a REALLY hot day, AC is quite nice (since I don't squid it). Cold I don't mind.

Saves a lot in gas money for me, even on a SS. Insurance is cheaper too lol

+1 - 5 years of commuting to work for me, and I don't see myself quitting unless I absolutely have to. I'll ride the bike if its >= 10C in the morning, and no promise of rain before work... It's not all that bad if I get caught n the rain on the way home.

I'm hoping to get more gear as I get older cuz right now I have NO "adverse" weather gear; just regular boots, jacket, gloves, kevlar jeans and knee/shin guards. Its a bonus that I don't need to be in formal attire any day of the week, and my commute avoids downtown so parking isn't an issue. I'm on a "standard" naked sport-ish bike right now and its PERFECT for commuting (upright, >600cc so lots of torque, forgiving, sport-touring tires and cheap insurance)- but I'm bored of it. Gonna try my hand at the most comfortable SS as soon as I can afford it - then get some more commuting-friendly gear.

Everyday I have to drive I wish I was on my bike I drove today as it was too cold at 6am

 

[o0ollo0o]

I use to commute downtown and I'd take the HOV lanes. Soo much faster then TTC. For example if you're going up or down the dvp during rush hour i'd suggest taking don mills using it's HOV lane. I'd hop onto the DVP where don mills ends and the it would be clear roads from there to richmond. One way streets downtown are pretty good too like richmond and adelaide. Plus you can't beat the free parking and sticking it to TTC. I really hate TTC...

 

[Mongrel]

On the subject of costs.

I could afford either a car or a motorbike. I chose a motorbike.

 

[Bweixz]

If you can afford to ride, you can afford to buy a car.

Not true..especially if you're way under 25.

 

[special_k_828]

With kids and other family commitments, riding to work is the only time I get to ride!

 

[TorontoLivin]

Just started commuting, usually a few days a week. Was kind of terrifying at first, but now that I've gotten more comfortable it's not so bad. Love the free parking!

 

[special_k_828]

If you can afford to ride, you can afford to buy a car.

Agreed.

Although with State Farm, scooters and small displacement <250cc bikes, you can definitely run that cheaper than any car. When I had a CBR125, insurance was $25 per month and it got 80mpg. With a SS or just about any other bike, it really isn't about saving money anymore.

 

[油井緋色]

Agreed.

Although with State Farm, scooters and small displacement <250cc bikes, you can definitely run that cheaper than any car. When I had a CBR125, insurance was $25 per month and it got 80mpg. With a SS or just about any other bike, it really isn't about saving money anymore.

For the record, my SS is my only vehicle lol

Bus is cheaper than having a car. Frankly, the only car I want is a GTR which I can't afford. I'd rather not be stuck maintaining a **** box that I don't want/like =(

 

[Sabex]

How so?
My car gets better fuel mileage then my bike does!
You still pay yearly insurance on your bike like everyone else yet only use it a few months a year, do you not also have a car?
If your buying a bike to save money your doing something wrong.
Yea a bike is a toy and nothing else.

what were you saying about only riding a few months a year?

 

[danp]

Frankly, the only car I want is a GTR which I can't afford. I'd rather not be stuck maintaining a **** box that I don't want/like =(

For me it's the opposite, I used to desire a fast car (subaru sti, mustang gt, bmw m3, etc) then when I started riding it quenched my thirst for speed so I no longer need a fast car because I know almost any fast car is still gonna be a lot slower than my gixxer. Now I drive a comfortable old man car and it doesn't bother me at all.

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