commuter girl....soon to be!

[harriebird]

well i got the job as you know, so i'm gonna be hauling my wee a*se down to billericay and back on a daily basis, 38 miles each way.

and now i need some help from my fellow long distance commuting chums!!

i'm intending to use my trusty CBR400 for the bulk of it, with the occasional jolly on the 748, but this is going to rack up the miles on the CBR very quickly.

I'm concerned that i will lose out on the CBR because most of the value in them is in low mileage tidy numbers like mine (erm except the odd cracked panel ahem!!!), and it will probably get wrecked by the salt in the winter.

however i have never ever felt more comfortable on any bike, and this is a massive plus when you have to spend so much time on it.

should i contemplate getting a sporty but reliable newer 600 so i can sell the CBR on for pretty much what i paid for it fairly quickly, or shall i just hang on to it and run it into the ground? i know it will probably go on for a few years yet.....

the CB will be up for sale very soon, i can't imagine riding so far on an unfaired bike anyway and there is nothing else that really tickles my fancy apart from a new GSXR (can't afford) or a GSXR750 that's a few years old but will need a miracle to get the seat height etc right.

and btw do you guys use a rucksack or what? i don't want panniers and i sure as hell don't want a f**kign top box!!!!

thanks for listening..... xxxx

[Whippet]

hi H
I would love to help but i can't sorry

[harriebird]

well cheers all the same ;)

[auroredj]

H, when I used to take mine to work daily I used a over the shoulder, strap round the waist bike bag from Halfords, it was pretty hard wearing and it was less restrictive than the conventional ruck sacks that go over both shoulders. It's a matter of preference really but you can also get the small to medium size oxford tank bags that aren't that intrusive, I've got both if you want to try something for a couple of days before you go out and spend money on something you may not be entirely satisfied with. Let me know if your interested

[Lateshift]

mileage isnt a problem as long as you do the regular oil changes and keep on top of the chain condition ;)

if you want to keep the corrosion off then use something like ACF50 to coat all the metal work or use the cheaper option of washing the bike once and week and then using something like "back to black" on the bits you want to stay clean longest.

as far as the luggage side of life goes, i tend to take what i need with me in on the Monday in my daysack and then leave it there till the end of the week, but if i do need to keep taking stuff in with me then a daysack is all it takes, pack it small, pack it tight and then keep it in the centre of your back with the heavy stuff towards the bottom (instead of the top which is normally the case).


I have done nearly 10000 on the Mille over the last year, its a 7 year old bike and as long as i clean her, she manages to stay looking healthy :)

[The Guvnor]

Use what youve got......just look after it !................and if you need somewhere safe to leave the bike I now a good car park on the high street !:laugh1 ...........seriously if you need to leave it somewhere give me a shout.x

[harriebird]

ahhh cheers m'dears, it'll be by the station though so will be a bit of a hike to yours. however if it's raining of an evening and it looks like it will blow over, i may pop in for a leeetle drinky!!!

[The Guvnor]

No probs..............make sure its safe though. Quite a few motors and bikes go missin up there. Lock it gooooood.

[harriebird]

cheers, i will. about time i invested in a decent lock, a disc lock is fine for where i am now but need a bit more for sure.

[EverSoSlightlyFasterThanU]

well if you bet a newer 600 you will jsut lose all it valu cos you be raking up the miles. so your better off jus tnot losing much on the cbr and using the plus the cbr wont rip tyers apaer as fast plus if you get a 600 you will stop riding the 746 cos it will jsut be a better everyday bike

it make no sesne what so ever to get a 600

[harriebird]

no i will never stop riding the 748 believe me!!! we are bonding at a rate of knots at the moment and are at the inseparable stage......apart from his poorly clutch plates :o

[EverSoSlightlyFasterThanU]

im glad you mechone the 748 insted of the advis i gave you

[MickyGixer]

Hun I dont know your stance on back protectors and what not but I have a really roomy Knoxx rucksack with built in back protector which expands up to 30 litres and pulls into 10 and is waterproof, I also have a great Kriega backpack which I also use, both sit quite high on my back, but not so much that I knock the back of my lid when manouvering etc or so low as to scratch the back of the bike. Us both being short arses it is difficult....Im sure the guys could recommend a decent sports shop or camping rucksack but I have tried these with the following success ratings

Karrimor soft body - toggles scratch bike! - Crappy
Northface - flipped me on my front when I came off! - Super crappy
JD sports cheap and cheerful special - Got bloody soaked through in the rain and smelled like dead cat for weeks so I had to bin it! - Never again

The Knoxx and Kreiga are on the pricey side but I swear by them...sure you will find what your looking for hun..x:grin2

[rembrandt]

what about a tank bag?? as for the mileage on the CBR what about doing what the despatch riders do ;)

[Lateshift]

i got a knox one here that are still selling for £30 in the shops, works a treat :)

[Ping]

Aw Harrie, I envy you that journey... I did my first run into work in the west end of london a few weeks ago and got lost so it took 3hrs. :s (I'd previously only had to go into Brick Lane in E1 which was a really easy route, if a nasty one at times down the a13).

I've only got the one bike to do the miles on so I guess for you it would boil down to which bike you a: wanted to ride the most b:which bike you wanted to keep the most value on.

I've only got the one bike so it's fate is pretty much sealed and I did used to have the 'value' worries before I started commuting into london and back (85-ish miles/day). The way I made myself feel better about the mileage is with the knowledge that bikes are meant to be ridden.

Can't see the point in keeping a bike in the garage.

[winjaninja]

I only use a rucksack for short runs. Either a tank bag or tailpack for longer ones (I used to do Colchester to Epsom once a month and regular trips to central London).

You may want to invest in a chainoiler, if you have the money, a Scottoiler, if not, Lubeman do a cracking one for £16 ish, takes half an hour to fit.

Clothing makes all the difference in winter. Invest in some thermals, a good pair of gloves and something water tight. I tend to scan eBay religiously for cheapies for next season. Buy next winters gear in the summer and vice versa.

Also, a set of heated grips are an abolute life saver. I used to laugh at them and had to eat humble pie on the subject this year. They're well worth thirty quid.

One of the bugger's about commuting on a bike is having somewhere to change at the other end. Disabled loos in offices are brilliant as they are four times the size of normal cubicles, so no need for yoga positions when getting changed.

You might consider chopping the CBR for something more suited to commuting, but that's probably only worth considering after a couple of weeks. If you are doing 400 miles a week, you need to be doing services every ten weeks. On a bike like a CBR, as the others have said, an oil or oil and filter change will really help to keep her in condition.

[gixer400]

so no need for yoga positions



maybe harrie like doing yoga positions :grin2

[harriebird]

Hun I dont know your stance on back protectors and what not but I have a really roomy Knoxx rucksack with built in back protector which expands up to 30 litres and pulls into 10 and is waterproof, I also have a great Kriega backpack which I also use, both sit quite high on my back, but not so much that I knock the back of my lid when manouvering etc or so low as to scratch the back of the bike. Us both being short arses it is difficult....


The Knoxx and Kreiga are on the pricey side but I swear by them...sure you will find what your looking for hun..x:grin2

cheers everyone and thanks micky i didn't even know such a creature existed! i really should get a back protector (especailly as most of my journey will be A12 so if i get knocked off it will be at 70 plus) but have always shyed away from them a bit because as well as being small, my back is particularly short as i have long legs for a 5 footer! so i will definitely check this out.

i'll see how i go on the CBR for a while, i guess i can always get a spare engine when mine lets go (which will be a long way away hopefully), maybe it's the perfect excuse to do that 400/fireblade special that i used to lust after in Performance Bikes all those years ago!!! :love1

thanks, i knew i would get some A1 advice combined with the usual comedy posts - gixer400, yes i love yoga positions but i save them for saturday nights :eek: ;) :cool: not on a rainy monday morning!! :grin2