Commuting to work with a bike

Rosbif

Rosbif

Rosbif

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Hi guys,

Sorry for the boring thread. :D

You lot will probably hate me but I'm drawn to getting a scooter as a means of commuting to work. I've got my eye on a Burgman 400 as it appears to be a sensible commuter choice. I've never ridden before in my life hence the newbie questions below.

The only question I have in my mind is how practical is it to wear a shirt, tie, trousers etc under your motorcycle clothing? When it rains I need to be sure that my work clothes will not be drenched. Likewise, when its hot I cant come into work with huge sweat marks all over my clothing. It would be nice to hear what exactly the reality of the situation is. Is biker clothing up to the task of protecting my work attire?

Your input and advice would be much appreciated :)
 
Shirts get creased up really quickly, specially arms and cuffs, I just fold my work clothes shop style and have never had a problem with creasing in my bag then.
 
I wear my shirt under my waterproof textiles and I leave several pairs of trousers at work, also try some of the non iron shirts as even though I iron them in the morning they don't crease much.

I never get hot in the morning and only sometimes in the afternoon and since I am going home it doesn't really matter.

Takes me less than 5 mins to change and do the hair!
 
Some jackets have airflow zippers, they work wonders while on the move.

I had a look at one of those scooters while waiting for an MOT to be done, they are pretty big and fairly heavy! Also they have just over 60lts of storage under the seat, so I very much doubt that you'd need a bag :D

It's the goldwing of the scooter world..

Edit:
Shows the room under the seat:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cLXsKXr0AH8
 
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I ride a Vespa to work everyday.

I wear my work clothes along with a helmet, gloves and a protective jacket and I've got a pair of waterproof pants incase it rains. I'll probably get flamed for not wearing the full get up but it's extremely convenient and relatively safe and it means not having to get changed or showered once at work, I just hang my jacket and helmet up and put my gloves under the seat. (The scooter you're looking at probably has enough room for all of those under the seat.
 
I commute on a zx6r, 2 piece suit on top.
Neck tube if its wet to save the shirt.

No problems with appearance - backpack with my work shoes which the trousers can slide into and can put my boots under my desk and jacket is hung up.

Civilised and practical and Im smack in the city centre but park outside my office :)
 
I'm kinda lucky. When I commute I leave my uniform in my locker at the station. But if I have to wear it on the bike I wear it under Shoei textile jacket and trousers. Shoes go in tank bag. It's ok if the temperature is reasonable but when it's warm its a bit too hot. It also does indeed get crushed a fair bit. Wearing it under my one piece Dainese K suit isn't an option. I can barely fit into that with just cycle shorts and a tshirt underneath since I've got a wee bit "larger" compared to when I bought it a couple of years ago.....lol. Larger as in muscle, not fat btw. :D
 
Hi,

I commute every day, Monday I take in 2 pairs of trousers folded in a rucksack and then wear a shirt under a Weisse jacket, if your shirt is 100% cotton it shouldn't crease to much and early in the morning is still fresh and crisp so you shouldn't get sweaty, works for me, I leave my shoes at work and just get changed by my desk.

I do 30 miles each way into London
 
I used to commute 20 miles each way all year round, sometimes you just can't avoid getting wet. Not often though mostly you stay dry underneath.

Clothes in a bag, wearing them under my kit always would crease them. At that job and this current one (still commute by bike sometimes but only fair weather now), I wear jeans & t-shirt but if it was a suit job I would change at work.
 
I commuted on my Ducati 748 for 2 years, taking with me on the monday, 5 shirts, left them there over the week hung up and just folded up trousers and left them there as well. So that I could wear full leathers and shirts/stuff wasn't creased.

Commute in all weather as well, apart from when it snowed, 20 miles in the snow on a Ducati is just a big no no lol.

It's easily done tbh.

ags
 
I actually commute everyday on a Burgman 400, love it, its cheap insurance, quicker than most cars from the lights, 70mpg, you will be surprised just how much you can fit under the seat, and you do get a little weather protection.
 
I use to ride into the heart of the city every day for a 13mile commute from the Surrey suburbs.. Kept a spare set of clothes at work 'just incase' but dont ever recall ever needing to use them.. Wore a Dainese paddock jacket over my work clothes and a pair of waterproof trousers for the days the weatherman said it was gonna rain.

Had lots of fun nipping in and out of traffic and getting to work in half the time.. Suprised i didn't get killed or have by bike lifted in my time doing that commute.. Beat the sheeeet out of walking to the train station, catching a train then a tube and then a final 10min walk to work.. Would have only been a matter of time before I got knocked off though. Don't forget to take that into consideration..
 
thedoc46 said:
Suprised i didn't get killed or have by bike lifted in my time doing that commute.. Would have only been a matter of time before I got knocked off though. Don't forget to take that into consideration..
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So your saying you were/are an accident wating to happen?
I know plenty of people who have been riding for +10 and +20 years who have never been knocked off in traffic, ok theyve had track spills but thats there doing.
The more I ride, the less Im going to get knocked off, if you learn as you ride that is..........
 
kippermitten said:
So your saying you were/are an accident wating to happen?
I know plenty of people who have been riding for +10 and +20 years who have never been knocked off in traffic, ok theyve had track spills but thats there doing.
The more I ride, the less Im going to get knocked off, if you learn as you ride that is..........
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Been riding since i was 16, now nearly 40.. I probably say I consider myself a very good rider (antcipation for other road users and fast skill reflexes learnt from my early days of making some mistakes) But your luck / skills will only take you so far.. You'll eventually be taken out if you ride through city centers every day. Just a matter of time. You may walk away with a few scuffs or you may get unlucky.. May happen right away during your inexperienced days or you maybe a wise old fox, just caught during a moment of laspe concentation. Chances are it's gonna happen.

Just to add to this.. I can even tell you one day going to work that I was crossing through a set of crossroads in Balham high street.. A car must have gone through the red lights going at least 60mph as i was going through the green maybe 40mph, It happened that fast I couldn't even tell you what car it was.. Just that the car was white and must have missed me by a nats ball hair.. I saw it coming when it was too late to do anything. I do recall screaming a swear word in my arai and bracing for impact, but as luck would have it, it was going fast enough that i missed the thing.. A second earlier i wouldn't have been so lucky.
 
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Was going up through Streatham where the A23 joins at a right angle, waiting at the lights, lights go green, the big new touring bike with panniers in front of me pulls accross when a big BMW flys over the lights that must have been red on his side, he just misses the big tourer and waves his hand out the window.
 
Thinking back about all my near misses, which are fortunatley few and far between. That one above was probably as close as i've got to being killed.. Actually if the red light jumper was a little more focused, I'd be dead, cos if he had seen me and hit the brakes or even just slowed down in any way whatsoever, i'd of slammed into the side. Given the fact he just kept it floored saved me.

Point I'm trying to make, when you are the rider, you are at the mercy of someone else's actions in certain situations..Even though I've always said to myself, if you are in an accident, it is always your fault. regardless.. Thats what is always running through my mind if i'm behind the wheel or riding.. Keeps me on my toes.
 
There's no such thing as an accident. Ultimately somebody wasn't watching what they were doing.

That's why I ride a cruiser. It's takes a whole side of dangerous riding out of the equation. It's why I get ticked off by the holier than thou "full-kit" brigade who think that full leathers are a licence to ride like like a lunatic.

I'll stick to my ****pot and t-shirt and riding safely.
 
ElvisFan said:
I'll stick to my ****pot and t-shirt and riding safely.
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Crashed much?. No offence ( and i mean that sincerely ), but if you ride in a t shirt, your off your head. ;)

I have only had one "big" get off back in 1990 and it was through no fault of mine. 87 year old pulled out in front of me at point blank distance and put me in hospital for weeks and off work for over a year. I was wearing a leather jacket ( which back then didn't have much in the way of armour ) but just ordinary jeans at the time. I shudder to think what I would have been like if I had just had a t shirt on. And since then having attended many road traffic collisions in my job, involving bikes and seen the results of folk not wearing the right riding kit, I simply would not get on board a two wheeler without full kit on. It's completely your choice m8 but have a stop and think about it. Did you read Scorts thread on his "off" on his R1?. :confused:
 
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In truth, (coming from someone who has a full one piece, and a full two piece) Leathers don't help you all that much.. It's the impact that's going to kill you, not the burns on your butt. I've come off a bike wearing only a pair of shorts and a t-shirt and grazed myself up pretty bad. (on holiday on Greece and some idiot decided to put loads of soapy water on the street where i was riding, the bike just went under me) The skin on my palm, was actually a flap, my foot was a mess cos it got caught under the bike and my hip / butt were pussing gel for a couple of weeks which was a problem cos my boxers or bed sheets kept gluing themselves to me.. SERIOUS pain for a few weeks, but healed and other than a few scars you'd hard pushed to tell.

Also back in Blighty, on nice stretch of open road decided to open it up and thanks to in-experience, i pulled too much front brake on a damp road. I came off at maybe 70, cos a car decided to drive down the wrong side of the road... Bounced and even somersaulted, landed then took off again, finally coming to a rest 30 feet down the road.. Was bruised and nothing else, all i had on was a bomber jacket and jeans.. Both got torn, but i was un-scathed otherwise.. Had i hit the kerb or an on-comming car, thats when i would have been seriously injured. Didn't get any burns though.. Guess i was lucky..
 
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