Commuting on bike

[nofreeride]

The top things that make commuting on the FJR less convenient than driving the cage:

1. The alarm clock. It just takes a few extra minutes to get all the gear on, pack the bags, etc.

2. Dress code. Slacks and tie required for my job. That makes for hot rides home on summer afternoons with all the gear.

3. Lunch. Not much near my work within walking distance. That means extra planning is needed to eat in, or extra time to gear up (again) and go out.

4. Weather. A lot of rain here, and a 20-30 degree temperature difference from morning (6am) to afternoon (3pm).

5. The Gym. It's on my way home, and it just means more gearing up, packing bags, etc.

6. Traffic. Let's face it. It's dangerous out there, with people talking on cell phones, putting on makeup, and being generally oblivious to their surroundings.

7. Gas. My company pays for my gas, so gas prices are not a factor for me.

All of these things can be overcome, but I'm all about convenience just like every other American. I love riding, and many times I take a long ride home just for fun and to avoid traffic. I do ride the bike to work probably 75-100 times a year. But what is it that would make it easier to bring two wheels more often?

How often do you commute on the bike? What makes it possible for you? Some people say they don't even have a car. How do you do that?

 

[BwanaDik]

Get a one-piece 'Stitch and wear dress boots (re:cowboy) to work. Buy a long cable and lock to lock the suit and helmet to the bike when you walk away (I lace the cable thru the helmet chin, suit, then the rear view mirror). Takes about a minute to put on helmet and 'Stitch. That will solve 1,2,3,4,5. You're on your own for 6.

It works for me, I have similar circumstances.

 

[Gerry.GEG]

Living in Spokane I can commute most of the summer but I hear ya with regard to hassles.

ie; my laptop will not fit in a side bag. Have to use the GIVI E52 which looks dorky unless I'm traveling. Must wear "Dockers" so I keep a pair of shoes at work and wear my SIDI's - always. I will not wear my Joe Rocket pants though, way too hot. Jacket already makes me sweat, helmet gives even my short hair - helmet head look. etc. etc. etc.

I know these concerns are trivial to some but when you couple it with summer temps over 90 degrees while wearing most gear in traffic and then the damn dangerous traffic I'm really reevaluating my need to commute on the bike. I really don't want to get wiped out when saving money on gas is not an issue.

The one piece Aerostitch or similar suit is a good option but one can go broke buying gear and farkles. If I bought one of these at $800 I'd have it and three other jackets plus pants, two pairs of boots, two gloves (winter, summer), on and on.

I guess if money's no object, well then

Just don't try to save money commuting the right way on your bike, LOL.

Good luck.

 

[kulwen]

I have a empty file cabnet under my desk that I have five pants and polo shirts in. Every Monday I bring a new set into work and keep them in the drawer. My shoes are under my desk pushed back out of view. Each day I put the pants and shirt I wore that day into a saddle bag and take them home to clean.

I wear my MotoPort gear with shorts and t-shirt on my ride to and from work and change in the bathroom. I would guess the gearing up and changing at work adds 10-15 minutes to my time. It really adds about 20 minutes, but since the drive is 5 -10 minutes faster I plan 10-15 minutes. However, my winter riding take about 5 minutes extra adding and removing liners.

 

[cadman]

gearing up, packing a lunch, weather concers (afternoon thunderstorms are a fact here), are all part of the "labor of love" in motorcycling.

my commute is 11 miles or 20 miles depending on my time schedule. after 10-12 days of commuting by bike, a ride to work in a cage is welcome.

caging is definitely more convient than two wheeling.

what would make it easier to bring two wheels more often?

leave things where you need them most. at the office, leave your shoes under your desk. put a few ties in the desk drawer, they can't see what you are wearing under your riding gear.

does your gym offer locker storage, toss in a bag with several chages of clothes.

cadman

 

[AVGeek]

RE: the shirt and tie issue. I found that wearing an undershirt and yanking the tie and dress shirt off on the walk to the bike to be a way to transition from "work" mode to "commute" mode. On the really hot days, I add a cooling vest, so having the undershirt also helps with that heat transfer.

 

[wfooshee]

I wear a t-shirt under my jackets, and regular work pants under mesh overpants. I sit in front of a fan for 5 or 10 minutes when I arrive, then change. We wear polo shirts as our "uniform."

I carry work shoes in the bags, and use them to carry loose stuff that I don't want to keep in my pockets while riding, like watch, phone, and keys. I take lunch to work most days, either some kind of frozen dinner, or leftovers from the previous evening's meal.

Laptop carry case fits easily in the Givi, and I pack my jacket and overpants in the Givi, helmet into the left sidebag while I'm at work. Carry in the shirt, shoes, food and laptop, keep my boots under my desk. Rain gear lives in the right side bag, just in case, left side bag remains empty, in case I have to pick up something on the way home.

This is Florida, so cadman and I say that the rest of you guys have no excuses that pull any weight with us with regard to the weather or the heat.

 

[BwanaDik]

This is Florida, so cadman and I say that the rest of you guys have no excuses that pull any weight with us with regard to the weather or the heat.

+1 from here in Houston

but you forgot the traffic and no lane splitting (You got traffic in Panama City?)

 

[Philip V]

My helmet fits in one saddle bag and my jacket in the other. Bought a pair of boots that I can wear with most clothing and when I need extra space I pop on my trunk. If it takes longer that a minute to gear up, you are probably doing something wrong. You may want one set of gear for riding to work and a heavier set for those long rides. As for the rain, I dont know what to say, we get very little here. I bought new rain gear two years ago and still have not had to wear it.

 

[FJR Flyer]

I've been commuting every day to work, barring ice on the road, for the last ten years. The FJR makes it easier than my FJ, but the addition of the top box solved the laptop issue and made it easier to throw the briefcase in (which contains important stuff like my lunch and shoes). The top box has a brake light and I added the 5 second flasher module for early morning commuting viz.

The traffic into DC has gotten exponentially worse, even as I leave earlier in the morning. I wear a kilimanjaro jacket and either HT or HT Air overpants for easy off/on. Phoenix jacket in the summer, but with the DC heat/humidity you're gonna sweat on the ride home. The Jensen radio is greay for traffic reports.

A little inconvenient, but one or two days on the bus, train, or in the car, and I realize how much better the bike is, and how much of my sanity has been retained because of it.

 

[Lawrence]

How often do you commute on the bike? What makes it possible for you? Some people say they don't even have a car. How do you do that?

I commute to work daily year-round (the benefit of living in SoCal though we have housing prices and other costs/taxes to go with the benefit ) and I've been doing this for the better part of the last 15+ years. My commute for the last 4 years has been 25-30 miles each way. During much of that time I've had an Aerostitch RoadCrafter (I have a two-piece, though if I were to buy new, I get a one-piece). I just sold my '90 Concours with 110k miles.

However, I also have a family, so no chance going car-less (and even before that, I saw no reason to not have a car for certain types of travel). Besides, I've always been of the position to have more vehicles than drivers in a household so when one needs service, it not a big deal.

2. Dress code. Slacks and tie required for my job. That makes for hot rides home on summer afternoons with all the gear.3. Lunch. Not much near my work within walking distance. That means extra planning is needed to eat in, or extra time to gear up (again) and go out.

4. Weather. A lot of rain here, and a 20-30 degree temperature difference from morning (6am) to afternoon (3pm).

5. The Gym. It's on my way home, and it just means more gearing up, packing bags, etc.

I too have a corporate dress code (though, being in IT, no ties). I ridden with the Stitch in 30deg to 120+deg temps. Fortunately humidty in SoCal isn't that bad, so sweating isn't that much of a concern (if I was, I do the spare closes others have mentioned). With the vents open, plenty of airflow in the 'Stitch to keep me relatively cool. There would be no issue/problem with wearing the Aerostitch over slacks and a tie. Then I simply wear a fleece zip up jacket when it gets cold.

I always wear boots. I leave 2 color of regular dress shoes at the office. Total gear-up time is only a few minutes - Maybe 5-8 minutes to get geared up (The Aerostich only takes a 15-25 seconds to put on and get zipped up). Putting the lace up boots take the most time, then helmet, gloves, etc.

6. Traffic. Let's face it. It's dangerous out there, with people talking on cell phones, putting on makeup, and being generally oblivious to their surroundings.

You ought to see the wonderful SoCal drivers we have - reading the newspaper, etc :dribble: I ride presuming I'm invisible and accept that areally bad things can happen at any time. Yes, I've had close calls, but never crashed while commutting/ lane-splitting (which is not illegal here in CA) - I've touched mirrors a couple of times, and got REAL close to crashing badly in the rain once in traffic. And I have squids fly by me and be crashed a mile up the road, and I've had a couple of friends die riding (though not while commuting) . Lane-splitting at night in the rain in the worst (but who wants to sit in traffic for an extra hour and get rear-ended - no thanks, I'll take my chances).

It is certainly more dangerous than tour riding in the mountains. For me, the time I gain every day (vs commute time in a car) makes the risk worth it to me.

But what is it that would make it easier to bring two wheels more often?

1. The Aerostitch RoadCrafter for sure (good for all temps and rain as well).

2. as I do lane-split, removing the side bags and using a trunk (Givi in my case)

3. I'm also cheap, so I bring lunch with me to work regardless - more money for other things

 

[wfooshee]

but you forgot the traffic and no lane splitting (You got traffic in Panama City?)

Well, maybe not like Houston, but the only bridge between Panama City and Panama City Beach has 5 traffic lights and a railroad crossing within a half mile of either foot. They're working on it, but it's gonna be years before it's a proper limited access throughway with ramps off to the surface. Eastbound traffic can back up three lanes for 2 miles on a Friday afternoon. Other than that, it's just long damn traffic lights, and then people who don't wake up when it goes green. :assassin:

Fortunately, my ride to work doesn't involve the bridge. Just the long damn lights. Some of which don't see feejers if I'm by myself.

 

[UselessPickles]

1. Flex-time. No one starts to wonder about where I am until about 10:30am

2. Casual dress code (jeans, t-shirt, shorts, sandals, motorcycle boots - all acceptable)

3. I usually bring leftovers from last night's dinner. Already in a spill-proof container.

4. My Joe Rocket Alter Ego jacket and pants allow for fairly quick adjustments for different weather. With liners and outer shells removed, I'm quite comfortable into the humid 90's. I also don't get stuck in stop & go traffic.

5. Gym? I'm lazy.

6. Traffic isn't too bad for me. See #1; I'm usually late for rush hour. Besides, the traffic gives me the occasional opportunity to show off my FIAMM freeway blaster horns

7. I pay for my own gas, so bike wins on this one. Although, I would still ride the bike as much as possible even if it used more gas than my car; it's just that much more enjoyable.

I ride to work if the temperature is above about 28 degrees in the morning and roads are clear in the winter. In the summer, any time the chance of rain is 30% or less, or if the chance of rain is isolated to a time period that I won't be on the road.

 

[luvtoride]

I don't commute on my bike. There are times that I have, but I normally do not.

I don't have a garage. My bike lives in a shed in the backyard. In order to get to the shed I need to ride through a gate that is not wide enough to fit bike w/ saddlebags on. I've thought about widening the gate & will probably do so someday.

In the mean time I have just decided that it takes too much time to get the bike out, load saddlebags, gear up, etc, just to go to work. I just decided that I'd drive my car.

The bike is used strictly for pleasure & usually doesn't come out to play unless 800 miles are being tacked onto the odo.

 

[Rolavine]

I commute 2/3rds of the year 50 miles each way from Salem to Sweet Hom Oregon.

I can wear jeans at work and keep a pair of shoes and spare clothers too, I actually have an office with an opening window and a real door too.

Since the ride is about an hour each way the gear up time is not significant, short commutes are harder to justify on the bike.

I get to drive through some of the most beautiful country I've ever seen, and have a choice of at least a dozen routes.

I'm driving from the edges of a small urban area into rural areas, so there is little traffic and many amusing roads, and few traffic lights.

It rains here a lot, but I've become an expert in predicting the weather patterns based on the 5 minute update dopler weather available online.

Using this approach I can pick and choose when to take the bike, and I can even chart a path though the rain based on the dopler and can get to work pretty dry.

The evening trip home however can't be well predicted from the mornings dopler!

I look at the dopler before leaving and try to choose a route home that will keep me fairly dry.

On the way home I go over some hills and drop about 400 feet in elevation and this allows me to see how the dark clouds are moving and try and get around them. This is only possible because I observed the weather patterns before leaving work.

I have rain gear, thermal soxs, and overpants on the bike if required.

I've hit ice and snow only a few times, since the drivers around here don't know enough about ice driving to even maintain momentum its too dangerous, I'll take the cage if any doubt about that.

Another thing that helps me is that if it weren't for my commute I really woudn't have any time to ride the bike anyway, between the house, the yard, the spouse, the kids, the shopping, the cars, friends and relatives that need something, having dinner guests, being the cook, and requiring large amounts of time doing nothing but drinking beer and pretending to watch the tube for relaxation, its lucky I have this damn commute.

The temp change from the morning to the evening requires clever packing. During the hottest day I wear a mesh jacket under a windbreaker on the way in, sometimes I take two jackets a mid weight for the am and the mesh for the pm. When it is cold I use a two layer cold weather 3/4 length coat. During the mid temp times I use jackets that have removable liners but also have venting zippers so I can set them for the trip in and just wear the outer with the zips open for the way home.

It isn't hard to do this stuff, it just requires some thought and experimentation. I think I enjoy predicting the weather for the path of my commute the most, that has been really educational, and when I blow it, it is sort of fun too. Many a good adventure is to be had crawling home in the rain.

 

[vabrzn]

As a bike commuter for too many years to think about it comes down to developing a system which becomes habit after awhile.

I get all my gear and work stuff laid out on the work bench in the garage the night before so I don’t spend time looking for, or forgetting things in the morning.

Putting on gear in the winter gets old, but it has become routine and a way of life.

I rented a locker at the gym

My office has a kitchen, so I pack all my food in on Monday and don’t need to mess with going out to lunch.

I recently bought a Givi trunk, which makes hauling stuff even easier than the old tail bag I had. Just open the top and stuff, stuff in!

It’s really is a good feeling to have the FJR waiting for me at the end of the day!

 

[Crash Cash]

> 1. The alarm clock. It just takes a few extra minutes to get all the gear on, pack the bags, etc.

It takes that much longer to toss on a jacket, gloves, and a helmet? Anything I need for work usually gets dropped in the side/tank bag the night before, because I'm certainly not going to remember it in the morning. I insist on a flip-up helmet because I wear glasses, and I also don't buy helmets with D-rings because I hate dicking around with those things and I can't do them up with gloves on. So, Nolan it is! Fortunately, the N103 actually fits my head for a change. The N100/N102 were too oval.

> 2. Dress code. Slacks and tie required for my job. That makes for hot rides home on summer afternoons with all the gear.

Ha! Larry Ellison doesn't have enough money to pay me to wear a tie. I can't see a tie being a problem once you put on a jacket over it. It's still pretty hot in Florida in the summer no matter what you wear. The Tourmaster mesh jacket does help, but I do feel I'm compromising protection. It's still better than nothing, and keeps the sun off. I'd love an Aerostich, but Michigan is too far away, and I'm too funny-shaped to buy something like that over the 'net.

> 3. Lunch. Not much near my work within walking distance. That means extra planning is needed to eat in, or extra time to gear up (again) and go out.

I don't ever eat in, as I'd go insane if I didn't get away from this madhouse for a break. There's nothing good in walking distance either, but again, it takes no time to toss on the jacket, helmet and gloves.

> 4. Weather. A lot of rain here, and a 20-30 degree temperature difference from morning (6am) to afternoon (3pm).

It rains here almost every weekday, usually at 4pm. This past couple of days it's been continuous rain. Usually it doesn't rain in the morning, and it's done by the time I go home. I keep forecast.weather.gov and radar.weather.gov handy on the browser. It does take a while to put on the rain gear, but I have Firstgear pants with the extra long knee length zipper and some Neos boots, so that's not nearly as long as with the cheap crap people buy. And when it's not raining, it's 100% humidity and hovering around 95 anyway. The heat is just the worst. In the winter, I love my 1300cc space heater!

The FJR is a heck of a lot nicer in the rain than the SV-650 with the fairing and ABS. If it's real chilly, I put the rain jacket over the regular jacket.

The heat also sort of forces you to carry your helmet, because you don't want to let it bake in the sun and put it on when you come out. I've gotten used to that in 15 years.

I just chalk up the heat & rain being better than snow and ice. You're going to have one or the other.

> 5. The Gym. It's on my way home, and it just means more gearing up, packing bags, etc.

Gym? What is this word? I'm proud of my 12-pack abs. A skinny coder is like a fat ballerina. However, I do usually grab dinner and maybe hit a bookstore or something on the way home, so I've got to keep in mind how full my bags are.

> 6. Traffic. Let's face it. It's dangerous out there, with people talking on cell phones, putting on makeup, and being generally oblivious to their surroundings.

Pssht. I drive in Orlando. There's few places worse outside of DC and NY. On the other hand, I drive like a berzerk ape myself, so most people have to defend against me. Sometimes some roofing nails happen to fall out when somebody tailgates me in the right lane. Plus I lane split, even at 55mph on the East-West expressway, and I never use my turn signals, except to sarcastically blink them a couple times after my lane change.

> How often do you commute on the bike? What makes it possible for you? Some people say they don't even have a car. How do you do that?

I do it every day.

The difficult part of not having a car is groceries. I have an SV-650 that I can put 3 Givi E45 bags on, which is pretty much a full grocery cart. It takes a couple more minutes and a little mental preplanning to put things in the proper bag instead of just tossing **** into the back of a car, but the lack of car payment (and more importantly car repair bills) more than makes up for the hassle. The car repair places here are even more incompetent than the bike dealerships, but at least I can keep my bike in repair myself. To be honest, I can't afford a Porsche, and I wouldn't be able to stand driving what I could afford. I have two bikes, so if one needs tires, brake pads, etc, I just ride the other one. I most certainly can't afford two cars.

I nearly got killed in my Camaro when the dealership screwed up the ABS, and the guy that rents a room from me just spent over $1900 as the repair place gleefully swapped expensive parts to track down a bad $5 relay. Plus his electric windows quit, so he's got rain pouring into his car now. I decided a long time ago I just wasn't going to put up with that crap, so when my Camaro got totaled, I gave up cars. When I was a very poor student, not knowing much about anything, I got screwed by repair shops more than a Jenna Jameson film. I got tired of 4-digit bills and a 3-digit bank account.

*IF* I had a big enough garage to work on a car, *AND* a lift for it, *AND* the know-how, *AND* the tools *OR* I could find a competent repair shop, I'd probably get another car. I can't see that happening soon. Plus I've looked at the engines in some of the cars I've been interested in, and it looks like they somehow poured the engine in. I can't see how they expect someone with normal sized hands and tools to be able to accomplish anything in that space.

I also do a lot of shopping on the 'net, so I don't have to haul it home but usually I can't find the stuff in Orlando anyways.

(I do enjoy telling UPS/FedEx that "I'm paying you to deliver it to my house. If you can't do that, return it, and inform the vendor that I'll buy it from someone else" and hearing them crap their pants that I'm not going to trot all the way across town to their depot in a really bad neighborhood. The "someone MUST stay home from work and sit around all day so they can sign in person" is waived and my stuff shows up the next day. Apparently it's really bad mojo for them to actually return the package. That's just me being a jerk though, and not much to do with bikes.)

 

[zip]

I love commuting on the bike - the only thing that makes it fun. But it would be vastly more fun if lane sharing were legal in MA. In traffic here, it is less bearable on a bike than it is in a car.

I wear MTGATT, and only have to commute about 8 days a month right now, working from home or remotely the rest of the time.

I will commute in the rain, don't ride if way too wet & windy (way to much metal on the road and a couple of dicey bridges), or if there is any chance of ice on the road. I ride when it's less than freezing, but only when it's been really dry. When I take lots of stuff to the office, I add the top case.

When gas prices were $4.50 last year, we sold our second car. It's not that we can't afford it, but I love not spending that additional $8,000 a year or so on car payments, insurance, etc. When I absolutely have to, I occasionally ride the bus or other public transportation, or even rent a car or truck. It really has worked out pretty well for us. I'm very lucky to be able to work from home almost any day.

 

[7xray]

Retired. :yahoo: