Ideas for Winter Commuting.

[Sally]

£600 POS 1.0L punto = £2400 third party only

So my great idea of a POS car is out of the window.

I have a ~10 minute commute daily through Aberdeen to my work Monday - Friday, all 30's.

Try and go home at weekends to my parents, which is ~ 30mile ride over 15 miles dualer and 15 miles of A road.

Since we don't get lovely weather like you guys on the wrong side of the border ;) I need something that I can ride through sleet, rain, snow, ice, hail etc

4th winter on bikes, rode all through the winter, and only binned it once last winter.
But unwilling to take the chance with a new bike and the fact that winters kills SV's.

What are my options? Quad? Supermoto? 125cc trailie?

[Daimo]

Winter doesn't kill SV's, as long as you stay on top of them. Fender extender, and a rinse down every night and it'll be fine.

Bandit... Mines done 4 years now, including snow a couple of times.

[Sally]

Last year, ACF-50, rinse down when I could, cleaned when I could, and turned into a rust bucket near enough.

Snow a couple of times?

I was riding through snow, slush, ice and salt for weeks last year, I think there was salt on the roads for about 3 months straight.

It's a new bike, I don't really want to run it through the winter in case I slide it down the road again or the weather/salt abuse's it.

[AirArmed]

honda xr125 get one cheap look after it best you can better than spoiling a brand new bike. or similar trailie 125, more weight on front wheel for better grip and no plastic to replace if you do drop it.

[tom-k6]

any old trailey will do, usually only cost about a tenner to fix if dropped, thats just for levers =]

[Dicky Ticker]

BUS at least you will come out in one piece

[dyzio]

It's 3 miles one way for you, walk or cycle you barsteward! :D

[yorkie_chris]

MTB for 3 miles, no question, not worth starting bike for that.
Plus you can ride through anything on one, and trying to stay upright on sheet ice is more fun than terror.

Or any 125 really, you might fall off a bit, but be right. Careful with newer 125s, the build quality can be horrible.

[Bluefish]

3 miles!! you lazy git, get a bicycle win win win

[dyzio]

:lol:

http://img543.imageshack.us/img543/3717/71626003.jpg

[Spikenipple]

Get an old trailie, an XR250/400 or TTR600 etc.

[Amplimator]

Get an old trailie, an XR250/400 or TTR600 etc.

+1
Or...get an old scooter or summit, cheap as chips! Loadsa fun in the snow/ice too

[BBadger]

c90? cheap and should never ever die no matter what you do to it.

[collis]

reliant robin?
http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2010/08/22/article-1305308-0AC27EC0000005DC-213_468x286.jpg
Although prehaps i'd stay away from sharp bends... or round abouts, or any other bend for that matter.

[AirArmed]

XR250R awsome bike i have one! get one so much fun!

[thefallenangel]

cg125 which is about 20 years old. Bloody bulletproof and no need to worry about flat battery with a kickstart.

£500 to buy and £500 to sell on.

[metalhead19]

cg125 which is about 20 years old. Bloody bulletproof and no need to worry about flat battery with a kickstart.

£500 to buy and £500 to sell on.

+1
Or any old little 125, if the snows really bad just put your feet down and ski :D

[andrewsmith]

+1 For the MTB mine may come out if I'm working at the same place over the winter

or
bus pass job jobbed

[Gene genie]

snowboard?????

[xXBADGERXx]

http://www.lifeinthefastlane.ca/wp-content/uploads/2007/11/velocity_stilts_1sfw.jpg

With Snow Shoes on the bottom

[AirArmed]

i also had a cg125 battery and kick start brilliant bike, i swaped it for my car that cost me £250 and sold it on for £600! winner!

[warrenhewitt10]

ive just started a placement year......and rather than ruin my lovely bike over the winter driving 25 miles a day im going to buy myself a cheap cage to scoot arround in :) dont fancy driving over the ice rink again like last year....it wasnt fun

[Sally]

It's 3 miles one way for you, walk or cycle you barsteward! :D

Considering the 30 mile ride back home to the folks... No.

MTB for 3 miles, no question, not worth starting bike for that.
Plus you can ride through anything on one, and trying to stay upright on sheet ice is more fun than terror.

Or any 125 really, you might fall off a bit, but be right. Careful with newer 125s, the build quality can be horrible.

See above + just need something cheap as chips which is realiable and cheap to insure.

cg125 which is about 20 years old. Bloody bulletproof and no need to worry about flat battery with a kickstart.

£500 to buy and £500 to sell on.

Tempting...

+1
Or any old little 125, if the snows really bad just put your feet down and ski :D

Did that with the SV, good fun :)

ive just started a placement year......and rather than ruin my lovely bike over the winter driving 25 miles a day im going to buy myself a cheap cage to scoot arround in :) dont fancy driving over the ice rink again like last year....it wasnt fun

Re read OP, £600 1.0L Punto = £2400 third party only, the joys of havign a car crash and claim on you're record.

[dyzio]

There's an YBR on ABbikers, £1100ono

http://www.aberdeenbikers.eu/phpBB3/download/file.php?id=535&t=1

http://www.aberdeenbikers.eu/phpBB3/viewtopic.php?f=60&t=20666

Your 30mile trips could take a while longer tough.

[yorkie_chris]

They aren't worth that! Lol.

I'd be looking at a trail bike for that price, you could find a far better one for that money.

[dyzio]

That's Aberdeen prices YC :/

[yorkie_chris]

MYCs YBR was one that's obviously been someones winter commuter, they don't hold up well sadly. Swingarm spindles lock in place, exhaust rot, bolts rust. Engine is ok but clutch a little weak. Good laugh to ride though

[rob13]

C90 with a big bix on the back. You'll look like a **** but you could put bar muffs and heated grips on it and stay warm enough behind the front cowl.

Less than £500 and that should get you insurance too. Could take it green laning too!

[AndyBrad]

why not just use the sv? surely you can find another car though with less insurance costs? 1.0 micra? kia something. or a daewoo

[sunshine]

unicycle, less wheels too lose control of in the snow?

[Nelson]

Walk to work during the week and just use your current bike to go home at weekends. Or stop being such a mummies boy and don't go home at the weekend? :P

[leebex]

lol, all heart then :D just bought a sub £500 car for my winter commute, 4 miles each way, faaaaaaar to far to cycle ;)

[Sally]

why not just use the sv? surely you can find another car though with less insurance costs? 1.0 micra? kia something. or a daewoo

It doesn't get much lower in insurance terms as a 1.0L 600quid punto?

Walk to work during the week and just use your current bike to go home at weekends. Or stop being such a mummies boy and don't go home at the weekend? :P

You really don't know me do you? :)

[Ed]

Walk to work during the week and just use your current bike to go home at weekends. Or stop being such a mummies boy and don't go home at the weekend? :P

But you can't live on Pot Noodles at weekends, and anyway he needs to get his washing done:lol:

[Drew Carey]

+1 to what most have said.....don't be a lazy oik....use an MTB Monday to Friday. 6 miles a day is nothing. I'm unfit as hell and classed as morbidly obese but still manage 8.1 miles each way.

Then at weekends use the bike to go to your folks, then clean it when there. Will mean only cleaning once a week, and will save you loads. The fuel saving alone will save loads in the long run.

Added bonus is you will become fit as a fiddle in no time.

[punyXpress]

Ask Husky

[Nelson]

You really don't know me do you? :)

Lol, nah! What's special about home then? Apart from being home of course, if you get me ;-)

[Davadvice]

sally,

Are you 16? how is the car insurance so bloody dear?

I have an old ER5 i may be selling it's a P plate but i'm looking for at least 600 for it as it owes me that, so my be a bit too pricey. it's got new tyres, chain, speedo, reg/rec front and rear breaks, plugs, oil/flter, sprockets .

[sunshine]

at 20 with no claims or offenses i cant get a 1.0l car insured for less £2.5K but a 2.5l Turbo diesel Daihatsu 4X4 is only £1.5K on insurance

[collis]

at 20 with no claims or offenses i cant get a 1.0l car insured for less £2.5K but a 2.5l Turbo diesel Daihatsu 4X4 is only £1.5K on insurance
get the 4x4 if it's a fortrak, they hold the road well and will mean if someone gets in the way on the ol' ice rink just hit them.
also, try going fully comp. might sound silly but it can sometimes work out cheeper, me and my other half for the cage (1.4 rover 25) both with a claim on record proved cheeper full comp than 3rd party F+T.
Also, play with the numbers for excess etc, sometimes having a higher excess will decrease your premium as the comany see it as you'll have more incentive NOT to hit something if you have to pay £800 first of all.

[dyzio]

how is the car insurance so bloody dear?

Unfortunately, Sally has got a claim in his record which won't help his insurance, and as some folk on here noticed (me included) insurance has gone up this year...

[xXBADGERXx]

As stated , try fully comp with £500 excess and also try it with £0 excess , I actually got a lower quote with zero excess