Getting to work - the laziest and cheapest way!

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Before I owned my current Hornet I had a DRZ400 as my only bike. I commuted for a year (on nicer days) on it and loved it. It was a bit slow for general hooning so I moved it on - but that love of the journey to work I did miss. I am quite fortunate that the shortest route to my work is almost exclusively C-roads (if I wish) but those sort of roads are not as much fun on the Hornet like the DRZ used to be.

Fast forward to this spring and I had an urge to try bike commuting again so I sold a few other "hobby items" to fund buying the cheapest 125 geared bike I could. That search yesterday came to fruition when I handed over £400 for this beast - MOT until October and a years tax (£17!) were in the deal.



It needs a chain and sprockets and a general service but it starts on the button (yes it has a button!) and purrs like a kitten. A 20 mile ride home yesterday was completed with a big grin on my face Its a lot better equipped than an equivalent CG125 too - electric start, rev counter, centre stand, gear position indicator - wow I could go on! lol Top speed has been verified (on the speedo!) as 63mph on the flat at 9,500 rpm (red lines at 10,000) but it cruises nicely at 45-50 which is perfect for the roads I will be riding on.

So - short of cycling or getting a 50cc (no thanks) I think I have achieved my goal

Anyone else tried something similar for commuting?

[Bibio]

great bikes. i had 2 in my teens round about 1985-86

if its the same engine then keep an eye on the camchain tensioners as mine were manual. apart from that they are bomb proof.

ooohhh the memories

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Well this little beasty just passed its MOT with just a tweak of the headstock bearings - happy days

Its done 1,500 miles of pure commuting since May and I love it - 200 miles to £12 of petrol and its fun to ride in a strange sort of way!

[Bibio]

great little bikes. i seem to remember that they are all restricted by way of a collar in the exhaust at the inlet and if memory serves you can die grind it out to gain a few more horses.

[Jayneflakes]

As much as I love my beautiful SV I do have days when I really miss my little 125 for its ability to be a silly little toy, handle like a pushbike and put a big stupid grin on my face.

When it was my only bike I could not wait to get rid of it and get on my big bike, but now that it is gone I really miss it. I could get a weeks shopping in my panniers, the suspension would almost collapse with the weight and I could ride home at 30 feeling like I was trekking across Russia like Charlie Boreman.

I am not in anyway jealous of your little GN.

[Geodude]

Nice and fun too, the wheels are a bit scary though.. pentagrams

am about to do this myself, so riddle me this why not use a drz as its one im looking at
will have a big bike too for fun , just looking something for the commute

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Main reason for me was budget - with a young family justifying 2 bikes was hard enough so for the sale of £400 of unused hobby items I didn't actually have to spend any money to "obtain" the bike. If I can somehow upgrade it in a year or two to something a little bigger then happy days but for now the obscenely low running costs of the GS are right up my street

Plus its fun to ride something so small and nimble - especially on my route to work...

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Well another MOT pass for the GS - this time with no advisories at all Its done a sterling job of commuting in all weathers since May last year - 3600 miles covered in total so far. Its cost me nothing at all really in maintenance - just an oil change every 1200 miles or so. I fitted a -2 rear sprocket as my commute is mostly 50mph just to bring the revs down a bit and that has worked a treat as I can now mostly sit on the throttle stop all the way to work and it moves around between 45 and 60 mph depending on hills, wind resistance etc.

All in all it has been the best £400 I have ever spent I think!