Commuting - making it better
Discussion
My commute will be changing soon. Will be around an hour each way. Not a huge distance I know.
Bike is a 1200GS. Wind protection is very good and it has heated grips. Roads are a mixture of 60 mile an hour A roads, bit of dual carriageway and a tiny amount of town riding.
What is a must to make it better on those crappy rainy days? It will be used in all weathers other than ice/snow/storms like we've recently had.
Kit although almost ten years old, is still holding up and waterproof still. Although I'll need some new boots as currently using a old pair of work ones. Is it worth getting any heated clothing?
Bike is a 1200GS. Wind protection is very good and it has heated grips. Roads are a mixture of 60 mile an hour A roads, bit of dual carriageway and a tiny amount of town riding.
What is a must to make it better on those crappy rainy days? It will be used in all weathers other than ice/snow/storms like we've recently had.
Kit although almost ten years old, is still holding up and waterproof still. Although I'll need some new boots as currently using a old pair of work ones. Is it worth getting any heated clothing?
Laminated Goretex is great if you’re considering a new suit. I’ve got an older jacket with a drop liner that keeps me dry but wets out and stays wet all day. This means it’s heavy and colder on the way home after a wet ride in. My newer trousers on the other hand are laminated so dry out almost immediately. Im planning on upgrading the jacket this year.
Did what sounds like a very similar commute for 2 years on a 2005 GS. It had a massive screen (which was excellent). I would get pinlock as mentioned above and a fenda extenda and a top box. Backs of leg/ankle seemed to pick up a lot of road grime something to do with the aerodynamics of being behind the cylinder heads. Oh also a shock tube, the rear shock gets covered in a lot of crud otherwise. XCP Professional - Rust Blocker Clear Coat and give this a good blast everywhere (other than the obvious).
Edited by jjones on Saturday 26th February 09:02
Good gear (that stuff which lets the water run off, non-absorbent).
Good spare pair of gloves.
Decent pin lock visor that doesn’t leak.
Spare pants add socks at work, just in case.
Scottoiler or shaft drive (I have neither atm).
Centre-stand (I don’t have one of these, either).
Heated grips.
Heated vest (I’ve a Gerbing battery powered jobbie, been going for about 8 years and still works well).
ABS.
Well maintained bike.
Decent tyres.
Good lights.
Top box (only recently added one to mine, wish I’d done it sooner).
Good tank range (mine is sh*t).
Covered parking at work.
Camera (my Drift is now f
ked, feel naked without it).
Puncture repair kit.
Decent basic tool kit.
AA or similar membership, or ready access to a helpful mate with a van.
Good weather protection on the bike would be nice, but I’ve never had it and don’t mind.
Thinking about sticking a hi-vis in the top box next winter for those dark and very wet evening/morning commutes)
Good spare pair of gloves.
Decent pin lock visor that doesn’t leak.
Spare pants add socks at work, just in case.
Scottoiler or shaft drive (I have neither atm).
Centre-stand (I don’t have one of these, either).
Heated grips.
Heated vest (I’ve a Gerbing battery powered jobbie, been going for about 8 years and still works well).
ABS.
Well maintained bike.
Decent tyres.
Good lights.
Top box (only recently added one to mine, wish I’d done it sooner).
Good tank range (mine is sh*t).
Covered parking at work.
Camera (my Drift is now f
ked, feel naked without it).Puncture repair kit.
Decent basic tool kit.
AA or similar membership, or ready access to a helpful mate with a van.
Good weather protection on the bike would be nice, but I’ve never had it and don’t mind.
Thinking about sticking a hi-vis in the top box next winter for those dark and very wet evening/morning commutes)
TT1138 said:
If your job still involves coming back after night shifts, a car…
Latest I’ll finish is 2am unless I’m kept on. Car isn’t ideal as no on site parking. Can pay to park or park free about 20 minutes away. Thanks everyone some useful stuff
. Thankfully got underground parking and also a drying room if needed. Key kit for me:
Gore-Tex outer layer, ideally Gore-Tex Pro.
Make sure "joins", wrists, ankles, waist and, most importantly neck, are water and wind tight. Rain will find any gaps and make you wet and miserable, Watch for neck wicking where a non-waterproof neck covering wicks the rain past the waterproof collar and into the under layers.
Comfortable clothing that can handle a cold trip in and a warm run home.
Heated grips.
As little luggage as possible. Leave what you can at work such as work clothes/shoes and get a separate home and work laptop charger, mouse etc. so you don't have to carry anything other than the laptop itself.
A waterproof tank bag or pillion seat tail pack
A bike you are comfortable on both at town speeds and at fast road speeds.
A chilled out attitude to any idiots you meet on the road.
Gore-Tex outer layer, ideally Gore-Tex Pro.
Make sure "joins", wrists, ankles, waist and, most importantly neck, are water and wind tight. Rain will find any gaps and make you wet and miserable, Watch for neck wicking where a non-waterproof neck covering wicks the rain past the waterproof collar and into the under layers.
Comfortable clothing that can handle a cold trip in and a warm run home.
Heated grips.
As little luggage as possible. Leave what you can at work such as work clothes/shoes and get a separate home and work laptop charger, mouse etc. so you don't have to carry anything other than the laptop itself.
A waterproof tank bag or pillion seat tail pack
A bike you are comfortable on both at town speeds and at fast road speeds.
A chilled out attitude to any idiots you meet on the road.
black-k1 said:
Key kit for me:
Gore-Tex outer layer, ideally Gore-Tex Pro.
Make sure "joins", wrists, ankles, waist and, most importantly neck, are water and wind tight. Rain will find any gaps and make you wet and miserable, Watch for neck wicking where a non-waterproof neck covering wicks the rain past the waterproof collar and into the under layers.
Comfortable clothing that can handle a cold trip in and a warm run home.
Heated grips.
As little luggage as possible. Leave what you can at work such as work clothes/shoes and get a separate home and work laptop charger, mouse etc. so you don't have to carry anything other than the laptop itself.
A waterproof tank bag or pillion seat tail pack
A bike you are comfortable on both at town speeds and at fast road speeds.
A chilled out attitude to any idiots you meet on the road.
ThisGore-Tex outer layer, ideally Gore-Tex Pro.
Make sure "joins", wrists, ankles, waist and, most importantly neck, are water and wind tight. Rain will find any gaps and make you wet and miserable, Watch for neck wicking where a non-waterproof neck covering wicks the rain past the waterproof collar and into the under layers.
Comfortable clothing that can handle a cold trip in and a warm run home.
Heated grips.
As little luggage as possible. Leave what you can at work such as work clothes/shoes and get a separate home and work laptop charger, mouse etc. so you don't have to carry anything other than the laptop itself.
A waterproof tank bag or pillion seat tail pack
A bike you are comfortable on both at town speeds and at fast road speeds.
A chilled out attitude to any idiots you meet on the road.
If you're commuting for normal working hours the lowest temperatures are in the morning when you are blasting down a deserted NSL road and the highest in the afternoon when you are in heavy traffic. With the wrong gear at certain times of the year you will be uncomfortably cold and uncomfortably hot/sweaty on the same day.
Get a big service done now. Looking at the hours you talk about you want to identify problems before they occur. It's also rubbish getting up really early to take the bike to the garage then going on the train in your kit.
Be aware that very quickly your bike will become worthless due to the mileage you'll rack up. I used to do 1,000 miles a month on a Ducati which was totally outside the bounds of what folk and trade in prices were used to.
As you have a GS, does it have a decent headlamp? Or is it going to need to be festooned in lights to help? Had to ride to Worcester for work one Valentines Day and on the A road to there from Oxford on my Yamaha FZ6 I discovered just how much you are slowed down by bad lights.
Be aware that very quickly your bike will become worthless due to the mileage you'll rack up. I used to do 1,000 miles a month on a Ducati which was totally outside the bounds of what folk and trade in prices were used to.
As you have a GS, does it have a decent headlamp? Or is it going to need to be festooned in lights to help? Had to ride to Worcester for work one Valentines Day and on the A road to there from Oxford on my Yamaha FZ6 I discovered just how much you are slowed down by bad lights.
Laminated clothing. My Bering Balistik has been 100% as long as it's reproofed every year. Though tbh if I was about to leave in torrential rain I'd throw over a cheap waterproof jacket etc just so the suit itself doesn't absord so much water.
Get heated kit if you have poor circulation. Get solid bar muffs so they don't flap about.
Fender extenders and radiator guards etc.
Get your suspension serviced (T Tech in Croydon does each one for about £130).
Get heated kit if you have poor circulation. Get solid bar muffs so they don't flap about.
Fender extenders and radiator guards etc.
Get your suspension serviced (T Tech in Croydon does each one for about £130).
Tribal Chestnut said:
Salted_Peanut said:
Dr Jekyll said:
Or do what one London commuter did in the 80s and have a music system with external speakers, then play Ride of the Valkyries while filtering.
I recommend ear plugs, ideally the ones where they fit them to your ears. Pretty much essential for protecting your heating over the long term.
Also I would budget for a hotel room near work if you get snow whilst you are at work. My mate got caught out and fought his way around the M25 in near zero visibility and with a thick layer of snow on the ground, like a fool.
Just to tip the odds more in your favour, some advanced training IAM/ROSPA/Bike Safe won’t hurt.
Maybe some accessory lights to help you stand out.
Also I would budget for a hotel room near work if you get snow whilst you are at work. My mate got caught out and fought his way around the M25 in near zero visibility and with a thick layer of snow on the ground, like a fool.
Just to tip the odds more in your favour, some advanced training IAM/ROSPA/Bike Safe won’t hurt.
Maybe some accessory lights to help you stand out.
Ear plugs are a must.
I love having the radio on - via sena. And the ability to take calls if urgent/needed (I realise opinions on this vary!)
Heated gear - I've done 10s of thousands of commuting miles over the years and only recently got this, its a luxury for sure (much like having a heated seat in a car...) but is very nice just turning it up a click and being toasty warm - I do ride a naked bike though so your GS will be much warmer due to less wind blast.
I love having the radio on - via sena. And the ability to take calls if urgent/needed (I realise opinions on this vary!)
Heated gear - I've done 10s of thousands of commuting miles over the years and only recently got this, its a luxury for sure (much like having a heated seat in a car...) but is very nice just turning it up a click and being toasty warm - I do ride a naked bike though so your GS will be much warmer due to less wind blast.
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