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+--- Thread: Commuting.. (/showthread.php?tid=9905)
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Commuting.. - V1GiLaNtE - 03-17-2012
Of the MMer's who own 2 wheel transportation how many of you commute a decent percentage of the year and what are your experiences regarding convenience, work attire issues, or other thoughts... ? (I expect Kaan to dominate this one..)
Re: Commuting.. - SlimKlim - 03-17-2012
Yeah seriously, this has Kaan written all over it.
If it helps I have a buddy who rides a road bike to work all week, and he keeps 5 days of work clothes in a gym locker at work and drives once a week so he can change it out.
Re: Commuting.. - Levey - 03-17-2012
I've been wondering the same thing. I'd feel like a jackass riding in dress slacks.
Re: Commuting.. - Kaan - 03-18-2012
I didnt "stop" riding this year. i took maybe a week off total due to REALLY important meetings or the weather people getting it completely wrong. I established myself early on as the guy who rides his motorcycle all the time. I've even shown up for meetings at the white house on a bike.
Basic motorcycle gear includes:
1. jacket
2. gloves
3. boots
4. helmet
5. backpack (i've had the same one for 9 years)
from summer to winter, i add a liner to my jacket, sometimes i wore thermal underwear pants, and i change to gloves that dont have huge air inlets (get winter friendly gloves, it goes a long way). you will feel the chill in the winter, especially in your hands. you will sweat in summer time but usually on the way home. I dont care what happens on the way home, rain, sweat, etc... i'm going home, i'll shower, clean up, warm up, etc.
It all depends on the options you have at work.
1. do you have a dry cleaner close to your officer?
2. do you have a cube/office/gym you can store clothes?
I have a dry cleaner on my first floor and i have a closet that I can keep stuff in. I keep two suits at work at any given time ( i change them out any time i drive or sylvia drops me off or i metro).
3. Keep a travel set up at your work. mini deodorant, some cologne, toothbrush, etc.
4. keep 1-2 bottles of water in your backpack year round. one fucked up traffic day will teach you that lesson.
normal days (hot or cold)
I ride in my dress slack, put my dress shoes in my backpack, and i roll dress shirts and put them in the backpack too. Keep some of that spray anti wrinkle at work, but i only have to use it in the summer when its HOT and humid. if its REALLY hot i'll toss in an extra undershirt to make sure i'm minty fresh.
rainy mornings:
I wear jeans to the office and pack all my stuff in a plastic bag. this includes spare underwear, undershirts, socks. you will get soaked to the bone if you go hard core. again, in the afternoon i dont care what happens really... i just ride out.
Things for the motorcycle:
1. you'll want to be able to work on your own bike
2. keep oil filters/oil in stock
3. get a rear stand and good air gauge
4. get really good with adjusting your chain tension.. it will make it last a LONG time.
I adjust/clean/lube my chain once a week (500ish miles) and i check my tire pressures (in the afternoon when the bike has been sitting and im not sleepy or anything) once a week. I'll air up and fill on gas the next morning.
ginger also used to commute a lot... so i'm sure if he reads this he'll chime in too.
Re: Commuting.. - V1GiLaNtE - 03-18-2012
$$$
Great outline.. Will definitely come in handy..
Ever considered wearing overpants? Mainly for having some armor?
Re: Commuting.. - Kaan - 03-18-2012
Over pants wrinkle my slacks
Re: Commuting.. - V1GiLaNtE - 03-18-2012
^ah..how bout' winter time.. still rocking slacks?
Re: Commuting.. - Kaan - 03-18-2012
Slacks and thermals.
Re: Commuting.. - BLINGMW - 03-19-2012
So maybe I'm just lucky, but if you don't have to be very dressy, I would highly recommend these AGV kahkis:
![[Image: agv-sport-agvsport-excursion-motorcycle-...-large.jpg]](http://www.agvsport.com/Kevlar-Lined-Pants-Tops/Excursion/agv-sport-agvsport-excursion-motorcycle-kevlar-lined-cargo-pants-black-large.jpg)
I get to ride/commute about twice a week. It's those and my leather jacket and gloves over a usually fairly casual shirt. Comfortable, fits well, don't have to change when I get to work. I wouldn't be willing to jump through all the hoops Kaan does unless gas was $10/gal. :bow:
Re: Commuting.. - Ginger - 03-19-2012
What Kaan said. I commuted every day, rain, shine, frigid, or searing hot for about 5 years. What I took away from it was that it thoroughly removed the enjoyment of motorcycling for me, and taught me that motorcycles aren't designed to be used every day. Now, I commute when the weather isn't going to suck - if rain's in the forecast I'm taking the car... that's why I own it - and when I feel like it.
Like mentioned, you need to be able to work on your bike and there are steps you can take to mitigate trouble, but you'll start to get things wearing out very quickly that you'd never have expected. Nothing sucks more than coming out of your office and finding out that the bike won't start.
Buy nice gear for every riding situation. It pays huge dividends and the more time you spend on the bike, the more you'll appreciate it. If your helmet liner feels like sandpaper now, imagine how it's going to feel when you're putting it on to spend the 13th hour in it for the week. Corollary: take good care of your gear. Poor care will shoten the lifespan and it will start to do things like smell. And your coworkers are going to notice if you smell.
Jackets: I own 4. I hate fucking with liners and vents and zippers and technical membranes . One jacket can't do it all very well.
Helmet: something that's comfortable and fits. I wear a skullcap in the summer and a balaclava in the winter. In the winter, it helps stay warm. In the summer, it helps keep my hair and sweat from funking up the liner.
Gloves: lots. All kinds of conditions and styles.
Pants: I wear Dickies. They're thicker than normal slacks, so they don't flap around as much on the bike and feel sturdier. My Dickies khakis look just like any other pair. Oh, and they don't wrinkle much. I don't really need overpants in anything but rain, but in those instances, I own a pair of Aerostich Darien overpants, which are the only things I've found to be ACTUALLY waterproof. If you think those PVC things are waterproof, wait until you show up at work looking like you wet yourself.
Boots: lucky enough to be able to wear standard pull-on boots at the office. But when it's wet, I have a pair of waterproof Sidis I wear. Lots of folks keep dress shoes as their desk.
Something Kaan didn't mention that I'm a huge fan of: heated gear. I I have a heated jacket and love it. Get the jacket over the vest because cold arms are lame AND...
... because they've got outlet ports for heated gloves. Heated gloves beat heated grips hands down. Just make sure your bike can handle the electrical load.
Have fun. If you start to get tired of it, you should probably get back in your car, though. In addition to taking the enjoyment out of the activity, a rider on autopilot is a dangerous rider.
Re: Commuting.. - Kaan - 03-19-2012
Helmet: you'll learn to love mid range ($500ish) light weight ones over heave $100-200 ones if you ride daily
i've logged a lot of miles and it hasnt taken anything away from me. but i 100% agree on the autopilot rider thing... around here, bitches drive CARZY and you better bring your A game.
Re: Commuting.. - G.Irish - 03-19-2012
I ride to work just about every day in the spring/fall/summer, and on days above about 38 degrees in the winter.
In spring/summer/fall I just have my mesh jacket with a liner, and I have mesh overpants to wear over my dress slacks. I pack my dress shoes in my backpack, and occasionally the jacket for my suit if I'm dressing up.
When it rains I have a set of Frogtogs I wear:
![[Image: 2009_Frogg_Toggs_Bull_Frogg_Rainsuit.jpg]](http://images.motorcycle-superstore.com/ProductImages/OG/2009_Frogg_Toggs_Bull_Frogg_Rainsuit.jpg)
They're breathable so you don't get super hot in them, and they fit over all of my other riding gear (I usually skip my normal overpants though) . They keep me dry for the most part by sometimes some moisture gets through to the seat of my pants. For that reason, I wear dark pants on rain days.
I've never had any problems with the bike not starting, except for once or twice when I left my lights on and had to bump start it (on the 600, don't think I could bump start the 1000).
Re: Commuting.. - .RJ - 03-19-2012
BLINGMW Wrote:I wouldn't be willing to jump through all the hoops Kaan does unless gas was $10/gal. :bow:
Going into DC/Arlington it saves a ton of time - its HOV only inside the beltway. Its not just the fuel cost.
I did it when I worked in Arlington, and I'm riding to work a bit now but those commutes were short and I dont really have anything to add here.
Re: Commuting.. - HAULN-SS - 03-19-2012
.RJ Wrote:BLINGMW Wrote:I wouldn't be willing to jump through all the hoops Kaan does unless gas was $10/gal. :bow:
Going into DC/Arlington it saves a ton of time - its HOV only inside the beltway. Its not just the fuel cost.
I did it when I worked in Arlington, and I'm riding to work a bit now but those commutes were short and I dont really have anything to add here.
+1 to both of these. I drive mine in from WV sometimes, but it's a pain in the ass. Lately I can wear jeans to work so I may start doing it more, but it also sucks there are no HOV or special perks for driving one along my commute - so it doesnt save any time, just the gas differential.
Re: Commuting.. - G.Irish - 03-19-2012
HAULN-SS Wrote:+1 to both of these. I drive mine in from WV sometimes, but it's a pain in the ass. Lately I can wear jeans to work so I may start doing it more, but it also sucks there are no HOV or special perks for driving one along my commute - so it doesnt save any time, just the gas differential.For me there's also the fun differential. Feels much better to ride in to work in the morning than to drive the cage. Especially if I can go WFO for a few seconds
Re: Commuting.. - Kaan - 03-19-2012
exit ramp track days
and HOV are my biggest +.... the $12/week on gas helps. once you get into the routine, its nothing. i wake up at 5:15 and get to work around 6:30...
Re: Commuting.. - BLINGMW - 03-19-2012
yeah, I can see the HOV issue making it worthwhile.
Re: Commuting.. - V1GiLaNtE - 03-19-2012
LOTS of great info..
Certainly with the rising fuel costs there is definitely a large appeal to riding to work as well as the slight time savings in HOV..
My job starts mid-summer with the HQ being in Tysons/McLean but my actual work will consist of Fed clients on-site..
With the gigantic income increase the Jeep will just become a rainy day/grocery haulin/weekend trail riding vehicle because it's so damn cheap to keep around.. Cannot be a main source of transportation with 16mpg highway average.. While I'm still not sure where all my work will be I've come to the conclusion that riding my bicycle to class EVERYDAY rain or shine for the last 2 years I can surely ride a motorcycle to work.. Much as Kaan said it's just a routine that can be done. Riding in the rain sucked enough so buying a fender for the bike and a high quality, breathable, lightweight rain jacket made all the difference.. I'm hoping that depending on job sites I won't have to be super dressy everyday giving wiggle room for riding gear..
Plus, I'm done riding everyone else bike... I need my own for exit ramp track days as buying my own bike has been a HUGE priority of mine for after graduation.. I just appreciate and love the ride..
Re: Commuting.. - .RJ - 03-19-2012
V1GiLaNtE Wrote:my actual work will consist of Fed clients on-site..
You're going to have to scope out the parking situation, and you may also have a problem having a place to change when you get there if you need to do that - a lot of times contractors get the shaft with facilities. It all depends on where you work, there may be a gym and dry cleaners nearby - just requires some extra homework since you need to look professional each day on site.
Re: Commuting.. - G.Irish - 03-19-2012
Yeah I work at State Dept and contractors can get in-building parking passes for free. When I worked at the Pentagon I could park in the motorcycle lot for free as well. The big plus is that usually contractors either end up on a long wait list or simply can't get a parking pass at all for cars.