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Bike as a daily driver in Texas

Joined
Aug 24, 2007
Messages
11
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0
Location
Plano, TX
First Name
Eric
hey everyone just thought i'd drop in and say hey and make my first post a question while i'm at it. I've been looking to taking my Motorcycle Safety Course soon and getting a bike. But obviously, I have concerns about a bike being my only source of transportation and wanted to get some insight from anyone who are in the same boat. I don't have the choice of a bike AND a car, so it's become a deicision of one or the other. I'd really like to learn to ride and own a bike and I'm in the DFW area so any point of views would be helpful.

PS - The bike I'm referring to making my daily driver is a Ninja 250. No point in killing myself with someone too fast up front. I'm short (5'3) so a ninja 250 seems ideal for me anyways until i'm more confident in my riding abilities.

Thanks in advance!
 
What do you do for a living? Is it something practical for riding a bike?

Oh yeah, welcome to the site.
 
That's one of the main reason i've been looking to getting a bike (other than the potential fun factor) I work about 8 minutes away by vehicle and spending $400 on my car/month just doesn't seem logical for me. I may be moving later this year and if i do, the commute will probably be about 20 minutes by vehicle then. As far as what i do for a living...I do tech support for Pepsi. ;)
 
well my bike isn't my only transport, but I do commute on it every day [as long as I can get to work dry]
though being in the DFW area you will get snow/ice conditions in the winter.
In houston we almost never get snowed on.
If you do go bike only, get some rain gear and you should be ok
 
I've had a bike as my only vehicle several times. I went for just over a year in Garland in the early 80's and nearly two years in Terrell in 99-00. Just make sure you have gear suitable for the weather and resign yourself to the fact that there will probably be a couple days out of the year when you'll either have to stay home or hitch a ride.

It's really not so bad - I'm sort of there again right now. My wife has a minivan, both cars have been usurped by the two oldest daughters, and my brother-in-law has taken my truck until he can get the cash to fix his bike. That leaves me my bike.
 
By the way, the two years in Terrell I was working in downtown Dallas and commuting on the bike five days a week.
 
I currently have a good friend who is married (both in mid 40's) and their only transportation is a bike. However they do have a small trailer for it to make the grocery store runs...:rider:
 
Given your location and the potentially horrendous traffic, I wouold take a look at the commute routes available. If you can find one that is not too far out of your way that will minimize exposure to large numbers of cages, a bike could be the way to go. There is also the question of what will you do during the occasional snow/ice storms in the DFW area? If public transportation is a viable option for bad weather and you feel safe in the big city traffic on a small bike, then that may be a good choice. Otherwise, I would say get sort of a junker car, cheap but reliable for now and save up for a bit larger bike in a year or two, then keep the junker for bad weather days. As for weather being a big factor, heck, even up here in the the Panhandle, I managed to commute on the bike 192 days in 2006. You take out holidays, vacation time, 8 sick days, and weekends; I didn't miss many days due to bad weather. This year, I have started keeping my rain gear handy so even if it is somewhat wet, I just put the gear on and go anyway. :rider:
 
While it can definitely be done, as many have done it in the past and some are currently doing it, my main concern would be this being your only means of transportation and you just starting to learn. Seems like something to consider to me.
 
I wouldnt ditch the car just yet. as others have said, its a good idea to have something as a backup. If you can avoid having to wear a suit to work, then you can certainly do the daily driver thing. but keep a car handy just in case ( the one time you'll need it you'll understand why.)
 
IIRC Wonder had a ninja 250. She could probably give you plenty of info on how well the bike did in traffic, ect...
 
Get your self a Suzuki GS500 (early models going cheap and they are bullet proof) and get a cheap car or keep your curent car.. Some times weather is really bad and very dangerous to be out on a bike. Today half of the streets where full of water, you dont really want to stall your bike into water with traffic coming behind you... also Ice storms, we have few of those every year:doh:
 
I commuted on a bike from Corinth (north of Lewisville) to LBJ & Central for a year. Apart from the cages trying to run me over, the weather can be brutal in the winter - which, as was pointed out, we don't have in Houston. 25 miles at 20 degrees, no matter how many layers, left me walking stiff legged for nearly on hour after I got inside at work.

I was younger then. And I paid $10 a week to car pool the next winter :-)
 
Short and sweet, stick with a car.

I too commute daily on my bike and so far this year I've logged over 20k miles and managed to take 2 months off due to a busted up shoulder. So I've been riding quite a bit.

Buttttttt, my advice to anyone is to have a bike as a luxury. Yes, you can do it, but trust me you don't want to. They don't save you any money, they are more of a hassle to carry stuff on, and you can't take buddies to work with you unless you want to look a little... well....

I had a guy that I met (new rider) buy an FZ6 as his sole mode of transport. It lasted all of two weeks and then it had a for sale sign on it. He instead bought a little used Honda Civic that got almost 50mpg and was much happier with it. I'm not trying to dissuade you, but you really need to get quite a bit of experience IMO before making a commitment of having a bike as a sole method of transport.
 
I have VW bugs, bug haven't driven either since last October. That is a very cheap car if you want a four wheeler on standby. I'd suggest keeping a car, even if you rarely use one.

Lastly, bikes require more attention than cars. Even if you're a good mechanic, you will find the bike down for a few days ever now and then, so another way to get around is good. A bicycle may be just the ticket. I'm close to work but traffic is so bad I don't use the bicycle.
 
I use my bike as my primary transportation when I'm not deployed, but I always have my truck on standby. I've needed it twice. On the other hand, I've had to ride the bike exclusively a few times while the truck was down. Works well to have the option.
 
I went two years ('03-'05) exclusively on a bike and didn't miss having a car. I still use the bike as my primary vehicle, my wife has the van. Ice doesn't visit our roads too often. That's my only excuse for not riding. On the one or two days each year that happens I can get a ride or something.

Going bike-only isn't all sunshine and twisty roads. Sometimes it is difficult. Rain gets things wet. Heat makes you sweat and gets things wet. You'll learn to pack for the weather possibilities. You'll learn creative packing.
 
Bike as a daily driver?
as you can see, plenty of folks attest it can be done.

Bike as sole transportation?
not such a great idea. If you have public transportation available or can bum rides when you need to, you can probably get away with it.
 
I'm about 80/20. Sometimes work obligations just don't allow for bike use.
 
If you are in the Parkwood building, you can park in the below ground parking in the motorcycle section.
 
I only have a bike, but the girlfriend has a car I can use, BUT, here in the next month or so, Ill be needing to get a 4 wheeled vehicle when the ice and snow shows up.
 
I had a bike only for 2-1/2 years while in college, working PT and commuting to school. You learn to adapt. Occasionally, though, I did need to borrow or rent a car.... still cheaper overall.
 
As much as I look forward to the day I can change jobs and ride to work on a regular basis, at the very least, an old beater car is darn near a must. Weather doesn't bother me nor safety concerns with heavy traffic so much(I roll with the idea that I'm invisible to cars) but there are times when a person just needs a car for hauling things or in case the bike is in the shop. Though, jumping straight into high traffic situations as a novice rider can be intimidating / dangerous. Maybe go with the car for now until you can afford a cheap bike and ease into riding to make sure it's for you. -Good luck
 
Looking at how last winter was here in DFW, I'd say you definitely need a car. But, you said your total travel time is 8 minutes (soon maybe 20), so that's not really much time to be out there on the roads where you're exposed to the elements.
 
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