Moped for commuting
Discussion
Does anyone use a moped for commuting in London? I currently live south-east (Beckenham) and work over in west (Hammersmith) so either get the train or cycle to work. I've slightly fallen out of love with my bike so wondered about selling it to fund a moped and using that solely as running costs will be a lot cheaper than the train.
My main issue is insurance, it's crazy! I'm 24, been driving since I was 17 with no accidents and I had a 50cc bike when I was 16 and yet insurance companies want a minimum of £600 a year for a £1k bike. I know I've not been riding for a while but that seems like a lot of money to me?
Does that seem right?
My main issue is insurance, it's crazy! I'm 24, been driving since I was 17 with no accidents and I had a 50cc bike when I was 16 and yet insurance companies want a minimum of £600 a year for a £1k bike. I know I've not been riding for a while but that seems like a lot of money to me?
Does that seem right?
Haha, true! I've seen plenty of dodgy behaviour when I'm out on the push bike. It's one of the reasons I want to switch to a scooter rather than a bicycle, I think I might be a little safer or at least feel safer even if statistics say I'm more likely to have a crash.
I'm getting more sold on the scooter idea now. I've had an insurance quote for £450 which is more reasonable but the excess is £750, however I'm not sure what the best option is here. The quote was from MCE who I know from BSB and comes with additional cover like breakdown etc., the next best quote was ~£200 more expensive and came with no extras (although the excess was only £400 or so).
Currently just working through the maths of whether it makes sense to get one.
I'm getting more sold on the scooter idea now. I've had an insurance quote for £450 which is more reasonable but the excess is £750, however I'm not sure what the best option is here. The quote was from MCE who I know from BSB and comes with additional cover like breakdown etc., the next best quote was ~£200 more expensive and came with no extras (although the excess was only £400 or so).
Currently just working through the maths of whether it makes sense to get one.
An excess of £750 will replace most scooters, so maybe TPFT is a winner.
Good luck with the traffic, I've got a few weeks' work in Erith and the hotel is in Bexley, so I'm only doing 5 miles and I'm still ready to kill when I arrive. The traffic is a nightmare, you are welcome to this sh*t. I can't wait to finish and get home. Leeds isn't exactly traffic free but it's not completely jammed day and night.
Good luck with the traffic, I've got a few weeks' work in Erith and the hotel is in Bexley, so I'm only doing 5 miles and I'm still ready to kill when I arrive. The traffic is a nightmare, you are welcome to this sh*t. I can't wait to finish and get home. Leeds isn't exactly traffic free but it's not completely jammed day and night.
Hello from a 20+ year experienced motorcycle trade person.
A 50cc is perfectly viable,but it needs to be a 2stroke. Vespa Lx50 is an exellent choice. Anything chinese,dont bother.
My top recomendation is a honda PCX125. The best scooter out there. And I have put my spanners and backside on a lot of scooters.
My second recommendation is an ALMAX chain and ground anchor. Dont even bother with any other security.
Dont bother with heated grips/jacket or any other s
te, just get good jacket/trousers a couple of sizes bigger and layer up.
The purchase price of the bike will be around the same cost as 1 year of train tickets,and the honda will see at least 7-10 years if you look after it. Journey times will be more than halved. The freedom to come and go on your timetable, and knowing whatever happens on the roads/rail,you WILL arrive on time, is invaluable.
A 50cc is perfectly viable,but it needs to be a 2stroke. Vespa Lx50 is an exellent choice. Anything chinese,dont bother.
My top recomendation is a honda PCX125. The best scooter out there. And I have put my spanners and backside on a lot of scooters.
My second recommendation is an ALMAX chain and ground anchor. Dont even bother with any other security.
Dont bother with heated grips/jacket or any other s
te, just get good jacket/trousers a couple of sizes bigger and layer up. The purchase price of the bike will be around the same cost as 1 year of train tickets,and the honda will see at least 7-10 years if you look after it. Journey times will be more than halved. The freedom to come and go on your timetable, and knowing whatever happens on the roads/rail,you WILL arrive on time, is invaluable.
This is something I have considered although my preference would be a 125cc of some kind.
I live near Caterham, Surrey and commute up to Holborn most days. I pay £230 a month for the privilege too so a bike would pay for itself very quickly.
My biggest worry is safety. South London is not a nice place to drive let alone being the smallest object on the road. I know you can be an extremely careful driver but that's the only thing that's put me off it.
I live near Caterham, Surrey and commute up to Holborn most days. I pay £230 a month for the privilege too so a bike would pay for itself very quickly.
My biggest worry is safety. South London is not a nice place to drive let alone being the smallest object on the road. I know you can be an extremely careful driver but that's the only thing that's put me off it.
I bought an ex demo BMW C650 super scooter
I previously had a proper bike and tbh the C650 is so much more usable and as fast if not faster through London
the ability to stick helmet under the seat , plus the apron thingy covering your legs in winter has meant I've used it far more than my bike
the only way in which its a downgrade is I dont look cool riding it
now if someone wants a 50cc or has a licence that limits that, nothing wrong with that. exactly what my Mrs does..
BUT my strong opinion is you want a bit more power, more road presence, and more grip (and preferably a decent amount of noise) because those things are what will help you avoid being knocked off. Also once you get to the front at lights you want to be able to fire it off and get up to 30mph (ahem) quickly hence well out of the way of other road users
ABS is a godsend as well. I've had a bike licence 20 years but its amazing how in a near miss your knowledge goes out of the window and you just panic and slam the brakes on. I had a KTM 690 a few years back, someone with headphones on stepped out in front of me and I missed him by about 6 cm whilst locking up the back wheel
the Vespa GTS 300 scooters look a v good combination and if I hadnt been coming from a BMW R Nine T thats probably what I would have bought
as per other comments - the scooter was more to insure than the 1200cc bike worth 50% more
I previously had a proper bike and tbh the C650 is so much more usable and as fast if not faster through London
the ability to stick helmet under the seat , plus the apron thingy covering your legs in winter has meant I've used it far more than my bike
the only way in which its a downgrade is I dont look cool riding it
now if someone wants a 50cc or has a licence that limits that, nothing wrong with that. exactly what my Mrs does..
BUT my strong opinion is you want a bit more power, more road presence, and more grip (and preferably a decent amount of noise) because those things are what will help you avoid being knocked off. Also once you get to the front at lights you want to be able to fire it off and get up to 30mph (ahem) quickly hence well out of the way of other road users
ABS is a godsend as well. I've had a bike licence 20 years but its amazing how in a near miss your knowledge goes out of the window and you just panic and slam the brakes on. I had a KTM 690 a few years back, someone with headphones on stepped out in front of me and I missed him by about 6 cm whilst locking up the back wheel
the Vespa GTS 300 scooters look a v good combination and if I hadnt been coming from a BMW R Nine T thats probably what I would have bought
as per other comments - the scooter was more to insure than the 1200cc bike worth 50% more
Go do a motorcycle course, and a full licence.
Get yourself a GS
Forget mopeds
They are death traps.
Just forget 125,s
I do Caterham to Praed St W2 daily
On a GS1200A
And it's a bit sporty out there
A smaller GS would be perfect for you.
Get yourself a GS
Forget mopeds
They are death traps.
Just forget 125,s
I do Caterham to Praed St W2 daily
On a GS1200A
And it's a bit sporty out there
A smaller GS would be perfect for you.
Edited by stuttgartmetal on Saturday 7th January 14:20
DemonDriverDan said:
I've seen plenty of dodgy behaviour when I'm out on the push bike. It's one of the reasons I want to switch to a scooter rather than a bicycle, I think I might be a little safer or at least feel safer even if statistics say I'm more likely to have a crash.
Err, doesn't that mean that a moped is likely give you a sense of security which is completely false? Why would you want that?Whether I'm riding my bike or driving, I view moped riders as the single most stupidly irresponsible group on the road (though biggest
s is won by bus drivers and least attentive is Addison Lee drivers). FWIW for getting around London other than when it is wet, freezing or wet and freezing, my view is bike>car>motorbike>moped.
stuttgartmetal said:
Anything concerned with waste is driven by a moron.
Dust carts
Tippers
Skip lorries
Transits with cages on
Awful
That is a very fair point. Dust carts
Tippers
Skip lorries
Transits with cages on
Awful
stuttgartmetal said:
Moped ideas just seem to want to show you how much quicker than you they are.
They do when they're behind you, but once they get past you they just sit there buzzing in the middle of the lane riding slowly, holding you up. Then you to some more traffic and they go back in overtaking/undertaking/freestyle dynamic slalom mode. We need a Pied Piper of Mopeds, who will lead them all to Beachy Head. And beyond.
unless you are commuting before 6am, once in London the ease of ride is inverse to the size of bike
I love the 1200GS and have just been round South Africa on one, but for me, just too big
the advantage of a physically smaller bike is all the gaps you can squeeze through, more nimble etc
and then unless you've got private parking theres more chance of fitting into a bike bay on a smaller bike
what about that Honda NC 700 thingy...has DSG gearbox and underseat storage I think, but looks more like a bike??
I love the 1200GS and have just been round South Africa on one, but for me, just too big
the advantage of a physically smaller bike is all the gaps you can squeeze through, more nimble etc
and then unless you've got private parking theres more chance of fitting into a bike bay on a smaller bike
what about that Honda NC 700 thingy...has DSG gearbox and underseat storage I think, but looks more like a bike??
Well, I've been riding my Vespa Et2 (50cc) for 15 years now and:
a) Got stopped only once by police
b) Have survived traffic / not died with this "death trap"
c) Don't drive like a twit, as others above seem to imply that riding a moped automatically makes you do...
Admitedly, the furthest I ride is 5miles each way all in Central London, these days I'm down to 2mi per day (mostly through Regents Pk). I also agree its a bit frustrating at times to have all other motorcycles zoom past at the lights and, when its a really bad day, have fit cyclists using you as their windstream and tagging behind...
I'd say that if you'll be riding anything more than 20/30 minutes you want something larger engine wise, equally if you plan to use any roads over 30mph. A moped is really only suitable for Central London where engine size makes zero difference due to traffic, if anything the small size helps in getting through smaller gaps when making your way along a queue.
Yeah I do Beckenham - Moorgate
Used to do it on a geared 125, now use a CBR600
Actually half think my old one was faster! - well half because I rode like a tt and am not 100% confident in the new one, but also because it's a good bit thinner and lighter for filtering.
Insurance for me was never tooooo bad - £450 first year on the 125 and £800 for the 600 now (125 TPFT, 600 TPO)
Used to do it on a geared 125, now use a CBR600
Actually half think my old one was faster! - well half because I rode like a t
t and am not 100% confident in the new one, but also because it's a good bit thinner and lighter for filtering.Insurance for me was never tooooo bad - £450 first year on the 125 and £800 for the 600 now (125 TPFT, 600 TPO)
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