motorycle guys: bike as sole form of transportation?

[osnap]

I'm seriously looking into getting a bike, specifically the new 08 Ninja 250R. I know, I know 250s are ghey but it looks like a FANTASTIC first bike. Easy learning curve, GREAT looking, very nimble and easy to take around corners, and ridiculously cheap ($3500 MSRP brand new). I'll probably eventually get a 600, but from what I'm reading, the new 250 is honestly an awesome bike... and it gets 55-70mpg! Gas is a $20 fill up, and insurance is pretty damn cheap.

I guess in theory I could keep a car around, but it would be difficult at an apartment complex, and I'd be paying insurance for both which would be a royal pain in the ass. I don't really carry anything around, except when going grocery shopping or something, and for that I have friends/roommates when just a backpack wont cut it (which honestly I dont think will be all that frequently).

Has anybody had a bike as their sole means of transportation? Biggest concerns I have are based more on weather than storage capacity. How much of a pain in the ass is it to ride in the rain/cold? Being in college, I just feel like if any time is right to own just a bike, nows that time.

reps for help

Heres the bike btw...

[MistaCee]

Oh man your tempting me.....

[osnap]

you and me both, man. haha

[Halfwit]

i know a few people who have a bike as sole form of transportaion, and ive done it a few weeks at a time.

in the winter, it depends on how far you have to go. when it is low 30's outside, i have on 2 shirts, 2 sweatshirts, and a mesh jacket with a winter lining. and i would be frozen 3 minutes down the road. your hands freeze and you cant feel them. but if your ride is 20 mins or less, u should be fine. i hateit cause i was riding 50mins at 6am at 60+ mph.. so it was cooooolllld.

rain: there are cheap rainsuits you can buy that will shield you from hte rain, but you will get a little wet. i rode in the rain yesterday and it wasnt bad.

i dont reccomend it. it gets old quick.

ill ride my bike to work and back all week, and then the next week ill take my car jsut cause i dont feel like riding. and for the fact that my car gets better mpg than my bike.. (88crx si vs 2003 zx6r with i/e / power commander tuned.)

but on the choice of 250r, they are great bikes, but i believe they are on backorder for a few months due to higher demand than anticipated.

[rickgiblin]

hey, just fyi... that is a great choice for a first bike if you have never rode anything before. but as for the rain, its alittle diffulcult if your a noob. but thought time you would get it. as far as for the cold and such, what do we have... 2 months of cold weather. it gets cold as crap but its bareable.

but as for insurance, call up state farm and get a quote from them. allstate quoted me 1300 every 6 for full coverage for a 05 gsxr600 and statefarm quoted me 270 every 6 for the same bike. but also, you can get multiple policy discounts, so check on that also

[LIKEG6]

3500 is the low man and the bike looks sweet

I'm thinkin about getting a bike here soon

[Master Shake]

dude....250 may not be fast or anything....but the gas mileage is the f|_|ckin bomb

[David88vert]

I have been riding for years, and have ridden in all weather conditions. I can say this about only a bike for transportation - don't do it. You may think that it will be cheaper, but if you compare overal costs per mile, a beater car is much cheaper than a sportbike - even a 250. Tires cost more, oil changes are more frequent, maintenance cost more, plus you need gear, etc, etc, etc. Lots of people have listed out the comparitive costs on the web, just do a search on Google.
If you are looking for cheap transportation, look for an old Geo Metro, a Civic, a Daewoo, or similar. It will be much cheaper in the long run. Don' forget, if you go with the bike, you need to get very good insurance - not just for the bike itsself, but also medical coverage, and short/long term disability. It's not practical for someone in college.

[osnap]

im starting to really shy from the whole "bike only" idea, so dont think ill be going in that direction. but i should point out that saving money isnt the big allure for me. I've wanted a bike for years, and it just so happens that compared to other sportbikes, the cost of ownership for the 250R in particular is rather nice. I'll definitely look extensively into insurance options if i pick one up.

[90_ACCORD]

i was actually talking to 90_ZC_HATCH today about those
great looking bike
i plan on getting one

[Halfwit]

im starting to really shy from the whole "bike only" idea, so dont think ill be going in that direction. but i should point out that saving money isnt the big allure for me. I've wanted a bike for years, and it just so happens that compared to other sportbikes, the cost of ownership for the 250R in particular is rather nice. I'll definitely look extensively into insurance options if i pick one up.

thats the way to go. i keep my 88 crx si, and a sportbike. i dont know anything about full coverage, cause ive always bought my bikes cash, and put liability on them (im 20 so full coverage is like 2-300 a month, liability is like 200 a year) but youll apreciate your car alot more after riding your bike alot. youll actually like not having to gear up ect.

its funny. people say they feel "free" on a bike, but after a while you feel "free" in a car since u dont have to put on all your gear helmet bookbag ect.

[EJ25RUN]

in Atlanta, a 2 wheeled vehicle is a hard tool as the only transport. The only way it could make sense is if you live near the GT Tech campus and you go to school right there. Even with that scenario, a scooter is all i have ever seen people actually use. But, any where else, traffic, weather, theft, are all the noes. I say get a car and get the 250 as the toy. Most of the people i know keep bikes in their house (Literally) and never go anywhere where they will leave them.

In fact, the 250 is the best motorcycle Kawi makes relative to equal competition.

[slow_hatch]

When I first started riding I rode my SV as my main transportion for almost a year. After riding and racing motorcycles over the years I have reliezed that having a bike only sucks.

[Axon360]

At first riding seems like a good idea, but it's so much nicer to get 1/2 the mpg and be comfortable with the heater goin. I rode my bike (06' Ninja 636) almost all winter last year, granted it was a mild one. I could only stand about 30 degrees, any colder and you just shake for the whole ride to work. I always wore my riding jacket, boots, and flannel-lined jeans along with a thermal shirt, sweater, and long johns. Oh and rain sucks even with gear, some buddies of mine that didn't have a riding jacket were freezing one time we went out riding and it started raining...and it was a 60 degree day; I'd hate to see what it would be like if it were raining in 20 degree weather.

EDIT - Also factor in tire wear, sure you save gas but tires wear out so fast on bikes, is it really worth saving the gas?

[GIXXERDK]

I've done it for TWO years and it was a pain in the ass at times. You really learn a lot about a bike when you ride it everyday, rain or shine!

Taking on/off gear everywhere you stop

Toll's I dont know why I've always had a problem with them, I even had a guy behind me give me .50c

Sitting in traffic roasting your nuts in full gear/100+F

Idiots who dont see you, this gets really annoying on a daily basis.

[Elbow]

I have been for the past month or maybe a tad more, rain sucks, not room to carry, but great gas and fun!

[Elbow]

BTW I have a 08 250

[Tech5]

08 250 is hard to buy right now, good luck on getting one,they are hard to get everyone wants one!!

[2000Quad]

the 08 250 rocks...love the thing...rode 70 miles at 90mph average the other day and used just above a gallon of gas....the thing is amazing....

[Cool Cat Racing]

My SV is basically my only vehicle, I have others but I usually still ride in the rain unless its just a downpour. Its not that bad but it sucks if you want to make a trip or need to pick up something of any size. That's why I have my car and my truck though. I wouldn't advise using a bike as a sole vehicle though, Its nice when the weather is nice or you live near all the stores.

[Tarzanman]

It depends. It is doable, but depends on your situation. I spent 4.5 years at college with no car and no bicycle (skateboard and rollerblades FTW!). I lived on campus, ate on campus (for the most part) and either got a ride, walked, or took MARTA to where I needed to go.

As for riding in the winter... the winters here in Georgia are pretty mild. If you have the right gear, then the temperature isn't an issue.
This is what I would consider cold weather gear (45-and-below with no sun, or 40-and below with the sun out)
-Tight fitting helmet with a chin wind-guard
-Balaclava (or bandana tied around your face like bank robbers do) & polar fleece jacket/vest with a high turtleneck collar (to make a good seal so that cold air doesn't sneak down your jacket or up into your helmet
-Cold weather, waterproof textile jacket (waterproof means wind-proof too... you can usually find a deal on a last-year's model for ~$100)
-Cold weather, waterproof -or- heated gloves
-Cold weather, waterproof textile overpants (layers will keep you warm)
-Riding boots (something that covers most of your shin)

Most of your late fall and winter weather riding will be done in the mid-to-high 40's, so leather will keep you warm enough most of time (especially if the sun is out).

You will need a good backpack and cargo net/bike luggage to haul the occasional item (food, etc).

You will also need basic tools (or a friend with tools) for periodic bike maintenance (like getting new tires mounted).

Last, you will need a safe place to keep your bike because they do get stolen. I would not bother owning a motorcycle if you live in an apt or have to park it in any kind of mass parking lot/deck

[Smittie61984]

I'm pretty much bike only but I have access to my dad's truck when I want to. I have a 1998 S10 V6 but I hit a deer with it and took out the headlight and grill. Which it won't be expensive to fix but hte truck's A/C and blower doesn't work and I've been lazy. But it did fairly well on gas.

Now I have ridden in all kinds of weather. One weekend I rode from Deal's Gap which was Superbowl Sunday and roughly 45degrees. It rained on me from the store all the way to Loganville. That included some nighttime riding in the rain. I had no rain gear. Upper body consisted of a Tank Top, Long John shirt, long sleeve shirt, leather jacket, and a hooded sweatshirt. Bottom half consisted of underwear, long johns, pajama pants and blue jeans (Before I had leahter pants which do well in rain). In that rain from Andrews, NC to Murphy, NC I was running roughly 90-100mph in a downpour. As in if you were in a car your wipers would be WOT! That was also with a fairly slick Pilot Power race takeoff rear.

You can go faster in the rain than you can think. Here are some guys racing in the rain...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kfmWx0tYRV8

Now bike only can also be determined on where you live. If you live in the suburbs or out towards the country I say hell no. But if I lived Intown with busses, Marta, Taxies an close stores then it could work. Also another thing to consider is if you are single or not and plan on dating. When you take a girl out she's probably going to want A/C and no threat of being ran over by a car.

Also the new Ninjas are awesome and great beginner bikes. My buddy had an 06 Ninja that I loved to ride around on. He rode it for a few months then sold it and bought a 2008 Suzuki SV650s which was a very fun bike.

Which that wouldn't be a bad route to take. Find a used (Yes uglier but it's a beginner bike) Ninja250 for roughly $1,000-1500 and pay cash if possible. Get Liability insurance (Probably $100 a year or $300 with medical which you need to get) and ride that for a few months and learn the basics. Once you get better you can step it up to a SV650s which is a bike you can love forever.