Stupid idea??

I live in Hertfordshire and have made similar journeys a number of times - through choice, i should add. In the depths of winter I wouldn't want to be doing it every day, though.

Given that contactless payment is calculated on a daily rate and is therefore cheaper than buying one-off tickets used to be, I'd suggest that it's perfectly doable but that you should pick your days. When it's horrible/icy/pissing down outside go in by train (or car if you have parking facilities); save the biking for when the sun's out and the risk profile is lower.

I have a friend that commutes from Royston to somewhere near Victoria on his Triumph Explorer every day......he's up to around 70k miles now, on a 2.5 year old bike...... So, it's doable.....

Yea but that is a triumph explorer.............'EXPLORER', not a 125

I have a friend that commutes from Royston to somewhere near Victoria on his Triumph Explorer every day......he's up to around 70k miles now, on a 2.5 year old bike...... So, it's doable.....

 

Yea but that is a triumph explorer.............'EXPLORER', not a 125

I understand your new and trying to ingratiate yourself but perhaps do a bit of background research before you make your statements.

50cc will not do more than 33mph without modifications.

125cc Most will hold their own between 55mph &70mph

Travelling a long distance is possible on a 125 comfortably and i mean hundreds of miles so a 40 mile journey may take less than an hour

Regardless of what cc the bike staying at a constant 55mph (for arguments sake) My gtr1400 will take basically the same time as a 125cc over the same distance.

I have a friend that commutes from Royston to somewhere near Victoria on his Triumph Explorer every day......he's up to around 70k miles now, on a 2.5 year old bike...... So, it's doable.....

 

Yea but that is a triumph explorer.............'EXPLORER', not a 125

 

I understand your new and trying to ingratiate yourself but perhaps do a bit of background research before you make your statements.

50cc will not do more than 33mph without modifications.

125cc Most will hold their own between 55mph &70mph

Travelling a long distance is possible on a 125 comfortably and i mean hundreds of miles so a 40 mile journey may take less than an hour

Regardless of what cc the bike staying at a constant 55mph (for arguments sake) My gtr1400 will take basically the same time as a 125cc over the same distance.

You do your research, those type of bikes have higher horsepower than allowed to ride on a CBT

I have a friend that commutes from Royston to somewhere near Victoria on his Triumph Explorer every day......he's up to around 70k miles now, on a 2.5 year old bike...... So, it's doable.....

 

Yea but that is a triumph explorer.............'EXPLORER', not a 125

Yes, it's a Triumph Explorer 1200cc.......but my point was more about the mileage he's clocked up in 2.5 years.....I'm not sure you'll see too many 125's with 70k miles on them.......not saying that the OP will be clocking that sort of mileage up.....but it's another thing to take into consideration.

Yea but that is a triumph explorer.............'EXPLORER', not a 125

 

I understand your new and trying to ingratiate yourself but perhaps do a bit of background research before you make your statements.

50cc will not do more than 33mph without modifications.

125cc Most will hold their own between 55mph &70mph

Travelling a long distance is possible on a 125 comfortably and i mean hundreds of miles so a 40 mile journey may take less than an hour

Regardless of what cc the bike staying at a constant 55mph (for arguments sake) My gtr1400 will take basically the same time as a 125cc over the same distance.

 

You do your research, those type of bikes have higher horsepower than allowed to ride on a CBT

Which wasn't the point he made.

Get on a 125cc after your CBT and you'll see his point was correct. It will do between 55mph and 70mph.

It'll take longer to get there, you won't have oomph to overtake much on a dual carriageway, and you have to manage your speed better (it's harder to recover from a loss of speed like it is on a bigger bike), but it will sit at that speed and I did a couple of big rides on my Honda CBF.

Yea but that is a triumph explorer.............'EXPLORER', not a 125

 

I understand your new and trying to ingratiate yourself but perhaps do a bit of background research before you make your statements.

50cc will not do more than 33mph without modifications.

125cc Most will hold their own between 55mph &70mph

Travelling a long distance is possible on a 125 comfortably and i mean hundreds of miles so a 40 mile journey may take less than an hour

Regardless of what cc the bike staying at a constant 55mph (for arguments sake) My gtr1400 will take basically the same time as a 125cc over the same distance.

 

You do your research, those type of bikes have higher horsepower than allowed to ride on a CBT

Erm, no @[mention]newbiker90[/mention] ......have a read of this article about CBT legal 125's.....All can top 70mph and the Reiju can hit a genuine 80mph.......https://www.bennetts.co.uk/bikesocial/reviews/bikes/group-tests/teenage-dreams---sports-125-shootout

Yea but that is a triumph explorer.............'EXPLORER', not a 125

 

I understand your new and trying to ingratiate yourself but perhaps do a bit of background research before you make your statements.

50cc will not do more than 33mph without modifications.

125cc Most will hold their own between 55mph &70mph

Travelling a long distance is possible on a 125 comfortably and i mean hundreds of miles so a 40 mile journey may take less than an hour

Regardless of what cc the bike staying at a constant 55mph (for arguments sake) My gtr1400 will take basically the same time as a 125cc over the same distance.

 

You do your research, those type of bikes have higher horsepower than allowed to ride on a CBT

you can at 17 ride upto an 11kw Motor cycle on a provisional licence with a cbt

this is a 11kw bike capable of sufficent speeds

https://www.yamaha-motor.eu/gb/en/products/motorcycles/supersport/yzf-r125/techspecs/

I wouldn’t bother. No licence, no experience, and no idea - yet an expert in all things bike.

I wouldn’t bother. No licence, no experience, and no idea - yet an expert in all things bike.

I don't recall saying I was an expert at anything bike related. In fact I distinctly remember saying I was a novice.

I wouldn’t bother. No licence, no experience, and no idea - yet an expert in all things bike.

 

I don't recall saying I was an expert at anything bike related. In fact I distinctly remember saying I was a novice.

I don't think he was talking to you bud

[mention]RAYK47[/mention] my reading of it was that it was not you that was being referred to as having no idea.

I wouldn’t bother. No licence, no experience, and no idea - yet an expert in all things bike.

 

I don't recall saying I was an expert at anything bike related. In fact I distinctly remember saying I was a novice.

Definitely not aimed at you mate, rather newbiker90. I should have quoted but the amount of nested quotes was getting silly and I was being too lazy to edit them.

Apologies my mistake.

I would have thought this was quite doable on a 125. As soon as you get close to the m25 traffic will likely be slow and you'll be doing a lot of filtering and the 125 will be as quick if not better than bigger bikes. Plus there are lots of smaller routes you could use down through lee valley along crooked mile etc which would be fine on a smaller bike.

I would have thought this was quite doable on a 125. As soon as you get close to the m25 traffic will likely be slow and you'll be doing a lot of filtering and the 125 will be as quick if not better than bigger bikes. Plus there are lots of smaller routes you could use down through lee valley along crooked mile etc which would be fine on a smaller bike.

Thanks goat, I am definitely going to give it a go in the spring. One or two test runs on a weekend first. I always have the train as backup if the weather is not good.

90 ish miles to the gallon too!

OK, so i am thinking of using my bike to commute the entire journey to work. Please let me know if this is a stupid idea as it sounds fine to me but needs experienced eyes and brains to validate.

I live in Hertfordshire and work in London EC3A 7AW, journey total is 34miles (approx 1h 30mins in a car, hopefully less on a bike).

As a new rider with only a CBT currently i have got the directions from Google maps excluding motorways. My route seems pretty simple and will take me down the A10 (this leads almost to my office).

So am i stupid attempting such a journey while being a novice rider and only on a 125?

I am a 40 something who has driven a car for many years so hopefully road sense is better than your average learner. I am also intending to do a test run of the journey on a Sunday to see what it entails.

plan is to do this starting in the spring.

 

On a 125? I would rather walk mate. With this weather, being limited to 30mph and doing many miles on roads that will have speed limit great, not having proper wind protection or a bike designed for all weathers, no abs, no traction control nah thanks mate. Honestly sounds unsafe to me.

 

Some 125's can hit 70-80mph......

I agree! my YBR does 70 mph, 75 mph with a tail wind push.

My commute consists of riding up and down the A40 in Oxford, mostly 60mph limit, a short strech of 30 an 40mph, and some 70mph limit where i can actually do 70.

And i do overtake if traffic is flowing under 55mph, on a 125 you will learn and appreciate speed and distances quite accurately when you decide to overtake, there's not much of 'go' if you cock it up whilst overtaking, because you're more cautious about it.

If there's wind, that's another problem.

I'm not sure if the law has changed, but in 2012 I took my mod1&2 on a 1988 cb125 twin, with a bhp of 16.5 and the examiner had to check the regs to see if it was legal, and it was, because the power to weight ratio is within the regs, but this bike is capable of doing more than 80 mph. Bearing in mind I am a lot older than 17, and I assume the OP is, it can be ridden on CBT.

I don't know the roads but will give you my 2 pence worth...

Yup do able dual carriageways & roads speed limit 40 maybe 50 mph+ won't be any "fun" on a 125. Then when the traffic builds and you can filter....

125's Have some plusses often overlooked MPG 100+ my YBR did 130mpg. Most bigger bikes 600cc do 50ish+/- 20 mpg some more some less.

125's Weight is low great for filtering/ heavy traffic. My trophy 1200 weights 250 kg and filtering is definitely doable but you have to work harder.

125's are not so finely tuned machines and generally maintenance costs less,

On a bike don't forget any stuff you have to carry you no longer have a passenger seat to dump your stuff on...

As others have said forget riding in Snow, Ice, HEAVY rain and STRONG winds, if you have an alternative use it....

Make sure:

You buy gear that is waterproof (IMHO read Gortex) with plenty of vents.

Can mount your phone waterproof with a charging point as sat nav,

I would sort bluetooth radio/ music and microphone these can be found for £20 you don't need to spend £100's

Have heated grips these again can be found cheap I use £12 ones,

Upgrade the headlight bulb to best filament you can (NIght breaker or similar),

You allow plenty of time for your first real time run,

I would go for bike with high sitting position even if sacrificing a few mph theoretical top speed, (My choice would be a Honda XL125V Varadero) more presence on road and you can see over cars when filtering...

Your trial run is a good idea, if you can ride there and back in short succession at least you know you will have the stamina. Also consider your route it will come with experience but on the bike I gladly ride roads in rush hour that a Very busy if I have more space to filter... One route round here I deliberately go into the heaviest traffic because the road is wide and I can filter, the alternative is quicker in a car but you have little chance to filter on a bike...

Just always make sure you have a plan "B" if for any reason the bike is off the road or weather is against you...

I would set a budget and start looking for a bike now, you still get good days although Jan - early March always worst months. Plus good bikes are hard to find for commuter I would suggest sticking to the big manufacturers Yamaha, Honda, Kawasaki, Suzuki...

Thanks onsea

I always have the train or work from home as an alternative if the weather is really bad. I have no intention of riding in extreme weather conditions.

Also I already have a 2017 Honda CB125F which is quite upright so should be a decent seating position.

I have ordered some Oxford heated grips for a little extra warmth.