anyone ride alot for work? do you still like riding?

I have a 35 mile commute round trip that I have been doing on 2 wheels for about 5 years now. I ride everyday I can unless it's really raining. I get a little down too when I have to take the cage.

 

If I take the car it's 30 minutes to work.

If I take the bike it's 20 minutes to work. :biggrin:

 

Yup, when I was laying down another coat of polyurthane on my floor last night. The light bulb went off Joey and the connection was made brother.

BZ

 

I love riding and try to ride to work every day. My ride/drive is only 1.5 to 1.7 milies depending if i go around the block. Bike takes about 12 minues where the truck takes about 8. the additional 4 minutes is putting on gear, where truck, just turn key and go. I do ride about every Sunday in the hills and only miss a few a year due to rain or just way too cold.

 

What he means here with the East v West. In the East you don't *normally* see the gridlock you see on the west coast (note i said normally there are areas with exceptions) and there's a lot of long distance travel to / from work.

So here, we talk about our rides to work in miles really. On the west coast its all about time. Sadly here on the East coast we dont get to split lanes

 

Hey I am a field engineer and I ride to work and all over in the field during my day. I ride year round and sometimes I get lazy (the cold and rain makes me feel lazy too), but I still gotta ride. There are sometimes when it is cold I have to get myself hyped up , but once I get started it is all good. I have three bikes so sometimes I change up just to keep it fun. When my 83 GoldWing was my daily ride I would get really lazy and not feel like dealing with the big beast which is why I slimmed down to the VFR - Best All Round Bike I know of.

 

I guess i must be missing something. here in mi the speed limit is the same no matter what. weather on my bike or truck or car down town is still only 30 mph, the highway is still only 70, so it takes me pretty much the exact time to get anywehre no matter the vehicle.

what part am i missing?

 

You're lucky Unnamed. On the Left Coast we have this problem here we call traffic, and on Fridays, it's a two-headed monster! If the freeways are empty, I can certainly travel 35 miles in 35 mins. But if you have traffic, you'll be lucky to average 25 MPH over the course of your travels and less if it's Friday after 2PM. Now if you have the ability to lane-split, you can increase that average speed to 45 MPH or better because you can also use our carpool lanes. Hence, a faster rate of travel on a motorcycle, then in a 4-wheeler.

 

Yes but on many VERY congested highways, your 70mph is really 10-15 mph tops due to stop / go traffic (or just stopped traffic). thats where i'm thinking it's not clicking

 

motorcycle, with one rider, can use carpool lane?

 

ya, it doesent work like that here, it doesent matter how many people are on the highway, street, back road, neighbors driveway, they will go bumper to bumper at at least 5 above the speed limit.

in town average is 35 mph, average traveled speed is about 40.
highways are 70 mph, average traveled speed is about 75-78.

even when bumper to bumper. and not just here, in grand rappids, detroit. bumper to bumper and starin you down because 5 over isent fast enough for them.

 

its been a while, but iv complained somewhat here because i actually drive hte speed limit and people get real ticked. esspicially when there is a whole lane of cars lined up behind me.

iv gotten enough speeding tickets, i dont need anymore.

 

In California, bikes with 1 person CAN use the carpool lane. We can also lane-split which if you're only going 5-10 MPH over the flow of traffic will not attract the attention of the local highway enforcement. So if the traffic is crawling along at 10 mph, i can squeeze through at 25 and not have an issue.

 

I have been riding to work now for almost two years up to recently when my 86 has been having some problems with oil leaks popping up every couple of months. I would always ride on the weekends for pleasure. Even if I didn't want to my girl would put me through the ringer if I didn't take her out for a ride.:biggrin:

 

Man that gives me ideas. I just started a new job w/ a 20 mile decent commute on city streets but if I take some longer routes I just realized I can hit some of the nice scenic twisties, once the weather cools down a little. Right now I just want to get home and out of the heat.

CA is the only state that allows lane splitting afaik. It is nice to filter up at lights and take off in to fresh air, stuck behind a Suburban in summer heat isn't much fun.

I don't know about MI but suspect it's the same as CA? Any carpool/HOV lane is open to a single-rider motorcycle at any time.

 

Yeah, your little neck of the woods always seems to reach it's peak temp at about 5:00 PM or so, just in time for the commute! I'll actually be passing through there this Thursday, two-up on the VFR, at about 6:30 or so, depending on 80 from Vallejo on up. I'm not looking forward to that stretch between Vacaville and Colfax...

I didn't really think about this until after I wrote the above: To the OP; you can see that most everybody with bikes in their blood never gets tired of riding. I know how hot and miserable part of this trip is going to be, but I don't care. The ride through the Sierra Mountains in the early evening more than makes up for the traffic and heat during the first part of the trip (to me, that is; I guess I'll find out what the lady thinks about it afterwords :biggrin.

You know, the best thing you can do is try riding every day. It is either going to be something that you like, or not. I seldom commute via bike anymore due to the weird hours I work and the various changes of clothes I would have to go through (bike/cold AM, gym, bike, work, bike/hot PM); it is simply more than I care to deal with at this particular time in my life. When I move from my present location and my lifestyle changes, if it makes sense to commute via bike, that's what I'll do.

But you'll never know until you try.

 

Temps shouldn't be too bad Th, high of 95. Traffic will be the PIA until Roseville/Rocklin, after Rocklin it should be smooth sailing on 80. Looks like a big cool down this weekend too so watch out for those afternoon Sierra t-storms. One side can be clear and 90 while the summit and other side (east) is storming in the 40's w/ hail & lightning. Just check ahead.

 

Hail while riding frackin sucks BTW. I'd rather ride in the pouring driving holy shit am I in the middle of a Hurricane rain.

 

we dont have carpool lanes. not in my neck anyway. but it seems pointless to have a carpool lane to me, asside from being even more pointless to allow people to use it that are not carpooling

splitting lanes, you mean going inbetween traffic? that seems unsafe to me. and if you can do it then why are you affraid of getting attention from law enforcement?

though that would certainly get you around places much faster. esspicially around here where speeding is pointless if you cannot make the light.

 

i dono if i would split lanes, though i would do that at stop signs. shoot, i pretty much do that on in my truck if there is room.