Motorcycle and Scooter appreciation

Looks good for £2k. I enjoy mine way more than I should considering it's a step through scooter!

Looks nice, another one to add to the list.
Current financial situation means I'll probably have to get one second hand so a bit of searching to find one with suitable mileage.
Wonder what the insurance would be on one of those? Have let my insurance premiums lapse so first couple of years will probably be horrendously expensive..

They're all quite pricey at the moment, but the Zero SR looks quite good ...

https://dgit.com/best-electric-motorcycles-496/

My Honda cub is possibly the most fun bike I've ever had (and I've had loads) and the one I'd never sell. Prices have been really creeping up for them though and ours had a relaxed life at our house in Ireland rather than slogging around south west London

You can buy quite a few Mobylettes for £7995 ! A Honda Cub might be more competent, but also more likely to be stolen?

It looks like the cut off MOT exemption is going to be the same as road tax exemption - machines over 40 years old - which might influence future ownership decisions...
https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/roadworthiness-testing-for-vehicles-of-historic-interest

This is rather nice. MV Agusta RVS-1

http://www.mvagusta.com/en-us/motorcycles/rvs-1/

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Forza 125 is pretty competent, ride is so smooth, wind protection is excellent up to as fast as it'll go (72mph on GPS is it, 62-65 normally about it), on winter tyres feels very well planted on diesel coated streets. Lots of trouble with abs though, four mates have them, all have been back and forth to dealer constantly and not really fixed. The 300 might have a different system though. 300 cc on a Forza is about ideal

I nearly went to look at a 1981 Honda melody today (50cc 2s cheap ass city scooter), £250 with a legit v5 (noy recently stolen!) two owners, and only 1700 actual miles. Had a basket on thr front and everything

Aren’t they 3 wheeled?

No.

I was thinking of the Stream.

Get a Stream.

Actually, no, get a Spacy because pop up headlight.

The only appropriate Honda 3 wheeler is an ATC250R. Worth having your estate in good order before giving it a good thrap.

They come up cheap and in great condition regularly here. I'm not brave enough.

Nah, a honda gyro canopy:

True story: I once burned Sir Stirling Moss off at the lights when he was riding his. I was on a Honda CBR125R

I would like to tap into the motorbike / scooter thead hive mind for some advice. I am seriously thinking of getting an MP3 500 to commute on and any advice or suggestions would be very grteful

I live about 4 miles outside High Wycombe and work in the City (Moorgate). Currently my commute is cycle to High Wycombe station, train to Marylebone then cycle to the office. Season ticket costs £330 a month. On a good day if everything aligns I can do it in 1h25 door to door, but it is often 1h40, or more if there are train problems. This is just too long, I have no time to do anything during the week and it's really getting me down.

I've toyed with getting a bike license and commuting by motorbike but the time & expense have always dissuaded me. I recently realised I can ride an MP3 on a car license and I am sorely tempted. I reckon I could do it in around 1h / 1h10 m door to door, but this pure finger in the air.

Pros: Quicker, no more expensive (by my reckoning), more flexible.

Cons (and my mitigation for each):
Dangerous - but I've cycled through central london for 10 years and trust myself, my defensive riding & my reflexes.
Weather will put me off: See above.

My main concern is will the MP3 be actually much quicker? How easy to filter will it be? I guess the only real way to find out is bite the bullet, spend the cash and then stick it all back on eBay if it doesnt work out, a potentially expensive experiment though. Any comments or suggestions very welcome...

Go for it - it will save you time when you get proficient and confident, give yourself plenty of time to 'practice' roadcraft/get to know the dimensions of the machine etc. before hitting the London peak traffic.
There's a fair few transferable skills you've got as a cyclist that are relevant - be plenty careful, as you say, if it's not for you, you can always back out.

Is there a way to hire one and try it out in rush hour a few times (preferably in weather).

I’d be wary of a 70 mile per day round trip including the entire width of central London every day - might make you hate 2 wheels (or 3 in this case). Personally I don’t find the A40/ Euston rd/ city road very relaxing. Also filtering a 3 wheeler at any speed will be a lot harder than a bike.

You might find a zen way to do it though.

I hate the train as it is though... & I cycle the London bit every day and it doesn't bother me.

Every day I cycle 20 mins back to Marylebone, lock the bike, sit on train for 5 mins, train still in station... I'm thinking "I could have been at Hanger Lane / Northolt / M25 by now..." etc etc

Filtering isn't something you do on day 1, takes a while to build up the skills/ confidence to do it.
And city traffic isn't the easiest to learn in.

Any kind of commuting by motorbike increases the risk of an accident. You spend more time on the bike, do it in all types of conditions and you are half awake in the morning and tired at night.

How many accidents are you prepared for. I've had quite a few over many years, mostly small and just inconvenient but it's a rare biker who doesn't have any.

I would bite the bullet and get on 2 wheels. You don't need the extra power for that journey, a 125 would get you started with 1 days training and see how much of the year you feel like doing it.

This time of year is terrible, dark on the home leg of the journey with plenty of peds and poor visibility especially in the rain, you can get very cold without the right gear and that reduces your concentration.

Having said all that I've stuck at it for 20 years, not commuting to a regular place of work but travelling to work all over London in all weathers and it works for me. It's just that commuting times are the worst to be on the road.

Interesting time of thinking of jumping into this. Why not aye? It'll be a bitch at times with the cold and rain and people trying to kill you all the time, but it's mostly under your control and is a hoot at times so why not?

Spend money on gear too. It's worth it

Personal recommendation is pinlock visor on the crash helmet.
Makes a big difference IMO to wet/ cold riding as you don't need to crack the visor to clear it.

If you are keen I would suggest still doing your CBT, it's costs £100 and you will be taught how to ride a motorcycle. Even though you don't need it, you need it.
Motorbikes are not push bikes.

If you hate the current commute that much give it a go. I'd agree with the CBT idea - also you might find 125cc is enough too if you can use the A40 rather than the M40. Much more nimble in traffic and a lot cheaper than a big 3 wheeler to start with.

If you can get on with it at this time of year you'll have a ball come Spring!

Cheers all, will book the CBT I think & go from there

I'm running Bridgestone Battlax Hypersports on my MT-09 at the moment and they're getting progressively more squirelly as the temperature drops.

Anyone run Pilot Road 4s?

Would I see a noticeable difference during the winter months?

These have only done ~2,200 miles so i'll keep them in the shed and put them back on in the spring...

I saw discounted CBT on Groupon recently

Pr4 are meant to be great in winter. I just fitted z8 metzeler.

Loving my tucano bar muffs smug warm hands.

If commuting in winter spend a healthy amount on gear, like budget £1000 for a moderate set of gear. £180-200 on boots, same on pants and jacket, same on helmet (or more), then least £80 on gloves, bar muffs and a skirt (honestly, best thing about a scooter is the skirt) and a wee screen
125 can't really do motorway at vets of times, less so dragging a heavy 3 wheeler avout, prob a 250 or 350 would be the sweet spot, not up on what's allowed in the ulez now, but might cost more for 500?
Also London proof (!!!) lock is gonna be 2x £125 and even then...
Not trying to put you off, just aware of winter.